WO2001054332A2

WO2001054332A2 - Portable mobile terminal

Info

Publication number: WO2001054332A2
Application number: PCT/KR2001/000075
Authority: WO
Inventors: Min-Kyum Kim
Original assignee: Kim Min Kyum
Priority date: 2000-01-17
Filing date: 2001-01-17
Publication date: 2001-07-26
Also published as: AU3061901A; KR100517896B1; EP1281242A4; CN1539205A; KR20010076296A; EP1281242A2; WO2001054332A3

Abstract

Disclosed is a portable mobile terminal which comprises a terminal body having a first contacting point for receiving power; at least one battery having a corresponding second contacting point to be combined to the first contacting point, and being coupled to top, bottom, front, rear or side surfaces of the terminal body; a combiner for selectively and removably combining the terminal body and the battery; and a battery affixer for supporting the battery so as to maintain the coupled state of the battery. The combiner comprises: a dovetail groove provided on one surface of the terminal body; and a dovetail protrusion provided on the battery and being selectively combined with the corresponding dovetail groove.

Description

Portable Mobile Terminal

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a portable mobile terminal. More

specifically, the present invention relates to a portable mobile terminal for minimizing the thickness of the terminal, and additionally for installing auxiliary devices thereon, such as an input or output device so as to increase portability and usability of the terminal.

(b) Description of the Related Art

In general, a user accesses a system or a network using a terminal.

Categories of terminals include computers that use information networks or communication networks, televisions, monitors, cell phones, personal communication services (PCS) and personal digital assistants (PDA). The

cell phone will be described as an example of the terminal hereinafter.

Conventional cell phones have a battery installed in the front or rear part of the body. The installation of the battery in the front or rear part of the

body does not generate significant problems to cell phone users, as techniques have been developed to make the thickness of the cell phone

slimmer in order for the user to conveniently carry and use it. The slimness of

the cell phone is restricted, however, because of the installation of the battery in the front or rear part of the body.

Accordingly, portability of conventional cell phones is decreased, and expansion of the installation of input and output devices when regarding the

convenient usage is limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

. It is an object of the present invention to minimize the thickness of a

terminal so as to increase portability, and to provide a method for easily

installing input and output devices on the terminal so as to increase usage

convenience.

In one aspect of the present invention, a portable mobile terminal

comprises a terminal body having a first contacting point for receiving power;

at least one battery having a corresponding second contacting point to be

connected with the first contacting point, and being coupled to top, bottom,

front, rear or side surfaces of the terminal body; a combiner for selectively

and removably combining the terminal body and the battery; and a battery

affixer for supporting the battery so as to maintain a coupled state of the

battery.

The combiner comprises: a dovetail groove provided on one

surface of the terminal body; and a dovetail protrusion provided on the

battery and being selectively combined with the corresponding dovetail

groove.

In another aspect of the present invention, a portable mobile terminal

comprises a terminal body having a first hook groove having a slanted surface at a bottom portion of a rear, front, top, bottom, left or right side, and

a second hook groove having a slanted surface at a top portion of a rear,

front, top, bottom, left or right side; a battery having a first protrusion to be

coupled with the first hook groove provided on the rear bottom portion of the

terminal body and a second protrusion to be coupled with the second hook

groove provided on the rear top portion of the terminal body, the battery

being coupled with a rear surface of the terminal body by folding with the

terminal body; a hook device inserted into one hook groove and moving a

predetermined distance so as to combine with or disjoint the battery; and an

elastic device for elastically supporting the hook device and generating

elasticity in a direction for maintaining a coupled state of the battery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and

constitute a part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the

invention, and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles

of the invention:

FIG. 1 shows a terminal according to a first preferred embodiment of

the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows an amplified detailed part A of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the B-B part of FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 4 shows a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the C-C part of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 shows a third preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 shows a fourth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 8 shows a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9 shows a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 shows a seventh preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 1 1 shows an eighth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 12 shows a ninth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 13 shows a tenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 14 shows an eleventh preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 15 shows a twelfth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 16 shows a thirteenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 17 shows a fourteenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention; FIG. 18 shows a fifteenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 19 shows a sixteenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 20 shows a seventeenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 21 shows an eighteenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 22 shows a nineteenth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 23 shows a twentieth preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 24 shows a twenty-first preferred embodiment of the present

invention;

FIG. 25 shows a detailed illustration of the fifteenth preferred

embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 26 shows another preferred embodiment of the fifteenth

preferred embodiment; and

FIG. 27 shows a twenty-second preferred embodiment of the present

invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following detailed description, only the preferred embodiment

of the invention has been shown and described, simply by way of illustration

of the best mode contemplated by the inventor(s) of carrying out the

invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention.

Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in

nature, and not restrictive.

FIG. 1 shows a portable mobile terminal according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the portable mobile terminal comprises a terminal body 1 , a battery 3 and a battery affixer 5.

A cell phone, a PCS or a PDA can be used as the terminal body 1. In the preferred embodiment, a folding-type cell phone among the forms of a

bar-type, a flip-type and a folding-type is used.

The terminal body 1 is coupled with at least one battery 3 via a coupling unit.

The coupling unit comprises a dovetail groove 1a provided on the

terminal body 1 , and a dovetail protrusion 3a provided on the battery 3 that corresponds to the dovetail groove 1a (illustrated in detail in FIG. 3.) In

addition, the coupling direction of the dovetail groove 1a and the dovetail

protrusion 3a can be perpendicular to the coupling direction of the dovetail

groove 1a and the dovetail protrusion 3a, as shown in FIG. 3. This is also

applied to other embodiments.

On a lower surface of the terminal body 1 , a damper 1 b is provided for controlling movement of the dovetail protrusion 3a of the battery 3 when

the dovetail protrusion 3a is coupled with the dovetail groove 1a and the

battery is moved along the dovetail groove 1 a.

The damper 1 b has a form of a bar, but the form is not restricted to

this, as it can also have a form of a protrusion. In order to provide no protrusion on the. terminal when the battery is not installed, the damper 1 b

can also be formed as a structure in which an end portion of the dovetail groove 1a is blocked.

In the first preferred embodiment, the battery 3 is coupled on the lower surface of the terminal body 1 , and it is possible that at least one battery 3 can be selectively coupled on a higher surface or a side and also in. the horizontal and perpendicular directions. This is also applied to other embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows the battery affixer 5, an amplified drawing of part A of FIG. 1.

The battery affixer 5 maintains the coupled state of the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 when they are coupled. The battery affixer 5 comprises

an affixing device 7 that is provided in a groove (not illustrated) provided on one side of the terminal body 1 , and it is slid in the battery direction. The

affixing device 7 has a structure appropriate only for sliding along a V-

shaped groove in its moving direction when it is moved on the terminal body

1. A compression coil spring 9 is provided so as to generate constant elastic

pressure on the affixing device 7 toward the battery in order to prevent the battery 3 from being randomly detached from the terminal body 1.

As the affixing device 7 is moved adjacent to the battery 3, it is

inserted into a latch threshold or a latch groove provided on one side of the battery 3.

In FIG. 2, since the affixing device 7 covers the latch threshold or the latch groove, their corresponding reference numerals are not provided.

Referring to FIG. 3, the terminal body 1 is electrically connected to the battery 3 and comprises at least one contacting point 11 so as to receive power.

A process for installing the battery on the portable mobile terminal according to the preferred embodiment will now be described.

First, a user moves the affixing device 7 against the elasticity of the compression coil spring 9 in a direction away from the battery installed

position. The user then slidably inserts the dovetail protrusion 3a of the battery 3 into the dovetail groove 1a of the terminal body 1 and slides the battery 3 until it reaches the damper 1 b formed on the terminal body 1 , and releases the affixing device 7. When released, the elasticity of the compression coil spring 9 moves the affixing device 7 in the battery 3

direction so that the battery 1 is prevented from being separated from the

terminal body 1 against the battery's sliding installation direction.

