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

• US 20100005390A1
• Filed: 06/17/2009
• 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: Bong, Byung Eun
• Granted Patent: US 9,213,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• 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 a method of controlling the mobile terminal are provided. The method includes displaying a first screen on a display module; if a pressure-touch input is detected from the first screen, displaying one or more menu items associated with the first screen; choosing one of the menu items according to a level of pressure corresponding to the pressure-touch input; and if a predetermined amount of time elapses after the choosing of one of the menu items, performing an operation corresponding to the chosen menu item. Therefore, it is possible to control various operations performed by the mobile terminal in response to a pressure-touch input.

Claims

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

displaying a first screen on a display module;

if a pressure-touch input is detected from the first screen, displaying one or more menu items associated with the first screen;

choosing one of the menu items according to a level of pressure corresponding to the pressure-touch input; and

if a predetermined amount of time elapses after the choosing of one of the menu items, performing an operation corresponding to the chosen menu item.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an image indicating the level of pressure corresponding to the pressure-touch input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the chosen menu item differently from the other menu items so as to be easily distinguishable.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen, selecting an area of the first screen corresponding to a drag distance corresponding to the pressure touch-and-drag input and displaying one or more menu items associated with the selected area.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen, selecting an area of the first screen corresponding to a drag distance corresponding to the pressure touch-and-drag input and enlarging the selected area at a scale corresponding to a level of pressure corresponding to the pressure touch-and-drag input.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen along a first direction, displaying the menu items associated with the first screen.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising, if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen along a second direction, displaying a second screen on the display module.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein, if the first screen is a screen including a list of files and one of the files is pressure-touched, holding a delete-lock on the pressure-touched file.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen, scrolling the file list by an amount corresponding to a level of pressure corresponding to the pressure touch-and-drag input.

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

displaying a first screen on a display module;

if a touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen, moving the first screen by a drag distance corresponding to the touch-and-drag input; and

if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen, moving the first screen by an amount corresponding to a level of pressure corresponding to the pressure touch-and-drag input.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising, if a pressure-touch input is detected from the first screen, enlarging or reducing the first screen according to a level of pressure corresponding to a pressure-touch input.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising, if a pressure-touch input is detected from the first screen, adjusting at least one of the brightness, contrast, and hue of the first screen according to a level of pressure corresponding to the pressure-touch input.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying an image on the display module; and

if a pressure-touch input is detected from the image, rotating the image about a predetermined axis by an amount corresponding to a level of pressure corresponding to the pressure-touch input.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, if the image is rotated to the extent that the back of the image can be revealed, displaying one or more menu items associated with the image on the back of the image.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising, if a pressure-touch input is detected from a certain part of the image, deleting the image.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising, if a pressure-touch input is detected from a certain part of the image, holding a delete-lock on the image.

17. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display module configured to include a touch screen and display a first screen;

a pressure sensor configured to detect a pressure-touch input from the display module and output a pressure signal indicating a level of pressure corresponding to the detected pressure-touch input; and

a controller configured to display one or more menu items associated with the first screen in response to the detected pressure-touch input and control an operation corresponding to one of the menu items chosen in response to the detected pressure-touch input to be performed.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller displays an image corresponding to the pressure signal on the display module.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein, if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen, the controller selects an area of the first screen corresponding to a drag distance corresponding to the pressure touch-and-drag input and displays one or more menu items associated with the selected area of the first screen.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein, if a pressure touch-and-drag input is detected from the first screen, the controller moves the first screen by an amount corresponding to the pressure signal.