MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20160266652A1
• Filed: 08/22/2014
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: SON, Hyuna, PARK, Jaeo, LEE, Jangik, KIM, Yurim, CHUNG, Woocheol
• Granted Patent: US 9,733,719 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04101 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 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/40 Circuits

Abstract

Provided is a mobile terminal including: a main body; a display unit that is arranged to the main body and to which screen information is output; a sensing unit that senses a gesture that is applied to a region outside of the main body; and a controller that performs a function associated with at least one portion of the screen information that is output to the display unit if a predetermined-type gesture is applied to the region outside of the main body.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a main body;

a display unit that is arranged to the main body and to which screen information is output;

a sensing unit that senses a gesture that is applied to a region outside of the main body; and

a controller that performs a function associated with at least one portion of the screen information that is output to the display unit if a predetermined-type gesture is applied to the region outside of the main body.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the region outside of the main body includes multiple regions that correspond to multiple edges of the main body, respectively, and

wherein the controller performs a function that differs based on a drag gesture that is applied along different edges within the multiple regions that correspond to the multiple edges, respectively.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein if the drag gesture is applied along one edge of the main body, the controller performs a function of scrolling a page that corresponds to the screen information, and

wherein if the drag gesture is applied along a different edge perpendicular to the one edge, the controller switches a page corresponding to the screen information to a different page.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when the predetermined-type gesture is applied to one point on the region outside of the main body, the controller outputs an indicator to the display unit, wherein the indicator is moved with application of a first type gesture to the region outside of the main body, and

wherein a point at which the indicator is positioned is selected in response to application of a second type gesture different from the first type gesture to the region outside of the main body.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the region outside of the main body includes multiple regions that correspond to multiple edges of the main body, respectively, and

wherein the associated function is determined based on the gestures that are applied to at least two regions among the multiple regions that correspond to the multiple edges, respectively.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein when drag gestures that are applied to one region and the other region among the at least two regions, respectively, are a pinch-in gesture or a pinch-out gesture, the controller reduces or enlarges a page corresponding to the screen information.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein if at least two of the pinch-in gestures are applied to the at least two regions, respectively, the controller captures the screen information that is output to the display unit.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the gestures that are applied to the at least two regions are a first type gesture and a second type gesture different from the first type gesture, respectively and

wherein the controller performs a function that differs according to a position at which the first type gesture is applied within the multiple regions.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein when the first type gesture is applied to a first region, one region among the multiple regions, and then the second type gesture is applied to a second region that lies in the direction opposite to the first region, the controller performs a sound volume control function, and

wherein when the first type gesture is applied to the second region and then the second type gesture is applied to the first region, the controller performs a brightness control function.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the multiple regions include at least one among regions that correspond to corners, respectively, at which the multiple edges intersect, and

wherein when the first type gesture is applied to any one among the regions that correspond to the corners, respectively, and the second type gesture is applied to any one among the regions that correspond to the edges of the main body, respectively, the controller executes a predetermined application.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the second type gesture is a drag gesture that is applied along the edge of the main body, and

wherein the controller executes an application that differs according to a direction in which the drag gesture is applied.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the function that is performed based on the gesture that is applied to the region outside of the main body is determined based on an operation mode for the mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein when the mobile terminal is in a first operation mode, the controller performs a first function based on the gesture that is applied to the region outside of the main body, and

wherein when the mobile terminal is in a second operation mode different from the first operation mode, the controller performs a second function different from the first function, based on the gesture.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein if a scroll function is performed with a drag gesture that is applied to the region outside of the main body, the controller performs control in such a manner that a scroll speed differs according to a distance from the main body to a position at which the drag gesture is applied.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when in a state where the display unit is inactivated, the predetermined-type gesture is applied to the region outside of the main body, the controller performs the associated function and maintains the inactivated state of the display unit.

16. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, comprising:

outputting screen information;

sensing a gesture that is applied to a region outside of a main body; and

performing a function associated with at least one portion of the screen information that is output to a display unit if a predetermined-type gesture is applied to the region outside of the main body.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the region outside of the main body includes multiple regions that correspond to multiple edges of the main body, respectively, and

wherein the performing of the associated function includes performing a function that differs based on a drag gesture that is applied along different edges within the multiple regions that correspond to the multiple edges, respectively.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the performing of the associated function includes performing a function of scrolling a page that corresponds to the screen information if the drag gesture is applied along one edge of the main body and switching a page corresponding to the screen information to a different page if the drag gesture is applied along a different edge perpendicular to the one edge.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the performing of the associated function includes outputting an indicator to the display unit, wherein the indicator is moved with application of a first type gesture to the region outside of the main body when the predetermined-type gesture is applied to one point on the region outside of the main body, and

wherein a point at which the indicator is positioned is selected in response to application of a second type gesture different from the first type gesture to the region outside of the main body.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the region outside of the main body includes multiple regions that correspond to multiple edges of the main body, respectively, and

wherein the associated function is determined based on the gestures that are applied to at least two regions among the multiple regions that correspond to the multiple edges, respectively.