MOBILE TERMINAL AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150309657A1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Published: 10/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: PARK, Jongseok, JI, Jaeyoung, LEE, Younghoon, JEONG, Byoungzoo, KIM, Nayeoung, YI, Gijae, CHOI, Jinhae, KIM, Youngjoon, WON, Yoonchan, CHO, Hangshin, LEE, Soohyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: G06V 10/469 Contour-based spatial representations, e.g. vector-coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/28 Recognition of hand or arm movements, e.g. recognition of deaf sign language static hand signs G06V40/113

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a touch screen configured to switch between an inactivated state in which illumination is not applied to the touch screen and an activated state in which illumination is applied to the touch screen, and a controller configured to release a locked state of the mobile terminal and switch the touch screen to the activated state, when a plurality of touch inputs is input in the inactivated state and the plurality of touch inputs matches a predefined pattern. Further, the predetermined pattern is initially set using a quadrant image displayed on the touch screen in the activated state, touch inputs for setting the predetermined pattern are applied to at least one of quadrant I, II, III and IV included in the quadrant image displayed on the touch screen in the activated state of the touch screen, a first touch input included in the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state is applied to the touch screen, and quadrant areas on the touch screen for receiving the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state change based on a first touch position of the first touch input and a second touch position of a second touch input of the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen configured to switch between an inactivated state in which illumination is not applied to the touch screen and an activated state in which illumination is applied to the touch screen; and

a controller configured to release a locked state of the mobile terminal and switch the touch screen to the activated state, when a plurality of touch inputs is input in the inactivated state and the plurality of touch inputs matches a predefined pattern,

wherein the predetermined pattern is initially set using a quadrant image displayed on the touch screen in the activated state,

wherein touch inputs for setting the predetermined pattern are applied to at least one of quadrant I, II, III and IV included in the quadrant image displayed on the touch screen in the activated state of the touch screen,

wherein a first touch input included in the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state is applied to the touch screen, and

wherein quadrant areas on the touch screen for receiving the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state change based on a first touch position of the first touch input and a second touch position of a second touch input of the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state.

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

set the quadrant areas on the touch screen based on the positions of the first and second touch inputs.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller sets the quadrant areas to be smaller when the first and second touch inputs are closer together and sets the quadrants areas to be larger when the first and second touch inputs are farther apart.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch inputs include consecutive touch inputs on the quadrant areas in any numbered order and shape that matches a predetermined passcode.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the shape of the predetermined pattern is defined by connecting points of the plurality of touch inputs.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the quadrant areas occur anywhere on the touch screen such that the predetermined pattern can be input anywhere on the touch screen in the inactivated state.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch inputs occur on a lower left hand corner or lower right hand corner of the touch screen such that the predetermined pattern can be input via a thumb of a hand holding the mobile terminal.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the inactivated state of the touch screen is free of any guide for inputting the predetermined pattern in order to release the locked state of the mobile terminal.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a home screen or a most recently used screen when the locked state of the mobile terminal is released.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to turn on a light emitting element with a first color when the plurality of touch inputs match the predetermined pattern and turn on the light emitting element with a second color when the plurality of touch inputs do not match the predetermined pattern.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to release the locked state of the mobile terminal when the plurality of touch inputs match the predetermined pattern without displaying a passcode screen for entering a passcode for releasing the locked state.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to maintain the inactivated state of the touch screen and the locked state of the mobile terminal when the plurality of touch inputs do not match the predetermined pattern.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to switch the inactivated state of the touch screen into the activated state and display a lock screen with a password window for releasing the locked state of the mobile terminal, if the plurality of touch inputs are input incorrectly a set number of times without matching the predetermined pattern.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to output guidance information indicating that the plurality of touch inputs applied on the touch screen do not match the predetermined pattern.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller determines that the plurality of touch inputs matches the predefined pattern based on an orientation of the mobile terminal when receiving the plurality of touch inputs.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the quadrants areas on the touch screen are equal areas.

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

switching, via a touch screen, between an inactivated state in which illumination is not applied to the touch screen and an activated state in which illumination is applied to the touch screen; and

releasing, via the controller, a locked state of the mobile terminal and switching the touch screen to the activated state, when a plurality of touch inputs is input in the inactivated state and the plurality of touch inputs matches a predefined pattern,

wherein the predetermined pattern is initially set using a quadrant image displayed on the touch screen in the activated state,

wherein touch inputs for setting the predetermined pattern are applied to at least one of quadrant I, II, III and IV included in the quadrant image displayed on the touch screen in the activated state of the touch screen,

wherein a first touch input included in the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state is applied to on the touch screen, and

wherein quadrant areas on the touch screen for receiving the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state change based on a first touch position of the first touch input and a second touch position of a second touch input of the plurality of touch inputs in the inactivated state.

18. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to perform wireless communication;

a touch screen configured to switch between an inactivated state in which illumination is not applied to the touch screen and an activated state in which illumination is applied to the touch screen; and

a controller configured to;

drive the touch screen with a lower rate sensing signal for sensing a first touch input than in the activated state such that the first touch input on the touch screen is detectable in the locked state of the mobile terminal and the inactivated state of the touch screen;

drive the touch screen with a higher rate sensing signal for sensing a second touch input than for sensing the first touch input in the locked state of the mobile terminal and the inactivated state of the touch screen; and

perform a first operation or a second operation based on whether the plurality of touch inputs including the first touch input and the second touch input on the touch screen match a predetermined pattern,

wherein according to the first operation, the controller is configured to;

release a locked state of the mobile terminal and switch the touch screen to the activated state, when the plurality of touch inputs on the touch screen in the inactivated state match the predetermined pattern for releasing the locked state of the mobile terminal,

wherein according to the second operation, the controller is configured to;

maintain the locked state of the mobile terminal and the inactivated state of the touch screen such that illumination is not applied to the touch screen yet, when the plurality of touch inputs does not match the predetermined pattern; and

output notification information indicating that the plurality of touch inputs does not match the predetermined pattern, while illumination is not applied to the touch screen.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the touch screen is driven with the lower rate sensing signal again when the second touch input is not applied within a period of time after the first touch input is applied.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to switch the touch screen from the inactivated state to the activated state for outputting another error information, while maintaining the locked state of the mobile terminal, when the number of times that the plurality of touch inputs does not match the predetermined pattern exceeds a predetermined number of times.