Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 8,301,202 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2010
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Min Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Assistant Examiner(s): HTUN, SAN A
• Application Number:
  US12/704,335
• Publication Number:
  US 20110053642A1
• Time in Patent Office: 992 Days
• Field of Search: 4554561-4563, 455/457, 455/550.1, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/556.2, 455/566, 455/427, 455418-420, 455/556.1, 455/557, 340988-996, 701200-214, 701/418, 701/426, 701/429, 701/436, 701/438, 701/459, 701/487, 715762-764, 715808-810, 715817-826, 715/855, 715859-865
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a user input unit configured to receive user-inputs, a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal, at least one camera configured to capture images, a touchscreen configured to display a camera preview image captured by the camera, a position-location processor configured to obtain information on a current position of the mobile terminal, and a controller configured to display textual object information on the touchscreen identifying objects included within the preview image based on the obtained current position of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a user input unit configured to receive user-inputs;

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

at least one camera configured to capture images;

a touchscreen configured to display a camera preview image captured by the camera;

a position-location processor configured to obtain information on a current position of the mobile terminal;

an object information processor configured to obtain textual object information existing within the camera preview image; and

a controller configured to;

display an object information presence indicator on the touchscreen indicating that textual object information exists within the camera preview image before displaying the textual object information,

display an object information activation indicator indicating that the controller is activated to display the textual object information on the touchscreen and an object display indicator corresponding to the object, when the object information presence indicator is selected,

display the textual object information on the touchscreen together with the camera preview image identifying objects included within the preview image based on the obtained current position of the mobile terminal, when the object display indicator is selected, and

deactivate the object information processor if a prescribed webpage is accessed via the wireless communication unit based on a selection of the textual object information,

wherein if at least two objects exist within the camera preview image, the controller is further configured to display textual object information of the obiect closest to the current position of the mobile terminal, and

wherein if a prescribed user command is input or a prescribed period of time passes, the controller is further configured to display textual object information of the object second closest to the current position of the mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the object information presence indicator on the touchscreen without being visually mapped to any of the objects.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the same number of the object information presence indicators on the touchscreen regardless of the number of the objects within the camera preview image.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the textual object information if a position of the object is within a prescribed distance from the obtained current position of the mobile terminal.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store an object information database downloadable via the wireless communication unit,

wherein the controller is further configured to obtain the corresponding object information from the object information database.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the downloaded object information database comprises an object information database for an object located within a predetermined distance from the obtained current position of the mobile terminal.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the wireless communication unit to obtain the textual object information from an external server.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when an object included within the preview image is selected, the controller is further configured to check whether textual object information exists for the selected object, and to automatically display the textual object information for the selected object on the touchscreen if the textual object information exists for the selected object.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein if at least two objects exist within the camera preview image, the controller is further configured to display corresponding object display indicators for each of the at least two objects.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein if one of the displayed object display indicators is selected, the controller is further configured to display textual object information on the touchscreen for the selected object identified by the object display indicator.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a plurality of object information categories on the touchscreen, and when one of the object information categories is selected, to display only textual object information for objects that belong in the selected object information category.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to automatically display textual object information for an object within the camera preview image when the object is within a prescribed distance from the current position of the mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the prescribed distance is set by a terminal user.

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

allowing, via a wireless communication unit, wireless communication with at least one other terminal;

capturing, via at least one camera provided on the mobile terminal, a camera preview image;

displaying, on a touchscreen of the mobile terminal, the captured camera preview image;

obtaining, via a position-location processor, information on a current position of the mobile terminal;

obtaining, via an object information processor, textual object information existing within the camera preview image;

displaying, via a controller, an object information presence indicator on the touchscreen indicating that textual object information exists within the camera preview image before displaying the textual object information when it is detected that at least one object existing within the camera preview image has at least one object information;

displaying, via the controller, an object information activation indicator indicating that the controller is activated to display the textual object information on the touchscreen and an object display indicator corresponding to the object when the object information presence indicator is selected;

displaying, via the controller, the textual object information together with the camera preview image on the touchscreen identifying objects included within the preview image based on the obtained current position of the mobile terminal, when the object display indicator is selected; and

deactivating, via the controller, the object information processor if a prescribed webpage is accessed via the wireless communication unit based on a selection of the textual object information,

wherein if at least two objects exist within the camera preview image, the method further comprises displaying, via the controller, textual object information of the object closest to the current position of the mobile terminal, and

wherein if a prescribed user command is input or a prescribed period of time passes, the method further comprises displaying, via the controller, textual object information of the object second closest to the current position of the mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, via the controller, the textual object information if a position of the object is within a prescribed distance from the obtained current position of the mobile terminal; and

displaying an object information activation indicator indicating that the controller is activated to display the textual object information on the touchscreen.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein when an object included within the preview image is selected, the method further comprises:

checking, via the controller, whether textual object information exists for the selected object; and

automatically displaying the textual object information for the selected object on the touchscreen if the textual object information exists for the selected object.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, via the controller, a plurality of object information categories on the touchscreen, and when one of the object information categories is selected, displaying only textual object information for objects that belong in the selected object information category.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

automatically displaying, via the controller, textual object information for an object within the camera preview image when the object is within a prescribed distance from the current position of the mobile terminal,

wherein the prescribed distance can be updated by a terminal user.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, via the controller, the object information presence indicator on the touchscreen without being visually mapped to any of the objects.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, via the controller, the same number of the object information presence indicators on the touchscreen regardless of the number of the objects within the camera preview image.