Abstract:
In a battery locking unit of a mobile terminal capable of increasing space usability of a terminal body and simplifying battery detachment operation by installing a battery locking unit on a cover, the locking unit consists of a battery installed at the rear of a terminal body; a cover attached/detached to/from the rear of the rear body by a sliding method and protecting the battery; and a locking unit installed at a certain side of the cover, locking the cover to the terminal body by restricting the sliding movement of the cover and releasing the locking of the cover by a pressing operation of a user.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a battery and a battery locking unit of a mobile terminal, and in particular to a battery and a battery locking unit of a mobile terminal capable of detaching/attaching a battery from/to a terminal body easily and increasing space usability of a mobile terminal.  
           [0003]    2. Background of the Related Art  
           [0004]    [0004]FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating the conventional mobile terminal, and  
           [0005]    [0005]FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating the mobile terminal in FIG. 1 taken along the line  1 -I.  
           [0006]    In the conventional mobile terminal, a battery  104  is attached to the rear of a terminal body  102 , and a locking unit for locking the battery  104  is installed in the terminal body  102 .  
           [0007]    As depicted in FIG. 2, the locking unit consists of a hook  106  installed at the rear of the terminal body  102  so as to be movable up and down; a spring  108  installed between the hook  106  and the terminal body  102  for providing a certain elastic force to the hook  106 ; and a locking groove  112  formed at the upper surface of the battery  104  and locking the hook  106  so as to be engaged with the hook  106 .  
           [0008]    The hook  106  consists of a handle portion  114  projected outwardly so as to be handled by a user; a spring installation portion  116  at which the spring is installed; and a locking protrusion  110  locked to the locking groove  112  of the battery  104 .  
           [0009]    In the conventional battery locking unit of the mobile terminal, when the battery  104  is mounted onto the rear of the terminal body  102  and is pushed upwardly, the locking groove  112  of the battery  104  is inserted-locked into the locking protrusion  110  of the hook  106 . Herein, by the elastic force of the spring  108 , the locking groove  112  of the battery  104  is locked to the locking protrusion  110  of the hook  106 , and accordingly the battery  104  is fixed to the terminal body  102 .  
           [0010]    In that state, as depicted in FIG. 3, in order to separate the battery from the terminal body  102 , if the user pulls the handle portion  114  in an A direction, the locking groove  112  is separated from the locking protrusion  110 . Afterward, when the user pulls the battery in a B direction, the battery  104  is separated from the terminal body  102 .  
           [0011]    However, in the conventional mobile terminal, because the locking unit for locking the battery is installed in the terminal body, a space for installing the locking unit is required, and accordingly space usability of the terminal body may be lowered.  
           [0012]    In addition, in the locking unit, in order to release the locking of the battery, the user has to separate the battery from the body with one hand while pulling the handle portion of the hook, and accordingly it is intricate.  
           [0013]    The above references are incorporated by reference herein where appropriate for appropriate teachings of additional or alternative details, features and/or technical background.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0014]    An object of the invention is to solve at least the above problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described hereinafter.  
           [0015]    One embodiment of the present invention provides a battery locking unit of a mobile terminal which is capable of improving space usability of a terminal body and simplifying detachment operation of a battery by installing a locking unit onto a cover.  
           [0016]    Another embodiment of the present invention provides a battery locking unit of a mobile terminal which is capable of preventing a battery from being separated from a terminal body although impact acts on the terminal by fixing the battery to the terminal body stably.  
           [0017]    Another embodiment of the present invention provides a battery locking unit of a mobile terminal which is capable of reducing a thickness of a battery by improving a structure of the battery.  
           [0018]    A battery of a mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes a storage cell at which a PCB for power connection is installed; a casing body having a PCB insertion portion for inserting the PCB and arranged on the circumference of the storage cell; an upper casing arranged on the top surface of the storage cell and fixed to the casing body; and a lower casing arranged on the bottom surface of the storage cell and fixed to the casing body.  
           [0019]    In one aspect of this embodiment, upper engaging protrusions are formed at the side surface of the casing body at regular intervals in order to fix the upper casing, and lower engaging protrusions are formed at the side surface of the casing body at regular intervals in order to fix the lower casing.  
           [0020]    In another aspect of this embodiment, a protrusion portion is projected from a certain side surface of the casing body in order to engage with a supporting protrusion formed at a terminal body when the battery is installed on the terminal body.  