In the above-described first preferred embodiment, the installation of

the battery affixer 5 on the terminal body 1 is described, and without being

limited to this, the battery affixer 5 can also be installed on the battery. The dovetail groove 1a and the dovetail protrusion 3a can be provided on either

the terminal body 1 or the battery 3. Also, one or plural dovetail grooves and

corresponding protrusions can be formed which will be described in

subsequent embodiments. This is also applied to other embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a coupling of the terminal body 1 with the battery 3

according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, and

FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the C-C part of FIG. 4. In the second

preferred embodiment, right-angle grooves and protrusions are used instead

of the dovetail groove 1 a and the dovetail protrusion 3a of the first preferred

embodiment, thereby showing that plural coupling devices with various

structures can be used without being limited to the first preferred

embodiment. In the second preferred embodiment, the thickness of the

battery 3 is made identical to the sum of the thickness of the folder-type

terminal body and the thickness of a cover so as to maximize the battery

capacity.

FIG. 6 shows the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to a

third preferred embodiment of the present invention. Three dovetail grooves

1 a are provided on the terminal body, and three dovetail protrusions 3a are

provided on the battery 3. The dovetail grooves 1a and the dovetail

protrusions 3a respectively have a predetermined length. Cavities 1 c and 3c

are respectively provided on the terminal body 1 and the battery 3. In the

third preferred embodiment, the sliding length for coupling the battery 3 on

the terminal body 1 is minimized, and accordingly, convenience is increased. That is, the user locates the dovetail protrusion 3a of the battery 3 in the

cavity 1 c of the terminal body 1 , and slides the battery 3 in order for the

dovetail groove 1a and the dovetail protrusion 3a to be coupled, and hence

the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 are combined. This is also applied to

other embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to a fourth preferred embodiment. Differing from the third preferred embodiment,

a plurality of dovetail grooves 1a are provided on the terminal body 1 in the widthwise direction of the terminal body 1 , and a plurality of dovetail

protrusions 3a are provided on the battery 3 in the widthwise direction of the battery 3. In the fourth preferred embodiment, the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 can be more firmly coupled compared to the first preferred embodiment, and when the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 are coupled with the same strength as in the first preferred embodiment, the size of the dovetail grooves 1 a and the dovetail protrusions 3a are reduced compared to those of the first preferred embodiment. Therefore, the terminal body 1 can maintain a good appearance even when the battery 3 is removed from the

terminal body 1. In this case, if another battery affixing device is configured

on one side of the terminal body 1 , a good appearance of the product is also

maintained.

FIG. 8 shows the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to a

fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention. A dovetail groove 1a and

a dovetail protrusion 1d are provided on one portion (i.e., a lower part) of the terminal body 1. A dovetail protrusion 3a and a dovetail groove 3d

corresponding to the terminal body 1 are provided on the battery 3.

FIG. 9 shows the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to a

sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of dovetail grooves 1a are provided on one side (i.e., a lower part) of the terminal body

1 in the terminal body's widthwise direction, and a plurality of dovetail

protrusions 3a corresponding to the terminal body 1 are provided on the battery 3 in the battery's widthwise direction.

FIG. 10 shows the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to a seventh preferred embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of dovetail grooves 1a are provided on two portions of the lower side of the terminal body 1 in the widthwise direction of the terminal body, and a dovetail protrusion 1 d is provided on a central portion thereof. Dovetail protrusions 3a and a dovetail groove 3d corresponding to the terminal body 1 are provided on the battery 3.

In the previously described embodiments, the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 are combined by a sliding and moving method, but in the eighth

preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 11 , the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 are combined using a screw. A screw hole 1 e is formed on the

lower portion of the terminal body 1 , and a freely rotatable knob 21 is

provided in the battery 3. The knob 21 protrudes from top and bottom

portions of the battery 3, and a screw 23 that is combined with the knob 21 at

its rotational center can be rotated and screwed into the screw hole 1 e when the knob is rotated with the user's fingers, thereby fixedly combining the

terminal body 1 and the battery 3 in a simpler structure than in the previously

described embodiments.

In the eighth preferred embodiment, the knob 21 and the screw 23

are installed on the battery 3, and without being restricted to this, the knob

21 and the screw 23 can also be installed on the terminal body 1.

FIG. 12 shows the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to a ninth preferred embodiment of the present invention. A battery affixer 5 is provided on the terminal body 1 , and a hook threshold 41 to be combined with the battery affixer 5 is provided on the battery 3.

