Abstract:
A watch-type mobile terminal adopting an analog clock operating with hour/minute hands. The watch-type mobile terminal has a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and includes hour/minute hands for surrounding an outer circumference of the LCD and rotating with respect to a rotation axis along the outer circumference of the LCD and a movement device for providing the rotation axis through a center and rotating the hour/minute hands.

Description:
PRIORITY 
       [0001]    This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to an application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on May 10, 2006 and assigned Serial No. 2006-42115, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. Field of the Invention 
         [0003]    The present invention generally relates to a watch-type mobile terminal adopting an analog clock operating with the hour hand and the minute hand. 
         [0004]    2. Description of the Related Art 
         [0005]    In general, mobile terminals keep pace with compactness and slimness of electronic parts. Bar-type mobile terminals as 1 st  generation and flip-type mobile terminals as 2 nd  generation have come into wise use. At present, flip-type mobile terminals and folder-type mobile terminals as 3 rd  generation are generally used together. 
         [0006]    Watch-type mobile terminals that are wearable on users&#39; bodies or wrists have also been developed. 
         [0007]    A watch-type mobile terminal, because of being worn on a user&#39;s body or wrist, has improved portability and prevents a risk of loss or destruction due to dropping or shock caused by a careless mistake during use. 
         [0008]    As shown in  FIG. 1 , a conventional watch-type mobile terminal  1  includes a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)  2 , a speaker  3 , a microphone (not shown), an antenna  4 , and a battery pack (not shown). A main body of the watch-type mobile terminal  1  includes a plurality of key pads  5  and a band  6 . 
         [0009]    The conventional watch-type mobile terminal  1  informs a user of a phone function, various application functions, time, and a battery remaining capacity through the LCD  2 . The conventional watch-type mobile terminal  1  uses corresponding electric circuits to implement these functions and adopts a digital manner to display time in which time is expressed with numbers, unlike an analog manner in which time is expressed with an hour hand and a minute hand. 
         [0010]    However, since the conventional watch-type mobile terminal takes the form of a digital wristwatch, it just gives out the feel of a convenient digital device instead of the deluxe image of an analog clock. 
         [0011]    Moreover, the amount of time during which the conventional watch-type mobile terminal can be used is limited according to power consumption. As a result, the LCD of the watch-type mobile terminal is turned off when power is not supplied and thus, the user cannot be provided with time information. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0012]    It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a watch-type mobile terminal having a deluxe and elegant design by adopting an analog clock operating the hour hand and the minute hand. 
         [0013]    It is another object of the present invention to provide a watch-type mobile terminal adopting an analog clock operating the hour hand and the minute hand, in which the analog clock can operate without separate power supply during power interruption and thus provide time information to a user all the time unlike a digital clock that cannot provide the time information to the user due to the turning off of a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) during power interruption. 
         [0014]    According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watch-type mobile terminal having a LCD. The watch-type mobile terminal includes hour/minute hands for surrounding an outer circumference of the LCD and rotating with respect to a rotation axis along the outer circumference of the LCD and a movement device for providing the rotation axis through a center and rotating the hour/minute hands. 
         [0015]    According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watch-type mobile terminal including at least one LCD, hour/minute hands for combining with the at least one LCD with an opening on a contact portion with the at least one LCD, and rotating with respect to a rotation axis that passes through the opening, and a movement device for providing the rotation axis through a center and rotating the hour/minute hands. 
         [0016]    According to further another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a watch-type mobile terminal including an LCD, hour/minute hands for defining a through-hole through a center of the LCD and rotating with respect to a rotation axis that passes through the through-hole, and a movement device for providing the rotation axis through a center and rotating the hour/minute hands. 
     
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0017]    The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: 
           [0018]      FIG. 1  is a perspective view of a conventional watch-type mobile terminal during use; 
           [0019]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0020]      FIG. 3  is a perspective view showing a process of assembling a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0021]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view showing an assembled state of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0022]      FIG. 5  is a plane view showing a use state of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0023]      FIG. 6  is an exploded perspective view of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0024]      FIG. 7  is a perspective view of a process of assembling a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0025]      FIG. 8  is a perspective view showing an assembled state of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0026]      FIG. 9  is a plane view showing a use state of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0027]      FIG. 10  is an exploded perspective view of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; 
           [0028]      FIG. 11  is a perspective view of a process of assembling a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention; and 
           [0029]      FIG. 12  is a plane view showing a use state of a watch-type mobile terminal according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0030]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0031]    Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the annexed drawings. In the following description, a detailed description of known functions and configurations incorporated herein has been omitted for conciseness. 
         [0032]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , examples of a watch-type mobile terminal  10  according to the present invention include an LCD  2 , hour/minute hands  11 , and a movement device  12 . The hour/minute hands  11  surrounds an outer circumference of the LCD  2  to rotate with respect to a rotation axis A 1 , and the movement device  12  provides the rotation axis A 1  and is included in a main body  1  of the watch-type mobile terminal  10  to rotate the hour/minute hands  11 . 
