MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120240071A1
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Kyungchul
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04801 Cursor retrieval aid, i.e. visual aspect modification, blinking, colour changes, enlargement or other visual cues, for helping user do find the cursor in graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal comprising a touchscreen configured to display a 1^st region that comprises a 1^st icon and one or more other icons and a controller configured to control the touchscreen to shift the 1^st region in a 1^st direction when the 1^st icon is selected by a touch and dragged in a 2^nd direction that is opposite to the 1^st direction, shift a position of the 1^st icon to a prescribed zone in the 1^st region when the dragged 1^st icon is released over the prescribed zone and arrange the one or more other icons of the 1^st region according to a prescribed formation.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touchscreen configured to display a 1st region that comprises a 1st icon and one or more other icons; and

a controller configured to control the touchscreen to;

shift the 1st region in a 1st direction when the 1st icon is selected by a touch and dragged in a 2nd direction that is opposite to the 1st direction,

shift a position of the 1st icon to a prescribed zone in the 1st region when the dragged 1st icon is released over the prescribed zone, and

arrange the one or more other icons of the 1st region according to a prescribed formation.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

shift the 1st region at a speed that corresponds to a dragging speed of the 1st icon.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the 2nd direction is opposite to a prescribed coordinate closest to the 1st direction, wherein the prescribed coordinate is one of a plurality of coordinates preset for different directions.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display the 1st icon as tilted at a preset angle.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display a visual effect indicating the shift of the 1st region in the 1st direction.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display a visual effect for each of a plurality of arrangeable zones when the 1st icon is released over the plurality of arrangeable zones.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display an indicator indicating that the 1st icon is shiftable to a 1st arrangeable zone of the plurality of arrangeable zones when a distance between the dragged 1st icon and the 1st arrangeable zone is less than a preset threshold distance, and

shift the position of the 1st icon to the 1st arrangeable zone when the dragged 1st icon is released.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

partition a 2nd region into equal parts when the 1st icon is released in the 2nd region, wherein the 2nd region comprises a 2nd icon different from the 1st icon, and

display the 1st icon and the 2nd icon on the equal parts.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

simultaneously execute applications corresponding to the 1st and the 2nd icons when the 2nd icon is selected.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to;

control the touchscreen to display an enlarged folder icon with a plurality of zones when the 1st icon is released over a region with a folder icon,

arrange the 1st icon in a released zone of the plurality of zones, and

control the touchscreen to reduce the display of the enlarged folder icon to its original size when the 1st icon is released in the released zone;

the folder icon is enlarged at a preset ratio;

the plurality of zones is created by partitioning the enlarged folder icon using a prescribed ratio; and

the 1st icon is arrangeable in each of the plurality of zones.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

enlarge a display of a preset portion of the 1st region at a prescribed ratio when the 1st icon is dragged over the preset portion, wherein the preset region includes a plurality of arrangeable zones for arranging the 1st icon.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

enlarge the preset portion at the prescribed ratio when a distance between the dragged 1st icon and a 1st arrangeable zone of the plurality of arrangeable zones enters a preset threshold distance range and the dragged 1st icon remains within the preset threshold distance range for a preset threshold time period.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

shift the 1st region in the 1st direction when icons arranged in the 1st region are arranged in at least a preset number of rows and columns of adjacent icons.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

shift the 1st region in the 1st direction when a pointer is equal to or greater than a preset size or when a count of failed attempts to drag and release the 1st icon over a prescribed zone exceeds a preset number, wherein the pointer is a physical means for performing at least a touch, a proximity touch, or a gesture on the touchscreen.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display a visual effect indicating that the 1st region is shifted in the 1st direction.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

perform a parallax generating operation for changing a propagation direction of the 1^st icon;

attribute three-dimensional depth to the 1st icon; and

control the touchscreen to display a three-dimensional stereoscopic image of the 1^st icon using a stereoscopic scheme.

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

displaying a 1st region comprising a 1st icon and one or more other icons;

dragging a 1st icon selected from the 1st region in a 1st direction;

shifting the one or more other icons from the 1st region in a 2nd direction, wherein the 2nd direction is opposite to the 1st direction;

releasing the 1st icon over a prescribed zone in the 1st region;

shifting a position of the 1st icon to the prescribed zone where the 1st icon was released; and

arranging the one or more other icons of the 1st region according to a prescribed formation.

18. The method of claim 17, the method further comprising:

shifting the 1st region at a speed that corresponds to a dragging speed of the 1st icon.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the 2nd direction is opposite to a prescribed coordinate closest to the 1st direction; and

the prescribed coordinate is one of a plurality of coordinates preset for different directions.

20. The method of claim 17, the method further comprising:

partitioning a 2nd region into equal parts when the 1st icon is released in the 2nd region, wherein the 2nd region comprises a 2nd icon different from the 1st icon; and

displaying the 1st icon and the 2nd icon on the equal parts.