The battery affixer 5 is installed within the terminal body 1 differently than the first preferred embodiment (i.e., not being protruded on the lower portion of the terminal body), and it comprises an affixing device 43 that receives constant elastic pressure from the compression coil spring 9 in the direction of the battery location.

The hook threshold 41 is provided in the combination direction in an inclined manner so that as the terminal 1 and the battery 3 are slid together

while coupling, the hook threshold 41 causes the affixing device 43 to be moved against the compression coil spring 9, and once the hook threshold

41 incline passes the affixing device 43, the same is forced by elastic

pressure from the compression coil spring 9 toward the battery 3 such that it

catches on the hook threshold 41 in order to prevent the battery 3 from being

randomly detached from the terminal body 1. The terminal body 1 comprises a dovetail groove 1a, and the battery

3 comprises a dovetail protrusion 3a corresponding to the dovetail groove 1a

so as to combine the battery 3 with the terminal body 1.

In the ninth preferred embodiment, the battery affixer 5 is provided in

the terminal body 1 , thereby maintaining the combination with the battery and concurrently maintaining a good appearance of the terminal body. Also, since the hook threshold 41 has a slant in the direction of combining the

battery 3 with the terminal body 1 , the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 are moved and combined without being restricted by the affixing device 43. The battery 3 is detached from the terminal body 1 by moving the battery affixer 5 upwards.

As described above in the ninth preferred embodiment, the battery affixer 5 is provided on the terminal body 1 , and the hook threshold 41 is provided on the battery 3, and it is also possible to provide the battery affixer 5 on the battery 3 and the slanted hook threshold on the terminal body 1.

FIG. 13 shows the coupled terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to the tenth preferred embodiment. A battery affixer 5 for

maintaining the coupled state of the battery 3 is provided. As described

above, since the end portion of the dovetail groove is blocked, this structure functions as a damper for stopping the sliding movement of the battery 3.

In the tenth preferred embodiment, a protrusion portion h of the

affixing device 43 does not protrude past the lower part of the terminal body

1. That is, since a groove (a position where the affixing device 43 is located) for receiving the affixing device 43 is provided in the terminal body 1 , the

protrusion portion h does not protrude. When a user pushes the battery to be

coupled with the terminal body, a compression spring 9 is compressed by a

slanted hook threshold 42 and the battery is installed, and when desiring to

remove the battery from the terminal body, the user pushes the affixing device 43, which has mobility because of the compression spring 9, in the perpendicular direction. The battery affixer 5 is movable because the spring

9 moves in the top and bottom directions, and is not movable in the right and left directions. In the tenth preferred embodiment, the hook threshold 41 that is

slanted and outwardly protruded is not provided to the terminal body 1 , which does not generate inconvenience to the user when the battery 3 is not provided. Also, the terminal body 1 can have a battery affixer 5 including a compression coil spring 9. On the other hand, in the case the battery affixer 5 including the compression coil spring 9 is provided on the battery 3, since cellular phone services provide two batteries, a battery affixer with two batteries and a spring is needed, thereby increasing production costs. Since a battery affixer is provided at a sliding start portion as shown in FIG. 13, no

inconvenience is generated to the user and no production cost is increased

even when the battery affixer with the spring is provided on the terminal body

and no battery is installed. In the case of using the dovetail groove and the

dovetail protrusion when installing the battery on the rear portion of the

terminal body, the battery affixer is located at a sliding end portion, and accordingly, the hook threshold or the affixing device of the terminal body

outwardly protrudes when the battery is not installed. Therefore, it is

important to provide the battery affixer at a sliding start portion of the terminal body in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction so that the terminal

body does not have a protrusion. This feature is identically applied to the case of installing the battery on the rear portion of the terminal body.

FIG. 14 shows the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 according to an eleventh preferred embodiment of the present invention. A battery affixer for maintaining the coupled state of the battery 3 to the terminal body 1 is

disclosed.

The battery affixer comprises an affixing device 43, that slides back and forth within a predetermined distance, on the terminal body 1 ; and a hook groove 45 into which the affixing device 43 is inserted, on the corresponding battery 3. The terminal body 1 and the battery 3 are combined by the dovetail groove 1a and the dovetail protrusion 3a.

