Abstract:
A communication terminal equipped with a sliding-type flat display module includes a main body and a flat display which slides between retracted and extended positions along a first axis relative to the main body and which rotates to a tilted position along a second axis when in the extended position. The first axis may be substantially perpendicular to the second axis. In the retracted position, the flat display is unable to rotate to the tilted position along the second axis. Also, in this position, the display is partially visible to allow information to be read by a user while at the same time being protected within a receiving part of the terminal.

Description:
BACKGROUND  
       [0001]     1. Field  
         [0002]     One or more embodiments described herein relate to a communication terminal having a display.  
         [0003]     2. Background  
         [0004]     A flat display module such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) has garnered much interest as a replacement for existing CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) display devices, principally because LCDs overcome many of the shortcomings of CRT devices. Because of significant improvements that have recently been made, small, light, low-power flat display modules can now be mass produced and used in most communication terminals. However, in spite of their superior performance characteristics, LCDs and other types of flat display modules still have drawbacks. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0005]     The embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements, wherein:  
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a diagram showing one type of communication terminal having a flat display module;  
         [0007]      FIG. 2  is a diagram showing a separate view of the flat display module shown in  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0008]      FIG. 3  is a diagram showing a sliding-type flat display module incorporated within a communication terminal;  
         [0009]      FIG. 4  is a diagram showing the inside of an upper part of a case included in the communication terminal of  FIG. 3 ;  
         [0010]      FIG. 5  is a diagram showing an exploded view of sliding parts installed inside of the upper part of the case shown in  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0011]     FIGS.  6 ( a )- 6 ( c ) are diagrams showing one way in which the terminal of  FIG. 3  may be operated; and  
         [0012]     FIGS.  7 ( a )- 7 ( c ) are diagrams showing operation of the sliding parts of the flat display module shown in  FIG. 6 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  shows one type of communication terminal having a flat display module, and  FIG. 2  shows a separated view of the terminal of  FIG. 1 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , terminal  1  includes a plurality of keys  13  for inputting information on a front side of a case  11  of a main body  10 . The flat display module  30  is installed in the main body. As shown in  FIG. 2 , the flat display module is installed in such a manner that it can be tilted to an angle that is comfortable for a user to observe the displayed information.  
         [0014]     As further shown in  FIG. 2 , a space  15  is formed outside case  11  of the main body for accommodating the flat display module. Installation grooves  31  are formed at the lower ends of both sides of the flat display module. Also, inside of space  15 , rotational axes  20  protrude from points that correspond to the installation grooves. A first protrusion  22 , which has the shape of a semicircle pillar, is fixed to a bottom surface of space  15  at about the halfway point of a line extending from the two rotational axes  20 . At a circumferential surface of the first protrusion  22 , a plurality of raised spots  24  arranged in a longitudinal direction are formed at a predetermined interval.  
         [0015]     Further, a second protrusion  42 , which preferably is of the same construction as first protrusion  22 , is fixed to a rear side of the flat display module  30 . When the flat display module is installed in the main body inside space  15 , the second protrusion  42  is in contact with the first protrusion  22 . In order to insert the rotational axes  20  into the installation groove  31  of this configuration, the flat display module  30  must forcibly be inserted to space  15  of the case.  
         [0016]     With the flat display module installed in the main body, the flat display module is tilted to a prescribed angle around the rotational axes by pulling forces exerted onto the flat display module. This allows a user to comfortably watch the screen of the flat display module at a desired tilted angle.  
         [0017]     More specifically, the raised spot(s)  44  of the second protrusion  42  goes over the raised spot(s)  24  of the first protrusion by a force applied by the user. The raised spots  24 ,  44  of the first and second protrusion  22 ,  42  then interact with each other in such a manner that the flat display module cannot rotate by its weight alone. Thus, the flat display module remains in a tilted position at the prescribed angle (i.e., tilted state). As the flat display module  30  remains in the tilted position, the user can comfortably view the texts and images outputted from the flat display module  30 .  
         [0018]     Because the flat display module shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2  is exposed to the outside environment, it can easily be damaged by external forces. Also, since the entire screen of the flat display module is exposed to the outside environment, text or images are displayed using the entire screen. Because the flat display module displays information using the entire screen, there are problems of unnecessary energy consumption and life shortening effects, even when the flat display module is in a standby mode and even when only a small amount of information needs to be displayed.  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  shows another type of communication terminal  100  having a sliding-type flat display module.  FIG. 4  is a partial perspective view showing the inside of the communication terminal shown in  FIG. 3 . And,  FIG. 5  is an exploded perspective view showing sliding parts installed inside of an upper part of the case shown in  FIG. 4 .  
