Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

• US 10,303,328 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2016
• Issued: 05/28/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Na, Sungchae, Ju, Wanho, Cho, Seonhwi, Kim, Donghoe
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tam T
• Application Number:
  US15/143,158
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075517A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,124 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

A mobile terminal for performing multi-tasking may include a display and a controller configured to cause the display to: display first screen information and second screen information concurrently in a first display format in response to a first type of user input, wherein the second screen information overlaps with at least part of the first screen information in the first display format; and display the first screen information and the second screen information in a second display format in response to a second type of user input, wherein the first screen information and the second screen information do not overlap in the second display format.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display; and

a controller configured to;

cause the display to display first screen information of a first application;

cause the display to display notification information for notifying occurrence of an event related to a second application while the first screen information is displayed;

execute the second application in response to a predetermined type of touch input received via the notification information;

cause the display to display the first screen information and second screen information of the second application concurrently in a first display format when the predetermined type of touch input is a first type of touch input, wherein the second screen information overlaps with at least part of the first screen information in the first display format;

cause the display to display the first screen information and the second screen information concurrently in a second display format when the predetermined type of touch input is a second type of touch input, wherein the first screen information and the second screen information do not overlap in the second display format;

cause the display to display a guide image when a first touch is applied to a specific region of the second screen information while the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the first display format, the guiding image guiding conversion from the first display format to the second display format; and

cause the display to display the first screen information and the second screen information in the second display format in response to a second touch applied to the guide image.

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

cause the first screen information or the second screen information to be in an edit mode in response to a user input for switching a display format received while the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the second display format; and

cause the display to display the first screen information and the second screen information in the first display format in response to a touch applied to a region of the first or second screen information that is in the edit mode.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display an indicator linked to the second screen information instead of the second screen information when a size of the second screen information is reduced to a size that is less than a predetermined size in response to a user input received while the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the first display format.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to redisplay the second screen information in a pop-up manner over the first screen information in response to a touch applied to the indicator while the first screen information is displayed.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to:

display updated second screen information associated with an event for a preset period of time when the event occurs with respect to an application associated with the second screen information while the indicator is displayed, the updated second screen information displayed without requiring a user input; and

redisplay the indicator instead of the second screen information when the preset period of time elapses while the updated second screen information is displayed.

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

change a size of the first screen information and a size of the second screen information in response to a touch applied to a boundary region between the first screen information and second screen information that are displayed in the second display format; and

display an indicator linked to the first or second screen information of which the size is reduced to a size that is less than a predetermined size such that the reduced sized first or second screen information is replaced by the indicator.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the notification information is displayed in an overlapping manner such that at least part of the first screen information is obscured by the notification information; and

the notification information is no longer displayed when the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed concurrently in response to the predetermined type of touch input.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the first screen information includes a message communicated with an external terminal in real time;

the second screen information is a playback screen of a video contained in a message received from the external terminal; and

the controller is further configured to cause the display to continue displaying of the playback screen when a new message is received from the external terminal during playback of the video such that the first screen information including the new message and the second screen information including the playback screen are displayed in the first display format.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display screen information for setting a path for downloading the video in response to a drag input applied to the second screen information in a predetermined direction, the drag input received while the playback screen is displayed.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display icons corresponding to a plurality of applications in response to a user input for displaying both the first screen information and the second screen information concurrently, the user input received while only the first screen information is displayed.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display an execution screen of an application corresponding to a specific icon as the second screen information in response to a touch applied to the specific icon among the icons.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the first type of user input is a touch that is less than a threshold length and the second type of user input is a touch that is greater than the threshold length.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the first screen information and the second screen information in the second display format in response to a drag applied to the second screen information in a specific direction while the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the first display format.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the predetermined type of touch input comprises a drag initiated from a region of the display corresponding to the notification information.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein:

a touch length of the first type of touch input is less than a preset length; and

a touch length of the second type of touch input is greater than the preset length.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second screen information is displayed in a pop-up window manner over the first screen information such that the at least part of the first screen information is obscured by the second screen information when the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the first display format.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a screen of the display is partitioned into a first region and a second region in response to the second type of touch input such that the first screen information is displayed in the first region and the second screen information is displayed in the second region when the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the second display format.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein:

the first screen information displayed in the first region includes less information than the first information displayed prior to the partitioning of the screen of the display; and

the second information displayed in the second display format includes more information than the second information displayed in the first display format.

19. A method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying first screen information of a first application;

displaying notification information for notifying occurrence of an event related to a second application while the first screen information is displayed;

executing the second application in response to a predetermined type of touch input received via the notification information;

displaying the first screen information and second screen information of the second application concurrently in a first display format when the predetermined type of touch input is a first type of touch input, wherein the second screen information overlaps with at least part of the first screen information in the first display format;

displaying the first screen information and the second screen information concurrently in a second display format when the predetermined type of touch input is a second type of touch input, wherein the first screen information and the second screen information do not overlap in the second display format;

displaying a guide image when a first touch is applied to a specific region of the second screen information while the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the first display format, the guiding image guiding conversion from the first display format to the second display format; and

displaying the first screen information and the second screen information in the second display format in response to a second touch applied to the guide image.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

causing the first screen information or the second screen information to be in an edit mode in response to a user input for switching a display format received while the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the second display format; and

displaying the first screen information and the second screen information in the first display format in response to a touch applied to a region of the first or second screen information that is in the edit mode.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

displaying an indicator linked to the second screen information instead of the second screen information when a size of the second screen information is reduced to a size that is less than a predetermined size in response to a user input received while the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the first display format.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

changing a size of the first screen information and a size of the second screen information in response to a touch applied to a boundary region between the first screen information and second screen information that are displayed in the second display format; and

displaying an indicator linked to the first or second screen information of which the size is reduced to a size that is less than a predetermined size such that the reduced sized first or second screen information is replaced by the indicator.