KR100616304B1 - Portable terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable terminal. The present invention is the main body 10, the display unit 20 is provided connected to the main body 10, and provided with a display screen 22 for displaying a variety of information, and a plurality of keys (34) The keypad 32 is arranged in a row and is rotatably installed in the main body portion 10, and is formed to be opened at one side of the keypad 32 so that the memory card 35 is mounted and the keypad ( 32 is configured to include a card slot 36 that is selectively exposed to the outside according to the degree of rotation. A curved stepped part 11 having a curvature corresponding to the rotation radius of the keypad 32 is protruded and formed on the upper surface of the main body part 10, and a keypad 32 corresponding to the curved stepped part 11. The end of the) is also formed with a curved surface corresponding to the curved stepped portion 11, the card slot in a position facing the curved stepped portion 11 in the state that the keypad 32 is not rotated with respect to the body portion 10 36 is formed. In the present invention, since the card slot into which the memory card is inserted is selectively exposed according to the rotational position of the keypad, there is no risk of losing the memory card while carrying the mobile terminal.

Handset, Keypad, Rotation, Memory Card

Description

Portable terminal

1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a preferred embodiment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view showing the configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a rotary hinge constituting an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the keypad is rotated in the embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a side view showing that the slot in which the memory card is inserted in the embodiment of the present invention is formed in the keypad.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

10: main body 12: antenna

14: Jack 16: Button

18: hinge portion 20: display portion

22: display screen 24: speaker

25: pad hinge 26: first hinge body

27: mounting piece 27 ': mounting hole

28: second hinge body 29: mounting flange

29 ': mounting hole 30: through hole

32: keypad 34: key

35: memory card 35 ': hanger groove

36: card slot 38: groove

The present invention relates to a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a portable terminal that allows a user to carry and use mobile communication, Internet connection, and simple document processing.

Recently, a terminal capable of using mobile communication has become an essential entity, and in addition, a terminal can be connected to the Internet and even a simple document can be performed. In other words, portable terminals having computer-level functions of several years ago have been released. As the functions of the portable terminal are diversified as described above, a key input operation is required in the portable terminal.

However, most conventional portable terminals have a key fixed to the main body. In general, the portable terminals are generally longer in the vertical direction than the width in the horizontal direction. Therefore, in arranging the keys, the number of the keys arranged in the column in the longitudinal direction of the body portion is larger than the number of the keys arranged in the column in the width direction of the body portion.

In general, however, users are familiar with keystrokes using keyboards used in computers. That is, in the case of a computer keyboard, the number of keys arranged in the column in the width direction is larger than the number of keys arranged in the column in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, the keys in the left half in the width direction with both hands placed on the keyboard With the left hand, the right half keys are operated with the right hand.

Therefore, the number of keys arranged in the column in the longitudinal direction is larger than the number of keys arranged in the column in the width direction, and the key input operation in the mobile terminal fixed to the main body is very awkward and slow. .

In order to solve this problem, in the conventional portable terminal, the key input operation can be performed while the main body itself is rotated 90 °, but the display is also rotated 90 ° at the same time as the main body is rotated. There is no problem.

In the related art, a separate memory card may be used to store a relatively large file created through a key input operation. The memory card is generally inserted into a card slot opened to one side of an outer surface of a main body of a portable terminal. do. However, since the card slot is exposed to the outer surface of the main body of the portable terminal, there is a relatively high risk of loss.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and to selectively expose the slot into which the memory card is inserted in the portable terminal.

Another object of the present invention is to allow the keypad to be rotated at an angle with respect to the main body so that the slot into which the memory card is inserted is selectively exposed to the outside.

According to a feature of the present invention for achieving the above object, the present invention provides a main body, a display unit connected to the main body and provided with a display screen for displaying a variety of information, and a plurality of keys Key pads arranged in a manner and installed rotatably at an angle to the main body portion, and the card slot is formed to be opened on one side of the keypad, the memory card is mounted and selectively exposed to the outside according to the degree of rotation of the keypad It is configured to include.

A curved stepped part having a curvature corresponding to a rotation radius of the keypad is protruded on an upper surface of the main body part, and an end portion of the keypad corresponding to the curved stepped part is also formed of a curved surface corresponding to the curved stepped part. The card slot is formed at a position facing the curved stepped portion while the keypad is not rotated with respect to the portion.

Preferably, the card slot is equipped with an SD card.

The keypad is installed on the upper surface of the main body so as to be relatively rotatable by about 90 ° with respect to the main body.

The keypad is positioned between the display portion and the body portion when the display portion overlaps with the body portion.

According to the portable terminal according to the present invention having the above configuration, since the card slot into which the memory card is inserted is selectively exposed according to the rotational position of the keypad, the risk of losing the memory card while carrying the portable terminal is eliminated. In particular, when the keypad is rotated at a predetermined angle with respect to the main body, the memory card can be attached to or detached from the card slot so that the memory card can be attached and detached only when necessary, thereby preventing loss of the memory card without harming the user's convenience. can do.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of a portable terminal according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a plan view showing the configuration of a preferred embodiment of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, Figure 2 is a side view of the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 shows a rotary hinge constituting an embodiment of the present invention 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the keypad is rotated in the embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a side view of the configuration of the keypad to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied.

