Abstract:
A speaker-up type portable terminal provides ease of use. The speaker-up type portable terminal includes a phone body having a display unit mounted at a predetermined location thereof and a plurality of keys disposed adjacent to the display unit, a cover coupled to the phone body by a hinge unit which rotates to go away from or come towards the phone body while the cover faces the phone body, and closing or opening the display unit, a hinge axis running across an upper end of the phone body, a first speaker mounted on a top surface of the cover, and a second speaker mounted on a bottom surface of the cover and disposed adjacent to the first speaker.

Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]     This application claims priority to applications entitled “Speaker-up Type Portable Terminal” filed in the Korean Industrial Property Office on Jul. 23, 2003 and assigned Serial No. 2003-50660, and Nov. 20, 2003 and assigned Serial No. 2003-82780, the contents of both which are incorporated herein by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The present invention generally relates to a portable terminal such as a cellular phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a HHP (Hand Held Phone) or the like, and more particularly to a speaker-up type portable terminal capable of providing ease of use.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     In general, “portable terminals” are electronic devices which a user can carry with him/her to perform wireless communication with a desired partner. In consideration of portability, design of the portable terminal has tended not only toward compactness, slimness and lightness, but also toward multimedia features capable of pursuing more various functions. The portable terminals may be used for more functions and purposes other than compactness and lightness, and they may be modified to be suitable for environments of various multimedia or internets. Additionally, the portable terminals may be used by men and women, young and old, anywhere in the world.  
         [0006]     Conventional portable terminals may be classified into various types based on their appearance, such as bar-type portable terminals, flip-type portable terminals, and folder-type portable terminals. The bar-type portable terminal has a single housing shaped like a bar. The flip-type portable terminal has a flip which is pivotally mounted to a bar-shaped housing by a hinge unit. The folder-type portable terminal has a folder coupled to a single bar-shaped housing by a hinge unit, thus the folder can be rotated in order to be folded to or unfolded from the housing.  
         [0007]     Furthermore, portable terminals may be classified as necklace-type terminals and wrist-type terminals, based on the position at or a way in which a user puts it on the terminal. The necklace-type terminal is one which the user wears around the neck using a string, while the wrist-type terminal is one which is worn around the wrist of the user.  
         [0008]     Additionally, portable terminals may be classified as rotation-type terminals and sliding-type terminals based on ways of opening and closing the terminals. In the rotation-type portable terminal, two housings are coupled to each other in a manner that one housing rotates to be opened or closed relative to the other while facing each other. In the sliding-type portable terminal, two housings are coupled to each other in a manner that one housing slides to be opened or closed relative to the other. The above described various types of portable terminals are easily known by those skilled in the art.  
         [0009]     Furthermore, the conventional portable terminals described above have been designed to enable a voice communication as well as a high-speed data communication. As consumer demands have been increased, various services have been provided using wireless communication technology for transceiving data at a high speed.  
         [0010]     A camera lens may be mounted to the portable terminal. Thus the portable terminal can transmit image signals.  
         [0011]     Commonly, the portable terminals are provided with an embedded or external camera lens module. Therefore, the user can perform an image communication with a desired partner or photograph a desired subject.  
         [0012]     However, among the conventional portable terminals, the folder-type portable terminal has a disadvantage in that the folder must be opened to check data which have been received or will be transmitted. Furthermore, the bar-type portable terminal has a disadvantage in that the display unit may be broken or scratched in absence of means for protecting the display unit.  
         [0013]     Further, in order to open/close a flip cover or folder from/onto a conventional flip-type/folder-type portable terminal, a user cannot easily catch and rotate the flip cover or folder by his or her own hand. Moreover, the user must repetitiously rotate the flip cover or folder when opening or closing the flip cover. Therefore, the user may feel inconvenienced by repeating such a monotonous routine.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0014]     Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide a speaker-up type portable terminal, in which at least one speaker is exposed outside.  
         [0015]     It is another object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal, which uses the advantages of folder-type and bar-type portable terminals.  