           [0021]    In another aspect of this embodiment, the casing body is made of synthetic resin material.  
           [0022]    In another aspect of this embodiment, the edge of the upper casing is curved downwardly as a certain width, and upper engaging holes are respectively formed at both curved sides of the upper casing so as to receive upper engaging protrusions of the casing body.  
           [0023]    In another aspect of this embodiment, the upper casing is made of stainless material.  
           [0024]    In another aspect of this embodiment, The edge of the lower casing is curved upwardly as a certain width and lower engaging holes are respectively formed at both curved sides of the lower casing so as to receive lower engaging protrusions of the casing body.  
           [0025]    In another aspect of this embodiment, a separation preventive protrusion is formed at the outer surface of the casing body so as to project more than a thickness of the upper/lower casings as a certain length in order to prevent the upper/lower engaging protrusions from being separated from the upper/lower engaging holes of the upper/lower casings.  
           [0026]    A locking unit of a mobile terminal in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes a battery installed at the rear of a terminal body; a cover attached and detached to the rear of the terminal body by a sliding method in order to protect the battery; and a locking unit installed at a certain side of the cover, locking the cover to the terminal body by restricting the sliding movement of the cover and releasing the locking of the cover by pressing operation of a user.  
           [0027]    In one aspect of this embodiment, a guide portion is respectively formed at both side surfaces of the terminal body in order to guide the sliding movement of the cover in the length direction.  
           [0028]    In another aspect of this embodiment, each receiving groove is formed at both sides of the terminal body, each inserting protrusion is formed at both upper sides of the cover, and the upper portion of the cover is fixed to the terminal body by inserting the inserting protrusion into the receiving groove.  
           [0029]    In another aspect of this embodiment, each guide groove is formed at both lower sides of the terminal body, each guide protrusion is formed at both lower sides of the cover, and the lower portion of the cover is fixed to the terminal body by inserting the guide protrusion into the guide groove.  
           [0030]    In another aspect of this embodiment, the locking unit includes a locking member in which a certain side is rotatively hinge-connected to an installation portion respectively formed at both sides of the cover and engaged with the protrusion portion respectively formed at both sides of the terminal body in order to lock the cover; and a spring installed between the inner surface of the locking member and the internal wall of the installation portion in order to provide a certain elastic force to the locking member.  
           [0031]    In another aspect of this embodiment, the locking member includes a hinge pin formed at a side so as to be inserted into the hinge groove; a separation preventive protrusion formed at the other side in order to prevent separation from the cover; a button portion formed at the outer surface so as to be pressed by a user; a seat portion formed at the inner surface in order to support a side of the elastic member; and a locking protrusion formed at the side surface so as to be engaged with the protrusion portion formed at the terminal body in order to restrict the linear movement of the cover.  
           [0032]    In another aspect of this embodiment, a supporting plate is combined with the cover in order to prevent the locking member from being separated from the installation portion of the cover.  
           [0033]    Additional advantages, objects, and features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained as particularly pointed out in the appended claims.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0034]    The invention will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like elements wherein:  
         [0035]    [0035]FIG. 1 is a front view illustrating the rear of the conventional mobile terminal;  
         [0036]    [0036]FIG. 2 is a sectional view illustrating a battery locking structure of the conventional mobile terminal in FIG. 1 taken along the line I-I;  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a battery structure of the conventional mobile terminal;  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 4 is a sectional-perspective view illustrating a mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0039]    [0039]FIG. 5 is a sectional-perspective view illustrating a terminal body of the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in a battery detachment state;  
         [0040]    [0040]FIG. 6 is an exploded-perspective view illustrating a battery in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0041]    [0041]FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an assembly structure of the battery in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0042]    [0042]FIG. 8 is a sectional-perspective view illustrating the battery of the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0043]    [0043]FIG. 9 is a sectional view illustrating the battery in FIG. 8 taken along the line VII-VII;  
         [0044]    [0044]FIG. 10 is an exploded-perspective view illustrating a cover of the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the cover of the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0046]    [0046]FIG. 12 is a sectional-perspective view illustrating the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in an assembled state; and  
         [0047]    [0047]FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating the mobile terminal in FIG. 12 taken along the line XII-XII. 
