Mic rubber apparatus for portable electric device

A microphone rubber apparatus mounted on an SMD microphone prepared on a printed circuit board to protect the SMD microphone from an external physical impact and the like in a portable communication device such as a portable terminal and a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). The microphone rubber apparatus includes a microphone holder portion formed to engage with and wrap up a microphone, a connection portion protruding to one side of the microphone holder portion and delivering a transmission sound to the microphone through an inside thereof, and at least one shock absorbing portion deformably formed around the connection portion to ease an impact caused by an external force. Thus, the shock absorbing portion having a wrinkled shape can be deformed no matter in which direction an impact is applied to the portable communication device, thereby easing the impact and preventing the microphone rubber from being detached from the microphone due to the external impact or during a distribution test.

PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean Patent Application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Sep. 22, 2008 and assigned Serial No. 10-2008-0092891, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to a portable communication device such as a portable terminal and a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA). More particularly, the present invention relates to a microphone rubber apparatus mounted on a Surface Mounted Device (SMD) microphone prepared on a printed circuit board to protect the SMD microphone from an external physical impact and the like.

2. Description of the Related Art

A portable communication device, including a portable terminal, an MP3 player, a Personal Media Player (PMP) and a PDA, is a device with which a user can access a variety of contents while carrying it with him or her.

The portable communication device has a tendency toward multifunction and miniaturization in line with consumer demands.

Normally, a microphone is installed in the portable communication device such as the portable terminal and the PDA to conduct transmission of speech during a call. To mount the microphone on a printed circuit board, a microphone lead is formed on a lower end of the microphone and soldered onto the printed circuit board. However, the heat delivered to the printed circuit board during the soldering may deform a Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) film, which is a vibration film, in the microphone, deteriorating a characteristic of the microphone.

Recently, circuits for ensuring a frequency characteristic of a microphone mounted in the portable communication device and cutting off electrostatics from the exterior are formed by an SMD technique, thereby removing a need for separate works and improving work efficiency for microphone installation. In this technique, all sorts of circuits for controlling and/or protecting a basic characteristic of the microphone are formed in one body, increasing space efficiency during forming of peripheral circuits of the microphone. Such an SMD microphone is easy to install and can prevent an echo phenomenon and a decrease in radiation performance, which may occur while the microphone is soldered onto the printed circuit board.

A microphone rubber is mounted on the SMD microphone to protect the microphone from an external impact or the like and prevent the echo phenomenon. The microphone rubber may remarkably reduce a possible breakaway of the microphone even though an external force such as an impact is applied to the portable communication device.

However, since a structure of this microphone is exposed to an inner side of a terminal, capability of the microphone may be affected by noise, heat, sound and the like inside the portable communication device, causing a decrease in transmission sensitivity.

In addition, a groove having a tolerance slightly less than a size of the microphone is formed in the microphone rubber so that the microphone rubber may wrap up the microphone. Thus, the microphone can be fit into the groove. However, when a user drops the terminal by mistake or applies an impact thereto, the microphone rubber may be separated from the microphone.

Though the microphone rubber closely adheres to the SMD microphone, the microphone may occasionally be detached from the microphone rubber during a distribution test. To address this problem, use of the SMD microphone is prohibited during the distribution test or soldering points of the microphone are added, but this may lead to the cost increase and production delay. Further, the microphone may be deformed or out of order due to an impact applied thereto while the microphone rubber is separated from the microphone.

Accordingly, there is a long-felt need for a microphone rubber apparatus for a portable communication device, capable of preventing a microphone rubber from being detached from a microphone due to an external impact applied to the portable communication device, and of easing or absorbing the impact. Also, there is a need for a microphone rubber that exerts no influence on an SMD microphone during the distribution test.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention provides a microphone rubber apparatus having a plurality of wrinkled recesses at one end of a microphone rubber to ease or absorb an impact applied from the exterior in a portable communication device.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a microphone rubber apparatus for a portable communication device is provided. The microphone rubber apparatus includes a microphone holder portion formed to engage with and wrap up a microphone; a connection portion protruding to one side of the microphone holder portion and delivering a transmission sound to the microphone through an inside thereof; and at least one shock absorbing portion deformably formed around the connection portion to ease an impact caused by an external force.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 4, a microphone rubber apparatus for a portable communication device10includes a microphone rubber100, which is made of an elastic material such as rubber. The microphone rubber100includes a microphone holder portion110, and a connection portion120, around which at least one shock absorbing portion121is formed.

