MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20110124376A1
• Filed: 11/26/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Jonghwan, Hwang, Byunghee
• Granted Patent: US 8,548,528 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/023 Display panel composed of stacked panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/20 for presentation of an assembly of a number of characters, e.g. a page, by composing the assembly by combination of individual elements arranged in a matrix no fixed position being assigned to or needed to be assigned to the individual characters or partial characters
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/344 based on particles moving in a fluid or in a gas, e.g. electrophoretic devices electrophoretic devices per se G02F1/167
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a touch pad; a first display unit including a transparent display; a second display unit including a non-transparent display disposed below the transparent display; and a controller configured to selectively control the first and second display units to operate in a dual-operation mode by controlling at least a portion of the first display unit to be transparent and not display information and controlling the second display unit to display information that can be viewed through the at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch pad;

a first display unit including a transparent display;

a second display unit including a non-transparent display disposed below the transparent display; and

a controller configured to selectively control the first and second display units to operate in a dual-operation mode by controlling at least a portion of the first display unit to be transparent and not display information and controlling the second display unit to display information that can be viewed through said at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein said at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent is one of a) all of the first display unit such that the information displayed on the second display unit can be viewed in a full screen, b) only a partial portion of the first display unit such that the information displayed by both the first and second display units is displayed in a split screen.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein said at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent can be enlarged or reduced by a touch and drag gesture along the first display unit.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch pad is disposed between the transparent display and the non-transparent display.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode based on predetermined inputs to the mobile terminal including at least one of a touch action corresponding to the first or second display units, a predetermined manipulation of a hard key on the terminal, voice activation, and a proximity touch input corresponding to the first or second display units.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the first and second display units to operate in a single-operation mode by controlling one of the first and second display units to operate and the other one of the first and second display units not to operate.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein when the first display unit is operating in the single-operation mode including displaying image data and text data and a predetermined input has occurred on the mobile terminal, the controller is further configured to control the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode and to split the displaying of the image data and the text data by displaying the text data on the second display unit and the image data on the first display unit.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein when the first display unit is operating in the single-operation mode including displaying image data and text data and a predetermined input has occurred on the mobile terminal, the controller is further configured to control the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode and to display both the image data and the text data as 3-D data on a portion of the first display unit, and to display only the text data on the second display unit.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein when the second display unit is operating in the single-operation mode including displaying text data including a list of menu icons that can be selected to perform a corresponding application, and a predetermined input has occurred for one of the listed menu icons, the controller is further configured to control the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode and to display information corresponding to the executed application on said at least the portion of the first display unit.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to display the information corresponding to the executed application as appearing to be rotating on the first display unit.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when the controller controls the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode, the controller is further configured to control the first display unit to display a first object and the second display unit to display a second object, and to select the first object when the first object is selected on the first display unit and to select the second object when the first display unit is touched at a position corresponding to the second object displayed on the second display unit.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when the controller controls the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode, the controller is further configured to control the first display unit to display a first object and the second display unit to display a second object overlapping the first object, and to select one of the first or second objects based on at least one of 1) an amount of pressure touched on the first and second objects, 2) a length of time the first and second objects are touched and 3) whether a front surface of the first display unit is touched or a rear surface of the second display unit is touched, 4) a combination of touch inputs and mechanical key inputs, 5) a titling action of the mobile terminal, 6) a predetermined touch gesture on the first or second display units, and 7) a specific finger of a user touching the first or second display units.

13. A method of controlling a mobile terminal including a touch pad;

a first display unit including a transparent display; and

a second display unit including a non-transparent display disposed below the transparent display, the method comprising;

selectively controlling, via a controller on the mobile terminal, the first and second display units to operate in a dual-operation mode by controlling at least a portion of the first display unit to be transparent and not display information and controlling the second display unit to display information that can be viewed through said at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent is one of a) all of the first display unit such that the information displayed on the second display unit can be viewed in a full screen, b) only a partial portion of the first display unit such that the information displayed by both the first and second display units is displayed in a split screen.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said at least the portion of the first display unit that is transparent can be enlarged or reduced by a touch and drag gesture along the first display unit.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the touch pad is disposed between the transparent display and the non-transparent display.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling step controls the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode based on predetermined inputs to the mobile terminal including at least one of a touch action corresponding to the first or second display units, a predetermined manipulation of a hard key on the terminal, voice activation, and a proximity touch input corresponding to the first or second display units.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

controlling, via the controller, the first and second display units to operate in a single-operation mode by controlling one of the first and second display units to operate and the other one of the first and second display units not to operate.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein when the first display unit is operating in the single-operation mode including displaying image data and text data and a predetermined input has occurred on the mobile terminal, the method further comprises controlling the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode and to split the displaying of the image data and the text data by displaying the text data on the second display unit and the image data on the first display unit.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein when the first display unit is operating in the single-operation mode including displaying image data and text data and a predetermined input has occurred on the mobile terminal, the method further comprises controlling the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode and to display both the image data and the text data as 3-D data on a portion of the first display unit, and to display only the text data on the second display unit.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein when the second display unit is operating in the single-operation mode including displaying text data including a list of menu icons that can be selected to perform a corresponding application, and a predetermined input has occurred for one of the listed menu icons, the method further comprises controlling the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode and to display information corresponding to the executed application on said at least the portion of the first display unit.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

controlling the first display unit to display the information corresponding to the executed application as appearing to be rotating on the first display unit.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein when the controller step controls the first and second display units to control in the dual-operation mode, the method further comprises controlling the first display unit to display a first object and the second display unit to display a second object, and to select the first object when the first object is selected on the first display unit and to select the second object when the first display unit is touched at a position corresponding to the second object displayed on the second display unit.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein when the controller step controls the first and second display units to operate in the dual-operation mode, the method further comprises controlling the first display unit to display a first object and the second display unit to display a second object overlapping the first object, and to select one of the first or second objects based on at least one of 1) an amount of pressure touched on the first and second objects, 2) a length of time the first and second objects are touched and 3) whether a front surface of the first display unit is touched or a rear surface of the second display unit is touched, 4) a combination of touch inputs and mechanical key inputs, 5) a titling action of the mobile terminal, 6) a predetermined touch gesture on the first or second display units, and 7) a specific finger of a user touching the first or second display units.