Mobile terminal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9612623-B2
Application number	US-201514719388-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2015
Priority date	Sep 16, 2014
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

There is disclosed a mobile terminal deformable into a bar type mobile terminal including a main body in which a display unit is mounted in a front surface, and a strap coupled to both sides of the main body in a first direction to form a closed curvature shape with the main body, the strap comprising a pair of curved units, wherein the strap and the main body forming the closed curvature shape together are overlapped with each other to deform the mobile terminal into the bar type, as the curved units are folded.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A deformable mobile terminal comprising:
a main body:
a display mounted to a front surface of the main body;
a strap coupled to a first and a second side of the main body; and
folding units that fold the strap,
wherein the strap, in a first configuration of the mobile terminal, is curve-shaped and, together with the main body, forms a closed loop structure, and
wherein when the strap is folded by the folding units, at least the strap overlaps with the main body, in a second configuration of the mobile terminal, to form a bar type mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 further comprising:
an electronic component mounted in the strap; and
a flexible board extending from an inner portion of the strap to the main body and connecting the electronic component with the display unit.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the strap comprises:
a first strap having a first end connected to the first side of the main body; and
a second strap having a first end connected to the second side of the main body, and wherein a second end of the first strap and a second end of the second strap are configured to be detachably connected to each other.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3 further comprising:
a hook attached to the second end of the first strap; and
a hook securing portion associated with the second end of the second strap, the hook securing portion configured to secure the hook thereto.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4 further comprising:
an elastic portion configured to apply a force to the hook to secure the hook to the hook securing portion; and
a button configured to counter the force applied by the elastic portion on the hook, when the button is pressed, so that the hook is no longer secured by the hook securing portion and the first strap and the second strap detach from each other.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 3 , wherein the electronic component comprises:
a printed circuit board mounted in the first strap; and
a battery mounted in the second strap, wherein the printed circuit board and the battery are disconnected when the first strap and the second strap are detached and connected when the first strap and the second strap are attached.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the strap and the main body are detachable from each other.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1 further comprising:
a first magnet on the main body; and
a second magnet on the strap, wherein the first magnet and the second magnet have opposite polarities and wherein the first magnet and the second magnet adhere to each other and maintain the mobile terminal in the second configuration as a bar type mobile terminal.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the main body and the display unit are flexible.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9 further comprising:
a plurality of unit blocks in the main body extending lengthwise in a first direction parallel to the first and second sides of the main body and, sequentially arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first and second sides of the main body,
slots recessed on two lateral surface of first direction of the plurality of unit blocks, and extend across in second direction; and
a plurality of projections, each projecting from an inner portion of the main body and into the slots of a corresponding one of the plurality of unit blocks,
wherein each of the projections is configured to move along the corresponding slot such that the angle between adjacent unit blocks changes when the shape of the main body is deformed to place the mobile terminal in the first configuration.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1 further comprising:
a plate spring in the strap, the plate spring formed of a flexible material, wherein the shape of the strap in the first and second configurations is determined, at least in part, by the curvature of the plate spring.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11 , wherein the plate spring comprises:
a rectangular outer frame;
a plurality of deformable frames within the outer frame, wherein the plurality of deformable frames are arranged in a first direction parallel to the first and second sides of the main body extending from one side of the outer frame and the other side of the outer frame in a second direction perpendicular to the first and second sides of the main body; and
a middle frame located crossing the plurality of deformable frames,
wherein the rectangular outer frame and the middle frame is not deformed and the plurality of deformable frames change a shape when the mobile terminal changes between the first and second configurations.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein each of the folding units is a hinge having two shafts.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13 , wherein an end portion of each shaft includes a stopper projecting therefrom, wherein a hinge cap covers the end portions of both shafts, and wherein the hinge is configured to rotate until the stoppers make contact with the hinge cap.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1 further comprising:
one or more of a microphone and an audio output module mounted in the strap, closer to the main body than the folding units.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the folding units place both ends of the mobile terminal in a second configuration.

17. A deformable mobile terminal comprising:
a strap module deforming between a first configuration forming a closed loop structure and a second configuration forming a bar shape;
a first support material arranged on a first part of the strap module;
a second support material on a second part of the strap module;
a first flexible display mounted on the first support material;
a second flexible display mounted on the second support material, the second flexible display facing opposite side from the first flexible display in a second configuration,
wherein the first and the second displays are curved when the mobile terminal is in the second configuration.

18. The deformable mobile terminal of claim 17 , wherein when the mobile terminal is in the first configuration, each of the first display and the second display comprises a flat portion, a first curved portion to one side of the flat portion and a second curved portion to another side of the flat portion, opposite the first curved portion.

19. The deformable mobile terminal of claim 17 further comprising:
a charging film between the first display and the first support material and between the second display and the second support material,
wherein a lateral surface of each of the first and second support materials covers, at least in part, a lateral surface of the strap module, and wherein a projection projects from a lateral surface of each of the first and second support materials, the projections being movable along a corresponding slot formed in a lateral surface of the strap module.

20. A mobile terminal assembly comprising:
an outer surface with an accommodating recess formed therein, wherein the accommodating recess is configured to receive the mobile terminal of claim 17 and to electrically connect the mobile terminal of claim 17 to the mobile terminal assembly.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Lim Cheolho
• Park Seokyong
• Lee Jihoon
• Son Kyungsoo
• Shin Choonghwan
• Lee Byunghwa

Classifications

• H04M1/0269

  mounted in a fixed curved configuration, e.g. display curved around the edges of the telephone housing · CPC title

• G06F1/163 Primary

  Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt · CPC title

• G06F1/166 Primary

  related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle · CPC title

• G06F1/1637

  Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing · CPC title

• H04M2250/16

  including more than one display unit · CPC title