A dimple 1f and a bump 3f can be respectively provided to the terminal body 1 and the battery 3 so as to prevent mobility of the battery 3

that is coupled with the terminal body 1. The dimple 1f and the bump 3f can be used for maintaining the coupled state of the battery 3 when no additional

battery affixer is provided. Also, contacting points, that is, a hole-type dimple

1 g and a ball-type streamlines bump 3g for the power supply can be formed

so as to generate similar effects. Since the streamlines bump 3g has elasticity, it can be manufactured as a structure that has elasticity itself or

includes a elastic device. In the case the terminal has a hole-type dimple, it causes no inconvenience when the battery is not installed. This is also

applied to other embodiments. FIG. 15 shows a portable mobile terminal according to a twelfth preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein a plurality of batteries

3 can be combined with sides of the terminal body 1. In the twelfth preferred embodiment, effects of using a medium or large capacity battery can be obtained by coupling two low capacity batteries or one low and one medium capacity battery together. In the drawing, two batteries 3 are combined with the sides of the terminal body 1 , but without being restricted to this, at least one battery 3 can be combined with the side of the terminal body 1.

FIG. 16 shows a portable mobile terminal according to a thirteenth preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein an L-shaped battery

that touches two sides of the terminal body 1 is combined with the terminal body 1. In this case, devices for affixing the battery to the terminal body can be any combination of the previously described embodiments. In the thirteenth preferred embodiment, one portion of the battery 3 is coupled with

the terminal body 1 using the dovetail protrusion 3a and another portion of

the battery 3 is coupled with the terminal body using a screw. The

combination methods can be varied according to appropriate locations.

Therefore, the screw combining method might not be used, and in the case

of using a U-shaped battery, the U-shaped battery can be combined with the terminal body with or without the screw.

FIG. 17 shows a portable mobile terminal according to a fourteenth

preferred embodiment of the present invention, another form of the eleventh

preferred embodiment described in FIG. 14. That is, the battery affixer is

installed on the terminal body 1 in the eleventh preferred embodiment, and on the battery 3 in the fourteenth preferred embodiment.

However, the installation of the battery affixer on the battery 3

necessitates more components for the battery affixer since the mobile terminal services generally provide two batteries. FIG. 18 shows a portable mobile terminal according to a fifteenth preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein two low capacity

batteries 3 -are respectively provided on the lower portion and rear portion of the terminal body 1. This configuration makes the utmost use of the existing

design of the terminal body 1 , and obtains effects of a medium or high capacity battery by simply installing a second low capacity battery on the rear portion of the terminal body 1. As to an installation of the battery on the lower

portion of the terminal body in FIG. 18, a dovetail groove is provided on the terminal body, and a dovetail protrusion is provided on the battery. Also, for

ease of usage in the case of not installing the battery, the dovetail protrusion

can be provided on the terminal body and the dovetail groove on the battery.

This latter case is more appropriate, particularly in the case of installing the

battery on the rear portion of the terminal body of FIG. 25. Up to now,

regarding installing the battery on the rear portion of the terminal body, the dovetail protrusion is provided on the battery and the dovetail groove is

provided on the terminal unit, and accordingly, in the case the battery is not

installed, protrusions of both ends of the dovetail groove generate

inconvenience to the user. In the case of FIG. 25, since no protrusion is formed on the whole rear portion of the terminal body 1 even when the

battery is not installed, the inconvenience might not be generated. This is an important feature of the present invention for selectively installing the battery. Or, in the case of installing the battery on the rear portion of the terminal body, differing from the providing of one dovetail groove and one dovetail protrusion as shown in FIG. 25, at least two dovetail grooves and two dovetail protrusions are provided as shown in FIG. 26, and the two dovetail grooves can be provided on the terminal body.

The method of providing the dovetail groove on the battery in the case of providing one dovetail groove and one dovetail protrusion so as to generate no inconvenience when the battery is not installed (i.e., making the battery 3 fold the terminal body), can be identically applied to the case of combining the battery with the terminal body by using a method of combining both ends. As shown in FIG. 27, in the case of installing the battery on the

rear portion of the terminal body, the dovetail groove is provided on the

battery and the dovetail protrusion on the terminal body, and accordingly,

inconveniences might not be generated even when the battery is not

installed. Referring to FIG. 27, the lower portion is initially combined and then

the higher portion is combined. The user can disjoint the battery from the terminal body by pressing a hook device 71 downwards. This can be

identically applied to the case of installing the battery on the side of the

terminal body. Since the folding type has less contacting portions in the case

of installing the battery on one side of the terminal body, a sliding attachment

method will be better than the both ends attachment method. Since the

groove is provided on the terminal and the protrusion on the battery in the

conventional disjointing method, inconveniences are generated when the

battery is not installed.