     
    
       [0048]    The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0049]    Hereinafter, embodiments of a battery and a battery locking unit of a mobile terminal in accordance with the present invention will be described with reference to accompanying drawings.  
         [0050]    There can be plural embodiments, hereinafter the preferred embodiments will be described.  
         [0051]    [0051]FIG. 4 is a sectional-perspective view illustrating a mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile terminal includes a terminal body  2  at which a circuit substrate is disposed in and various operation buttons for operating the terminal are installed on; a battery  4  attached to the rear of the terminal body  2 ; a cover  6  detachably installed at the rear of the terminal body  2 ; and a locking unit  8  installed at the both sides of the cover and locking the cover  6  to the terminal body  2 .  
         [0052]    As depicted in FIG. 5, in the terminal body  2 , an installation portion  10  for installing the battery  4  is formed at the rear, a supporting protrusion  12  is formed at the both sides of the installation portion  10  in order to support the battery  4  installed on the installation portion  10 , and a power connecting unit  16  is formed at the terminal body  2  so as to be connected to the battery  4  electrically.  
         [0053]    And, a guide road  18  for guiding a linear movement of the cover  6  is respectively formed at the both sides of the terminal body  2  in the length direction, a receiving hole  9  for fixing the upper portion of the cover  6  is respectively formed at the both upper-sides of the terminal body  2 , a guide groove  14  is formed at the both bottom-sides of the terminal body  2  in order to support the bottom portion of the cover  6 , and a protrusion portion  11  for locking operation of the cover  6  is formed at a certain portion of the guide road  18 .  
         [0054]    The guide road  18  is formed so as to have a certain width at the both sides of the terminal body  2  by each rib  82 , and the protrusion portion  11  is projected as a certain length toward the inside of the guide road  18 .  
         [0055]    [0055]FIG. 6 is an exploded-perspective view illustrating a battery in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating an assembly structure of construction parts of the battery in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a sectional-perspective view illustrating the battery of the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0056]    The battery  4  consists of a storage cell  22  at which a PCB  20  for power connection is installed; a casing body  26  having a PCB insertion portion  24  for inserting the PCB  20  and arranged on the circumference of the storage cell  22 ; an upper casing  28  arranged on the top surface of the storage cell  22  and fixed to the casing body  26 ; and a lower casing  30  arranged on the bottom surface of the storage cell  22  and fixed to the casing body  26 .  
         [0057]    As depicted in FIG. 7, the casing body  26  has a rectangular shape, in more detail, the upper/bottom surface is respectively open, and it has the same height with a thickness of the storage cell  22 . The PCB insertion portion  24  is formed at a certain side surface as one body, and a connection terminal  34  is disposed in the PCB insertion portion  24  so as to be contacted to a power terminal  32  formed at the PCB  20  and be exposed to the outside. Herein, the PCB insertion portion  24  is inserted into the power connection portion  16  of the terminal body  2  and is electrically connected to the terminal body  2 .  
         [0058]    And, an upper engaging protrusion  36  is respectively formed at the external side surface of the casing body  26  at regular intervals in order to fix the upper casing  28 , and a lower engaging protrusion  38  is respectively formed at the external side surface of the casing body  26  at regular intervals in order to fix the lower casing  30 . And, a supporting portion  46  is formed at a certain portion of the both sides of the casing body  26  so as to be engaged with the supporting protrusion  12  of the terminal body  2  when the battery  4  is mounted onto the terminal body  2 .  
         [0059]    It is preferable for the casing body  26  to be made of synthetic resin material.  
         [0060]    The upper casing  28  has a thin flat plate shape, and its edge is curved downwardly as a certain width. An upper engaging hole  40  is respectively formed at the curved both sides of the upper casing  28  so as to receive the upper engaging protrusion  36  of the casing body  26 .  
         [0061]    The lower casing  30  has a thin flat plate shape, and its edge is curved upwardly as a certain width. A lower engaging hole  42  is respectively formed at the curved both sides of the lower casing  30  so as to receive the lower engaging protrusion  38  of the casing body  26 .  
         [0062]    It is preferable for the upper and lower casings  28 ,  30  to be made of metal material, in particular, stainless material.  
         [0063]    Herein, a separation preventive protrusion  50  is formed at both long sides of the casing body  26  in order to prevent separation of the upper/lower engaging protrusion  36 ,  38  from the upper/lower engaging hole  40 ,  42  of the upper/lower casing  28 ,  30  after they are combined with each other.  
