MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20110304648A1
• Filed: 06/07/2011
• Published: 12/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwak, Haengchul, Kim, Cheegook, Kim, Jungwhan, Lim, Gukchan
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,637 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/633
• 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 1/3231 Monitoring the presence, absence or movement of users
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• 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 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method for operating the mobile terminal are provided. The method senses touch of the mobile terminal in a predetermined mode and senses movement of the mobile terminal upon determining that the mobile terminal has been gripped based on the touch and then changes the mode of the mobile terminal according to the predetermined mode and the movement of the mobile terminal. This method enhances user convenience since it is possible to change the mode of the mobile terminal through movement of the mobile terminal while the mobile terminal is gripped.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

sensing touch of the mobile terminal in a first mode;

sensing movement of the mobile terminal upon determining that the mobile terminal has been gripped;

determining whether a type of the sensed movement corresponds to a specific mode change; and

changing a mode of the mobile terminal from the first mode to a second mode upon determining that the type of the movement corresponds to the specific mode change.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein gripping the mobile terminal comprises touching at least one side surface of the mobile terminal.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising waking up a motion sensor of the mobile terminal that is in an idle state upon determining that the mobile terminal has been gripped in order to sense the movement of the mobile terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising setting a specific type of movement corresponding to the specific mode change by:

receiving a first input for selecting the first mode;

receiving a second input for selecting the second mode;

detecting the specific type of movement through actual movement of the mobile terminal; and

storing, in a memory of the mobile terminal, the specific type of movement corresponding to the specific mode change.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mode is a sleep mode and the method further comprises supplying power to a display of the mobile terminal after a specific time period has elapsed since the mobile terminal has been gripped.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first mode is an active mode and the method further comprises cutting off power from a display of the mobile terminal after a specific time has elapsed without occurrence of any event while the mobile terminal is gripped.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first mode is a sleep mode and the second mode is a standby mode; and

the movement of the mobile terminal includes rotation of the mobile terminal from a first direction to a second direction.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first mode is a call connecting mode and the second mode is a connected call mode; and

the movement of the mobile terminal includes rotation of the mobile terminal from a first direction to a second direction.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first mode is a message creation mode and the second mode is a standby mode,

the movement of the mobile terminal includes rotation of the mobile terminal from a first direction to a second direction; and

a message created in the message creation mode is transmitted to an external device before the mode of the mobile terminal is changed from the message creation mode to the standby mode.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first mode is a sleep mode and the second mode is an augmented reality mode; and

the movement of the mobile terminal includes rotation of the mobile terminal by 360 degrees.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first mode is an application execution mode and the second mode is a standby mode;

the movement of the mobile terminal includes a rotation of the mobile terminal from a first direction to a second direction; and

an application executed during the execution mode is terminated before the mode of the mobile terminal is changed from the execution mode to the standby mode.

12. A mobile terminal comprising:

a main body;

a touch sensor configured to sense touch of the main body in a first mode;

a motion sensor configured to sense movement of the main body; and

a controller configured to wake up the motion sensor upon determining that the main body has been gripped based on the sensed touch and to change a mode of the mobile terminal from the first mode to a second mode upon determining that a type of the sensed movement corresponds to a specific mode change.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the controller determines that the main body has been gripped upon receiving a sensing result from the touch sensor, the sensing result indicating that the touch has been received at least one side surface of the main body.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to perform a control operation for supplying power to a display provided on the main body after a specific time period has elapsed since the mobile terminal has been gripped when the first mode is a sleep mode.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to perform a control operation for removing power from a display provided on the main body after a specific time has elapsed without occurrence of an event while the main body is gripped when the first mode is an active mode.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein:

the first mode is a sleep mode and the second mode is a standby mode; and

the movement sensed by the motion sensor includes rotation of the mobile terminal from a first direction to a second direction.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein:

the first mode is a sleep mode and the second mode is an augmented reality mode; and

the movement sensed by the motion sensor includes rotation of the mobile terminal by 360 degrees.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, wherein the motion sensor comprises a capacitive sensor.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 18, wherein the main body includes a first key connected to a transmitting terminal of the capacitive sensor and a second key connected to a receiving terminal of the capacitive sensor.

20. The mobile terminal according to claim 12, further comprising a speaker, a microphone, and a display, wherein:

the first mode is a call connecting mode entered upon receiving a call signal from an external device and the display displays a screen corresponding to the call connecting mode;

the second mode is a connected call mode in which an audio signal received from the external device is output through the speaker and an audio signal received via the microphone is transmitted to the external device; and

no user input, except for the movement of the main body, is received to change the mode from the first mode to the second mode.