Refrigerator including a terminal to provide content related to the refrigerator

• US 10,055,117 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Ji Hea, Hwang, Jung Ah, Eun, You Sook
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US15/143,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20160239179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2400/361 Interactive visual displays
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2500/06 Stock management
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/08 Sensors using Radio Frequency Identification [RFID]
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/206 Drawing of charts or graphs
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]

Abstract

The present invention relates to a refrigerator including a terminal and to a method for controlling same, and particularly, to a refrigerator including a terminal and to a method for controlling same which can visually provide necessary information to a user. To achieve this aim, the present invention provides a refrigerator including a terminal, comprising: a display module provided on the refrigerator; a communication unit communicating with the outside; and a control unit performing control to display various information on the display module.

Claims

1. A refrigerator comprising a terminal to provide content related to the refrigerator, the terminal comprising:

a touch screen to display at least one content related to the refrigerator; and

a controller configured to delete the content on the screen, when a distance between first and second points is within a preset distance in a state of multi-touching first and second points on the content and to check whether the multi-touch is maintained,

wherein, when a maintained distance of the multi-touch is within a first preset distance, the controller displays the content as a crumpled image,

wherein the controller gradually increases a crumpled degree of the content as the distance between the two multi-touched points is reduced corresponding to a reduced distance between two points when the reduced distance is within the first preset distance,

wherein, when the multi-touch on the content is released in a state that a maintained distance of the multi-touch is within a second preset distance, the controller deletes the content, and

wherein, the controller displays the content as an initial image, when the controller detects that the multi-touch is not maintained.

2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein, prior to displaying the content as the crumpled image, the controller displays the content as the initial image, and

wherein, when the maintained distance of the multi-touch is over the preset distance, the controller changes the content displayed as the crumpled image to the initial image.

3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the controller gradually reduces a crumpled degree of the content according to an increased distance of the multi-touch, to display the content as the initial image.

4. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein, when a maintained distance of the multi-touch is within the preset distance, the controller displays a recycle bin icon for deleting a crumpled image of the content on the touch screen, and, when the content is dragged and dropped to the recycle bin icon, the controller deletes the content.

5. The refrigerator according to claim 4, wherein, prior to deleting the content, the content is displayed at an initial position on the touch screen, and

wherein, when the recycle bin icon is selected, the controller displays at least one content deleted via the recycle bin icon, and, when the content is selected, the controller displays the content at the initial position on the touch screen again.

6. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein, when the multi-touch on the content is released in a state that the content is displayed as the crumpled image, the controller displays a recycle bin icon for deleting the content, and, when the content is dragged and dropped to the recycle bin icon, the controller deletes the content.