MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20150143238A1
• Filed: 11/04/2014
• Published: 05/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: JUNG, Egun, CHOI, Hongseok, LEE, Haein, AHN, Yeongnam, KWON, Eun
• Granted Patent: US 9,990,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

The present disclosure may provide a mobile terminal including a body having a front surface, a rear surface and a lateral surface thereof, a display unit disposed on the front surface to display first screen information, a lateral touch sensing unit formed on the lateral surface adjacent to both edges of the display unit to receive a user'"'"'s consecutive touch input, and a controller configured to control the display unit to display second screen information in one region on the display unit corresponding to a touch range of the consecutive touch input.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a body having a front side, a back side and a lateral side connecting the front side and the back side;

a display located on the front side and configured to display screen information;

a touch sensing unit formed on the lateral side adjacent to the display and configured to receive a touch input; and

a controller configured to;

cause the display to divide a display screen into a first window and a second window in response to a first touch input received via the touch sensing unit, the first touch input received while first screen information is displayed on the display;

cause the display to display the first screen information in the first window; and

cause the display to display second screen information in the second window,

wherein;

the second screen information is not displayed on the display at the time when the first touch input is received;

the first touch input starts at a first point on the touch sensing unit and ends at a second point on the touch sensing unit; and

a size of the first window is determined based on a distance between the first point and the second point such that the size of the first window is variable according to the distance of the first touch input.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the touch sensing unit is located adjacent to both sides of the display; and

the first touch input comprises touching the first point and sliding from the touched first point to the second point.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the first screen information is related to a first application and the second screen information is related to a second application that is different from the first application; and

the first application and the second application are activated sequentially, and the second application is executed in background while only the first screen information is displayed at the time the first touch input is received.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to control the first application or the second application in response to a second touch input applied to the first screen information or the second screen information.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the first screen information is related to a first application; and

the second screen information comprises an icon of a recommended application associated with the first screen information when the first application is a first or most recently activated application or when the distance associated with the first touch input is less than a threshold distance.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to selectively display only one of the first screen information and the second screen information in response to releasing of the first touch input from the touch sensing unit, such that the one of the first screen information and the second screen information that is displayed in a larger window between the first window and the second window is selectively displayed.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the first screen information comprises a plurality of items; and

the second screen information includes information associated with at least one item that is selected from the plurality of items.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein:

the controller is further configured to select the at least one item in response to the first touch input; and

the at least one item is located at a location of the display that generally corresponds to the distance between the first point and the second point on the touch sensing unit.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected item comprises a menu related to editing of the at least one selected item.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected item comprises a menu for executing a function associated with the at least one selected item.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the information associated with the at least one selected item comprises at least one sub item associated with the at least one selected item or further information describing the at least one selected item.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the first screen information corresponds to a home screen page including a plurality of icons, each of the plurality of icons representing a corresponding one of a plurality of applications;

the controller is further configured to select at least one icon from the plurality of icons in response to the first touch input; and

the controller is further configured to cause the display to display further information associated with at least one application corresponding to the at least one selected icon.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the touch sensing unit to display a notification image at a location of the touch sensing unit to provide guidance for receiving the first touch input for displaying the second screen information.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein:

the first screen information comprises a plurality of contents;

the second screen information is further information associated with one of the plurality of contents; and

the location of the touch sensing unit where the notification image is displayed corresponds to a location of the display screen where the one of the plurality of contents is displayed.

15. A method of controlling a mobile terminal comprising a touch sensing unit located adjacent to a display, the method comprising:

dividing a display screen of the display into a first window and a second window in response to a touch input received via the touch sensing unit, the touch input received while first screen information is displayed on the display;

displaying the first screen information in the first window; and

displaying second screen information in the second window,

wherein;

the second screen information is not displayed on the display at the time when the touch input is received;

the touch input starts at a first point on the touch sensing unit and ends at a second point on the touch sensing unit; and

a size of the first window is determined based on a distance between the first point and the second point such that the size of the first window is variable according to the distance.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing a sequence a plurality of applications, which includes a first application and a second application, being executed according to their order of execution,

wherein;

the first screen information is related to the first application and the second screen information is related to the second application;

the second application is executed in background while only the first screen information is displayed at the time the touch input is received; and

the execution of the second application is immediately followed or preceded by the execution of the first application.

17. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a body having a front side and a lateral side;

a display comprising a first area disposed on the front side of the body and a second area coupled to the first area and disposed on the lateral side; and

is a controller configured to;

cause the display to display first screen information associated with a function being executed by the terminal in the first area; and

cause the display to display second screen information associated with the first screen information at a first location of the first area in response to a first touch input received via the second area while the first screen information is displayed in the first area, the first screen information displayed in a first orientation and the second information displayed in a second orientation that is different from the first orientation,

wherein a size of the first location is determined based on a distance between a starting point of the first touch input and an end point of the first touch input.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the second screen information corresponds to the first screen information displayed in the second orientation.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to analyse the first screen information in response to the first touch input to determine a portion of the first screen information to be included in the second screen information.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein a first portion of the second screen information, which includes same screen information that is also included in the first screen information, is displayed distinguishably from a second portion of the second screen information other than the first portion.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the second screen information with the first screen information in response to the first touch input such that the second screen information is displayed within the first location and the first screen information is displayed within a second location of the first area other than the first location.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to move the first screen information in the second location in response to a second touch input applied to the second screen information displayed in the first location such that a center of the moved first screen information in the second location corresponds to a point of the second screen information to which the second touch input is applied.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein:

the second area comprises a first sub-area disposed on a first lateral side of the body and a second sub-area disposed on a second lateral side of the body;

the first touch input comprises a dragging from the starting point to the end point on at least the first sub-area or the second sub-area; and

the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the second screen information in the first location of the first area corresponding to the dragged distance.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the dragging comprises a first dragging from the starting point to the end point on the first sub-area in a first direction and a second dragging from the starting point to the end point on the second sub-area in the first direction.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein the controller is further configured to determine a side of the first location of the first area with respect to the second location of the first area based on a direction of the dragging such that the first location is at a first side of the first area and the second location is at a second side of the first area if the direction of the dragging is a first direction, and the first location is at the second side and the second location is at the first side if the direction of the dragging is a second direction that is an opposite direction of the first direction.

26. The mobile terminal of claim 23, wherein:

the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the first screen information in the first location of the first area and to display the second screen information in a second location of the first area in response to a second touch input received while the second screen information is displayed in the first location of the first area; and

the second touch input comprises a first dragging on the first sub-area in a first direction and a second dragging on the second sub-area in a second direction that is different from the first direction.

27. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to maintain a size of the first screen information displayed in the first area such that only a portion of the first screen information corresponding to the first location is obscured by the second screen information.

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

at least two cameras facing different directions,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

cause the display to display a first image obtained via a first camera facing a first direction;

cause the display to display a second image obtained via a second camera facing a second direction that is different from the first direction on a second location of the first area in response to a second touch input received via the second area while the first image is displayed in the first area.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 28, further comprising a memory, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the display to display the first image on a third location of the first area in response to the second touch input such that the first image and the second image are displayed together in the third location and the second location, respectively; and

cause storing of at least the first or second image in the memory in response to an input for capturing at least the first or second image.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to stop displaying the second screen information in response to a second touch input applied to the second area in a first direction that is opposite to a second direction of the first touch input, the second touch input received while both the first screen information and the second screen information are displayed in the first area.

31. A method of controlling a mobile terminal comprising a body and a display, wherein the display comprises a first area disposed on a front side of the body and a second area coupled to the first area and disposed on a lateral side of the body, the method comprising:

displaying first screen information associated with a function being executed by the terminal in the first area of the display; and

displaying second screen information associated with the first screen information at a first location of the first area in response to a touch input received via the second area, the touch input received while the first screen information is displayed in the first area, the first screen information displayed in a first orientation, and the second information displayed in a second orientation that is different from the first orientation,

wherein a position of the first location in the first area is determined based on a direction of the touch input applied to the second area.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein a size of the first location is determined based on a distance between a starting point of the touch input and an end point of the touch input.

33. The method of claim 31, wherein the second screen information corresponds to the first screen information displayed in the second orientation.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein a first portion of the second screen information, which includes same screen information that is also included in the first screen information, is displayed distinguishably from a second portion of the second screen information other than the first portion.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein:

the second screen information is displayed with the first screen information in response to the touch input such that the second screen information is displayed within the first location and the first screen information is displayed within a second location of the first area other than the first location; and

the first location and the second location are arranged in a first order if the direction of the touch input is a first direction, and the first location and the second location are arranged in a second order that is different from the first order if the direction of the touch input is a second direction that is different from the first direction.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the second screen information is displayed, overlapping at least part of the first screen information.