As shown in these figures, the portable terminal according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a substantially flat hexahedral body portion 10. The main body 10 is provided with various components including a main board, and is generally equipped with a battery.

A curved stepped portion 11 is formed at an upper end of the upper surface of the main body 10 based on the drawing. The curved stepped portion 11 is formed to protrude on the upper surface of the main body portion 10, the side wall, that is, the portion facing the keypad 34 to be described below is formed as a curved surface having a predetermined curvature. . It is preferable that the upper surface of the curved stepped portion 11 and the upper surface of the keypad 32 have substantially the same height.

An antenna 12 for transmitting and receiving a signal is provided at one end of the main body 10. The main body 10 is provided so that the connection jack 14 for signal connection to the outside is exposed on one side. The connection jack 14 is for connection with an earphone, for example. One side of the outer surface of the main body 10 is also provided with a button 16 for inputting predetermined information. One of the functions of the button 16 is to adjust the loudness of the speaker 24 to be described below. However, the configuration of the main body 10 is not necessarily limited to that shown.

Based on the drawings, the display unit 20 is connected to the upper end of the main body unit 10 via a hinge unit 18. The display unit 20 overlaps the main body unit 10 with respect to the hinge unit 18 or is inclined at a predetermined angle as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The display unit 20 also has a substantially flat hexahedron shape corresponding to the main body unit 10.

The display unit 20 is provided with a display screen 22. As the display screen 22, a liquid crystal panel is generally used, but not necessarily, various display devices such as an organic EL may be used. The liquid crystal panel has an area of about 2.2 inches to about 2.3 inches. Reference numeral 24 denotes a speaker.

Next, the keypad 30 is rotatably installed on the upper surface of the main body 10 by the pad hinge 25. The configuration of the pad hinge 25 is shown well in FIG. The pad hinge 25 has a first hinge body 26. The first hinge body 26 has a substantially cylindrical shape and includes mounting pieces 27 at least at both ends thereof. The mounting piece 27 is perforated with a mounting hole 27 '. The mounting piece 27 is a portion to be mounted to the main body portion 10, and is bent stepwise to conform to the structure of the main body portion 10.

The second hinge body 28 is also formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, the first hinge body 26 is configured to rotate relatively therein. That is, the first hinge body 26 and the second hinge body 28 are rotated relative to each other. In this case, the relative rotation degree of the first hinge body 26 and the second hinge body 28 is preferably 90 degrees, and the rotation is preferably made only in a specific direction. However, depending on the design conditions, the direction of rotation may vary according to each use mode.

The second hinge body 28 has a mounting flange 29 around its outer circumferential surface. The mounting flange 29 is formed to protrude by a predetermined width from the outer circumferential surface of the second hinge body 28. A plurality of mounting holes 29 ′ are formed in the mounting flange 29. The mounting flange 29 is mounted to a keypad 32 to be described below.

The through hole 30 is drilled through the center of the pad hinge 25. The through hole 30 passes through a cable for electrical connection between the main body 10 and the keypad 32, for example a flexible flat cable (FPC). The through hole 30 is formed through the first hinge body 26 when the first hinge body 26 is located inside the second hinge body 28, and vice versa. Is formed through the second hinge body 28.

The keypad 32 is rotatably mounted on the upper surface of the main body 10 by the pad hinge 25. That is, the keypad 32 is relative to the main body 10 by rotating the second hinge body 28 mounted on the keypad 32 relative to the first hinge body 26. Will rotate. Here, the keypad 32 is positioned between the main body 10 and the display 20 when the display 20 is overlapped with the main body 10.

When the keypad 32 of the keypad 32 is placed to overlap the main body portion 10, the portion corresponding to the curved stepped portion 11 has a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the curved stepped portion 11. It has a curved surface with. In this way, by forming one end of the keypad 32 in a curved surface, the keypad 32 can be smoothly rotated with respect to the curved stepped portion 11 of the main body portion 10, and the appearance is neat.

One side of the keypad 32 is provided with a microphone 33. The microphone 33 receives a sound such as a user's voice, and in particular, serves as a transmitter when the mobile terminal is used in a mobile communication mode.

A plurality of keys 34 are disposed on the keypad 32. The user can enter information by pressing the key 34. The arrangement of the key 34 is when the key pad 32 is installed side by side on the upper surface of the main body 10 as shown in FIG. 1 (hereinafter referred to as a 'normal mode'), and FIG. As shown in Fig. 4, it is adapted to be in a state of being rotated with respect to the main body portion 10 (hereinafter referred to as 'rotation mode').

That is, the keys 34 arranged in the area A indicated by the dotted line are mainly used in the normal mode, and the keys 34 arranged in the area B are mainly used in the rotation mode. Of course, there are also keys commonly included in the A and B areas. That is, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, *, 0, # keys 34 are mentioned. These keys 34 have a function of inputting 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9, *, 0, # respectively in the normal mode, but 0, P, ↓, 9 in the rotating mode. It has the function to input, O, L, 8, I, K, 7, U, J. That is, when the user views the keypad 32 in the normal mode and the rotation mode, the numbers, letters, and symbols displayed upright on the respective keys 34 are respectively input. For reference, the functions of the keys 34 being switched in the normal mode and the rotation mode are signals provided by a sensor (not shown) that senses the degree of rotation of the keypad 32 with respect to the main body 10. By The sensor may be installed at the pad hinge 26 or at positions corresponding to each other of the main body 10 and the keypad 32.

