MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110053615A1
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Min Ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,682,391 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/457
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a user input unit configured to receive user-inputs; a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal; at least one camera configured to capture images; a touchscreen configured to display a camera preview image captured by the camera; a position-location processor configured to obtain information on a current position of the mobile terminal; and a controller configured to search for textual object information corresponding to an object within the camera preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal, to control the camera to photograph the camera preview image and to store the photographed camera preview image as a picture file, to output query information to query whether the searched textual object information is to be stored together with the picture file, and to store the picture file with or without the searched textual object information based on an answer to the output query information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a user input unit configured to receive user-inputs;

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

at least one camera configured to capture images;

a touchscreen configured to display a camera preview image captured by the camera;

a position-location processor configured to obtain information on a current position of the mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to search for textual object information corresponding to an object within the camera preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal, to control the camera to photograph the camera preview image and to store the photographed camera preview image as a picture file, to output query information to query whether the searched textual object information is to be stored together with the picture file, and to store the picture file with or without the searched textual object information based on an answer to the output query information.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to store information indicating the current position of the mobile terminal together with the picture file.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein if the answer to the output query information indicates the picture file is to be stored together with the textual object information, the controller is further configured to output synthesized information querying whether or not the textual object information is to be synthesized with the picture file.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein if an answer to the output synthesized information indicates the textual object information is to be synthesized with the picture file, the controller is further configured to perform a synthesizing process such that the textual object information is synthesized together with the picture file, and to store the picture file including the synthesized textual object information as a single file.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein if an answer to the output synthesized information indicates the textual object information is not to be synthesized with the picture file, the controller is further configured to store the textual object information and the picture file as separate files, and to store linking information linking the picture file and the textual object information.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein if the stored picture file is selected to be displayed, the control unit is further configured to display the picture file together with the textual object information by using the linking information.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store an object information database including at least textual object information for objects within a predetermined vicinity of the current location of the mobile terminal,

wherein the control unit is further configured to search for and obtain the textual object information corresponding to the object within the camera preview image from the object information database stored in the memory.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to populate the object information database by downloading, via the wireless communication unit, said at least textual object information for objects within the predetermined vicinity of the current location of the mobile terminal from an external server.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to obtain a first portion of the textual object information for the object within the camera preview image from the object information database and to download a second portion of the text object information from an external server.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the first portion of the textual object information includes non-variable information regarding the object, and the second portion of the textual object information includes variable information regarding the object.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to assign a first identifier to the photographed camera preview image indicating a photographing time the photographed camera preview image was captured.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the assigned first identifier and a position and direction of the mobile terminal when the camera preview image was captured to an external server and to receive a second identifier and textual object information corresponding to the second identifier from the external server.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to match the second identifier with the first identifier assigned to the photographed preview image and to display the received textual object information from the server with the picture file.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the position-location module is further configured to obtain a direction of the mobile terminal, and the controller is further configured to search for the textual object information based on the direction and current location of the mobile terminal.

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

allowing, via a wireless communication unit, wirelessly communication with at least one other terminal;

capturing, via a camera, a camera preview image;

displaying, on a touchscreen, the camera preview image;

obtaining, via a position-location processor, information on a current position of the mobile terminal;

searching, via a controller, for textual object information corresponding to an object within the camera preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal;

photographing, via the controller, the camera preview image;

storing, via the controller, the photographed camera preview image as a picture file;

outputting, via the controller, query information to query whether the searched textual object information is to be stored together with the picture file; and

storing, via the controller, the picture file with or without the searched textual object information based on an answer to the output query information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to store information indicating the current position of the mobile terminal together with the picture file.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein if the answer to the output query information indicates the picture file is to be stored together with the textual object information, the method further comprises outputting synthesized information querying whether or not the textual object information is to be synthesized with the picture file,

wherein if an answer to the output synthesized information indicates the textual object information is to be synthesized with the picture file, the method further comprises performing a synthesizing process such that the textual object information is synthesized together with the picture file, and to store the picture file including the synthesized textual object information as a single file, and

wherein if an answer to the output synthesized information indicates the textual object information is not to be synthesized with the picture file, the method further comprises storing the textual object information and the picture file as separate files, and storing linking information linking the picture file and the textual object information.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing, in a memory, an object information database including at least textual object information for objects within a predetermined vicinity of the current location of the mobile terminal; and

searching for and obtaining the textual object information corresponding to the object within the camera preview image from the object information database stored in the memory.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

populating the object information database by downloading, via the wireless communication unit, said at least textual object information for objects within the predetermined vicinity of the current location of the mobile terminal from an external server.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 18, further comprising:

obtaining a first portion of the textual object information for the object within the camera preview image from the object information database; and

downloading a second portion of the text object information from an external server,

wherein the first portion of the textual object information includes non-variable information regarding the object, and the second portion of the textual object information includes variable information regarding the object.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

assigning a first identifier to the photographed camera preview image indicating a photographing time the photographed camera preview image was captured;

transmitting the assigned first identifier and a position and direction of the mobile terminal when the camera preview image was captured to an external server;

receiving a second identifier and textual object information corresponding to the second identifier from the external server; and

matching the second identifier with the first identifier assigned to the photographed preview image and to display the received textual object information from the server with the picture file.