MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING VIRTUAL KEY PAD THEREOF

• US 20120030604A1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Kanghee, Lee, Wonyoung
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,378 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method for controlling a virtual key pad thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal identifies a touch pattern of a touch action of each of a plurality of virtual keys, and changes at least one of an area and position of a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to correspond to the identified touch pattern.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touch screen displaying a virtual key pad including a plurality of virtual keys, and having a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to sense a touch action of each of the plurality of virtual keys; and

a controller identifying a touch pattern of the touch action of each of the plurality of virtual keys and changing at least one of an area and position of the sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to correspond to the identified touch pattern,

wherein at least one of the area and position of the sensing zone is different from at least one of an area and position of a corresponding virtual key.

2. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the area of the sensing zone is smaller than that of the corresponding virtual key.

3. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller does not generate corresponding key data if a touch action is input on a point between two neighboring virtual keys of the plurality of virtual keys.

4. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller changes at least one of an area and position of at least one virtual key located in the periphery of a specific virtual key of the plurality of virtual keys if it changes at least one of an area and position of the specific virtual key.

5. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pattern includes at least one of a touch area, touch pressure, a touch point and a touch type during a touch action on each of the plurality of virtual keys.

6. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 5, wherein, if a touch action is input on a specific one of the plurality of virtual keys, the controller changes an area of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key in proportional to at least one of a touch area and a touch pressure of the input touch action.

7. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pattern includes a position of a touch point by a pointer during a touch action of each of the plurality of virtual keys.

8. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 7, wherein, if a plurality of touch actions are input on a specific one of the plurality of virtual keys, the controller identifies a position of a plurality of touch points based on the plurality of touch actions and changes at least one of an area and position of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key to include the position of the plurality of touch points as a result of identifying.

9. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user input unit inputting a setting command signal of a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys,

wherein the controller sets an area and position of a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys in accordance with the input setting command signal.

10. A method for controlling a virtual key pad of a mobile terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a virtual key pad including a plurality of virtual keys;

setting a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to sense a touch action of each of the plurality of virtual keys;

identifying a touch pattern of the touch action on each of the plurality of virtual keys if the touch action is input; and

changing at least one of an area and position of the sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to correspond to the identified touch pattern,

wherein at least one of the area and position of the sensing zone is different from at least one of an area and position of a corresponding virtual key.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the changing step includes changing at least one of an area and position of at least one virtual key located in the periphery of a specific virtual key of the plurality of virtual keys if at least one of an area and position of the specific virtual key is changed.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein if a touch action is input on a specific one of the plurality of virtual keys, the identifying step includes identifying at least one of a touch area and a touch pressure of the input touch action, and the changing step includes changing an area of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key in proportional to at least one of the identified touch area and the identified touch pressure.

13. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein if a touch action is input on a specific one of the plurality of virtual keys, the identifying step includes identifying a position of a touch point by a pointer that inputs the touch action, and the changing step includes changing at least one of an area and position of the sensing zone to correspond to the identified position of the touch point.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein, if a plurality of touch actions are input on a specific one of the plurality of virtual keys, the identifying step includes identifying a position of a plurality of touch points based on the plurality of touch actions, and the changing step includes changing at least one of an area and position of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key to include the identified position of the plurality of touch points.

15. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

inputting a setting command signal of a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys; and

setting an area and position of a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys in accordance with the input setting command signal.