         [0016]     It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal, which is provided with an opening having a predetermined shape, a first speaker for a speaker phone, and a second speaker for a receiver, thereby providing ease of use.  
         [0017]     It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal, enabling various data requiring frequent checking to be easily checked without opening a cover.  
         [0018]     It is yet still another object of the present invention to provide a portable terminal and its cover-opening assembly, which enables a cover of the portable terminal to be automatically opened by pressing a push button provided at the portable terminal, thus it is convenient to use the portable terminal.  
         [0019]     In order to accomplish these objects, there is provided a portable terminal including a phone body having a display unit mounted at a predetermined location thereof and a plurality of keys disposed adjacent to the display unit; a cover coupled to the phone body by a hinge unit which rotates away from or towards the phone body while the cover faces the phone body, and closing or opening the display unit alone; a hinge axis running across one end of the phone body; a first speaker mounted on a top surface of the cover; and a second speaker mounted on a bottom surface of the cover and disposed adjacent to the first speaker.  
         [0020]     In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cover-opening assembly of a portable terminal, the cover-opening assembly including: a phone body having a display unit mounted at a predetermined location thereof and a plurality of keys disposed adjacent to the display unit, the phone body having a hinge axis extending through an upper end of the phone body; a cover coupled to the phone body by a hinge unit, which rotates towards and away from the phone body while the cover faces the phone body; a first speaker and a second speaker mounted on a top surface and a bottom surface of the cover; and a cover-opening assembly disposed in the hinge unit for enabling the cover to be automatically opened from the phone body. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0021]     The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0022]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a cover of the portable terminal is closed;  
         [0023]      FIG. 2  is a front view of the portable terminal shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view of a portable terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which a cover of the portable terminal is opened;  
         [0025]      FIG. 4  is a front view of the portable terminal shown in  FIG. 3 ; and  
         [0026]      FIG. 5  is a front view illustrating a cover of a portable terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0027]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a cover-opening assembly of a portable terminal according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0028]      FIG. 7  is an exploded perspective view of a first and second hinge shaft and a spiral spring in the cover-opening assembly illustrated in  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0029]      FIGS. 8 and 9  are assembled perspective views of the cover-opening assembly shown in  FIG. 6 , for illustrating the operation of the cover-opening assembly;  
         [0030]      FIG. 10  is a transverse cross-sectional view of a portion of a portable terminal employing the cover-opening assembly illustrated in  FIG. 6 , when a cover of the portable terminal is closed;  
         [0031]      FIG. 11  is an enlarged sectional view of the encircled portion A in  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0032]      FIG. 12  is an enlarged sectional view of the encircled portion B in  FIG. 10 ;  
         [0033]      FIG. 13  is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a portion of a portable terminal employing the cover-opening assembly illustrated in  FIG. 6 , for illustrating the operation of the cover-opening assembly;  
         [0034]      FIG. 14  is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the encircled portion C in  FIG. 13 ; and  
         [0035]      FIG. 15  is a transverse cross-sectional view of a portion of a portable terminal employing the cover-opening assembly shown in  FIG. 6 , when a cover of the portable terminal is open. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0036]     Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same or similar elements are denoted by the same reference numerals even though they are depicted in different drawings. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein will be omitted for clarity where they are well-known in the art.  
         [0037]     As illustrated in FIGS.  1  to  4 , a portable terminal according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention uses the advantages of bar-type and folder-type portable terminals. Thus, a display unit  110  (shown in  FIG. 3 ) can be protected under the closure of a cover  20 , and various data requiring frequent checking can be checked. An operation mode of a speaker can be converted according to opening and closing of the cover  20 . Furthermore, the portable terminal according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention is a speaker-up portable terminal enabling a speaker to be exposed outside.  
         [0038]     The portable terminal according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a phone body  10 , the cover  20  rotatably coupled to the phone body  10 , a first speaker  201  mounted on a top surface  20   a  of the cover  20 , a second speaker  202  mounted on a bottom surface  20   b  of the cover  20  (shown in  FIG. 3 ), and an opening  210  formed at a predetermined location of the cover  20 .  