The keypad 32 is formed such that the card slot 36 into which the memory card 35 is inserted is opened at a portion in which the keypad 32 faces the curved step portion 11 in the normal mode. The memory card 35 is a relatively light and short SD card is used. The memory card 35 has a hook groove 35 'formed at one end side thereof, and a write protect knob 35 "is provided at the other end side thereof.

The card slot 36 is formed in the center of the upper end of the keypad 32 facing the curved stepped portion 11 in the normal mode in this embodiment, but need not necessarily, the curved stepped portion 11 It doesn't matter where you go along with the part you are facing.

Grooves 38 are formed at both ends of the inlet of the card slot 36. The groove 38 is necessary for the memory card 35 inserted in the card slot 36 to be easily detached by pressing with a user's finger. For reference, a configuration for mounting and fixing the memory card 35 is provided inside the card slot 36. That is, when the memory card 35 is pushed into the card slot 36, a hook mechanism (not shown) on which one side of the memory card 35 is hooked is provided in the card slot 36. The hook mechanism is configured to lock the memory card 35 when pressed once with the memory card 35, and to release the lock of the memory card 35 when pressed again to protrude out of the card slot 36. .

Hereinafter, the operation of the portable terminal according to the present invention having the configuration as described above will be described in detail.

First, the use of the keypad 32 in the normal mode of the present invention will be described. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the keypad 32 is in a state of being overlapped with the main body 10. That is, the keypad 32 is not rotated about the pad hinge 25 with respect to the body portion 10.

In this case, the keys 34 marked mainly in the A area are used. These keys 34 can be used to enter a variety of numbers, letters, and symbols. An example of the use of such a normal mode is a mobile communication mode.

In addition, in the normal mode, the card slot 36 formed on the keypad 32 faces the curved stepped portion 11 and is not exposed to the outside. Therefore, in the normal mode, the memory card 35 cannot be attached or detached from the card slot 36.

Meanwhile, a state in which the keypad 32 is rotated 90 ° about the pad hinge 25 is illustrated in FIG. 4, which is a rotation mode. In such a rotation mode, the keys 34 marked mainly in the B area are used. These keys 34 can be used to enter a variety of numbers, letters, and symbols. An example of the use of such a rotation mode may be a case where the use of a relatively large number of keys 34 such as a document work or a game is required.

In particular, in such a rotation mode, the key pad 32 has keys 34 disposed to the left and the right side like the keyboard of the computer, so that the key input operation can be performed with both hands. Therefore, the key input operation can be performed relatively quickly, and the document operation can be performed more quickly.

In the rotation mode, the card slot 36 is exposed to the outside, so that the memory card 35 mounted on the card slot 36 can be attached or detached. In particular, the memory card 35 is capable of storing a large amount of data, so that after working with documents in a rotating mode, the memory card 35 can be stored in the memory card 35 and transferred to another device such as a notebook computer or a desktop computer. Can be.

The rights of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, but are defined by the claims, and various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the claims. It is self-evident.

For example, although the illustrated embodiment has been described as a folder type portable terminal, it is possible to design the card slot to be selectively exposed by rotating the keypad with respect to the main body in various portable terminals such as a bar type and a slide type. .

In the portable terminal according to the present invention as described in detail above, the following effects can be obtained.

That is, in the present invention, the card slot in which the memory card is mounted is designed to be selectively exposed. Therefore, the user can selectively detach the memory card by exposing the card slot as needed, thereby minimizing the risk of losing the memory card while moving.

In addition, in the present invention, the card slot is exposed or shielded as the keypad is rotated. According to the degree of rotation of the keypad, the usage mode of the portable terminal is changed, and the memory card can be attached and detached accordingly. In this way, the memory card can be conveniently attached and detached when necessary, thereby increasing user convenience.

Claims (5)

With the body part, A display unit connected to the main body unit and provided with a display screen for displaying various types of information; Key pads are arranged in a row and a plurality of keys are rotatably installed in the main body portion, And a card slot which is formed to be opened at one side of the keypad so that a memory card is mounted and is selectively exposed to the outside depending on the degree of rotation of the keypad. The curved surface step portion of claim 1, wherein a curved step portion having a curvature corresponding to a rotation radius of the keypad is protruded and an end portion of the keypad corresponding to the curved step portion also corresponds to a curved step portion. And a card slot formed at a position facing the curved stepped portion while the keypad is not rotated with respect to the main body portion. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein an SD card is mounted in the card slot. The portable terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the keypad is installed on the upper surface of the main body so as to be relatively rotatable by about 90 ° in at least one direction with respect to the main body. The portable terminal as claimed in claim 4, wherein the keypad is positioned between the display unit and the body unit when the display unit is overlapped with the main body unit.

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