Accessing features provided by a mobile terminal

• US 8,479,123 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Hye Youn
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORR, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US12/340,469
• Publication Number:
  US 20090174668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,656 Days
• Field of Search: 715/864, 715/763
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A terminal providing one or more features to a user is disclosed. The terminal comprises a control unit, a user input unit, display unit. The control unit provides, on a standby image of the terminal, an option to select type of an inputted character, an option to select one or more menus to execute features associated with the inputted character, or both. The user input unit enables the user to input the character and select type of the character or select one or more of the menus. The display unit displays the inputted character according to the selected type of the character and also displays the menus.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

a controller for causing a display unit of the terminal to display a menu option while displaying a default screen such that a user can select a type of a character to be input into an edit window without the user first accessing the edit window;

a user input unit for enabling the user to select the type of the character and input the character by interacting with the displayed menu option; and

the display unit for displaying the input character according to the selected type of the character,

wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to display the input character in the edit window, and

wherein the controller is further for causing the edit window to disappear in response to the input character being erased.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to display one or more character types in response to the user interacting with the user input unit to select the type of the character.

3. The terminal of claim 2, wherein the displayed menu option provides an option to select the type of the character from different languages.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to display additional menu options that are associated with the type of the input character.

5. The terminal of claim 4, wherein the additional menu options are provided at least in part according to editing a context in which the character is input.

6. The terminal of claim 4, wherein the user input unit comprises a key button for selecting one of the displayed additional menu options.

7. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the key button comprises a side key located on a lateral side of the terminal.

8. The terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to display a first menu simultaneously with the input character.

9. The terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to display another one of the additional menu options when the key button is activated.

10. The terminal of claim 9, wherein the displayed additional menu options are switched sequentially according to a predetermined order.

11. The terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to switch an image corresponding to the displayed menu option in response to displaying the another one of the additional menu options.

12. A terminal comprising:

a controller for causing a display unit of the terminal to display a menu option while displaying a default screen such that a user can select a type of a character to be input into an edit window without the user first accessing the edit window;

a user input unit for enabling the user to input the character and select from one or more menu options provided for the input character; and

the display unit for displaying the input character and the one or more menu options,

wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to display the input character in the edit window, and

wherein the controller is further for causing the edit window to disappear in response to the input character being erased.

13. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is further for causing the display unit to display graphic user interface (GUI) objects corresponding to the displayed one or more menu options and the input character in response to the user interacting with the user input unit to input the character.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the GUI objects are displayed according to a priority.

15. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the user input unit comprises a touchscreen for selecting one of the displayed one or more menu options.

16. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the displayed one or more menu options are assigned to the input character by the user.

17. A computer-implemented method for a terminal, the method comprising:

displaying a standby image while the terminal is in a standby mode; and

providing an option for selecting a character type on the standby image,

wherein, when a character is input in accordance with the selected character type, the input character is displayed in a window, and

wherein the window disappears in response to the input character being erased.

18. A computer-implemented method for a terminal, the method comprising:

providing selectable user interface menu options for inputting one or more characters into an edit window on a display screen of the mobile terminal,

wherein the user interface menu options are provided prior to the edit window being displayed on the display screen such that the edit window is automatically displayed when a user selects one of the menu options associated with selecting a type of character to be input in the edit window,

wherein the type of character comprises at least numeric type, text type of a first language, text type of a second language or special text characters,

wherein the input one or more characters are displayed in the edit window, and

wherein the edit window disappears in response to the input one or more characters being erased.