In the structure of the battery 3 that is coupled to the rear portion of

the terminal body 3, as shown in FIG. 25, the dovetail groove is provided on

the battery 3 and the dovetail protrusion on the terminal body 1. In this

structure, since the battery 3 partially covers the terminal body 1 and the rear

surface of the terminal body 1 is comparatively flat, the inconvenience of

using the terminal body 1 is minimized when the battery 3 is disjointed from

the terminal body 1.

FIG. 26 shows another preferred embodiment corresponding to the

fifteenth preferred embodiment. A plurality of dovetail grooves is provided on

sides of the terminal body 1 , and a dovetail protrusion is provided on the

central surface of the terminal body 1. A plurality of dovetail protrusions are

provided on both sides of the battery 3 corresponding to the terminal body 1 ,

and a dovetail groove is provided on the central surface of the battery 3. Also

in this preferred embodiment, the good appearance is maintained and

inconveniences of usage are reduced even when the groove or the protrusion formed on the rear portion of the terminal body is minimized and

the battery 3 to be coupled to the rear portion of the terminal body is

removed.

FIG. 19 shows a portable terminal according to a sixteenth preferred

embodiment of the present invention, wherein a retractable LCD 51 or a

keyboard is provided to the terminal body 1 that is coupled with the battery 3 on a lower portion (and/or a side portion) of the terminal body. In this

instance, a structure similar to that of using the dovetail groove and the dovetail protrusion can be applied to the present embodiment in the like case of installing a battery. In FIG. 19, the terminal body has a groove and folds an expanding LCD, and it is also possible that the groove is provided on one side of the terminal body and the LCD folds the terminal body. Since the battery 3 is coupled on a lower portion (and/or a side portion) of the terminal body, an additional device can be provided to the terminal body. Therefore, the user can utilize auxiliary devices such as a plurality of screens, a screen bigger than the conventional screen, or a keyboard. The above-described method of expanding the available space of the terminal can be applied together with the method of installing the battery on the side of the terminal

body, or can be individually applied to the conventional terminal body. This is

also applied to other embodiments.

FIG. 20 shows a portable terminal according to a seventeenth

preferred embodiment of the present invention. Differing from the sixteenth

preferred embodiment, the LCD 51 or the keyboard is combined with the terminal body 1 via a single corner hinge.

Referring to FIGs. 19 and 20, the method of using the LCD as an

expanding input and output device has effects similar to the method of

expanding the terminal using a conventional folding type, and further has a

merit of providing the LCD to the outside even while the input and output

device is not yet expanded.

FIG. 21 shows a portable terminal according to an eighteenth

preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein a keyboard 53 is

combined with the folder-type terminal body 1 via a longitudinal hinge.

FIG. 22 shows a portable terminal according to a nineteenth

preferred embodiment of the present invention, wherein an LCD 51 is folded

to a cover 81 of the terminal body 1 via a longitudinal hinge.

FIG. 23 shows a portable terminal according to a twentieth preferred

embodiment of the present invention, wherein an LCD 51 is folded to the

cover 81 of the folder-type terminal body 1 using a longitudinal hinge, and a

keyboard 53 is combined with the terminal body 1 using a longitudinal hinge

and is folded to the terminal body 1. In the above-described nineteenth and

twentieth preferred embodiments, since respective input and output devices

(e.g., an LCD or a keyboard) are selectively installed on the terminal body 1

or the folder-type terminal cover 81 , the user can easily and conveniently use

the terminal. According to the expansion structure of the terminal as shown

in FIG. 23, a right-handed person can easily hold the terminal by the left

hand and manipulate the terminal with his right hand. Referring to FIGs. 22 and 23, in order to utilize a dual screen LCD as

a single screen, a foldaway hinge must not be stopped. This can be used as

a method for recovering a small size of the LCD on the portable terminal.

