APPARATUS AND METHOD OF USER-BASED MOBILE TERMINAL DISPLAY CONTROL USING GRIP SENSOR

• US 20130159931A1
• Filed: 11/20/2012
• Published: 06/20/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Jun-Seok, Shim, Jae-Sung
• Granted Patent: US 9,189,127 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

User-based control over the operation of a mobile terminal is provided in response to detecting a user'"'"'s touched position on one or more grip sensors in the mobile terminal. At least one icon set by the user to be displayed in response to detection of at least a predetermined amount of pressure on an actuated grip sensor is displayed depending on the detected touch position.

Claims

1. A method for operating a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

detecting a user'"'"'s touched position on one or more sensors in a mobile terminal; and

displaying on a screen of the mobile terminal at least one icon set by the user in response to the detected touch position on the one or more sensors.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting of the user'"'"'s touched position comprises:

detecting the user'"'"'s touched position using one of one or more sensors provided to the mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the sensor is provided to at least one side of an upper side, a lower side, a left side, and a right side of the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting an upper side, a lower side, a left side, and a right side using a direction in which a screen of the mobile terminal is displayed straight as a reference depending on an orientation of the mobile terminal; and

determining the touch detected position using the set direction as a reference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying, on a screen of the mobile terminal at least one icon set by the user in response to the detected touch position comprises:

determining the touch detected position to load a stored icon list depending on the position; and

determining the loaded icon list to display at least one icon stored in the list.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a command for starting setting of a sensor to display a sensor set mode;

allowing the user to select at least one list among a plurality of lists included in the sensor set mode;

allowing the user to select at least one icon to be stored in the selected list among icons stored in the mobile terminal; and

incorporating the at least one selected icon into the selected list.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the list comprises an upper grip sensor set list, a lower grip sensor set list, a left grip sensor set list, and a right grip sensor set list.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sensor comprises a grip sensor that operates when detecting a set pressure or more.

9. An apparatus of a mobile terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to detect a user'"'"'s touched position on one or more sensors in a mobile terminal; and

a display unit configured to display on a screen of the mobile terminal at least one icon set by the user in response to the detected touch position.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising at least one sensor unit provided to the mobile terminal and configured to detect the user'"'"'s touched position.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor unit is provided to at least one of an upper side, a lower side, a left side, and a right side of the mobile terminal and wherein the sensor comprises a grip sensor that operates when detecting at least a set pressure.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to set an upper side, a lower side, a left side, and a right side using a direction in which a screen of the mobile terminal is displayed straight as a reference depending on an orientation of the mobile terminal, and to determine the detected touch position using the set direction as a reference.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to determine the detected touch position to load a stored icon list depending on the position, and to determine the loaded icon list, and

wherein the display unit is configured to display at least one icon stored in the list.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the display unit is configured to receive a command for starting, setting of a sensor to display a sensor set mode, and the apparatus further comprises:

an input unit configured to allow the user to select at least one list among a plurality of lists included in the sensor set mode, and to allow the user to select at least one icon to be stored in the selected list among icons stored in the mobile terminal; and

storage configured to incorporate the at least one selected icon into the selected list.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the list comprises an upper grip sensor set list, a lower grip sensor set list, a left grip sensor set list, and a right grip sensor set list.

16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the sensor unit comprises a grip sensor that operates when detecting at least a set pressure.

17. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display screen;

one or more grip sensors; and

a controller configured to display at least one icon previously set by the user on the display screen in response to detecting pressure of at least a predetermined amount on one of the grip sensors.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, further comprising:

storage configured to store lists of icons associated with each of the grip sensors, each list including one or more icons to be displayed on the display screen in response to detection of at least the predetermined amount of pressure on a respective one of the grip sensors.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein at least one of the lists includes user-selected icons.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein at least two of the lists include different sets of icons.