MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF GENERATING KEY SIGNAL THEREIN

• US 20080305836A1
• Filed: 06/02/2008
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Young Hwan, Yang, Seung Woo
• Granted Patent: US 8,581,854 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/564
• 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: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile terminal and method of generating a key signal therein are disclosed, by which the key signal can be generated in a manner of adjusting touch sensitivity. The present invention includes a touchpad for a key signal input, a controller generating a key signal corresponding to a touched position if the touchpad is touched by a user and a strength of the touch is equal to or greater than a reference value, and a sensitivity adjusting unit adjusting the reference value.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display including a touchpad;

a controller operatively connected to the touchpad and configured to generate a key signal when a predetermined position of the touchpad is touched and a strength of the touch is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

a sensitivity adjusting unit configured to adjust the threshold value.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensitivity adjusting unit is configured to adjust the threshold value in response to a user input.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein

the touchpad is divided into a plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas configured to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of signals, and

the sensitivity adjusting unit is configured to adjust a first threshold value for a first of the plurality of areas, and to adjust a second threshold value for a second of the plurality of areas, the second threshold value being different from the first threshold value.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein

the touchpad is divided into a plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas configured to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of signals, at least one of the plurality of areas having an inner area and an outer area, the inner area having an inner area threshold value lower than an outer area threshold value of the outer area.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the sensitivity adjusting unit is configured to adjust at least one of the inner area threshold value and the outer area threshold value.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display is configured to display a key pad on the touchpad, the key pad including a plurality of keys, each of the plurality of keys arranged to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of key signals.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to vary a size of one of the plurality of keys when the threshold value of the one key is modified by the sensitivity adjusting unit.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to

enlarge a size of the one key when the threshold value of the one key is reduced, and

reduce the size of the one key when the threshold value of the one key is increased.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the sensitivity adjusting unit is configured to modify the threshold value of one of the plurality of keys when a size of the one key is varied by the controller.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to reduce the threshold of the one key when the size of the one key is enlarged, and

increase the threshold of the one key when the size of the one key is reduced.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 6, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a phonebook including a plurality of images,

wherein the controller is configured to display at least one image stored in the phonebook on a prescribed area of the key pad.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to

enlarge the at least one image when the threshold value is decreased;

reduce the at least one image when the threshold value is increased.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to initiate a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to

decrease the threshold value when the at least one image is enlarged;

and

increase the threshold value when the at least one image is reduced.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to initiate a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to vary a number of the at least one image displayed on the key pad in accordance with an adjustment of the threshold value.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the controller is configured to increase the number of displayed images when the threshold value is decreased and to decrease the number of displayed images when the threshold value is increased.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is configured to initiate a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is configured to vary the threshold value in accordance with an adjustment of a number of the at least one image displayed on the key pad.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to increase the threshold value when the number of displayed images is decreased and to decrease the threshold value when the number of displayed images is increased.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 20, wherein the controller is configured to initiate a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to generate the key signal by subdividing an area of the touchpad corresponding to a specific signal when the reference value is adjusted by the sensitivity adjusting unit.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the specific key signal comprises a navigation key signal.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the controller is configured to generate an increment for a direction shift in accordance with the subdivided area differently.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein the controller is configured to generate a subdivision extent when the threshold value is modified by the sensitivity adjusting unit.

26. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to enlarge one of the plurality of keys when a specific area of the one key is touched.

27. A method of generating key signals in a mobile terminal having a touchpad, the method comprising:

generating a key signal when a predetermined position of the touchpad is touched and a strength of the touch is equal to or greater than a threshold value; and

adjusting the threshold value.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the step of adjusting the threshold value comprises:

adjusting the threshold value in response to a user input.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

dividing the touchpad into a plurality of areas, each of the plurality of areas configured to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of signals;

adjusting a first threshold value for a first of the plurality of areas; and

adjusting a second threshold value for a second of the plurality of areas, the second threshold value being different from the first threshold value.

30. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

dividing the touchpad into a plurality of areas,.each of the plurality of areas configured to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of signals, at least one of the plurality of areas having an inner area and an outer area, the inner area having an inner area threshold value lower than an outer area threshold value of the outer area; and

adjusting at least one of the inner area threshold value and the outer area threshold value.

31. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying a key pad on the touchpad, the key pad including a plurality of keys, each of the plurality of keys arranged to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of key signals; and

varying a size of one of the plurality of keys when a threshold value of the one key is adjusted.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the step of varying a size of one of the plurality of keys comprising:

enlarging a size of the one key when the threshold value of the one key is reduced; and

reducing the size of the one key when the threshold value of the one key is increased.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying a key pad on the touchpad, the key pad including a plurality of keys, each of the plurality of keys arranged to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of key signals; and

adjusting a threshold value of one of the plurality of keys when a size of the one key is varied.

34. The method of claim 33, the step of adjusting the threshold value of one of the plurality of keys comprising:

reducing the threshold of the one key when the size of the one key is enlarged; and

increasing the threshold of the one key when the size of the one key is reduced.

35. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying a key pad on the touchpad, the key pad including a plurality of keys, each of the plurality of keys arranged to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of key signals;

storing a phonebook including a plurality of images in a memory; and

displaying at least one image stored in the phonebook on a prescribed area of the key pad.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

enlarging the at least one image when the threshold value is decreased, reducing the at least one image when the threshold value is increased.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising:

initiating a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

38. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

decreasing the threshold value when the at least one image is enlarged; and

increasing the threshold value when the at least one image is reduced.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising:

initiating a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

40. The method of claim 35, further comprising:

varying a number of the at least one image displayed on the key pad in accordance with an adjustment of the threshold value.

41. The method of claim 40, the step of varying a number of the at least one image comprising:

increasing the number of the at least one image when the threshold value is decreased; and

decreasing the number of the at least one image when the threshold value is increased.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising:

initiating a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

43. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

varying the threshold value in accordance with an adjustment of a number of the at least one image displayed on the key pad.

44. The method of claim 43, the step of varying the threshold value comprising:

increasing the threshold value when the number of the at least one image is decreased; and

decreasing the threshold value when the number of the at least one image is increased.

45. The method of claim 44, further comprising:

initiating a call to a phone number matching a displayed phonebook image upon recognizing a touch of the displayed phonebook image.

46. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

generating one of a plurality of key signals by subdividing an area of the touchpad corresponding to a specific signal when the reference value is adjusted.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the specific key signal comprises a navigation key signal.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising:

generating an increment for a direction shift in accordance with the subdivided area differently.

49. The method of claim 48, further comprising:

generating a subdivision extent when the threshold value is adjusted.

50. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

displaying a key pad on the touchpad, the key pad including a plurality of keys, each of the plurality of keys arranged to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of key signals; and

enlarging one of the plurality of keys when a specific area of the one key is touched.