         [0039]     As illustrated in  FIG. 3 , the phone body  10  includes a pair of side hinge arms  101 , which protrude from one end of the phone body  10  in a vertical direction. Furthermore, the phone body  10  includes the display unit  110  disposed adjacent to the pair of side hinge arms  101 , a plurality of keys  112  and a microphone  114 . The display unit  110  is disposed adjacent to the keys  112 . The keys  112  are disposed adjacent to the microphone  114 . Of a pair of lateral surfaces of the phone body  10 , one  10   b  is provided with at least one key  118 . An antenna  116  extends from the phone body  10  in a longitudinal direction.  
         [0040]     The cover  20  has top and bottom surfaces  20   a  and  20   b , and a center hinge arm  212  coupled between the pair of side hinge arms  101 . When the center hinge arm  212  is aligned with the pair of side hinge arms  101 , a hinge axis A is formed. The first speaker  201  is exposed toward the top surface  20   a  of the cover  20 , while the second speaker  202  is exposed toward the bottom surface  20   b  of the cover  20 . The first speaker  201  is used for a speaker phone, and the second speaker  202  is used for a receiver.  
         [0041]     The opening  210  extends parallel to the hinge axis A to be formed preferably in an elongated shape. Through the opening  210 , the display unit  110  is partially exposed. When the cover  20  is closed relative to the phone body  10 , the opening  210  enables a part of the display unit  110  to be exposed. Therefore, a user of the portable terminal can check data displayed on the part of the display unit  110  exposed through the opening  210 . The opening  210  is located farther from the hinge axis A than is the first speaker  201 . The opening  210  is formed as a predetermined shape of hole passing through the cover  20 , so that the top and bottom surfaces  20   a  and  20   b  of the cover  20  function as an opened end surface.  
         [0042]     The exposed part of the display unit  110  is located at a key-side region, where various data such as sensitivity of the antenna, time, date, power of the battery are displayed. The displayed data refer to ones requiring frequent checking by the user of the portable terminal. A known LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module may be employed as the display unit.  
         [0043]     According to the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the opening  210  of the cover  20  does not need to be disposed parallel to the hinge axis A. If various data requiring frequent checking should be displayed on a hinge axis-side section of the display unit  110 , the opening  210  may be formed at a position adjacent to the hinge axis A. The opening  210  may be formed at a location at which various data requiring frequent checking are displayed on the display unit  110 . The opening  210  may be formed parallel or perpendicular to the hinge axis A according to the displayed location of the data requiring frequent checking.  
         [0044]     Additionally, the opening  210  may include window, and preferably a transparent window.  
         [0045]     As illustrated in  FIG. 5 , the cover  20  includes a vibrator  203 . The vibrator  203  is disposed adjacent to the first and second speakers  201  and  202  as well as the opening  210 . The first and second speakers  201  and  202  and the vibrator  203  are electrically connected to the phone body  10  preferably using an FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) (not shown). The FPCB is connected to the phone body by the hinge axis A.  
         [0046]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , when the cover  20  is closed relative to the phone body  10 , the opening  210  is located nearest to the keys  112 . As illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , when the cover  20  is opened relative to the phone body  10 , the opening  210  is located farthest from the keys  112 .  
         [0047]     Furthermore, as illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the first speaker  201  is used as a speaker phone, while as illustrated in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the second speaker  202  is used as a receiver. When the cover  20  is closed, the first speaker  201  is in an operation mode as the speaker phone. When the cover  20  is opened, the second speaker  202  is in an operation mode as the receiver. Either the first or second speaker  201 ,  202  is automatically operated as the speaker phone or the receiver according to whether the cover is closed or opened, respectively.  
         [0048]     As described above, the portable terminal of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is a device which uses the advantages of folder-type and bar-type portable terminals, and is provided with the opening having the predetermined shape, the first speaker for the speaker phone, the second speaker for the receiver, thereby providing ease of use.  
