Mobile terminal and transparent display control method thereof

• US 8,249,662 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong-Hwan, Park, Nam-Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Howard
• Application Number:
  US12/407,024
• Publication Number:
  US 20090298548A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,251 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/575.4
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0208 characterized by the relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0233 Including a rotatable display body part
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a transparent display configured to display information on both surfaces of the transparent display, a sensing unit configured to detect a movement of the terminal, and a controller configured to control the information displayed on said both surfaces of the transparent display based on the detected movement of the terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a transparent display configured to display information on both surfaces of the transparent display;

a sensing unit configured to detect a movement of the terminal; and

a controller configured to display first information on a first surface of the transparent display when the sensing unit senses the terminal is positioned in a first position and to display second information on a second surface of the transparent display when the sensing unit senses the terminal is positioned in a second position that is different than the first position.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the movement of the terminal sensed by the sensing unit includes at least one of a rotation of the terminal, a movement of the terminal, or an inclination of the terminal.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a first standby screen, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes a second standby screen that is different than the first standby screen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a plurality top level menus for executing functions on the mobile terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes a sub level menus corresponding to one of the top level menus.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes reproduced information being reproduced on the first surface of the transparent display, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes detailed information about the information being reproduced on the first surface of the transparent display.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a listing of items provided by the terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes an executable file corresponding to an item selected from the list of items.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes chatting messages corresponding to a video call being performed between the mobile terminal and at least one other terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes video images of users in the video call.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a listing of items provided by the terminal in a first format, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes the listing of the items in a second format that is different than the first format.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes information corresponding to a voice call being performed on the terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes information corresponding to the voice call being changed into a video call.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to change an operation mode of the terminal from displaying the first information on the first surface of the transparent display to displaying the second information on the second surface of the transparent display when the sensing unit senses the mobile terminal is change from the first surface facing a user to the second surface facing the user.

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

displaying information on both surfaces of a transparent display included with the mobile terminal;

detecting a movement of the terminal using a sensing unit of the terminal;

displaying first information on a first surface of the transparent display when the sensing unit senses the terminal is positioned in a first position; and

displaying second information on a second surface of the transparent display when the sensing unit senses the terminal is positioned in a second position that is different than the first position.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the movement of the terminal sensed by the sensing step includes at least one of a rotation of the terminal, a movement of the terminal, or an inclination of the terminal.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a first standby screen, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes a second standby screen that is different than the first standby screen.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a plurality top level menus for executing functions on the mobile terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes a sub level menus corresponding to one of the top level menus.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes reproduced information being reproduced on the first surface of the transparent display, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes detailed information about the information being reproduced on the first surface of the transparent display.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a listing of items provided by the terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes an executed file corresponding to an item selected from the list of items.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes chatting messages corresponding to a video call being performed between the mobile terminal and at least one other terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes video images of users in the video call.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes a listing of items provided by the terminal in a first format, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes the listing of the items in a second format that is different than the first format.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the first information displayed on the first surface of the transparent display includes information corresponding to a voice call being performed on the terminal, and the second information displayed on the second surface of the transparent display includes information corresponding to the voice call being changed into a video call.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the controller step further comprises changing an operation mode of the terminal from displaying the first information on the first surface of the transparent display to displaying the second information on the second surface of the transparent display when the sensing unit senses the mobile terminal is change from the first surface facing a user to the second surface facing the user.