Mobile communication device and method of controlling operation of the mobile communication device

• US 20080176604A1
• Filed: 04/27/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Tae Hun
• Application Number:
  US11/790,871
• Publication Number:
  US 20080176604A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42209 for displaying non-command information, e.g. electronic program guide [EPG], e-mail, messages or a second television channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A mobile communication device and a method of controlling an operation of the mobile communication device are provided. According to an embodiment, the method includes displaying an image on at least a portion of the touch screen; if a first touch input to the touch screen is detected, displaying a first operation control menu in at least one first area on the touch screen; and if a second touch input to the touch screen is detected, displaying a second operation control menu in a second area on the touch screen. Accordingly, the present invention controls operation control menus to appear on or disappear from the touch screen in response to touch input(s) to the touch screen.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an operation of a mobile communication device equipped with a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying an image on at least a portion of the touch screen,

if a first touch input to the touch screen is detected, displaying a first operation control menu in at least one first area on the touch screen; and

if a second touch input to the touch screen is detected, displaying a second operation control menu in a second area on the touch screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second operation control menus is a menu for controlling the image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the image is a moving image.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the moving image is a moving image obtained by playing back a digital multimedia broadcast (DMB) program.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first operation control menu comprises at least one of a channel control menu and a volume control menu.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second operation control menu comprises at least one of a menu for selecting functions, a menu for providing a channel list, a menu for selecting a time machine function, and a menu for returning to previous menus.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if a third touch input to the touch screen is detected, making the first and second operation control menus disappear from the touch screen.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if a third touch input to the touch screen is detected, making the second operation control menu disappear from the touch screen.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

if a fourth touch input to the touch screen is detected, making the first operation control menu disappear from the touch screen.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first area is adjacent to a left or right boundary of the image, and the second area is adjacent to a lower boundary of the image.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one first area includes left and right side portions of the touch screen.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first touch input is a touch input to a portion of the touch screen near a left or right boundary of the image, and the second touch input is a touch input to a portion of the touch screen near a lower bottom of the image.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second touch inputs is a touch input to the image displayed on the at least the portion of the touch screen.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if a menu item is selected from the first or second operation control menu, performing an operation corresponding to the selected menu item.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

making or receiving a call via a mobile communication network by selecting a menu item from the first or second operation control menu.

16. A mobile communication device comprising:

a touch screen; and

a control unit configured to display an image on at least a potion of the touch screen, to display a first operation control menu in at least one first area on the touch screen if a first touch input to the touch screen is detected, and to display a second operation control menu in a second area on the touch screen if a second touch input to the touch screen is detected.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first and second operation control menus is a menu for controlling the image.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein the image is a moving image.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 18, wherein the moving image is a moving image obtained by playing back a digital multimedia broadcast (DMB) program.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein the first operation control menu comprises at least one of a channel control menu and a volume control menu.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 20, wherein the second operation control menu comprises at least one of a menu for selecting functions, a menu for providing a channel list, a menu for selecting a time machine function, and a menu for returning to previous menus.

22. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein, if a third touch input to the touch screen is detected, the control unit controls the first and second operation control menus to disappear from the touch screen.

23. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein, if a third touch input to the touch screen is detected, the control unit controls the second operation control menu to disappear from the touch screen.

24. The mobile communication device of claim 23, wherein, if a fourth touch input to the touch screen is detected, the control unit controls the first operation control menu to disappear from the touch screen.

25. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein the at least one first area is adjacent to a left or right boundary of the image, and the second area is adjacent to a lower boundary of the image.

26. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein the at least one first area includes left and right side portions of the touch screen.

27. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein the first touch input is a touch input to a portion of the touch screen near a left or right boundary of the image, and the second touch input is a touch input to a portion of the touch screen near a lower bottom of the image.

28. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first and second touch inputs is a touch input to the image displayed on the at least the portion of the touch screen.

29. The mobile communication device of claim 16, wherein, if a menu item is selected from the first or second operation control menu, the control unit controls an operation corresponding to the selected menu item to be performed.

30. The mobile communication device of claim 16, further comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to provide a communication function through a mobile communication network,

wherein, if a menu item for making or receiving a call is selected from the first or second operation control menu, the control unit controls the wireless communication unit to make or receive the call.

31. A method of controlling a display operation of a mobile terminal equipped with a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying an image on the touch screen; and

controlling at least one of a size of the image and a control menu display according to a count of a touch action on the touch screen.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein if the size of the image is changed in the controlling step, the size of the image is changed back to the original size in response to two touch actions on the touch screen.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the controlling step includes:

displaying at least one control menu on the touch screen according to at least one touch action on the touch screen.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the at least one control menu is displayed on at least a bottom area of the touch screen.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the at least one control menu displayed on the bottom area of the touch screen includes at least one icon to selectively pause the displaying of the image and playback the image on the touch screen.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the displaying step displays a volume control menu on a designated area of the touch screen in response to a single touch action on the touch screen.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

after the at least one control menu is displayed on the touch screen in the displaying step, determining whether or not a current touch action on the touch screen is on the area where the at least one control menu is displayed;

performing an operation associated with the at least one control menu according to the current touch action, if the determining step determines that the current touch action is on the area where the at least one control menu is displayed; and

removing the displayed at least one control menu from the touch screen, if the determining step determines that the current touch action is not on the area where the at least one control menu is displayed.

38. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touch screen; and

a controller configured to control at least one of a size of the image and a control menu display according to a count of a touch action on the touch screen.

39. The mobile terminal of claim 38, wherein if the size of the image is changed on the touch screen, the size of the image is changed back to the original size in response to two touch actions on the touch screen.

40. The mobile terminal of claim 38, wherein the controller is configured to display at least one control menu on the touch screen according to at least one touch action on the touch screen.

41. The mobile terminal of claim 40, wherein the at least one control menu is displayed on at least a bottom area of the touch screen.

42. The mobile terminal of claim 41, wherein the at least one control menu displayed on the bottom area of the touch screen includes at least one icon to selectively pause the displaying of the image and playback the image on the touch screen.

43. The mobile terminal of claim 40, wherein the at least one control menu displayed on the touch screen includes a volume control menu on a designated area of the touch screen in response to a single touch action on the touch screen.

44. The mobile terminal of claim 40, wherein, after the at least one control menu is displayed on the touch screen, the controller determines whether or not a current touch action on the touch screen is on the area where the at least one control menu is displayed, performs an operation associated with the at least one control menu according to the current touch action if the controller determines that the current touch action is on the area where the at least one control menu is displayed, and removes the displayed at least one control menu from the touch screen if the controller determines that the current touch action is not on the area where the at least one control menu is displayed.