Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 8,433,370 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2011
• Issued: 04/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Eunsoo
• Primary Examiner(s): AJIBADE AKONAI, OLUMIDE
• Application Number:
  US13/013,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20120015672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 4554561-4563, 4554565-457, 455/550.1, 455/566, 455/414.2, 345/156, 345/629, 345/632, 345/633
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/00 2D [Two Dimensional] image generation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• 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 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which object information on an object in a preview image is held in the preview image to be utilized in various ways. The present invention includes displaying a preview image photographed via a camera, obtaining a current position of the mobile terminal, searching object information on at least one object in the preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal, displaying the found object information within the preview image, if the displayed the object information is selected from the preview image, holding the selected object information within the preview image, and controlling an operation related to the held object information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit;

a camera configured to generate a preview image;

a position information unit configured to obtain a current position of the mobile terminal;

a touchscreen configured to display the generated preview image; and

a controller configured to;

search for object information related to at least one object in the preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal;

control the touchscreen to display the object information;

control the touchscreen to hold the object information within the preview image if the object information is selected; and

control the touchscreen to display the preview image including the held object information as a thumbnail if the object information is held, the thumbnail displayed within the preview image as it existed prior to holding the object information.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to maintain the display of the object information within the preview image until performing an operation related to the held object information if the object information is selected.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the touchscreen to maintain the display of the held object information as a photographing view of the camera is changed if an object corresponding to the held object information does not exist in the preview image;

control the touchscreen to hold the selected object information and stop displaying the rest of the object information that is not held when one of at least two object information displayed in the preview is selected;

or

control the touchscreen to display the held object information in the preview image such that the held object information is emphasized.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

held object information is shiftable according to a user'"'"'s touch and drag operation within the preview image; and

the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display object information on an object having a category related to the held object information each time the held object information passes over one of a plurality of objects within the preview image in response to the touch and drag operation.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the touchscreen to display an edit menu window for editing the held object information; and

store the edited object information if the held object information is edited via the edit menu window.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control a plurality of storage locations classified according to a category of an object to be displayed if a command for storing the held object information is received.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display stored object information in the preview image while the object information is stored according to the category and the current position of the mobile terminal approaches within a predetermined distance of an object corresponding to the stored object information.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to attach the held object information to a menu function selected by a user if the object information is held.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the menu function to which the held object information is attached comprises at least a menu write menu, an email write menu or a memo write menu.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to store the preview image including the object information while the object information is held if a command for photographing the preview image is received.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to store the held object information by synthesizing the held object information within the photographed preview image.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to store the photographed preview image and the held object information as separate files, by linking the preview image and the held object information to each other.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display both the stored preview image and the linked object information together when the stored preview image is executed.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the camera to photograph the preview image including the held object information if the displayed thumbnail image is selected; and

store the photographed preview image.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to display a new preview image if the preview image is changed to the new preview image by changing a photographing view of the camera, the new preview image including the held object information, a new object and new object information; and

a category of the new object information is related to a category of the held object information.

16. A mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless communication unit;

a camera configured to generate a preview image;

a position information unit configured to obtain a current position of the mobile terminal;

a touchscreen configured to display the generated preview image; and

a controller configured to;

search for object information related to at least one object in the preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal;

control the touchscreen to display the object information;

control the touchscreen to hold the object information within the preview image if the object information is selected;

control the touchscreen such that the touchscreen is partitioned into a first region and a second region if the object information is held;

control the touchscreen to display the preview image in the first region as it existed prior to holding the object information; and

control the touchscreen to display the preview image including the held object information in the second region.

17. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit;

a camera configured to generate a preview image;

a position information unit configured to obtain a current position of the mobile terminal;

a touchscreen configured to display the generated preview image; and

a controller configured to;

search for object information related to at least one object in the preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal;

control the touchscreen to display the object information;

control the touchscreen to hold the object information within the preview image if the object information is selected; and

control the wireless communication unit to transmit the held object information to be transmitted to a contact of a selected different object while the object information is held and the different object within the preview image is selected.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein:

the different object is located within the preview image including the held object information or is located within the preview image not including the held object information due to a changed photographing view of the camera;

the controller is further configured to control the wireless communication unit to transmit the held object information to the different object if the held object information is touched and dragged to the different object;

or

the controller is further configured to recognize a picture of a selected counterpart included in the different object and transmit the held object information to a contact set in the recognized picture.

19. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit;

a camera configured to generate a preview image;

a position information unit configured to obtain a current position of the mobile terminal;

a touchscreen configured to display the generated preview image; and

a controller configured to;

search for object information related to at least one object in the preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal;

control the touchscreen to display the object information;

control the touchscreen to hold the object information within the preview image if the object information is selected; and

recognize a pattern of at least one new object displayed in the preview image while the object information is held as a photographing view of the camera is changed; and

control the wireless communication unit to transmit the held object information to a contact previously set in the recognized pattern of the new object.

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

displaying a preview image generated via a camera;

obtaining a current position of the mobile terminal;

searching for object information related to at least one object in the preview image based on the current position of the mobile terminal;

displaying the object information within the preview image;

holding selected object information within the preview image if the displayed object information is selected from within the preview image; and

displaying the preview image including the held object information as a thumbnail, the thumbnail displayed within the preview image as it existed prior to holding the object information.