         [0033]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , a protection glass  13  is provided over the hour/minute hands  11  to protect the LCD  2  and the hour/minute hands  11 . 
         [0034]    As shown in  FIG. 3 , the main body  1  includes a mounting groove  14  in which the LCD  2 , the hour/minute hands  11 , and the movement device  12  can be sequentially mounted. 
         [0035]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , characters and symbols indicating time are marked along the outer circumference of the LCD  2 . 
         [0036]    The operation of the watch-type mobile terminal  10  according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 1 through 5 . 
         [0037]    As shown in  FIGS. 2 and 3 , in the watch-type mobile terminal  10 , the movement device  12 , the hour/minute hands  11 , and the protection glass  13  are sequentially mounted in the mounting groove  14  of the main body terminal  1 . 
         [0038]    As shown in  FIG. 4 , when a user does not use a communication mode function of the watch-type mobile terminal  10 , the hour/minute hands  11  rotates with respect to the rotation axis A 1  by operation of the movement device  12 , thereby informing the user of the time. 
         [0039]    The hour/minute hands  11  rotate with respect to the rotation axis A 1  of the movement device  12 , thereby information the user of the time in an analog manner. The hour/minute hands  11  rotate along an outer circumference of the LCD  2 . 
         [0040]    Characters and symbols indicating the time are marked along the outer circumference of the LCD  2  to allow the user to accurately know the time. 
         [0041]    As shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a user can independently use the LCD  2  when using a communication mode function or other functions of the watch-type mobile terminal  10 . In addition, since the hour/minute hands  11  operate independently, a user can check the time when using a communication mode function of the watch-type mobile terminal  10 . 
         [0042]    The operation of another example of a watch-type mobile terminal  20  according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 6 through 9 . 
         [0043]    As shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7 , in the watch-type mobile terminal  20 , a movement device  23 , hour/minute hands  22 , and at least one LCD  21  are mounted in a mounting groove  14  of a main body  1 . 
         [0044]    Two LCDs  21  may be combined in the mounting groove  14  and a hole  24  is provided through center portions of the LCDs  21 . The hour/minute hands  22  are included on each LCD  21  through hole  24 . Each LCD  21  may have a semi-spherical form. 
         [0045]    As shown in  FIG. 8 , when a user does not use the main body  1  for a communication mode function, the hour/minute hands  22  rotate with respect to the rotation axis A 1  by operation of the movement device  23  to inform the user of the time. The rotation axis A 1  is combined with the hour/minute hands  22  through the hole  24  to allow the rotation of the hour/minute hands  22 . 
         [0046]    The rotation axis A 1  is provided through a center of the movement device  23  and the hour/minute hands  22  rotate about the rotation axis A 1  of the movement device  23  to inform the user of the time in an analog manner. The hour/minute hands  22  rotate on the LCD  21  to inform the user of the time. 
         [0047]    Characters and symbols indicating time are marked along an outer circumference of the LCD  2 , thereby allowing the user to accurately know the time. 
         [0048]    As shown in  FIGS. 8 and 9 , when using the main body  1  for a communication mode function or other functions, the user can independently use the LCD  21 . In addition, the hour/minute hands  11  operate independently, and thus the user can check the time when using the main body  1  for a communication mode function. 
         [0049]    Even when power is completely consumed and is not supplied to the main body  1 , the LCD  21  is turned off, and the function of the watch-type mobile terminal  20  is stopped, the hour/minute hands  22  operate, thereby providing time information to the user all the time. 
         [0050]    The operation of another example of a watch-type mobile terminal  30  according to a the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to  FIGS. 10 through 12 . 
         [0051]    As shown in  FIGS. 10 and 11 , a movement device  33 , hour/minute hands  32 , and a disc-type LCD  31  are mounted in a mounting groove  14  formed in a main body  1 . 
         [0052]    A through-hole  34  is defined through a center of the LCD  31  and a rotation axis A 1  of the movement device  33  passes through the through-hole  34  to allow rotation of the hour/minute hands  32 . 
         [0053]    When a user does not use the main body  1  for a communication-mode function, the hour/minute hands  32  rotate with respect to the rotation axis A 1  by operation of the movement device  33 , thereby informing the user of the time. The rotation axis A 1  is provided through a center of the movement device  33 . 
         [0054]    The hour/minute hands  32  rotate about the rotation axis A 1  of the movement device  33 , thereby informing the user of the time in an analog manner. The hour/minute hands  32  rotate on the LCD  31  to inform the user of the time. 
         [0055]    Characters and symbols indicating the time are marked along an outer circumference of the LCD  31  to allow the user to accurately know the time. 
         [0056]    As shown in  FIG. 12 , when using the main body  1  for a communication mode function or other functions, a user can independently use the LCD  31 . In addition, the hour/minute hands  32  operate independently, and thus the user can check the time when using the main body  1  for the communication mode function. 
         [0057]    Even when power is completely consumed and is not supplied to the main body  1 , the LCD  31  is turned off, and the function of the watch-type mobile terminal  30  is stopped, the hour/minute hands  32  operate, thereby providing time information to the user all the time. 
         [0058]    While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to 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.