IMAGE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20120194427A1
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Minsup, WOO, Sangrea
• Granted Patent: US 9,152,244 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0383 Signal control means within the pointing device

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a method for operating an image display device using a pointing device includes receiving, from the pointing device, a first signal and a second signal to display a pointer at a particular location on a screen of the image display device, wherein the first signal initiates displaying of the pointer in accordance with a first input selection of the pointing device, determining whether coordinates corresponding to the second signal to display the pointer are outside an active area, wherein the active area is greater than an actual size of the screen, and resetting the coordinates to new coordinates corresponding to a pre-designated area of the screen and displaying the pointer at the pre-designated area of the screen when the coordinates are determined to be outside the active area.

Claims

1. A method for operating an image display device using a pointing device, comprising:

receiving, from the pointing device, a first signal and a second signal to display a pointer at a particular location on a screen of the image display device, wherein the first signal initiates displaying of the pointer in accordance with a first input selection of the pointing device;

determining whether coordinates corresponding to the second signal to display the pointer are outside an active area, wherein the active area is greater than an actual size of the screen; and

resetting the coordinates to new coordinates corresponding to a pre-designated area of the screen and displaying the pointer at the pre-designated area of the screen when the coordinates are determined to be outside the active area.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the coordinates corresponding to the second signal to display the pointer are within the screen when the coordinates are determined to be inside the active area; and

displaying the pointer on the particular location on the screen corresponding to the coordinates when the coordinates are determined to be within the screen, or

displaying the pointer on an area closest to the coordinates within the screen when the coordinates are determined to be outside the screen and within the active area of the screen.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

displaying, on the screen, an image and the pointer simultaneously;

moving the pointer on the screen corresponding to a movement of the pointing device;

terminating the displaying of the pointer when a third input selection is received, after no input selection is received from the pointing device for a predetermined period of time, or after the movement of the pointing device is not present for the predetermined period of time; and

re-displaying, on the screen, the pointer in response to at least one of a second input selection or a particular movement of the pointing device after the display of the pointer is terminated.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the re-displaying includes re-displaying the pointer in a central area of the screen or a previous display area of the pointer, based on at least one of the second input selection or the particular movement of the pointing device.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

terminating the display of the pointer after no input selection is received from the pointing device for a predetermined period of time, or after the movement of the pointing device is not present for the predetermined period of time.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein the third input selection is equal to the first input selection.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the first input selection is equal to the second input selection.

8. A method for operating an image display device using a pointing device, comprising:

receiving, from the pointing device, a signal to display a pointer on a display of the image display device;

displaying, on the display, an image;

displaying, together with the displayed image, the pointer in a particular area of the display in response to the signal to display the pointer based on at least one of a particular input selection or a particular movement of the pointing device;

determining whether a trajectory of the signal indicates that the trajectory is being repeated; and

moving the pointer to a pre-designated area of the display to display the pointer at the pre-designated area when the trajectory is determined to be repeated.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the pre-designated area is a central area of the display or a previous display area of the pointer.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the displaying the pointer is performed when the pointer is not displayed in correspondence with a movement of the pointing device.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

moving the pointer to a first side of the display in correspondence with a movement of the pointing device in a particular direction;

displaying the pointer at the first side of the display in correspondence with the movement of the pointing device in the particular direction; and

moving and displaying the pointer to and at a second side of the display when the movement of the pointing device in the particular direction is continued.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first side and the second side of the display are symmetrical with respect to a center of the display.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the signal is repeated when the trajectory of the signal includes an operation of shaking of the pointing device in a horizontal or vertical direction or an operation of rotating the pointing device in a circular shape.

14. An image display device using a pointing device, comprising:

a display configured to display an image and a pointer;

an interface configured to receive a signal from the pointing device to display and move the pointer; and

a controller configured to control the pointer to be displayed in a particular area of the display based on at least one of a particular input selection or a particular movement of the pointing device, to determine whether a trajectory of the signal indicates that the trajectory is being repeated, and to move the pointer to a pre-designated area of the display to display the pointer at the pre-designated area when the trajectory is determined to be repeated.

15. The image display device according to claim 14, wherein the pre-designated area is a central area of the display or a previous display area of the pointer.

16. The image display device according to claim 14, wherein the controller controls the pointer to be displayed in a particular area of the display when the pointer is not displayed in correspondence with a movement of the pointing device.

17. The image display device according to claim 14, wherein the controller moves the pointer to a first side of the display in correspondence with the movement of the pointing device in a particular direction, displays the pointer at the first side of the display in correspondence with the movement of the pointing device in the particular direction, and moves the pointer to and displays the pointer at a second side of the display in when the movement of the pointing device in the particular direction is continued.

18. The image display device according to claim 17, wherein the first side and the second side of the display are symmetrical with respect to the center of the display.

19. The image display device according to claim 14, wherein the controller determines that the signal is repeated when the trajectory of the signal includes an operation of shaking of the pointing device in a horizontal or vertical direction or an operation of rotating the pointing device in a circular shape.

20. An image display device using a pointing device, comprising:

a screen configured to display a pointer;

an interface configured to receive a first signal and a second signal to display a pointer at a particular location on the screen, wherein the first signal initiates displaying of the pointer in accordance with a first input selection of the pointing device; and

a controller configured to determine whether coordinates corresponding to the second signal to display the pointer are outside an active area, wherein the active area is greater than an actual size of the screen, and

the controller further configured to reset the coordinates to new coordinates corresponding to a pre-designated area of the screen and display the pointer at the pre-designated area of the screen when the coordinates are determined to be outside the active area.

21. The image display device according to claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the coordinates corresponding to the second signal are within the screen when the coordinates are determined to be inside the active area, and

to control the pointer on the particular location on the screen corresponding to the coordinates when the coordinates are determined to be within the screen, or to control the pointer to be displayed on an area closest to the coordinates within the screen when the coordinates are determined to be outside the screen and within the active area of the screen.

22. The image display device according to claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to display an image and the pointer on the screen simultaneously, to move the pointer on the screen corresponding to a movement of the pointing device, to terminate the pointer to be displayed when a third input selection is received, after no input selection is received from the pointing device for a predetermined period of time, or after the movement of the pointing device is not present for the predetermined period of time, and to control the pointer to be re-displayed in response to at least one of a second input selection or a particular movement of the pointing device after the display of the pointer is terminated.

23. The image display device according to claim 22, wherein the controller is further configured to re-display the pointer in a central area of the screen or a previous display area of the pointer, based on at least one of the second input selection or the particular movement of the pointing device.