         [0020]     Referring to FIGS.  3  to  5 , the communication terminal comprises a main body  110 , a plurality of keys  111 , a handset, and a flat display module  120 . The flat display module is received into a receiving part  115  (see  FIG. 7 ( c )) formed at one side of the main body. The flat display module can be slid outside of the main body to be tilted. The slid-out and tilted flat display module can be laid down and then slid back inside of the receiving part  115  during use.  
         [0021]     As shown in  FIG. 3 , when the flat display module  120  is located inside receiving part  115 , a front side of the receiving part is opened to outwardly expose an upper part of a screen  121  of the flat display module. Further, as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , the following parts are installed inside of a case  113  of the main body: a hinge part  130  hinge-jointed to both sides of a lower end of the flat display module  120 , a slider  140  coupled to the hinge part to be slidable along with the flat display module and, first and second rails  150 ,  160  for guiding the sliding movement of the flat display module.  
         [0022]     Corresponding to the receiving part  115 , as shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a holder  117  is formed inside case  113  and is fixed by a bolt, with an upper end of a first rail  150  of preferably a circular cylinder shape inserted thereto. A lower end of first rail  150 , which is preferably perpendicularly disposed, is fixed to a bracket  119  formed inside the case  113 . More particularly, bracket  119  may have an H shape, with each side of two flanges  119 F fixed to the inside of case  113 . Then, with a block  151  formed in a lower part of the first rail  150  disposed between the other sides of two flanges  119 F, the bolt  153  is fixed. The lower end of first rail  150  may therefore be fixed to bracket  119 , and the upper end of the first rail inserted in holder  117  is preferably disposed perpendicularly.  
         [0023]     The receiving part may also include a slider  140  having a configuration where a cylinder  141  is formed at its center, with wings  147  formed at both sides of the cylinder  141 . The first rail  150  is arranged to go through a center hole  143  of the cylinder  140  of the slider. Thus, the slider  140  moves to slide up and down in a longitudinal direction of the first rail. A key formed inside cylinder  141  may be configured to fit into a key groove  155  formed in the first rail in the longitudinal direction. The slider  140  is therefore only allowed to move up and down along the first rail and does not rotate.  
         [0024]     Also, hinge parts  130  are coupled to each wing  147  of the slider  140 . The hinge parts  130  are installed at installation grooves  123  formed at both sides of the lower end of the flat display module  120 . Hinge part  130  preferably includes: a hinge body  131 , a hinge  133  protruding from one side of the hinge body  131  and rotating with respect to the hinge body  131 ; and a protrusion  135  protruding from the other side opposite of the one side from where the hinge  131  protrudes. The hinges  133  are each inserted and disposed in installation grooves  123  formed at the flat display module  120 . At hinge body  131 , each of the wings  147  of the slider are coupled. Thus, two hinge parts  130  are coupled to both ends of the slider  140  and simultaneously installed at the installation grooves  123  of the flat display module  123 .  
         [0025]     The hinge part  130  moves along second rails  160  disposed parallel to first rail  150 . The second rails  160  are disposed at each side of wings  147  of the slider, and the protrusion  135  of the hinge part is inserted into a long hole  161  formed in the longitudinal direction of the second rail. Thus, as the flat display module moves by sliding up and down the first rail, hinge part  130  moves up and down with the flat display module and slider. Also, the protrusion moves along the long hole  161  of the second rail and guides the moving direction of the flat display module. Operation of the communication terminal with the sliding-type flat display module will now be discussed in greater detail.  
         [0026]     FIGS.  6 ( a )- 6 ( c ) show an exemplary way in which the communication terminal shown in  FIG. 3  may operate, and FIGS.  7 ( a )- 7 ( c ) show an exemplary operation of the sliding parts of the flat display module shown in FIGS.  6 ( a )-( c ).  
         [0027]     As shown in  FIG. 6 ( a ), with the flat display module  120  received in the receiving part  115 , only a part of an upper end of the flat display module  120  is outwardly exposed. In this state, as shown in  FIG. 7 ( a ), the slider  140  is located at the lower end of the first rail  150  and the hinge part  130  is also positioned at the lower end of the second rail  160 .  
         [0028]     When the user pulls the flat display module in an upward direction, as shown in FIGS.  6 ( b ) and  7 ( b ), the flat display module moves in the upward as a result of slider  140  moving upward along the first rail  150  and hinge part  130  moving upward along long hole  161  of the second rail  160 . As slider  140  comes into contact with holder  117 , hinge part  130  moves to the highest point of the upper end the long hole  161  of the second rail, where the flat display module can no longer move in the upward direction.  
         [0029]     In this state, hinge  133  of hinge part  130  has been moved up to an open part formed in front of the receiving part  115 . As a result, the flat display module can rotate with hinge  133  as its center (i.e., the flat display module  120  can be tilted). With the screen  121  of the flat display module  120  totally exposed outside of the case  113 , the user may tilt the flat display module  120  to a position where the user can more comfortably view the screen.  
