Mobile terminal capable of providing weather information and method of controlling the mobile terminal

• US 8,306,515 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2009
• Issued: 11/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryu, Hye Jin, Chung, Jin Woo, Lee, Dong Seok, Heo, Jeong Yun, Kim, Moon Ju
• Primary Examiner(s): Pérez-Gutiérrez, Rafael
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan, Suhail
• Application Number:
  US12/352,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20090186604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/503 Blending, e.g. for anti-aliasing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

A method of controlling a mobile terminal is provided. The method includes displaying a first screen image, receiving weather information, providing a semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the weather information, and overlaying the semi-transparent filter effect onto the first screen image to create a second composite image, and displaying the second composite image. A mobile terminal is also provided, which includes a display module configured to display a first screen image as an idle screen background, a wireless communication unit configured to receive weather information through a communication network, and a controller configured to overlay a semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the received weather information onto the first screen image to create a second composite image, and then to display the second composite image.

Claims

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

storing, in a memory of the mobile terminal, a plurality of weather-related personal products of a user using the mobile terminal mapped with particular types of weather conditions, said weather-related personal products being used for protecting the user from weather;

displaying, on a first area of a display unit of the mobile terminal, at least one status icon for indicating a current status of the mobile terminal, displaying, on a second area of the display unit, a first screen image as an idle screen background, and displaying, on the first screen image, at least one menu icon for executing an operational function of the mobile terminal;

periodically receiving, via a wireless communication of the mobile terminal, weather information through a communication network;

searching for, via a controller of the mobile terminal, a semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the weather information, the semi-transparent filter effect being stored in advance in the mobile terminal;

overlaying the semi-transparent filter effect onto the first screen image to create a second composite image;

displaying the second composite image as a new idle screen background;

in response to manipulation of a user input, either displaying an icon corresponding to the weather information on the new idle screen background or removing the icon corresponding to the weather information on the new idle screen background, the icon being varied automatically according to the periodically received weather information;

providing a function for enabling the user to add one of an image and an icon corresponding to the received weather information to a text message and transmitting the text message; and

in response to determining whether it is necessary to output alarm information based on the received weather information, the method further comprises;

determining, via the controller, a type of weather condition included in the weather information, and selecting weather-related personal products from the memory that are mapped to the determined type of weather condition; and

outputting, via the wireless communication unit, alarm information to the selected weather-related personal products among the plurality of weather-related personal products, the selected weather-related personal products configured to output an alarm sound based on the received alarm information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-transparent filter effect covers a majority of the first screen image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-transparent filter effect covers an entirety of the first screen image.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first screen image is chosen in response to a user command.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the weather information is provided in real time through the communication network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the weather information includes at least one of a filter effect for applying a halation effect to the first screen image, a filter effect for overlaying an image of water drops over the first screen image, and a filter effect for overlaying an image of snow over the first screen image.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying the semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the weather information to a message and transmitting the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the alarm signal is at least one of an alarm sound and an alarm voice message corresponding to the received weather information.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying previously set alarm settings according to the received weather information such that an alarm is set to go off later or earlier than a previously set original alarm time.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the weather-related personal products include at least one of a raincoat, an umbrella, a mask, a hat or sunblock.

11. A mobile terminal comprising:

a memory configured to store a plurality of weather-related personal products of a user using the mobile terminal mapped with particular types of weather conditions, said weather-related personal products being used for protecting the user from weather;

a display module configured to display at least one status icon for indicating a current status of the mobile terminal on a first area of a display screen, display a first screen image as an idle screen background on a second area of the display screen, and display at least one menu icon for executing an operational function of the mobile terminal on the first screen image;

a user manipulation unit configured to generate key input data based on user input;

a wireless communication unit configured to periodically receive weather information through a communication network; and

a controller configured to;

search for a semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the weather information, the semi-transparent filter effect being stored in advance in the mobile terminal;

overlay the semi-transparent filter effect onto the first screen image to create a second composite image, display the second composite image as a new idle screen background;

in response to manipulation of the user manipulation unit, either display an icon corresponding to the weather information on the new idle screen background or remove the icon corresponding to the weather information on the new idle screen background, the icon being varied automatically according to the periodically received weather information; and

provide a function for enabling the user to add one of an image and an icon corresponding to the received weather information to a text message and transmitting the text message,

wherein the controller is further configured to determine a type of weather condition included in the weather information, to select weather-related personal products from the memory that are mapped to the determined type of weather condition, and to output alarm information, via the wireless communication unit, to the selected weather-related personal products among the plurality of weather-related personal products, the selected weather-related personal products capable of outputting an alarm sound based on the received alarm information.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the semi-transparent filter effect covers a majority of the first screen image.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the semi-transparent filter effect covers an entirety of the first screen image.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 11, further comprising a memory configured to store at least one semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the weather information.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the at least one semi-transparent filter effect corresponding to the weather information includes at least one of a filter effect for applying a halation effect to the first screen image, a filter effect for overlaying an image of water drops over the first screen image, and a filter effect for overlaying an image of snow over the first screen image.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the weather-related personal products include at least one of a raincoat, an umbrella, a mask, a hat or sunblock.