MOBILE TERMINAL AND OPERATION CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120159386A1
• Filed: 06/27/2011
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KANG, Raehoon, LEE, Jiyoun, JANG, Hyungtae, LEE, Minjeong, LEE, Choonjae, JANG, Seokjin
• Granted Patent: US 9,459,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of controlling a mobile terminal including allowing, via a wireless communication unit on the mobile terminal, wirelessly communication with at least one other terminal; displaying, on a display of the mobile terminal, an application screen corresponding to an execution of an application on the mobile terminal; reducing, via a controller on the mobile terminal, a size of the application screen in response to a reduction input operation performed on the mobile terminal; determining, via the controller, if the application screen is reduced below a predetermined size; displaying, via the display, a widget corresponding to the application instead of the application screen on the display when the application screen is reduced below the predetermined size; and expanding, via the controller, the application screen back to its original size before the reduction input operation has been performed when the application screen is not reduced below the predetermined size.

Claims

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

allowing, via a wireless communication unit on the mobile terminal, wirelessly communication with at least one other terminal;

displaying, on a display of the mobile terminal, an application screen corresponding to an execution of an application on the mobile terminal;

reducing, via a controller on the mobile terminal, a size of the application screen in response to a reduction input operation performed on the mobile terminal;

determining, via the controller, if the application screen is reduced below a predetermined size;

displaying, via the display, a widget corresponding to the application instead of the application screen on the display when the application screen is reduced below the predetermined size; and

expanding, via the controller, the application screen back to its original size before the reduction input operation has been performed when the application screen is not reduced below the predetermined size.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduction input operation includes a pinching-in input operation performed on a touch screen of the display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a pinching-out input operation on the widget; and

displaying the application screen instead of the widget on the display in response to the detected pinching-out input operation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a pinching-in input operation on the widget; and

displaying a shortcut icon corresponding to the application instead of the widget on the display in response to the detected pinching-in input operation.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting a tapping input operation on the shortcut icon; and

displaying the application screen on the entire display in response to the detected tapping input operation on the shortcut icon.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

detecting a pinching-out input operation on the shortcut icon; and

displaying the widget instead of the shortcut icon on the display in response to the detected pinching-out input operation on the shortcut icon.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying information corresponding to the execution of the application in the shortcut icon; and

aligning the shortcut icon with other icons being displayed on the display.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying information corresponding to the execution of the application in the widget; and

updating the information corresponding to the execution of the application in real time.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein when the executed application includes a video file, the method further comprises temporarily stopping a playback of the video file when the widget is displayed instead of the application screen.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting a pinching-out input operation on the widget corresponding to the playback of the video file; and

displaying a video player screen on the display and resuming the playback of the video file on the video screen player in response to the detected pinching-out input operation.

11. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

a display configured to display an application screen corresponding to an execution of an application on the mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to reduce a size of the application screen in response to a reduction input operation performed on the mobile terminal, to determine if the application screen is reduced below a predetermined size, to control the display to display a widget corresponding to the application instead of the application screen on the display when the application screen is reduced below the predetermined size, and to expand the application screen back to its original size before the reduction input operation has been performed when the application screen is not reduced below the predetermined size.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the reduction input operation includes a pinching-in input operation performed on a touch screen of the display.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a pinching-out input operation on the widget, and to control the display to display the application screen instead of the widget on the display in response to the detected pinching-out input operation.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a pinching-in input operation on the widget, and to control the display to display a shortcut icon corresponding to the application instead of the widget on the display in response to the detected pinching-in input operation.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a tapping input operation on the shortcut icon, and to control the display to display the application screen on the entire display in response to the detected tapping input operation on the shortcut icon.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a pinching-out input operation on the shortcut icon, and to control the display to display the widget instead of the shortcut icon on the display in response to the detected pinching-out input operation on the shortcut icon.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display information corresponding to the execution of the application in the shortcut icon, and to align the shortcut icon with other icons being displayed on the display.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display to display information corresponding to the execution of the application in the widget, and to update the information corresponding to the execution of the application in real time.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein when the executed application includes a video file, the controller is further configured to temporarily stop a playback of the video file when the widget is displayed instead of the application screen.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to detect a pinching-out input operation on the widget corresponding to the playback of the video file, and to display a video player screen on the display and resume the playback of the video file on the video screen player in response to the detected pinching-out input operation.