MOBILE TERMINAL USING PROXIMITY SENSOR AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100004033A1
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: CHOE, Min Wook, Kim, Jung Hwan, Cho, Seon Hwi
• Granted Patent: US 8,369,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/567
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/012 Walk-in-place systems for allowing a user to walk in a virtual environment while constraining him to a given position in the physical environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 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 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72481 for visually impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/047 Vibrating means for incoming calls

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method of controlling the mobile terminal are provided. The mobile terminal may generate a haptic effect whose intensity or pattern corresponds to the type and importance of an event occurred therein. Therefore, it is possible for a user to easily identify the event based on the haptic effect. Since the mobile terminal generates a haptic effect in response to a command input thereto by the user, it is possible to prevent a command from being accidently input to the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

detecting the occurrence of an event;

determining whether the event is a haptic-effect-accompanying event; and

if the event is determined to be a haptic-effect-accompanying event, generating a first haptic effect corresponding to the event or a video/audio effect.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the haptic effect includes a vibration.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

classifying the event into a first-event group including an event that occurs in response to a command to connect the mobile terminal to an external mobile terminal by a user, a second-event group including an event that occurs in response to a request for access to the mobile terminal by an external mobile terminal, or a third-event group including events that belong to neither the first- nor second-event group,

wherein an intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect varies according to event group.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first-event group includes one of an internet-access event, a Bluetooth network-access event, and an instant messenger network-access event, the second-event group includes one of a call-receiving event, a text message-receiving event, a multimedia message-receiving event and an email-receiving event and the third-event group includes one of an alarm event, a scheduler event, a battery alert event, and a missed call-alert event.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein an intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a shape of a letter in a name of the event.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein an intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a volume or an audio output pattern upon the occurrence of the event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the mobile terminal is equipped with at least two subscriber identification module (SIM) cards or uses at least two phone numbers, numbering the at least two SIM cards or the at least two phone numbers; and

generating a second haptic effect corresponding to a number of a SIM card or a phone number that is used for the event.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the event involves displaying a list of items with different importance levels in a display region of the mobile terminal, the step of generating the first haptic effect comprises:

generating the first haptic effect in an area in the display region where an item of the list having a high importance level is displayed.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, if the item with the high importance level is yet to appear in the display region, the step of generating the first haptic effect further comprises:

generating the first haptic effect in an area in the display region corresponding to a position of the item with the high importance level relative to a number of items currently being displayed in the display region.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a movement of a cursor toward the item with the high importance level, or detecting an object having a distance from the item with the high importance level that gradually changes, based on a signal provided by a proximity sensor,

wherein the step of generating the first haptic effect further comprises;

varying an intensity of the first haptic effect according to a corresponding one of the movement of the cursor or the distance.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, if the list is a list of received messages, a list of emails or a list of calls, the item with the high importance level includes an unread message, an unread email or a missed call or includes a message, an email or a call deemed important by a user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the event involves an arrival of a schedule time set in the mobile terminal for a predetermined scheduled event, the intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to an importance level of the predetermined scheduled event.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the event is an event that occurs in response to an issuance of a command to connect the mobile terminal to an external mobile terminal by a user or an event that occurs in response to an issuance of a request for access to the mobile terminal by the external mobile terminal, determining whether there is a file sent by the external mobile terminal and generating a third haptic effect whose intensity or pattern corresponds to a type of file, if any, sent by the external mobile terminal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the event is an error event that occurs during an execution of an application in the mobile terminal, an intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a type of error occurring during the execution of the application.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the error event includes an error event that occurs during a reception or display of a webpage or an error event that occurs during an opening of a document file, an audio file or a video file.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the event is an event associated with a payment of charges or a transmission of personal information, determining a distance between an object and a touch screen, on which a key to pay the charges or a key to input or send the personal information is displayed, based on a signal provided by a proximity sensor,

wherein the step of generating the first haptic effect comprises varying an intensity of the first haptic effect according to a distance between the object and the touch screen.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the event is an event associated with a payment of charges or a transmission of personal information, determining whether a command to pay the charges or a command to input or send the personal information has been issued, and generating a fourth haptic effect if the command to pay the charges or the command to input or send the personal information is determined to have been issued.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the event is an event that occurs in response to a command to connect the mobile terminal to an external mobile terminal by a user or an event that occurs in response to a request for access to the mobile terminal by the external mobile terminal, an intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a name or type of the event or corresponds to information regarding the external mobile terminal.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the information regarding the external mobile terminal includes a phone number or Bluetooth number of the external mobile terminal, an entry name or a group name to which the phone number or Bluetooth number of the external mobile terminal is registered in the mobile terminal, a phone ringtone corresponding to the phone number of the external mobile terminal, or a Bluetooth ringtone corresponding to the Bluetooth number of the external mobile terminal.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

if the phone number of the external mobile terminal is a blocked phone number or a number registered as a spam phone number, determining a distance between an object and a touch screen, on which a key to receive an incoming call is displayed, based on a signal provided by a proximity sensor,

wherein the step of generating the first haptic effect comprises varying an intensity of the first haptic effect according to the distance between the object and the touch screen.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

if the phone number of the external mobile terminal is a blocked phone number or a number registered as a spam phone number, determining whether a command to receive an incoming call has been issued, and generating a fifth haptic effect if the command to receive an incoming call is determined to have been issued.

22. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a controller configured to detect an occurrence of an event, determine whether the event is a haptic-effect-accompanying event, and generate a first haptic effect corresponding to the event or a video/audio effect if the event is determined to be a haptic-effect-accompanying event.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the haptic effect includes a vibration.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured to classify the event into a first-event group including events that occur in response to a command to connect the mobile terminal to an external mobile terminal by a user, a second-event group including events that occur in response to a request for access to the mobile terminal by an external mobile terminal, or a third-event group including events that belong to neither the first- nor second-event group,

wherein an intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect varies according to event group.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a shape of a letter in a name of the event.

26. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein the intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a volume or an audio output pattern.

27. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the mobile terminal is equipped with at least two subscriber identification module (SIM) cards or uses at least two phone numbers, the controller is configured to number the at least two SIM cards or the at least two phone numbers and generate a second haptic effect corresponding to the number of a number of the SIM card or phone number that is used for the event.

28. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the event involves displaying a list of items with different importance levels in a display region of the mobile terminal, the controller is configured to generate the first haptic effect in an area in the display region where an item with a high importance level is displayed.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 28, wherein, if the item with the high importance level is yet to appear in the display region, the controller is configured to generate the first haptic effect in an area in the display region corresponding to a position of the item with the high importance level relative to a number of items currently being displayed in the display region.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 28, wherein the controller is configured to detect a movement of a cursor toward the item with the high importance level or detects an object having distance from the item with the high importance level that gradually changes based on a signal provided by a proximity sensor, the controller further configured to vary the intensity of the first haptic effect according to a corresponding one of the movement of the cursor or the distance between the object and the item with the high importance level.

31. The mobile terminal of claim 28, wherein, if the list is a list of received messages, a list of emails or a list of calls, the item with the high importance level includes an unread message, an unread email or a missed call or includes a message, an email or a call deemed important by a user.

32. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the event involves an arrival of a schedule time set in the mobile terminal for a predetermined scheduled event, the intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to an importance level of the predetermined scheduled event.

33. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the event is an event that occurs in response to a command to connect the mobile terminal to an external mobile terminal by a user or an event that occurs in response to a request for access to the mobile terminal by the external mobile terminal, the controller is configured to determine if there is a file sent by the external mobile terminal and generate a third haptic effect having an intensity or pattern that corresponds to a type of file, if any, sent by the external mobile terminal.

34. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the event is an error event that occurs during an execution of an application in the mobile terminal, the intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a type of error occurred during the execution of the application.

35. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the event is an event associated with a payment of charges or a transmission of personal information, the controller is configured to determine a distance between an object and a touch screen, on which a key to pay the charges or a key to input or send the personal information is displayed, based on a signal provided by a proximity sensor, and vary the intensity of the first haptic effect according to the distance between the object and the touch screen.

36. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the event is an event associated with a payment of charges or a transmission of personal information, the controller is configured to determine if a command to pay the charges or a command to input or send the personal information has been issued, and generate a fourth haptic effect if the command to pay the charges or the command to input or send the personal information is determined to have been issued.

37. The mobile terminal of claim 22, wherein, if the event is an event that occurs in response to a command to connect the mobile terminal to an external mobile terminal by a user or an event occurred in response to a request for access to the mobile terminal by the external mobile terminal, the intensity or pattern of the first haptic effect corresponds to a name or type of the event or information regarding the external mobile terminal.

38. The mobile terminal of claim 37, wherein the information regarding the external mobile terminal includes a phone number or Bluetooth number of the external mobile terminal, an entry name or a group name to which the phone number or Bluetooth number of the external mobile terminal is registered in the mobile terminal, a phone ringtone corresponding to the phone number of the external mobile terminal, or a Bluetooth ringtone corresponding to the Bluetooth number of the external mobile terminal.

39. The mobile terminal of claim 38, wherein, if the phone number of the external mobile terminal is a blocked phone number or a number registered as a spam phone number, the controller is configured to determine a distance between an object and a touch screen, on which a key to receive an incoming call is displayed, based on a signal provided by a proximity sensor, and vary the intensity of the first haptic effect according to the distance between the object and the touch screen.

40. The mobile terminal of claim 38, wherein, if the phone number of the external mobile terminal is a blocked phone number or a number registered as a spam phone number, the controller is configured to determine if a command to receive an incoming call has been issued, and generate a fifth haptic effect if the command to receive an incoming call is determined to have been issued.