MOBILE TERMINAL AND COMPUTER PROGRAM

• US 20100144395A1
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: KOMIYA, Kozo
• Granted Patent: US 8,351,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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
• 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, including a touch panel detecting a touch position; a vibration generation device configured to generate vibration; an assignment device configured to assign different vibration area patterns that define vibration areas generating the vibration on the touch panel, to a plurality of internal states, respectively; and a control device configured to activate, according to a current internal state, the vibration area pattern assigned to the internal state and to control the vibration generation device so as to generate the vibration while the vibration area is being touched.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch panel detecting a touch position;

a vibration generation means configured to generate vibration;

an assignment means configured to assign different vibration area patterns that define vibration areas generating the vibration on the touch panel, to a plurality of internal states, respectively; and

a control means configured to activate, according to a current internal state, the vibration area pattern assigned to the internal state and to control the vibration generation means so as to generate the vibration while the vibration area is being touched.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising

a communication means for telephone calls or mails,

wherein the internal state is a state indicating that the terminal has received an incoming telephone call or a mail.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein

the assigning device is realized by a telephone directory function having a function assigning the vibration area pattern to a caller of the telephone call or a sender of the mail.

4. The mobile terminal according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising

a means configured to enable a user to register a new pattern for the vibration area pattern.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein

the control means makes a vibration mode of the vibration generation device different between a telephone call and a mail.

6. A program operating on a mobile terminal that includes a touch panel detecting a touch position and a vibration generation means configured to generate vibration, the program comprising the steps of:

assigning different vibration area patterns that define vibration areas generating the vibration on the touch panel, to a plurality of internal states, respectively;

activating, according to a current internal state, the vibration area pattern assigned to the internal state; and

controlling the vibration generation device so as to generate the vibration while the vibration area is being touched.

7. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch panel detecting a touch position;

a vibration generation device configured to generate vibration;

an assignment device configured to assign different vibration area patterns that define vibration areas generating the vibration on the touch panel, to a plurality of internal states, respectively; and

a control device configured to activate, according to a current internal state, the vibration area pattern assigned to the internal state and to control the vibration generation device so as to generate the vibration while the vibration area is being touched.