         [0030]     When there is no need to view the screen  121  of the flat display module  120 , the flat display module in the tilted state is laid down and then pushed back into the receiving part to a position where only the upper end of the screen is exposed, as shown in  FIG. 3 ( a ). In this position, the flat display module displays texts and images only through the exposed portion. Here, the hinge does not get tilted by the weight of the flat display module. Preferably, the hinge is a free stop hinge that can withstand the weight of the flat display module and maintain the angle of the flat display module when the no force is applied by the user.  
         [0031]     In the aforementioned terminal, the hinge part  130  installed in the flat display module has been described as moving in upward and downward directions along first and second rails  150 ,  160 . However, in alternative embodiments, the flat display module can move without one of the first and second rails  150 ,  160 . That is, the level of performance of the display module may be achieved even when the flat display module is installed to a hinge part which is only coupled to the first rail  150  or a hinge part that only moves along the long hole  161  of the second rail  160 . Therefore, the first rail  150  and the second rail(s)  160  may both perform the same function in this embodiment.  
         [0032]     The communication terminal with the sliding-type flat display module therefore is advantageous in that it allows a user to tilt the flat display module to a prescribed angle to comfortably view text and images displayed on its screen. The communication terminal also has another advantage where the user can insert the flat display module into the receiving part when the user does not desire to watch the screen, thereby preventing the module from being damaged by external forces.  
         [0033]     The communication terminal also has another advantage where a part of the case is opened to outwardly expose only a portion of the upper end of the flat display module in its retracted position, such that the text and images are only displayed through an exposed portion of the screen. Therefore, since only a portion of the screen is used to display text and images, energy consumption is minimized and the lifespan of the flat display module is prolonged.  
         [0034]     Thus, in accordance with one embodiment, a communication terminal with a flat display module is disposed inside a case of a main body to prevent the flat display module from being damaged by an outside force. The communication terminal exposes only a portion of the flat display module when in a standby mode. Thus, it displays texts or images through only the exposed portion of the screen of the display module, thereby saving power and prolonging the life of the flat display module.  
         [0035]     In accordance with another embodiment, a sliding-type communication terminal with a flat display module includes a flat display module; a main body with a receiving part formed at one side such that said flat display module is received therein and can be further withdrawn therefrom; at least one rail disposed inside of a case of the main body and installed in a moving direction of the flat display module; and at least one hinge part hinge-jointed to the flat display module and coupled to the rail to thereby move along the rail.  
         [0036]     Preferably, the hinge part is coupled to the lower end of one side of the flat display module. Further, the flat display module rotates around the hinge part without interfering with the case when the hinge part arrives at the uppermost end of the rail.  
         [0037]     Also, the hinge part may include a hinge body, a hinge formed at one side of the hinge body to thereby be coupled with the flat display module, and a protrusion protruding from the other side of the hinge body to thereby be coupled with the rail. The rail may include a long hole formed in a longitudinal direction to insert the protrusion therein.  
         [0038]     The communication terminal may also include a slider coupled to the hinge part for movement along the rail and inside the case. An upper end of the rail may be inserted into a holder formed inside the receiving part and a lower end of the rail may be fixed to a bracket formed in a side of the case.  
         [0039]     The slider may include a center hole formed for the rail to penetrate therethrough, a wing extending from a side of the slider and fixed to the hinge part, and a key protruding from the center hole to thereby be inserted to a key groove formed in a longitudinal direction of the rail. The receiving part may be opened at a part of the front of the receiving part to expose a part of the flat display module to an outside of the case when the flat display module is received into the receiving part.  
         [0040]     In accordance with another embodiment, a flat display module includes a main body having a receiving part wherein the receiving part receives the flat display module; and a supporting part adapted to support one end of the flat display module for rectilinear and rotary motions between first and second positions of the flat display module with respect to the main body. At the first position, the flat display module may be received in the receiving part, and at the second position a front side of the flat display module may be exposed.  
         [0041]     The supporting means may include at least one rail installed in proximity of the receiving part, at least one hinge part hinge-jointed to one end of the flat display module and coupled to the rail to thereby move along the rail. The flat display module may further include a standby mode display area, where the display area is outwardly exposed when the flat display module is in the first position.  
         [0042]     Any reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” etc., means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearances of such phrases in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with any embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the purview of one skilled in the art to effect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other ones of the embodiments.  
         [0043]     Although embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to a number of illustrative embodiments thereof, it should be understood that numerous other modifications and embodiments can be devised by those skilled in the art that will fall within the spirit and scope of the principles of this invention. More particularly, reasonable variations and modifications are possible in the component parts and/or arrangements of the subject combination arrangement within the scope of the foregoing disclosure, the drawings and the appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention. In addition to variations and modifications in the component parts and/or arrangements, alternative uses will also be apparent to those skilled in the art.