METHOD OF SELECTIVELY OPERATING A ROTATING FUNCTION AND PORTABLE TERMINAL SUPPORTING THE SAME

• US 20130215054A1
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHO, Youngho
• Granted Patent: US 9,239,632 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser

Abstract

A method of selectively operating a rotation function of an electronic device permits selective rotation of a display screen rotation function such that a terminal operation according to a user request may be supported while processing a user function may be performed based on the rotation function as needed. The method includes a receiving step of receiving a request to activate a specific user function, an application determination step of determining whether the rotation function applies to the specific user function of which activation is requested, a direction determining step of determining a rotation direction of a terminal when the specific user function is set to be applied with the rotation function, and an applying step of applying the rotation function to the specific user function according to the rotation direction of the terminal.

Claims

1. A method of selectively operating a rotation function of an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving a request for a controller to activate a specific user function;

determining by the controller whether or not the rotation function is to be applied to the specific user function of which activation is requested;

determining a rotational direction of a display of a terminal when the specific user function is set to be applied with the rotation function; and

applying the rotation function to the specific user function for display thereof according to the rotational direction of the terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether or not the rotation function is to be applied comprises:

checking a rotation application selection list including a list of predefined user functions to determine whether or not to apply the rotation function to the specific user function.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising at least one of:

removing a user function item included in the rotation application selection list;

or

including the specific user function provided by the terminal in the rotation application selection list.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a rotation function operation unit of the controller controls activation of a sensor to detect rotation of the terminal,

wherein a user function identification unit of the controller determines whether or not the rotation function is to be applied to the specific user function of which activation is requested, and

wherein a rotation function operation unit of the controller determining the rotational direction of a terminal when the specific user function is set to be applied with the rotation function.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the removing or including of the specific user function is a performed in response to a user request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining the rotational direction of the terminal comprises:

activating by a function application unit of the controller a sensor which is turned off;

collecting sensor information by the sensor which is activated; and

determining by the controller at least one of a rotation state and the rotation direction of the terminal based on the collected sensor information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the rotation function to the specific user function for display thereof comprises:

outputting a screen according to the specific user function according to the rotation direction of the terminal on a display unit in a horizontal mode or a vertical mode.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request for the controller to activate a specific user function comprises:

receiving user function activation corresponding to a note or memo function based on at least one of a touch pen according to an electrostatic induction method, and a pen panel and a touch panel which are provided for supporting the touch pen.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein determining a rotational direction of a display of the terminal comprises:

activating a sensor which is turned off when the touch pen approaches within a predetermined distance from the pen panel such that an electromagnetic field is formed on the pen panel;

collecting sensor information of the sensor unit which is activated; and

determining at least one of a rotation state and the rotational direction of the terminal based on the collected sensor information.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein applying the rotation function to the specific user function for display thereof comprises:

determining a horizontal mode direction or a vertical mode direction according to a rotation state and the rotational direction of the terminal; and

applying a different compensation value with respect to a distance to the touch pen according to the horizontal mode direction or the vertical mode direction.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the rotation function to the specific user function for display thereof comprises:

outputting at least one of an icon indicating a rotation function application state, an icon indicating a rotation function non-application state, and a forcible icon indicating a user function which supports to apply the rotation function in the rotation function non-application state by forcibly turning on a sensor to collect sensor information.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a selection window for selecting rotation function application or rotation function non-application with respect to the specific user function.

13. A terminal for supporting selective operation of a rotation function, the terminal comprising:

a storage unit configured to store a rotation application selection list which defines whether or not the rotation function applies to at least one user function;

a sensor configured to collect sensor information for supporting the rotation function; and

a controller configured to;

identify the rotation application selection list when activation of a specific user function is requested, and

determine a rotational direction of an out of a display by the terminal based on the sensor information collected by the sensor unit when a corresponding user function is set to be applied with the rotation function, and apply the rotation function to the corresponding user function according to the rotation direction of the terminal.

14. The terminal of claim 13, further comprising:

a display unit configured to;

remove a user function item included in the rotation application selection list, or

include the specific user function provided by the terminal in the rotation application selection list.

15. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is configured to forcibly turn on the sensor which is turned off in order to apply the rotation function to the specific user function.

16. The terminal of claim 13, further comprising:

a display unit configured to output a screen according to the specific user function according to the rotational direction of the terminal in a horizontal mode or a vertical mode.

17. The terminal of claim 13, further comprising:

a display unit configured to output at least one of an icon indicating a rotation function application state, an icon indicating a rotation function non-application state, and a forcible icon indicating a user function which supports to apply the rotation function in the rotation function non-application state by forcibly turning on the sensor unit to collect the sensor information.

18. The terminal of claim 13, further comprising:

a display unit configured to output a selection window for selecting a rotation function application or a rotation function non-application with respect to the specific user function.

19. The terminal of claim 13, further comprising:

at least one of a touch pen according to an electrostatic induction method, and a pen panel and a touch panel which are provided for supporting the touch pen, and wherein the controller is configured to control the rotation function by activating the sensor which is turned off, upon receiving user function activation corresponding to a note or memo function based on the touch pen, the pen panel, and the touch panel.

20. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is configured to determine a horizontal mode direction or a vertical mode direction according to a rotation state and the rotation direction of the terminal and configured to apply a different compensation value with respect to a distance to the touch pen according to the horizontal mode or the vertical mode direction.