MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING MENU ON THE SAME

• US 20090280863A1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: CHUNG, Jin-Woo, SHIN, Jeong-Geun
• Granted Patent: US 8,145,269 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 345/902 Menu display

Abstract

A mobile terminal configured to couple with a user-removable interface module includes a connector configured to couple or otherwise contact the removable interface module, a controller configured to determine whether a coupling exists between the mobile terminal and the removable interface module, and a touchscreen display configured to display the first group of icons responsive to the determining that the coupling does not exist and display the second group of icons responsive to the determining that the coupling exists, wherein each of the first group of icons relates to a function that is associated with the mobile terminal and which are each controllable responsive to user input to the touchscreen display, and wherein each of the second group of icons relates to a function of the mobile terminal that is associated with the removable interface module and which are each controllable responsive to user input to the touchscreen display.

Claims

1. A method for displaying items on a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether a coupling exists between the mobile terminal and a user-removable interface module;

displaying a first group of icons on a touchscreen display of the mobile terminal when the coupling does not exist, wherein each of the first group of icons relates to a function that is associated with the mobile terminal and which are each controllable responsive to user input to the touchscreen display; and

displaying a second group of icons on the touchscreen display of the mobile terminal when the coupling exists, wherein each of the second group of icons relates to a function of the mobile terminal that is associated with the removable interface module and which are each controllable responsive to user input to the touchscreen display.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the second group of icons in an order based upon a user'"'"'s frequency of use of a function related to the second group of icons.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the first group of icons on an idle screen of the touchscreen display.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first group of icons define a first menu and the second group of icons define a second menu, and wherein the method further comprises:

displaying the first menu only when the coupling does not exist; and

displaying the second menu only when the coupling does exist.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first group of icons define a first menu and the second group of icons define a second menu, and wherein the method further comprises:

switching between the displaying of the first menu and the displaying of the second menu based upon whether the coupling does or does not exist.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

automatically displaying the second group of icons responsive to the determining that the coupling exists.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein each function related to the first group of icons is different from each function related to the second group of icons.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

ceasing the displaying of the first group of icons when the coupling exists.

9. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a connector configured to couple to a removable interface module;

a controller configured to determine whether the coupling exists between the mobile terminal and the removable interface module; and

a touchscreen display configured to display a first group of icons responsive to the determining that the coupling does not exist and to display a second group of icons responsive to the determining that the coupling exists,

wherein each of the first group of icons relates to a function that is associated with the mobile terminal and which are each controllable responsive to user input to the touchscreen display, and wherein each of the second group of icons relates to a function of the mobile terminal that is associated with the removable interface module and which are each controllable responsive to user input to the touchscreen display.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the second group of icons is displayed in an order based upon a user'"'"'s frequency of use of a function related to the second group of icons.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the first group of icons is displayed on an idle screen of the touchscreen display.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the first group of icons define a first menu and the second group of icons define a second menu, and wherein the first menu is displayed only when the coupling does not exist and the second menu is displayed only when the coupling does exist.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the first group of icons define a first menu and the second group of icons define a second menu, and wherein the displaying of the first menu and the displaying of the second menu are switched based upon whether the coupling does or does not exist.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the second group of icons is automatically displayed responsive to the determining that the coupling exists.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein each function related to the first group of icons is different from each function related to the second group of icons.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 9, wherein the displaying of the first group of icons is ceases when the coupling exists.

17. A method for displaying at least one item on a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

determining whether a coupling exists between the mobile terminal and a user-removable interface module;

determining a type of the coupled removable interface module upon determining that the coupling exists; and

displaying the at least one item on the touchscreen display of the mobile terminal responsive to the determined type of the coupled removable interface module, wherein each of the at least one item relates to a corresponding at least one function of the mobile terminal that is associated with the type of the coupled removable interface module,

wherein the displayed at least one item is different for different types of removable interface modules.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

controlling the at least one item related to the at least one function responsive to user input to the touchscreen display.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising:

transmitting a signal generated responsive to the controlling the at least one item to the coupled removable interface module.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising;

outputting the signal via the coupled removable interface module.