MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20120154447A1
• Filed: 08/30/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Taehun, Hong, Nayoung, Park, Jieun
• Granted Patent: US 8,884,893 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/661
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method for controlling the same are provided. The mobile terminal may include a touchscreen that displays at least one content item on a screen and that receives an area touch motion corresponding to a particular area of the screen, and a controller that analyzes the area touch motion and controls a specific content item and content control operation corresponding to the received area touch motion accordingly. Control of such a mobile terminal may include displaying an execution screen of an application, receiving an area touch motion corresponding to one area of the execution screen, analyzing the area touch motion, and controlling an application corresponding to the received area touch motion accordingly.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touchscreen configured to display at least one content item on a screen and to receive an area touch motion corresponding to one area of the screen, the area touch motion corresponding to a hand touch of the screen by at least one of a substantially full length of a hand or a substantially full width of a hand; and

a controller configured to analyze the received area touch motion and to control a specific content item of the at least one content item displayed on the screen in accordance with a content control operation corresponding to the received area touch motion based on a result of the analysis.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to analyze the received area touch motion based on at least one of a shape of the area touch motion, a surface area of the area touch motion, a position of the area touch motion, a movement rate of the area touch motion, or a movement trajectory of the area touch motion.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine whether the analyzed area touch motion corresponds to a predetermined touch pattern, and to perform a content control operation corresponding to the predetermined touch pattern accordingly.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein, when the analyzed area touch motion corresponds to a first touch pattern, the controller is configured to perform at least one of an operation of dividing a display area related to the specific content item or an operation of deleting the specific content item.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein, when the analyzed area touch motion corresponds to a second touch pattern, the controller is configured to perform at least one of an operation of generating a new content item based on the specific content item, an operation of compressing the specific content item, an operation of terminating execution of the specific content item, an operation of reducing a size of the specific content item or an operation of deleting the specific content item.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein, when the analyzed area touch motion corresponds to a third touch pattern, the controller is configured to perform at least one of an operation of decompressing the specific content item or an operation of enlarging a size of the specific content item.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein, when the analyzed area touch motion corresponds to a fourth touch pattern, the controller is configured to perform at least one of an operation of moving the specific content item, an operation of selecting the specific content item, an operation of compressing the specific content item or an operation of backing-up the specific content item.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein, when the analyzed area touch motion corresponds to a fifth touch pattern, the controller is configured to perform at least one of an operation of copying the specific content item, an operation of pasting the specific content item, an operation of pausing execution of the specific content item or an operation of terminating execution of the specific content item.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one content item comprises at least one of an icon, a thumbnail image or a file image displayed on the screen.

10. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, comprising:

displaying a plurality of content items on a screen within a touchscreen;

receiving an area touch motion corresponding to one area of the screen, comprising receiving a hand touch corresponding to at least one of a substantially full length of a hand or a substantially full width of a had;

analyzing the received area touch motion; and

performing a control operation on a specific content item of the plurality of content items corresponding to the received area touch motion based on a result of the analysis.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the received area touch motion comprises analyzing at least one of a shape of the area touch motion, a surface area of the area touch motion, a position of the area touch motion, a movement rate of the area touch motion, or a movement trajectory of the area touch motion.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein analyzing the area touch motion comprises matching the received area touch motion with one of a plurality of previously stored touch patterns, and performing a control operation on the specific content item corresponding to the matched touch pattern.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving an area touch motion corresponding to one are of the screen comprises contacting multiple content items of the plurality of content items displayed on the screen simultaneously by the hand touch, and performing the control operation on the multiple content items.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving an area touch motion corresponding to one area of the screen comprises receiving the hand touch proximate multiple content items of the plurality of content items displayed on the screen.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a hand touch comprises receiving a vertically oriented initial touch corresponding to a substantially full length of a side of a hand and a movement corresponding to a vertical upward or downward movement of the hand touch, and wherein performing a control operation on a specific content item of the plurality of content items comprises at least one of dividing a display area related to the specific content item or deleting the specific content item.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a hand touch comprises receiving a vertically oriented initial touch corresponding to a substantially full length of a side of a hand and a movement corresponding to a folding or squeezing of the hand into a fist, and wherein performing a control operation on a specific content item of the plurality of content items comprises at least one of compressing the specific content item, terminating execution of the specific content item, reducing a display size of the specific content item, or deleting the specific content item.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a hand touch comprises receiving an initial touch corresponding to a hand that is folded into a fist and a movement corresponding to an opening or unfolding of the fist to a fully extended state such that a substantially full length of a side of the hand contacts the screen, and wherein performing a control operation on a specific content item of the plurality of content items comprises at least one of decompressing the specific content item, terminating execution of the specific content item or enlarging a display size of the specific content item.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a hand touch comprises receiving a vertically oriented initial touch corresponding to a substantially full length of a side of a hand and a movement corresponding to a horizontal sliding of the hand touch, and wherein performing a control operation on a specific content item of the plurality of content items comprises at least one of moving the specific content item, selecting the specific content item, compressing the specific content item, or backing up the specific content item.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving a hand touch comprises receiving a vertically oriented initial touch corresponding to a substantially full palm and finger extension of a hand and a movement corresponding to a folding or squeezing of the hand into a fist, and wherein performing a control operation on a specific content item of the plurality of content items comprises performing a control operation on multiple content items touched by the initial hand touch, the control operation comprising at least one of fixing one or more of the multiple content items at particular locations, copying one or more of the multiple content items, pausing execution of one or more of the multiple content items, grasping one or more of the multiple content items for a subsequent control operation, or terminating execution of one or more of the multiple content items.

20. A method for controlling a mobile terminal, comprising:

displaying an execution screen of an application on a screen of the mobile terminal;

receiving an area touch motion corresponding to a particular area of the execution screen, the area touch motion corresponding to a hand touch of the screen by at least one of a substantially full length of a hand or a substantially full width of a hand;

analyzing the received area touch motion; and

controlling the application based on the analyzed touch motion.