         [0049]     Hereinafter, a second preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.  
         [0050]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , a cover-opening assembly  300  of a portable terminal includes a first hinge shaft  301 , a second hinge shaft  302 , a compression coil spring  303 , a locking cap  304 , a spiral spring  305 , and a push button  306 .  
         [0051]     While using the portable terminal having the cover-opening assembly  300  as described above, a user may press the push button  306  provided at one of the side hinge arms  101  as shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 . Then, the push button  306  is pushed into a button hole  400  formed through one of the side hinge arms  101 .  
         [0052]     Then, as illustrated in  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the push button  306  comes into contact with a contact head  302   c  of the second hinge shaft  302  and moves the second hinge shaft  302  inward the portable terminal, which is, toward the first hinge shaft  301  or leftward in the drawings.  
         [0053]     Referring to  FIG. 7 , the second hinge shaft  302  has a pair of legs  302   b  protruding longitudinally from an end of a shaft body  302   a , which are fixedly inserted in leg holes  301   c  formed at an end of the first hinge shaft  301 . Accordingly, when the second hinge shaft  302  is pushed toward the first hinge shaft  301 , the first hinge shaft  301  is moved inward together with the second hinge shaft  302 .  
         [0054]     A cam shoulder  301   d  formed at a shaft cam  301   b  of the first hinge shaft  301  and a locking stopper  304   b  formed at the locking cap  304 , which have been engaged with each other, are disengaged from each other as illustrated in  FIG. 13 .  
         [0055]     As illustrated in  FIGS. 10 and 15 , the cover  20  is automatically rotated by the elastic force of the spiral spring  305  housed in the locking cap  304  and is thus opened from the phone body  10 .  
         [0056]     Herein, the locking cap  304  has a cap housing  304   a  shaped like a cylinder, through which the shaft body  302   a  is inserted.  
         [0057]     Referring to  FIG. 10 , the cap housing  304   a  has an engagement protuberance  304   d  protruding outward from a predetermined portion of the cap housing  304   a , which is engaged with an engagement groove  500  formed on an inner surface of the center hinge arm  212  (illustrated in  FIG. 6 ). As a result, a rotation of the cap housing  304   a  enables a simultaneous and following rotation of the center hinge arm  212 .  
         [0058]     Referring to  FIGS. 10, 12 , and  15 , an inner end  305   a  of the spiral spring  305  is inserted and fixed in a holding groove  302   d  formed at the second hinge shaft  302 . Further, an outer end  305   b  of the spiral spring  305  is inserted through a cap opening  304   c  (illustrated in  FIG. 8 ) of the locking cap  304  and a spring-holding hole  600  formed at the center hinge arm  212 . The outer end  305   b  of the spiral spring  305  is engaged with and held by an end portion forming the spring-holding hole  600 . Accordingly, as described above, the cover  20  is automatically opened when the push button  306  is pressed.  
         [0059]     The opened cover  20  can be manually closed. When a user manually rotates the cover  20  toward the phone body  10 , the locking cap  304  also rotates following the rotation of the cover  20 . When the locking stopper  304   b  of the locking cap  304  is engaged with the cam shoulder  301   d  of the shaft cam  301   b  during the rotation of the locking cap  304 , the cover  20  is held in the closed position.  
         [0060]     Herein, the compression coil spring  303  provided around a shank  301   a  of the first hinge shaft  301  and disposed at one side of the shaft cam  301   b  elastically pushes the shaft cam  301   b  outward while enabling the first hinge shaft  301  to move either inward or outward. Therefore, the elastic force of the compression coil spring  303  pushing the shaft cam  301   b  enables the cam shoulder  301   d  to be moved outward and engaged with the locking stopper  304   b  while the locking cap  304  rotates.  
         [0061]     Referring again to  FIGS. 13 and 14 , the first hinge shaft  301  has the shank  301   a  formed integrally behind the shaft cam  301   b , and the compression coil spring  303  is fitted around the shank  301   a.    
         [0062]     While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.