MOBILE TERMINAL AND INFORMATION TRANSFER METHOD THEREOF

• US 20100041442A1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Published: 02/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hong, Hyun-Taek
• Granted Patent: US 9,213,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal may always display an image (or icon) representing a specific object on a display screen and directly transmit certain information to the specific object by using the image (or icon). The mobile terminal may include a user input unit to receive a user'"'"'s selection about at least one object to be floated from a user list, a display to display a floating icon indicating the selected object to be floated on one side of a display area, and a controller for transmitting certain information to the object to be floated when the certain information is dragged or moved onto the floating image (or icon) or when the floating image (or icon) is dragged or moved to the certain information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a user input unit to receive a user'"'"'s selection about an object to be floated;

a display to display a floating image, the floating image to indicate existence of the selected object; and

a controller to transmit data to an entity associated with the selected object when information on the display is moved to the displayed floating image or the displayed floating image is moved to the displayed information.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the object is associated with one of an email address or a phone number.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller transmits the data to the email address or the phone number.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the floating image is one of an icon, an avatar, a character or a thumbnail image.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller automatically executes a menu capable of transmitting the data, and automatically transmits the data associating with the information to the entity corresponding to the object by using the executed menu.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the floating image indicates whether there is a single selected object or whether there are a plurality of selected objects.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the floating image indicates that the information a type has been associated with the object.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the floating image indicates information of the selected object.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller displays the floating image when one of the following occurs:

the object on the display is moved to outside of a displayed user list,

the object on the display is moved into a preset specific display area,

the object on the display is touched for longer than a preset time period,

the object on the display is touched by a pressure greater than a preset value,

the object on the display is moved in a preset specific direction, or

a menu is executed with respect to the object on the display.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller sets a plurality of objects as objects to be floated when one of the following occurs:

a plurality of objects are separately selected and moved to a specific display area,

a tag representing an entire group is selected and moved to the specific display area, or

the plurality of objects are additionally moved to a pre-displayed floating icon.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller displays the floating image on the display based on at least one of the following options:

a first option to always display the floating image on an uppermost portion of a display screen as long as the mobile terminal is powered ON,

a second option to repeat showing and hiding the floating image at prescribed time intervals,

a third option to maintain a hiding state of the floating image other than to automatically show the floating image when an area of the display is touched or information is selected, and

a fourth option to maintain a hiding state of the floating image other than to automatically show the floating image when a user performs a specific gesture, a key manipulation or flicking.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when the floating image is touched in a preset manner, the controller displays a list of selected objects corresponding to the floating image.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller directly transmits the data to the entity when displayed information is moved on the display to the displayed floating image.

14. An information transfer method for a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a user'"'"'s selection about an object to be floated;

displaying a floating image on a display of the mobile terminal, the floating image indicating existence of the selected object; and

transmitting data to an entity corresponding to the object when information displayed on the display is moved to the floating image or when the floating image is moved to the displayed information.

15. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein the object is associated with one of an email address or a phone number.

16. The information transfer method of claim 15, wherein the data corresponding to the information is transmitted to the email address or the phone number.

17. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein the floating image is one of an icon, an avatar, a character or a thumbnail image.

18. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein the floating image indicates whether there is a single selected object or whether there are multiple selected objects.

19. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein the floating image indicates that the information has been associated with the object.

20. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein the floating image indicates a type of the selected object.

21. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein the floating image is displayed on an uppermost portion of all menus executed by the mobile terminal.

22. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the data comprises:

automatically executing a menu for transmitting the information according to a type of data to be transmitted, and

transmitting the data to the object.

23. The information transfer method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the data comprises:

automatically transmitting the data according to contact information of the object, and

transmitting the data to the object.