MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20100048194A1
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: PARK, Jun Serk, Kim, Jung Eun, Kang, Min Hun, Kim, Kang Min
• Granted Patent: US 9,124,713 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/418
• 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 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A mobile terminal equipped with first and second display modules provided at the front and the rear, respectively, and a method of controlling the mobile terminal, is provided. The method includes displaying a screen image related to a first operating mode on the first display module, if it is determined that the mobile terminal has been rotated on a predetermined axial direction, switching the mobile terminal from the first operating mode to a second operating mode; and displaying a screen image related to the second operating mode on the second display module. Therefore, it is possible to control various operations performed by the mobile terminal upon the motion of the mobile terminal using the first and second display modules.

Claims

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

displaying a first indicator on a first display of the mobile terminal during a first state, the first indicator relating to an operational function of the mobile terminal;

changing the state of the mobile terminal from the first state to a second state;

displaying a second indicator on a second display of the mobile terminal during the second state, the second indicator relating to the operational function of the mobile terminal,

wherein the changing of the state of the mobile terminal occurs responsive to the mobile terminal being rotated more than ninety degrees in a predetermined axial direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display comprises a touch screen display and the second display comprises electronic paper such that the displayed second indicator is generally static in the absence of an electric field being applied to the second display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined axial direction is parallel to a longitudinal direction or a lateral direction of the main body of the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein in, the first indicator is displayed in color on the first display in the first state and the second indicator is displayed in black-and-white on the second display in the second state.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting an alarm signal upon the arrival of a predefined alarm time during the first state of the mobile terminal; and

ceasing the output of the alarm signal for a predefined amount of time when the mobile terminal is changed from the first state to the second state,

wherein the first indicator displayed on the first display during the first state is related to the output of the alarm signal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second indicator displayed on the second display during the second state is related to ceasing the output of the alarm signal.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the predefined time is set in response to an input to the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an input phone number on the first display during the first state of the mobile terminal;

starting a call to the input phone number in response to an input to the mobile terminal; and

displaying a communication menu related to the input phone number on the second display module during the second state of the mobile terminal,

wherein the first indicator comprises the input phone number displayed on the first display, and

wherein the second indicator comprises the communication menu displayed on the second display.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication menu comprises a menu for sending a message, a menu for sending a file, or a menu for starting a video call.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising performing an operation corresponding to a specific menu item on the communication menu.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying information related to a predefined event on the second display during the call to the input number.

12. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a first display positioned on a first side of the mobile terminal, the first display being configured to display a first indicator during a first state of the mobile terminal, wherein the first indicator relates to an operational function of the mobile terminal;

a second display positioned on a second side of the mobile terminal, opposite the first side, the second display being configured to display a second indicator during a second state of the mobile terminal, wherein the second indicator relates to the operational function of the mobile terminal;

an acceleration sensor configured to measure a direction of gravitational acceleration; and

a controller configured to change the state of the mobile terminal from the first state to a second state responsive to measurement data provided by the acceleration sensor, wherein the controller changes the state of the mobile terminal upon receiving measurement data from the acceleration sensor indicating that the mobile terminal has been rotated more than ninety degrees in a predetermined axial direction.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the first display comprises a touch screen display and the second display comprises electronic paper, the second display being configured to display the second indicator generally static in the absence of an electric field being applied to the second display.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the predetermined axial direction is parallel to one of a longitudinal direction or a lateral direction of the mobile terminal.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 12, the controller being further configured to:

output an alarm signal upon the arrival of a predefined alarm time; and

cease the output of the alarm signal for a predefined amount of time when the mobile terminal is changed from the first state to the second state,

wherein the first indicator displayed on the first display during the first state is related to the output of the alarm signal.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the second indicator displayed on the second display during the second state is related to ceasing the output of the alarm signal.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the predefined amount of time is set in response to an input to the mobile terminal.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

display an input phone number on the first display during the first state of the mobile terminal;

start a call to the input phone number in response to an input to the mobile terminal during the first state of the mobile terminal; and

display a communication menu related to the input phone number on the second display module during the second state of the mobile terminal,

wherein the first indicator comprises the input phone number displayed on the first display, and

wherein the second indicator comprises the communication menu displayed on the second display.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the communication menu comprises a menu for sending a message, a menu for sending a file, or a menu for starting a video call.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to perform an operation corresponding to a specific menu item on the communication menu.