MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF PROVIDING GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE USING THE SAME

• US 20100298032A1
• Filed: 09/29/2009
• Published: 11/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Song, Woochul, Lee, Khwanhee
• Granted Patent: US 8,417,297 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1431 using a single graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0243 using the relative angle between housings
• 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 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Provided are a mobile terminal and a method of providing a graphic user interface using the same. The mobile terminal includes a plurality of bodies. Various graphic user interfaces are provided according to a posture of the mobile terminal, which is formed by the plurality of bodies of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a first body including a first touch screen;

a second body including a second touch screen;

a combining part combining the first body and the second body with each other such that the first and second bodies may move relative to each other;

a sensing unit configured to sense a posture of the mobile terminal as formed by the first and second bodies;

a memory configured to store a plurality of graphic user interfaces including at least one object; and

a controller configured to display a specific one of the plurality of graphic user interfaces corresponding to the posture sensed by the sensing unit on the first or second touch screen.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the sensing unit senses an angle between the first and second bodies or a relative position of the first body and the second body as the posture of the mobile terminal.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the specific one of the plurality of graphic user interfaces on the first or second touch screen according to a determined priority of the first and second touch screens.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the sensing unit senses the directions of the first and second touch screens as the posture of the mobile terminal and the controller is further configured to determine the priority of the first and second touch screens based on the directions of the first and second touch screens.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the priority of the first and second touch screens based on a sensed angle between the first and second bodies or a sensed relative position of the first body and the second body.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a first graphic user interface corresponding to the posture on the first touch screen and a second graphical user interface corresponding to the posture on the second touch screen.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to change the displayed graphic user interface when the sensing unit senses a change in the posture.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to turn off either the first or second touch screen when the posture sensed by the sensing unit belongs to a predetermined posture range.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the specific one of the plurality of graphic user interfaces only if the sensed posture is maintained for a predetermined period of time.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a side of the mobile terminal to which the first touch screen is attached and a side of the mobile terminal to which the second touch screen is attached do not come into contact with each other when the first and second bodies are in a closed state and are arranged in a substantially same plane when the first and second bodies are in a fully open state.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one object comprises an icon or a menu corresponding to at least a file, contents or application.

12. A mobile terminal comprising:

a first body including a first touch screen;

a second body including a second touch screen;

a combining part combining the first body and the second body with each other such that the first and second bodies may move relative to each other;

a sensing unit configured to sense a posture of the mobile terminal as formed by the first and second bodies;

a memory configured to store a plurality of graphic user interfaces including at least one object; and

a controller configured to display a specific one of the plurality of graphic user interfaces on the first or second touch screen when the posture sensed by the sensing unit changes.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the sensing unit senses an angle between the first and second bodies or a relative position of the first body and the second body as the posture of the mobile terminal.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to display the specific one of the plurality of graphic user interfaces based on a first posture of the mobile terminal before the sensed posture change and a second posture of the mobile terminal after the sensed posture change.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to display the specific one of the plurality of graphic user interfaces based on activation states of the first and second touch screens before the sensed posture change and activation states of the first and second touch screens after the sensed posture change.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to display the specific one of the plurality of graphic user interfaces based on activation states of the first and second touch screens before the sensed posture change and activation states of the first and second touch screens after the sensed posture change.

17. A method of providing a graphic user interface in a mobile terminal having a first body and a second body combined with each other such that the first and second bodies may move relative to each other, the method comprising:

sensing a change in a posture formed by the first and second bodies; and

displaying a graphic user interface including at least one object and corresponding to the sensed posture change on at least a first touch screen included in the first body or a second touch screen included in the second body.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the posture formed by the first and second bodies corresponds to an angle between the first and second bodies or a relative position of the first body and the second body.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying the graphic user interface comprises:

determining a priority of the first and second touch screens; and

providing the graphical user interface based on the determined priority.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the priority is determined based on the angle between the first and second bodies, a direction of the first and second touch screens or activation states of the first and second touch screens.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein displaying the graphic user interface comprises:

displaying a first graphic user interface on the first touch screen; and

displaying a second graphic user interface on the second touch screen.