MOBILE TERMINAL AND MAP SEARCHING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110115822A1
• Filed: 04/06/2010
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: BAE, Dae-Jin
• Granted Patent: US 8,957,921 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/661
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 29/106 using electronic means

Abstract

Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a map searching method thereof, the mobile terminal including a communication unit configured to receive map data, a display unit configured to display the map data, the display unit configured as a touch screen, and a controller configured such that when a touch input is detected on the touch screen, if the detected touch input is a zoom-out move command, the controller determines a zoom-out scale, a movement speed and a movement direction based upon the touch input, and zooming out the map data to fit into the determined zoom-out scale and moving the map data in the determined direction and at the determined speed.

Claims

1. A map searching method for a mobile terminal comprising:

executing a map function and displaying map data;

detecting a preset number of flicking operations on a display screen within a preset time, the display screen adapted to display the map data;

zooming out the map data to fit into a preset scale if the preset number of flicking operation is detected; and

displaying the zoomed-out map data with moving the same.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

re-detecting a preset number of flicking operations within the preset time after the zoom-out movement of the map data;

re-zooming out the zoomed-out map data to fit into a preset scale if the preset number of flicking operations is re-detected; and

displaying the re-zoomed-out map data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

restoring the map data to the original scale thereof if any flicking operation is not generated within a preset time after the zoom-out movement of the map data.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the zoomed-out map data with moving the same if the flicking operation is detected after the zoom-out movement of the map data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

checking whether or not a zoom-out movement stop command during the zoom-out movement of the map data;

stopping the movement of the map data if the zoom-out movement stop command is input; and

restoring the map data to the original scale thereof.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the zoom-out movement stop command is a touch or long touch input on a display screen, the display screen displaying the map data in progress of zooming out.

7. A map searching method for a mobile terminal comprising:

executing a map function and displaying map data on a display screen;

detecting a touch input on the display screen; and

moving the map data with zooming out into a preset scale in response to the touch input if the touch input is a zoom-out move command.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the zoom-out move command corresponds to an input of a preset number of flicking operations within a preset time.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the zoom-out move command corresponds to a flicking operation, the flicking operation being input with holding one of multiple touches after the input of the multiple touches.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein moving the map data with zooming out the same is to adjust a zoom-out scale and a movement speed based upon the flicking speed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein moving the map data with zooming out the same is to adjust the zoom-out scale based upon a distance between touched points of the multiple touches.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the zoom-out move command corresponds to an input of a drag consecutively after holding a touch for a preset time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein moving the map data with zooming out the same is to determine the zoom-out scale based upon the dragging distance.

14. A mobile terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive map data;

a display unit configured to display the map data, the display unit configured as a touch screen; and

a controller configured such that when a touch input is detected on the touch screen, if the detected touch input is a zoom-out move command, the controller determines a zoom-out scale, a movement speed and a movement direction based upon the touch input, and zooming out the map data to fit into the determined zoom-out scale and moving the map data in the determined direction and at the determined speed.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein if a preset number of flicking operations is input within a preset time, the controller recognizes the flicking input as the zoom-out move command.

16. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller determines the zoom-out scale, the movement speed and the movement direction based upon the flicking speed.

17. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller moves the map data with zooming out into a preset scale every time the flicking operation is detected after the input of the zoom-out move command.

18. The terminal of claim 14, wherein if a flicking operation is input in a state of holding one of multiple touches after the input of the multiple touches, the controller recognizes the flicking input as the zoom-out move command.

19. The terminal of claim 14, wherein if a drag input is detected consecutively after holding a touch for a preset time, the controller recognizes the drag input as the zoom-out move command.

20. The terminal of claim 14, wherein if a touch is detected on the touch screen during the zoom-out movement of the map data, the controller stops the zoom-out movement of the map data.

21. The terminal of claim 20, wherein if the zoom-out movement of the map data is stopped, the controller restores the scale of the map data to a scale thereof prior to the zoom-out movement.