MOBILE DEVICE HAVING A TOUCH-LOCK STATE AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20110294467A1
• Filed: 05/23/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Tae Yeon, LEE, Sung Sik, BOK, Il Geun, SHIN, Hyun Kyung
• Granted Patent: US 8,749,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724634 With partially locked states, e.g. when some telephonic functional locked states or applications remain accessible in the locked states
• 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 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42195 Arrangements for calling back a calling subscriber when the wanted subscriber ceases to be busy H04M3/48
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A mobile device with a touch panel and a touch-lock operating method thereof are provided. The mobile device preferably includes an RF communication unit for supporting communication services; a touch panel for sensing input touches; a display unit for displaying a screen, where the screen includes at least one of a preset image, text, and map; and a controller for setting a touch-lock in the touch panel according to a preset condition. The controller also controls the display unit to display at least one of a text and image or at least one particular icon corresponding to the information reception event that occurs, based on the RF communication unit, in the touch-lock state. A portion of the display screen can be locked, or only certain predetermined touch functions permitted.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile device having a touch-lock state, comprising:

changing by a touch panel from a current state to a touch-lock state;

creating an information reception event in response to receiving information via a Radio Frequency (RF) communication unit while the mobile device is in the touch-lock state; and

displaying on a display unit in the touch-lock state at least one of an icon or at least one of an image or text associated with the information reception event.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

partially releasing the touch-lock state in a particular region of the touch panel that corresponds to an area on which at least one icon is displayed; and

performing a user function related to the icon according to a touch event that occurs in the particular region of the touch panel on which at least one icon is displayed.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

releasing the touch-lock of the touch panel after the user function is performed.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the partially releasing of the touch-lock state permits a predetermined subset of user functions to be performed according to user selection.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a state information supporting icon area on the display unit in the touch-lock state; and

displaying, when a particular icon associated with an information reception event is dragged to the state information supporting icon area, at least part of the information represented by the icon in the state information supporting icon area that was not previously visible.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of at least one icon or at least one of an image or text comprises at least one of the following:

displaying a particular icon associated with a first information reception differently in size than at least another icon associated with a second information reception event, according to the occurrence order of the information reception events; and

displaying different forms of icons according to a plurality of respective types of information reception events.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, when the touch panel is touch-locked, a preset touch-lock idle screen image prior to an occurrence of the information reception event.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

altering a display of the touch-lock idle screen image according to the elapsed time.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the altering of the touch-lock idle screen image is altered by at least one of size, color, or visibly blinking.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

displaying a touch-lock idle screen image in response to an occurrence of the information reception event;

adjusting a display of the idle screen image in the touch-lock state according to a quantity of information reception events created.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

partially releasing the touch-lock state of a particular region of the touch panel, corresponding to an area of the display unit where at least one icon is displayed, and determining, as an effective event that only a particular type of touch event has occurred in the particular region of the display unit on which the touch-lock is released.

12. A mobile device having a touch-lock state comprising:

a wireless communication unit for supporting communication services;

a touch panel for sensing input touches;

a display unit for displaying a screen, where the screen includes at least one of a preset image, text, and map; and

a controller for setting a touch-lock in the touch panel according to a preset condition, and controlling the display unit to display in the touch-lock state at least one of a text and image or at least one particular icon corresponding to an information reception event that occurs, based communication received by the wireless communication unit.

13. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein:

the touch panel is configured for changing states from a current state to a touch-lock state;

the information reception event occurs in the wireless communication unit in the touch-lock state; and

the display unit displays in the touch-lock state at least one of an image and text, and at least one icon according to the information reception event.

14. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured for partially releasing the touch-lock state in a designated region of the touch panel corresponding to an area on which at least one icon is displayed;

and performing a user function related to a particular icon associated with a touch event that occurs in the designated region of the touch panel on which at least one icon is displayed.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the controller releases the touch-lock of the touch panel when the user function is performed.

16. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein:

the display unit includes a state information supporting icon area displayed in the touch-lock state; and

the controller controls the display unit to display, at least part of the information represented by the icon that was not previously visible, when the icon is dragged to the state information supporting icon area.

17. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the display unit displays a particular icon representing a first information reception event differently in size than at least one other icon associated with a second information reception event, according to the occurrence order of the information reception events, or displays different forms of icons according to a plurality of respective types of information reception events.

18. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein before an occurrence of the information reception event the controller displays, when the touch panel is touch-locked, a preset touch-lock idle screen image.

19. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the controller controls the display unit to display a touch-lock idle screen image that varies in size according to a quantity of information reception events.

20. The mobile device of claim 12, wherein the controller:

partially releases the touch-lock state of a region of the touch panel, corresponding to an area where at least one icon is displayed; and

determines, as an effective event, only a particular type of touch event that occurred on the region on which the touch-lock is released.