         [0064]    Herein, as depicted in FIG. 9, the separation prevention protrusion  50  is projected outwardly more than a thickness of the upper/lower casing  28 ,  30  as a certain length L in order to prevent the upper and lower casings  28 ,  30  from being separated from the casing body  22 .  
         [0065]    [0065]FIG. 10 is an exploded-perspective view illustrating a cover of the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a perspective view illustrating the cover of the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.  
         [0066]    The cover  6  consists of a cover body  60  mounted onto the top surface of the battery  4  and including a rib  62  having a certain height in the circumferential direction; an inserting protrusion  64  respectively formed at both front sides of the cover body  60  and inserted into the receiving hole  9  of the terminal body  2 ; an installation portion  66  respectively formed at the center both sides of the cover body  60  and having a certain space for installing the locking unit  8 ; and a guide protrusion  68  respectively formed at both lower sides of the cover body  60  and inserted into the guide groove  14  of the terminal body  2 .  
         [0067]    Herein, the inserting protrusion  64  is projected toward the upper portion of the cover as a certain length and is inserted into the receiving hole  9  of the terminal body  2  in order to fix the upper portion of the cover  6  to the terminal body  2 . And, the guide protrusion  68  is inserted into the guide groove  14  of the terminal body  2  in order to fix the lower portion of the cover  6  to the terminal body  2 , and the locking unit  8  maintains the locking state of the cover  6  by preventing the cover from moving downwardly.  
         [0068]    The locking unit  8  consists of a locking member  70  rotatively hinge-connected to the installation portion  66  of the cover  6  and engaged with the protrusion portion  11  of the terminal body  2  in order to lock the length direction movement of the cover  6 ; and an elastic member  72  installed at the inner surface of the locking member  70  and the internal wall of the installation portion  66  in order to provide an elastic force for pushing the locking member  70  outwardly.  
         [0069]    Herein, in the locking member  70 , a hinge pin  76  inserted into a hinge groove  74  at a certain side of the installation portion  66  is formed at a certain end, a button portion  78  pushed by the user is formed at the outer surface, a seat portion  80  for supporting the side of the elastic member  72  is formed at the inner surface, a separation preventive protrusion  84  inserted into a separation preventive groove  82  formed at a certain side of the installation portion  66  is formed at the other end in order to prevent the locking member  70  from being separated by the elastic force of the elastic member  72 , and a locking protrusion  86  is formed at the side surface so as to be engaged with the protrusion portion  11  of the terminal body  2  in order to restrict the linear movement of the cover  6 .  
         [0070]    And, a supporting plate  90  covers the locking member  70  in order to maintain the installation state of the locking member  70  (it is installed on the installation portion  66  of the cover  6 ), and the supporting plate  90  is combined with the cover  6 .  
         [0071]    It is preferable to use a coil spring as the elastic member  72 .  
         [0072]    The assembly process of the battery of the mobile terminal in accordance with the present invention will be described.  
         [0073]    First, the PCB  20  of the storage cell  22  is inserted into the PCB insertion portion  24  of the casing body  26 , and the storage cell  22  is inserted into the casing body  26 . Herein, the power terminal  32  of the PCB  20  is electrically contacted to the connection terminal  34  of the PCB insertion portion  24 .  
         [0074]    Afterward, the upper casing  28  covers the top surface of the storage cell  22 , a certain force acts thereon, and the upper engaging hole  40  of the upper casing  28  is respectively inserted-fixed to the upper engaging protrusion  36  of the casing body  26 . And, the lower casing  30  covers the bottom surface of the storage cell  22 , a certain force acts thereon, and the lower engaging hole  42  of the lower casing  30  is respectively inserted-fixed to the lower engaging protrusion  38  of the casing body  26 .  
         [0075]    Herein, because the curved edge itself at which the upper/lower engaging hole  40 ,  42  of the upper/lower casing  28 ,  30  are formed has a certain elastic force, the inserted-attached state is maintained. And, in particular, because the protrusion portion  50  respectively formed at the both sides of the casing body  26  projects outwardly more than a thickness of the upper/lower casing  28 ,  30  as a certain length, it is possible to prevent the upper/lower casing  28 , 30  from being separated from the casing body  26 .  
