The above and other aspects, 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:
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described herein below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, for clarity and conciseness, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail.
The upper case frame 105 is used as the front surface of the bar type portable terminal 100, and a main Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) module 101 is installed on the upper case frame 105. A plurality of key buttons 102 are installed next to the main LCD module 101 to be used as data input units. A microphone 104 is installed at one end of the upper case frame 105 and next to the plurality of key buttons 102 to be used as a telephone transmitter, and a speaker 103 is installed at another end of the upper case frame 105 and next to the main LCD module 101 to be used as a telephone receiver. The microphone 104 and the speaker 103 may be mainly used for basic speech communications.
According to the present invention, the lower case frame 10 includes slide covers 11 and 12 which are movably installed. The slide covers 11 and 12 may be installed to be respectively opened to the left and right from a middle of the lower case frame 10. For convenience, the slide covers 11 and 12 are referred to as first and second slide covers, respectively. If the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 are opened, the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 may operate as the lower case frame 10 except for exposing a back surface 13 of the main body (
Although not shown, the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 may include well-known guide units. Thus, the first slide covers 11 and 12 may include guide ribs which are formed at the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 or the main body and guide slits which are installed at the main body or the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 to guide the guide ribs.
Although the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 are presented in the present application, one slide cover may be installed to be opened in a longitudinal direction of the bar type portable terminal 100. In this case, two speakers may be installed in the slide cover to perform stereo functions. The two speakers will be described later.
First and second speakers 111 and 121 are respectively installed in the first and second slide covers 11 and 12. Thus, a user can listen to music in stereo through the first and second speakers 111 and 121. The first and second speakers 111 and 121 may be respectively installed level to or lower than a sliding surface of the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 in order to prevent the first and second speakers 111 and 121 from damage due to interference with moving objects such as the first and second slide covers 11 and 12.
The slave LCD module 131 may be installed on an opposite surface of the main board 106 to a surface of the main board 106 on which the main LCD module 101 is installed. The first and second speakers 111 and 121 installed in the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 may be electrically connected to the main board 106 through electrical connection units 112 and 122 such as predetermined Flexible Printed Circuit Boards (FPCBs), session cables, or the like. Here, extra portions of the electrical connection units 112 and 122 are left to exclude possibility of short-circuit, etc. within sliding ranges of the first and second slide covers 11 and 12. The bar type portable terminal 100 according to the present invention adopts an internal rechargeable battery 107, which utilizes a battery pack mount space without increasing an entire bulk of the bar type portable terminal 100.
In the present invention, the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 may slide separately or simultaneously. If the first and second slide covers 11 and 12 slide simultaneously, a slide cover simultaneously opening unit may be further installed as shown in
If a space is allowed in the bar type portable terminal 100, a driving motor (not shown) may be further installed to rotate the pinion gear 108. The driving motor may includes a reduction gear (not shown) which reduces a number of rotations of the pinion gear 108 and increases a rotating force of the pinion gear 108. Thus, a terminal controller (not shown) senses an input of a key manipulation of a user and then rotates the driving motor in one direction to simultaneously operate the first and second rack gears 113 and 123 so as to automatically open and close the first and second slide covers 11 and 12.
In accordance with the present invention as described above, a bar type portable terminal can include an additional LCD module with an increase of a bulk thereof minimized. The bar type portable terminal can also include speakers through which a user can listen to music in stereo, so as to meet diversifying demands of the user. In addition, the bar type portable terminal can assist the user to further effectively use various functions added thereto.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain 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 as defined by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2006-0081444 | Aug 2006 | KR | national |