The microphone holder portion110is formed to engage with and wrap up a microphone11, and the connection portion120is formed to protrude to one side of the microphone holder portion110to deliver a transmission sound to the microphone11. The at least one shock absorbing portion121is deformably formed around the connection portion120to mitigate a shock caused by an external force.

As illustrated inFIG. 3, a coupling groove111is formed on one side of the microphone holder portion110to fit the microphone11into the coupling groove111. A sound-transmitting hole122is formed to connect with the coupling groove111, passing through the connection portion120. When the microphone rubber100is mounted on the microphone11, the microphone11is fit into the coupling groove111, and the sound-transmitting hole122is face-to-face connected to a microphone hole12which is formed on one end of the portable communication device10.

Referring toFIGS. 1 to 4, the shock absorbing portion121includes at least one recess121. The recesses121are connected to each other and formed along both side surfaces of the connection portion120so as to absorb an impact applied to a side of the microphone holder portion110wrapping the microphone11when an impact is applied to the portable communication device10.

Each of the recesses121, as illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 4, is formed in a shape of a concave groove having a specific curvature.

As illustrated inFIG. 4, when an impact is applied to the microphone rubber100in a specific direction, elastic deformation of extension and compression occurs between the recesses121along the impact direction, preventing detachment of the microphone holder portion110engaged with the microphone11.

With reference toFIGS. 1 to 4, a detailed description will now be made of an operation of the microphone rubber apparatus for the portable communication device10according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated inFIGS. 1 to 4, the microphone11is mounted on a printed circuit board to deliver a transmission sound provided through the microphone hole12formed in one end of the portable communication device10.

The microphone rubber100, as illustrated inFIG. 4, collects or picks up a transmission sound and delivers it to the microphone11. In addition, the microphone rubber100wraps up the microphone11to prevent vibration of the microphone11and absorb a shock by the external force. The microphone rubber100is formed extending from the microphone11to the microphone hole12. Because the microphone rubber100is elastic, the microphone11can be smoothly fit into the coupling groove111in the microphone holder portion110by the elasticity. The microphone rubber100is preferably made of an elastic material such as a rubber material. The coupling groove111is preferably formed equal to or smaller than a size of the microphone11according to elasticity of the microphone rubber100so as to keep the installation of the microphone rubber100on the microphone11and to prevent possible detachment of the microphone rubber100from the microphone11due to the external impact and the like.

When the microphone11is fit into the microphone holder portion110, the connection portion120is engaged with the microphone hole12on the portable communication device10, and the sound-transmitting hole122connects the microphone hole12to the microphone11.

The shock absorbing portion121, as illustrated inFIG. 4, is formed on both side surfaces of the connection portion120, and the recesses121formed in a shape of a concave groove having a specific curvature are connected to each other and formed in a wrinkled shape along one end of the microphone rubber100. When an external force such as an impact is applied to the portable communication device10, elastic deformation of extension and compression occurs between the recesses121formed in a wrinkled shape around the connection portion120according to the external force, thereby absorbing the impact and preventing the external force from being delivered to the microphone11.

In sum, because the wrinkled recesses121are deformed according to the external impact applied to the portable communication device10or the impact generated during the distribution test, the microphone rubber100can ease the impact delivered to the microphone11and prevent its possible detachment from the microphone11.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, because a microphone rubber apparatus for a portable communication device according to the present invention includes a shock absorbing portion around a connection portion of a microphone rubber, recesses of the shock absorbing portion on the microphone rubber can be elastically deformed no matter in which direction the impact is applied to the portable communication device, thereby mitigating the impact. In addition, the microphone rubber can be prevented from being departed from the microphone when an impact is applied to the portable communication device or during the distribution test with the microphone closely adhering to the microphone rubber, thereby contributing to an increase in reliability of the microphone rubber.

While the invention has been shown and described with reference to a certain exemplary 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 and their equivalents. Although, for example, two wrinkled recesses121are shown in the drawings, the number of the wrinkled recesses121is subject to change.