Also, the method of FIGs. 19 and 20 can be applied to embodiments of FIGs.

21 , 22 and 23.

FIG. 24 shows a terminal body 1 and a battery 3 according to a

twenty-first preferred embodiment of the present invention. A dovetail groove

1 a is provided on one side (a lower portion) of the terminal body. A set of

asymmetrical grooves 1 g is formed in the widthwise direction of the dovetail

groove 1 a. That is, depths of the grooves are 'a' and 'b' and angles of the

grooves are differently formed.

The battery 3 corresponding to the terminal body 1 comprises a

dovetail protrusion 3a to be combined with the dovetail groove 1a, and a set

of asymmetrical protrusions 3g is formed in the widthwise direction of the

dovetail protrusion 3a. That is, depths of the protrusions 'a' and 'b' are

different, and angles that form the protrusions are differently formed. The

protrusions are forcibly combined with the grooves 1 g. This forcible

combination enables easy combination of the terminal body 1 and the battery

3 without an additional battery affixer. Also, the forcible combination structure

and the additional battery affixer can be applied together.

The forcible combination structure can also be applied to the

embodiments of FIGs. 12 and 13 by using an asymmetrical and streamlined

hook threshold 41 without using an elastic device and using the flexibility of plastic.

FIG. 27 shows a twenty-second preferred embodiment wherein a

plurality of hook grooves for combining the terminal body with the battery is

provided on top and bottom portions of the rear surface of the terminal body

1. A hook device 71 to which the battery 3 is combined is provided on the top portion of the rear surface of the terminal body 1. The hook device 71 comprises a hook groove for maintaining an affixed state of the battery 3,

and it is elastically supported by an elastic device 73 including a compression coil spring. The elastic device 73 is provided so that the elasticity is operated in the direction of the battery to maintain an affixed state when the battery is attached. The hook groove of the bottom portion of the rear surface of the terminal body 1 is slanted so that the battery 3 is prevented from being easily disjointed from the terminal body 1. It is

preferable for the battery to wrap the terminal body 1 when the battery 3 is combined with the terminal body 1. It is preferable that a surface of the terminal body 1 to which the battery is attached protrudes so as to maintain the good appearance of the terminal body 1 in the case the battery is removed from the terminal body 1. It is possible that a hook groove with a

slanted surface is provided on one of six surfaces of the terminal body 1 , and

with another hook groove on an opposite one.

For ease of drawing description, the dovetail grooves and

protrusions of P ' l ' r ' ^\ ' are mainly used, but it is obvious to those skilled in the art that those of P ' l " r^ ' can also be used.

The terminal body and the battery are combined by the groove of the

terminal body and the protrusion of the battery. In the respective cases of installing and not installing the battery on the lower portion of the terminal

body, the heights of the groove and the protrusion for combining the terminal body with the battery become different. Therefore, an additional groove can

be provided to the terminal body according to the changes of the height.

While this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

WHAT IS CLAIMED IS:

1. A portable mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body having a first contacting point for receiving power;

at least one battery having a corresponding second contacting

point to be connected with the first contacting point, and being coupled to

top, bottom, front, rear or side surfaces of the terminal body; and

a combiner for selectively and removably combining the terminal

body and the battery.

2. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal body further

comprises a battery affixer for supporting the battery so as to maintain a

coupled state of the battery.

3. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the combiner comprises:

a dovetail groove provided on one surface of the terminal body;

and

a dovetail protrusion provided on the battery and being selectively

combined with the corresponding dovetail groove.

4. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein a damper is provided on one

side of the terminal body or one side of the battery so as to control

movement of the battery in the case the battery is combined with the

terminal body.

5. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the combiner comprises:

a dovetail groove provided on one surface of the terminal body;

and a dovetail protrusion provided on the battery and being selectively

combined with the corresponding dovetail groove.

6. The terminal of claim 3, wherein at least one dovetail groove and

at least one dovetail protrusion are provided.

7. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the combiner comprises:

a knob formed to protrude from front and rear portions of the battery;

a screw combined with the knob, rotated as the knob is rotated, and

protruding from one side of the battery; and

a screw hole, provided on one side of the terminal body, for

selectively affixing the terminal body to the battery by receiving the screw.

8. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the combiner comprises:

a knob formed to protrude from front and rear portions of the terminal

body;

a screw combined with the knob, rotated as the knob is rotated, and

protruding from one side of the terminal body; and

a screw hole, provided on one side of the battery, for selectively

affixing the terminal body to the battery by receiving the screw.

9. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the battery affixer comprises:

a terminal body on one side of which a sliding groove is provided;

an affixing device retracted into the sliding groove and affixing the

battery according to sliding movements when a user pushes or pulls the

affixing device; and

a battery including a hook threshold for maintaining a coupled state of the battery to the terminal body by combining a portion of the affixing

device to a portion that corresponds to the sliding groove provided to the

terminal body.

10. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the battery affixer comprises:

a battery on one side of which a sliding groove is provided;

an affixing device retracted into the sliding groove and affixing the

terminal body according to sliding movements when a user pushes or pulls

the affixing device; and

a terminal body including a hook threshold for maintaining a coupled

state of the terminal body to the battery by combining a portion of the affixing

device to a portion that corresponds to the sliding groove provided to the

battery.

11. The terminal of claim 9 or 10, wherein the affixing device further

comprises an elastic device to which pressure is applied in a direction for

maintaining a pressure-applied state of the battery.

12. The terminal of claim 9, wherein the hook threshold comprises a

protrusion having a slanted surface for the battery to smoothly move in the

direction in which the battery is coupled with the terminal body.

13. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal further comprises a

second battery, combined with a rear surface or a front surface of the

terminal body, for supplying power.

14. A portable mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body; a sliding groove having an open end on one side of the terminal and

forming a cavity in the terminal body; and

a data input and output device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD)

or a keyboard, able to be inserted into or withdrawn from the sliding groove

over the cavity and being electrically connected to the terminal body so as to transmit and receive data.

15. A portable mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body; and a data input and output device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a keyboard, electrically connected to the terminal body, and able to be rotatably combined with or withdrawn from a rear portion of the terminal body using a hinge.

16. A portable mobile terminal comprising: a terminal body; a cover combined with a top portion of the terminal body using a hinge so as to selectively cover or uncover the terminal body; and

at least one input and output device combined with one portion of the terminal body using a hinge so as to be folded.

17. The terminal of claim 3, wherein an asymmetrical groove and a

protrusion are respectively provided on the dovetail groove and the dovetail

protrusion so as to combine the terminal body with the battery at a

corresponding portion by a forcible combination.

18. A portable mobile terminal comprising: a terminal body;

a cover, combined with a top portion of the terminal body using a

hinge, for selectively covering or uncovering the terminal body and installing

a first data display device such as a liquid crystal display on the uncovered

side of the terminal body; and

a second data display device, combined with one portion of the

cover using a hinge and selectively covering or uncovering an inner portion

of the cover, the second data display device being closely combined with the

first data display device when the inner portion of the cover is uncovered.

19. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the terminal further comprises

an input device combined with one portion of the terminal body using a hinge

and folded so as to selectively cover the terminal body.

20. A portable mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body having a dovetail protrusion provided on at least one

surface of the terminal body;

at least one battery having a dovetail groove corresponding to the

dovetail protrusion on the terminal body;

an affixing device provided at a portion to which the battery is slid

and is started to be inserted; and

an elastic device for elastically supporting the affixing device so that

the affixing device applies pressure to the battery.

21 . A portable mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body having a first hook groove having a slanted surface at a bottom or top portion of a rear, front, top, bottom, left or right side, and a

second hook groove having a slanted surface at a top or bottom portion of a

rear, front, top, bottom, left or right side;

a battery having a first protrusion to be coupled with the first hook

groove provided on the rear bottom portion of the terminal body and a

second protrusion to be coupled with the second hook groove provided on

the rear top portion of the terminal body, the battery being coupled with a

rear surface of the terminal body by folding with the terminal body;

a hook device inserted into one hook groove and moving a

predetermined distance so as to combine with or disjoint the battery; and

an elastic device for elastically supporting the hook device and

generating elasticity in a direction for maintaining a coupled state of the

battery.