Mobile terminal and method of displaying information in mobile terminal

• US 8,103,296 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2010
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Taeyong
• Primary Examiner(s): DOAN, PHUOC HUU
• Application Number:
  US12/724,080
• Publication Number:
  US 20100311445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 455/566, 715/764, 709/203, 709/223
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2746 Sorting, e.g. according to history or frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a method of displaying information in the mobile terminal are provided. The mobile terminal conveniently provides a plurality of item groups which respectively include at least one item and respectively have different group identifiers to a user. For example, a specific group identifier can remain on a screen when the screen is scrolled, and thus the user is easily aware of properties or categories of items currently displayed on the screen.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a memory configured to store a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items corresponding to one of a plurality of item groups, each of the plurality of item groups having a corresponding group identifier;

a display having an information region configured to display at least one of the plurality of item groups with its corresponding group identifier; and

a controller configured to scroll the displayed at least one of the plurality of item groups and its corresponding group identifier in the information region of the display in response to an input received by the mobile terminal,

wherein a corresponding group identifier of a first of the plurality of item groups is a first group identifier,

wherein the controller is further configured to fix a position of the first group identifier at a predetermined first position in the information region of the display during scrolling in a first direction upon the first group identifier and a first item of the first of the plurality of item groups reaching the first position in the information region, and

wherein the controller is further configured to maintain the first group identifier at the first position in the information region during continued scrolling in the first direction until a last item of the first of the plurality item groups scrolls past the first position in the information region.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the predetermined first position of the information region is located a predetermined distance away from a first boundary of the information region, the first boundary being at an edge of the information region toward which item groups being scrolled in the first direction approach.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to scroll the first group identifier and the last item of the first of the plurality of item groups together in the first direction during scrolling in the first direction after the last item of the first of the plurality of item groups scrolls past the first position of the information region.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to display the first group identifier at the first boundary of the information region during scrolling in the first direction when the last item of the first of the plurality of item groups scrolls past the first boundary of the information region.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to display a group identifier of an item group subsequent to the first of the plurality of item groups at the first boundary of the information region upon a last item of the subsequent item group scrolling in the first direction past the first boundary of the information region.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the maximum number of group identifiers that may be displayed at the first boundary of the information region is fixed.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to display an item group on the information region that corresponds to a group identifier selected from group identifiers displayed at the first boundary of the information region.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to display the selected group identifier at the first position of the information region and to display the item group corresponding to the selected group identifier before the first position of the information region in relation to the first direction.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to align and display the plurality of item groups according to categories to which each of the plurality of item groups belong.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the categories include at least points of time when each of the plurality of items is generated or received, subjects that generate or transmit each of the plurality of items, item types, item capacities, whether each of the plurality of items is reproduced or whether each of the plurality of items is protected.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display includes a touch screen configured to receive the input to scroll the displayed at least one of the plurality of item groups and the corresponding group identifier via a touch input applied to the information region of the touch screen.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of items include at least multimedia contents or a message, wherein the multimedia contents comprise at least text, a still image or a moving image and the message comprises at least a short message service (SMS) message, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message or an e-mail message.

13. A method of displaying information in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying an information region on a display, the information region being configured to display a plurality of items, each of the plurality of items corresponding to one of a plurality of item groups, each of the plurality of item groups having a corresponding group identifier;

displaying at least one of the plurality of item groups in the information region with its corresponding group identifier; and

scrolling via a controller the displayed at least one of the plurality of item groups and the corresponding group identifier in a first direction in the information region in response to an input received by the mobile terminal,

wherein a corresponding group identifier of a first of the plurality of item groups is a first group identifier,

wherein scrolling the displayed at least one of the plurality of item groups in the first direction comprises;

fixing a position of the first group identifier at a predetermined first position in the information region upon the first group identifier and a first item of the first of the plurality of item groups reaching the first position in the information region, and

maintaining the first group identifier at the first position in the information region until a last item of the first of the plurality of item groups scrolls past the first position in the information region.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined first position of the information region is located a predetermined distance away from a first boundary of the information region, the first boundary being at an edge of the information region toward which item groups being scrolled in the first direction approach.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein scrolling the displayed at least one of the plurality of item groups in the first direction further comprises scrolling the first group identifier and the last item of the first of the plurality of item groups together in the first direction after the last item of the first of the plurality of item groups scrolls past the first position of the information region.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein scrolling the displayed at least one of the plurality of item groups in the first direction further comprises displaying the first group identifier at the first boundary of the information region when the last item of the first of the plurality of item groups scrolls past the first boundary of the information region.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein scrolling the displayed at least one of the plurality of item groups in the first direction further comprises displaying a group identifier of an item group subsequent to the first of the plurality of item groups at the first boundary of the information region upon a last item of the subsequent item group scrolling in the first direction past the first boundary of the information region, and the maximum number of group identifiers that may be displayed at the first boundary of the information region is fixed.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying an item group on the information region that corresponds to a group identifier selected from group identifiers displayed at the first boundary of the information region.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of items include at least multimedia contents or a message, wherein the multimedia contents comprise at least text, a still image or a moving image and the message comprises at least a short message service (SMS) message, a multimedia messaging service (MMS) message or an e-mail message.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 13, further comprising aligning and displaying the plurality of item groups via the controller according to categories to which each of the plurality of item groups belong,

wherein the categories include at least points of time when each of the plurality of items is generated or received, subjects that generate or transmit each of the plurality of items, item types, item capacities, whether each of the plurality of items is reproduced or whether each of the plurality of items is protected.