Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

• US 10,175,877 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jieun, Yu, Jihye, Cho, Mijin, Kim, Heesoo, Noh, Eunyoung, Kim, Jinwook
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nitin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bogale, Amen W
• Application Number:
  US15/150,315
• Publication Number:
  US 20170090714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 974 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a method for controlling the same. The mobile terminal may provide screen information for controlling various functions, in a held state in one hand. More specifically, the mobile terminal includes: a touch screen configured to sense a touch input; and a controller configured to control the touch screen to output screen information thereon, the screen information including a control area formed to have a preset size from a point on the touch screen to which a touch input has been applied, and including a plurality of sections for executing different functions based on reception of the touch input, wherein the controller controls the touch screen such that at least part of the plurality of sections moves within a preset distance from the control area, based on the touch input applied to the control area.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen; and

a controller configured to;

receive a touch input via the touch screen;

set a control area including a location of the touch input, wherein a position of the control area is determined based on the location of the touch input;

control the touch screen to display a control area image representing the set control area, wherein the control area image is displayed at the location of the touch input; and

control the touch screen to divide a remaining region excluding the control area into a plurality of sections which are positioned increasingly further from the control area image, wherein the plurality of sections comprises a first section and a second section and the first section is positioned closest to the control area image within a preset distance and the second section is positioned further from the control area image than the first section, and wherein each of the plurality of sections comprises at least one object each corresponding to a different application;

receive a first specific touch input applied to the control area image; and

control the touch screen to change positions of the first section and second section in response to the first specific touch input such that the second section is positioned within the preset distance from the control area image and the first section is positioned beyond the preset distance from the control area image in response to the first specific touch input.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a number of the plurality of sections is based on a preset reference.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein

the at least one object of each section is sorted based on the preset reference;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to execute a function related to a selected object of the at least one object in response to a selection touch input to the selected object.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the at least one object includes at least:

an icon corresponding to an application executable in the mobile terminal;

a widget corresponding to a specific function;

a text or an image including specific information;

or a graphic object including event-occurrence information.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to interchange positions of the first section and the second section in response to the first specific touch input to the control area image.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to reduce a size of each of the plurality of sections by a corresponding preset size in response to a second specific touch input, such that all of the plurality of sections are positioned within the preset distance.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display summary information about a corresponding related function in each of the plurality of reduced-size sections.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the touch screen to specify one of the plurality of sections in response to a second specific touch input; and

control the specified section based on a third specific touch to the control area image.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display:

a specific object in the specified section for executing a first function related to the specified section in response to a fourth specific touch input, and

another object in the specified section to replace the specific object in response to another touch input to the control area image in a preset direction.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein:

the another object is associated with a second function of a plurality of functions related to the specified section, and

the controller is further configured to execute the second function in response to a fifth touch input to the control area image while the another object is displayed.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display preview information of an execution screen of the second function in at least one region of the touch screen while the fifth touch input is maintained.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to:

display information about a function related to the specified section in the specified section;

change a size of the specified section based on a fourth touch input to the control area image; and

change an output state of the displayed information about the function as the size of the specified section is changed.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to:

increase a size of the specified section based on the fourth touch input; and

display detailed information about the function related to the specified section based on an amount the size of the specified section is increased.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

execute a specific function related to a specific section displayed within the preset distance in response to a drag touch input from the specific section to the control area image; and

control the touch screen to display execution information of the specific function in at least one section of the plurality of sections.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display sub menu information of a specific application associated with the specific function in one or more sections of the plurality of sections.

16. A display method for a mobile terminal having a touch screen, the method comprising:

receiving a touch input via the touch screen;

setting a control area including a location of the touch input, wherein a position of the control area is determined based on the location of the touch input;

displaying a control area image representing the set control area, wherein the control area image is displayed at the location of the touch input; and

dividing a remaining region excluding the control area into a plurality of sections which are positioned increasingly further from the control area image, wherein the plurality of sections comprises a first section and a second section and the first section is positioned closest to the control area image within a preset distance and the second section is positioned further from the control area image than the first section, and wherein each of the plurality of sections comprises at least one object each corresponding to a different application;

receiving, via the touch screen, a first specific touch input applied to the control area image; and

changing positions of the first section and second section in response to the first specific touch input such that the second section is positioned within the preset distance from the control area image and the first section is positioned beyond the preset distance from the control area image in response to the first specific touch input.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a number of the plurality of sections is based on a preset reference.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein the at least one object of each section is sorted based on the preset reference;

and

the method further comprises executing a function related to a selected object of the at least one object in response to a selection touch input to the selected object.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the at least one object includes at least:

an icon corresponding to an application executable in the mobile terminal;

a widget corresponding to a specific function;

a text or an image including specific information;

or a graphic object including event-occurrence information.