         [0076]    In the battery  4 , because the upper/lower casings  28 ,  30  are made of stainless material, it is possible to reduce a thickness of the terminal in comparison with the conventional fabrication using synthetic resin material.  
         [0077]    Installing the battery  4  to the terminal body  2  will be described.  
         [0078]    First, the PCB insertion portion  24  of the battery  4  is inserted into the power connection portion  16  formed at the rear lower portion of the terminal body  2 , the battery  4  is mounted onto the installation portion  10  of the terminal body  2 , a certain outer force acts thereon, the supporting portion  46  formed at the both sides of the battery  4  is respectively inserted into the supporting protrusion  12  formed at the terminal body  2 , and the combination of the battery  4  and the terminal body  2  is maintained by the elastic force of the supporting protrusion  12 .  
         [0079]    Afterward, the cover  6  for protecting the battery  4  is installed on the rear of the terminal body  2 .  
         [0080]    [0080]FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view illustrating the mobile terminal in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention in an assembled state, and FIG. 13 is a sectional view illustrating the mobile terminal in FIG. 12 taken along the line XII-XII.  
         [0081]    The attachment process will be described in more detail. After installing the cover  6  onto the rear of the terminal body  2  at which the battery  4  is installed and pushing the cover  6  upwardly, the rib  62  respectively formed at the both sides of the cover  6  moves upwardly along the guide road  18  of the terminal body  2 . Herein, as depicted in FIG. 13, the rib  62  of the cover  6  contacts to the rear of the supporting protrusion  12  formed at the terminal body  2 , it is possible to prevent the supporting protrusion  12  from being separated from the supporting portion  46  of the battery  4 , and accordingly the battery  4  can maintain the attachment state stably.  
         [0082]    And, when the cover  6  moves toward the upper portion of the terminal body  2 , the inserting protrusion  64  formed at the upper portion of the cover  6  is inserted into the receiving groove  9  of the terminal body  2 , and the upper portion of the cover  6  is fixed to the terminal body  2 . And, at the same time, the guide protrusion  68  formed at the lower portion of the cover  6  is inserted into the guide groove  14  of the terminal body  2 , and accordingly the lower portion of the cover  6  is fixed to the terminal body  2 .  
         [0083]    And, at the same time, the locking unit  8  is locked to the protrusion portion  11  of the terminal body  2 , and accordingly the cover  6  is locked to the terminal body  2 .  
         [0084]    In more detail, when the cover  6  moves along the guide road  18  of the terminal body  2 , the locking protrusion  86  of the locking member  70  engages with the protrusion portion  11  of the terminal body  2 , the engaging state is maintained by the elastic force of the elastic member  72 , and accordingly it is possible to restrict the cover  6  from moving downwardly.  
         [0085]    As described-above, when the battery  4  and the cover  6  are attached to the terminal body  2 , detaching the battery  6  from the terminal body  2  will be described.  
         [0086]    First, when the user presses the button portion  78  of the locking member  70 , the locking member  70  is rotated centering around the hinge pin  76 , and the locking protrusion  86  is separated from the protrusion portion  11  of the terminal body  2 . In that state, when the user pulls the cover  6  downwardly, the inserting protrusion  64  formed at the upper portion of the cover  6  is separated from the receiving groove  9  of the terminal body  2 , and the cover is separated from the terminal cover  2 . Afterward, when the battery  4  is separated from the installation portion  10 , the detachment process is finished.  
         [0087]    Advantageous of the folder type mobile terminal in accordance with the present invention will be described.  
         [0088]    By arranging a casing body on the circumference of a storage cell, arranging an upper casing on the top surface of the storage cell and arranging a lower casing on the bottom surface of the storage cell, the upper and lower casings are respectively attached to the casing body. In addition, by fabricating the upper and lower casings with metal material, it is possible to reduce a thickness of a battery.  
         [0089]    And, in the battery locking unit of the mobile terminal in accordance with the present invention, by installing a locking unit on a cover for protecting a battery, space usability of a terminal body can be improved.  
         [0090]    In addition, in the battery locking unit of the mobile terminal in accordance with the present invention, when a user presses a pressing portion of a locking member and pulls it, a cover is separated from a terminal body easily, and accordingly it facilitates detachment of a battery.  
         [0091]    The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention. The present teaching can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. The description of the present invention is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In the claims, means-plus-function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures.