METHOD FOR OPERATING USER INTERFACE BASED ON MOTION SENSOR AND A MOBILE TERMINAL HAVING THE USER INTERFACE

• US 20100123664A1
• Filed: 10/07/2009
• Published: 05/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: SHIN, Seung Woo, Kim, Jin Yong, Lee, Myeong Lo, Kim, Kyung Hwa, Oh, Jung Yeob
• Application Number:
  US12/575,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20100123664A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of operating a user interface (UI) based on a motion sensor and a mobile terminal using the same. The method of operating a UI of a mobile terminal including a touch sensor and a motion sensor includes identifying an input of a mode conversion key, activating the motion sensor, and converting a UI mode to a motion mode. The mobile terminal having a touch sensor and motion sensor may include a display unit and a controller. The display unit may display an application execution screen. The controller may activate the motion sensor if mode conversion is requested in an activated state of the touch sensor, and may activate the touch sensor if mode conversion is requested in an activated state of the motion sensor.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user interface (UI) of a mobile terminal having a touch sensor and a motion sensor, the method comprising:

receiving a mode conversion input;

activating the motion sensor; and

converting a UI mode to a motion mode.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a motion menu comprising at least one application icon corresponding to an application executable through the motion sensor.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

executing an application corresponding to a motion of the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying a motion menu comprises displaying, on a display screen of the mobile terminal, the at least one application icon in a distinguishable location relative to a center point of the display screen.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein executing an application comprises executing an application corresponding to a displayed application icon located in a direction of the motion of the mobile terminal.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

setting an application icon of the motion menu.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein setting an application icon comprises:

displaying the at least one application icon set in the motion menu;

selecting one application icon among the at least one application icon set in the motion menu;

displaying a list of applications;

selecting one application among the list of applications; and

displaying an application icon corresponding to the one application selected among the list of applications at a location at which the one application icon selected among the at least one application icon set in the motion menu was displayed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein activating the motion sensor comprises activating the motion sensor and deactivating the touch sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the mode conversion input;

activating the touch sensor; and

converting the UI mode to a touch mode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein activating the touch sensor comprises activating the touch sensor and deactivating the motion sensor.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a mode conversion input comprises receiving a mode conversion key.

11. A method for operating a (user interface (UI) of a mobile terminal having a touch sensor and a motion sensor, the method comprising:

identifying, if the motion sensor is activated, a pop-up event;

activating the touch sensor; and

converting a UI mode from a motion mode to a touch mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the pop-up event comprises at least one of a voice call reception, a message reception, and an alarm function.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

activating, after converting the UI mode to the touch mode, the motion sensor if a command associated with the pop-up event is terminated; and

converting the UI mode from the touch mode to the motion mode.

14. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch sensor;

a motion sensor;

a display unit to display an application execution screen; and

a controller to activate the motion sensor in response to a mode conversion request received in an activated state of the touch sensor, and to activate the touch sensor in response to the received mode conversion request.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, further comprising a key input unit comprising a mode conversion key.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the display unit displays a motion menu comprising at least one application icon.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the motion sensor identifies a motion of the mobile terminal if the display unit displays a motion menu, and wherein the controller executes an application corresponding to the identified motion of the mobile terminal.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller executes an application corresponding to a displayed application icon located in a portion of the display unit if the motion of the mobile terminal is a directional motion, the portion of the display unit corresponding to a direction of the directional motion.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the received mode conversion request comprises a mode conversion key.