MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20120042272A1
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: HONG, Jiyoung, SEKHAR, Penugonda Chandra
• Granted Patent: US 9,535,568 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling a mobile terminal includes displaying, on a display module of the mobile terminal, an operation screen on which a plurality of icons including a first icon and a second icon are arranged, displaying at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen, receiving, on the display module, a dragging input for dragging the first icon into the at least one pocket area, wherein the first icon disappears into the pocket area as a result of the dragging input, and displaying the second icon at a location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display module of the mobile terminal, an operation screen on which a plurality of icons including a first icon and a second icon are arranged;

displaying at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen;

receiving, on the display module, a dragging input for dragging the first icon into the at least one pocket area, wherein the first icon disappears into the pocket area as a result of the dragging input; and

displaying the second icon at a location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the second icon comprises:

generating the second icon in the at least one pocket area; and

moving the second icon to the location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the at least one pocket area comprises:

activating a folder creation mode; and

providing at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

activating the folder creation mode by receiving (i) a first touch input on a particular region of the display module or a particular icon on the operation screen, (ii) a second touch input on any one of the plurality of icons on the operation screen for more than a predefined amount of time, or (iii) a third touch input with a pressure higher than a predefined level generating a long-touch input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second icon corresponds a folder icon representing a folder including the first icon, and the folder icon comprises one or more icons.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving a command to select the folder icon; and

displaying the one or more icons included in the folder icon on the operation screen as a thought balloon or a popup window.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising;

receiving another dragging input for dragging one of the plurality of icons into the folder icon; and

displaying the another dragged one of the plurality of icons in the folder icon, wherein the dragged one of the plurality of icons is saved to be a part of the folder icon.

8. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display module configured to display an operation screen on which a plurality of icons including a first icon and a second icon are arranged; and

a controller configured to display at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen, to control the first icon to disappear into the at least one pocket area when the first icon is dragged into the at least one pocket area, and to display the second icon at a location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to generate the second icon in the at least one pocket area and move the second icon to the location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to activate a folder creation mode to display the at least one pocket area in response to a user input.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the user input corresponds to one of the following:

a first touch input to a particular region of the display module or a particular icon;

a second touch input to any one of the plurality of icons on the operation screen for more than a predetermined amount of time;

or

a third touch input corresponding to a pressure higher than a predetermined level for generating a long-touch input.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the second icon corresponds to a folder icon representing a folder including the first icon, and

wherein the controller is configured to receive a selection of the folder icon and to display one or more icons included in the selected folder icon on the operation screen.

13. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display module of the mobile terminal, an operation screen on which a plurality of objects including a first object are arranged;

displaying at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen;

receiving, on the display module, a dragging input for dragging the first object into the at least one pocket area, wherein the first object disappears into the pocket area; and

saving the first object in a folder for performing a predefined function.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predefined function includes one of a ‘

trash’

function, a folder creation function, a ‘

cut’

function, a ‘

copy’

function, a ‘

paste’

function and a ‘

clipboard’

function.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

changing at least one of a shape and color of the at least one pocket area when the first object disappears into the at least one pocket area.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

setting the predefined function of the folder to be performed based on a user command.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of objects are icons.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a plurality of pocket areas, each of the plurality of pocket areas performing different predefined functions on the operation screen.

19. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display module configured to display an operation screen on which a plurality of objects including a first object are arranged; and

a controller configured to display at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen, to control the first object to disappear into the at least one pocket area when the first object is dragged into the at least one pocket area, and to save the first object in a folder for performing a predefined function.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the predefined function includes one of a ‘

trash’

function, a folder creation function, a ‘

cut’

function, a ‘

copy’

function, a ‘

paste’

function and a ‘

clipboard’

function.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the plurality of objects are icons.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a plurality of pocket areas and to set each of the plurality of pocket areas to perform different predefined functions on the operation screen.