Mobile terminal and control method thereof

• US 8,219,152 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Oh, Jung-A, Kim, Tae-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Cong
• Application Number:
  US12/414,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20100056220A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,198 Days
• Field of Search: 455/550.1, 455/566, 455/158.4, 455/158.5, 455/145, 345/169, 345/173
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A mobile terminal is presented. The mobile terminal includes a display module comprising a front surface and a rear surface, a display controller for displaying an object associated with a first menu on at least one of the front surface or rear surface, a user input unit configured to receive a touch input via the front and rear surface of the display module for selecting one of the displayed objects, and a controller configured to execute an operation associated with the selected object according to which of the front and rear surface is touched.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a transparent display unit comprising a front surface and a rear surface, and configured to display an object;

a first touch sensor defined within the front surface;

a second touch sensor defined within the rear surface; and

a control unit configured to execute a first operation associated with the displayed object that responds to an input received at the first touch sensor and to execute a second operation associated with the displayed object that responds to an input received at the second touch sensor,

wherein the control unit is further configured to execute a different operation associated with the displayed object based upon on which of the first and second touch sensors the input is received.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first operation is a function associated with the displayed object.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the second operation is a preview of information associated with the displayed object.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the first operation and the second operation are set according to a type of the displayed object.

5. The terminal of claim 4, wherein other operations are set according to the type of the displayed object.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to activate a second menu in response to an input received at the first touch sensor or the second touch sensor when a first menu is active, and to deactivate the first menu in response to activating the second menu.

7. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the second menu is displayed according to the location on the first touch sensor.

8. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the second menu to utilize information associated with the first menu.

9. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the first menu and the second menu are layered such that the activated second menu overlaps the deactivated first menu.

10. The terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the transparent display unit to display the activated second menu relatively sharper than the deactivated first menu.

11. The terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to deactivate the activated second menu in response to a second input received at the first touch sensor and to activate the deactivated first menu in response to a third input received at the second touch sensor.

12. A method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying an object on a transparent display unit comprising a front surface and a rear surface;

executing a first operation associated with the displayed object that responds to an input received at a first touch sensor defined within the front surface; and

executing a second operation associated with the displayed object that responds to an input received at a second touch sensor defined with the second surface,

wherein the control unit executes a different operation associated with the displayed object based upon on which of the first and second touch sensors the input is received.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first operation is a function associated with the displayed object.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the second operation is a preview of information associated with the displayed object.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

setting the first operation and the second operation according a type of the displayed object.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

setting other operations according a type of the displayed object.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

activating a second menu in response to an input received at the first touch sensor or the second touch sensor when the first menu is active; and

deactivating the first menu in response to activating the second menu.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying the second menu according to a location on the first touch sensor.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the second menu utilizes information associated with the first menu.

20. The terminal of claim 17, further comprising:

layering the first menu and the second menu such that the activated second menu overlaps the deactivated first menu.

21. The terminal of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying the activated second menu relatively sharper than the deactivated first menu.

22. The terminal of claim 20, further comprising:

deactivating the activated second menu in response to a second input received at the first touch sensor; and

activating the deactivated first menu in response to a third input received at the second touch sensor.