MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL AND METHOD OF SELECTING MENU AND ITEM

• US 20110025632A1
• Filed: 10/06/2010
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chang Sub Lee
• Original Assignee: Chang Sub Lee
• Inventors: LEE, Chang Sub
• Granted Patent: US 8,120,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A method of controlling a mobile terminal, and which includes allowing, via a wireless communication unit on the mobile terminal, wireless communication with at least one other terminal; displaying, on a first side of a touch screen display of the mobile terminal, a sound icon indicating whether or not a sound is output by the mobile terminal; receiving, via a controller, a touching selection signal indicating a touching of the sound icon; displaying, on the touch screen display, a first indicator corresponding to the sound icon on a second side of the touch screen display and separated from the sound icon, said first indicator indicating a direction in which a touch and drag operation should occur to turn off the sound output by the mobile terminal; receiving, via the controller, a touch and drag selection signal indicating a dragging operation along a vector from the sound icon toward an intersection with the first indicator; and turning off, via the controller, the sound output by the mobile terminal after receiving the touch and drag signal indicating the dragging operation and before the first indicator is touched. The present invention also provides a corresponding mobile terminal.

Claims

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

allowing, via a wireless communication unit on the mobile terminal, wireless communication with at least one other terminal;

displaying, on a first side of a touch screen display of the mobile terminal, a sound icon indicating whether or not a sound is output by the mobile terminal;

receiving, via a controller, a touching selection signal indicating a touching of the sound icon;

displaying, on the touch screen display, a first indicator corresponding to the sound icon on a second side of the touch screen display and separated from the sound icon, said first indicator indicating a direction in which a touch and drag operation should occur to turn off the sound output by the mobile terminal;

receiving, via the controller, a touch and drag selection signal indicating a dragging operation along a vector from the sound icon toward an intersection with the first indicator; and

turning off, via the controller, the sound output by the mobile terminal after receiving the touch and drag signal indicating the dragging operation and before the first indicator is touched.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound icon includes an arrow indicating the direction in which the touch and drag operation should occur to turn off the sound output by the mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the turning off step turns off the sound output by the mobile terminal when the dragging operation along the vector toward the intersection with the first indicator is sensed within a predetermined period of time after the sound icon is touched.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the sound icon is selected, the method further comprises changing a shape of the sound icon.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the shape of the sound icon is changed from a bar shape to a pointer shape.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pointer shape points toward a direction of the dragging operation along the vector from the selected sound icon toward the intersection with the first indicator.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

turning back on the sound output by the mobile terminal when receiving a touching selection signal indicating another touching of the sound icon and receiving another touch and drag signal indicating a dragging operation along a vector from the sound icon toward an intersection with a second indicator.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound icon is displayed on a right side of the touch screen display when viewing the touch screen display, and the first indicator is displayed on a left side of the touch screen display when viewing the touch screen display.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a touch and drag bar along the vector from the sound icon toward the intersection with the first indicator while receiving the touch and drag selection signal.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the second side of the touch screen display of the mobile terminal, another icon indicating whether or not another function on the mobile terminal is executed;

receiving, via a controller, a touching selection signal indicating a touching of said another icon;

displaying, on the touch screen display, another indicator corresponding to said another icon and indicating a direction in which a touch and drag operation should occur to execute said another function;

receiving, via the controller, a touch and drag selection signal indicating a dragging operation along a vector from said another icon toward an intersection with said another indicator; and

executing said another function on the mobile terminal after receiving the touch and drag signal indicating the dragging operation and before said another indicator is touched.

11. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

a touch screen display configured to display a sound icon indicating whether or not a sound is output by the mobile terminal on a first side of the touch screen display; and

a controller configured to receive a touching selection signal indicating a touching of the sound icon, to control the touch screen display to display a first indicator corresponding to the sound icon on a second side of the touch screen display and separated from the sound icon, said first indicator indicating a direction in which a touch and drag operation should occur to turn off the sound output by the mobile terminal, to receive a touch and drag selection signal indicating a dragging operation along a vector from the sound icon toward an intersection with the first indicator, and to turn off the sound output by the mobile terminal after receiving the touch and drag signal indicating the dragging operation and before the first indicator is touched.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the sound icon includes an arrow indicating the direction in which the touch and drag operation should occur to turn off the sound output by the mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to turn off the sound output by the mobile terminal when the dragging operation along the vector toward the intersection with the first indicator is sensed within a predetermined period of time after the sound icon is touched.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein when the sound icon is selected, the controller is further configured to change a shape of the sound icon.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the shape of the sound icon is changed from a bar shape to a pointer shape.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the pointer shape points toward a direction of the dragging operation along the vector from the selected sound icon toward the intersection with the first indicator.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to turn back on the sound output by the mobile terminal when receiving a touching selection signal indicating another touching of the sound icon and receiving another touch and drag signal indicating a dragging operation along a vector from the sound icon toward an intersection with a second indicator.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the sound icon is displayed on a right side of the touch screen display when viewing the touch screen display, and the first indicator is displayed on a left side of the touch screen display when viewing the touch screen display.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to display on the touch screen display a touch and drag bar along the vector from the sound icon toward the intersection with the first indicator while receiving the touch and drag selection signal.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to display on the second side of the touch screen display, another icon indicating whether or not another function on the mobile terminal is executed, to receive a touching selection signal indicating a touching of said another icon, to display on the touch screen display another indicator corresponding to said another icon and indicating a direction in which a touch and drag operation should occur to execute said another function, to receive a touch and drag selection signal indicating a dragging operation along a vector from said another icon toward an intersection with said another indicator, and to execute said another function on the mobile terminal after receiving the touch and drag signal indicating the dragging operation and before said another indicator is touched.

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

displaying, on a touch screen display of the mobile terminal, at least one menu icon;

receiving, via a controller of the mobile terminal, a touching selection signal indicating a touching of the menu icon;

displaying, on the touch screen display, a first indicator corresponding to the menu icon and separated from the menu icon, said first indicator indicating a direction in which a touch and drag operation should occur to set a function related to the menu icon;

receiving, via the controller, a touch and drag selection signal indicating a dragging operation toward the first indicator; and

changing, via the controller, a mode corresponding to the menu icon and the first indicator after receiving the touch and drag signal indicating the dragging operation before the first indicator is touched.

22. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

a touch screen display configured to display at least one menu icon; and

a controller configured to receive a touching selection signal indicating a touching of the menu icon, to control the touch screen display to display a first indicator corresponding to the menu icon and separated from the menu icon, said first indicator indicating a direction in which a touch and drag operation should occur to set a function related to the menu icon, to receive a touch and drag selection signal indicating a dragging operation toward the first indicator, and to change a mode corresponding to the menu icon and the first indicator after receiving the touch and drag signal indicating the dragging operation before the first indicator is touched.