Method for allocating/arranging keys on touch-screen, and mobile terminal for use of the same

• US 8,643,617 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2011
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Tae Hun, Cheon, Jee Young, Park, Yeon Woo, Lee, Sang Hyuck
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Edwards, Carolyn R
• Application Number:
  US13/212,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20110300912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 902 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-175
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method for allocating/arranging keys on a touch-screen and a mobile terminal for the same are disclosed. The method for allocating at least one key on a touch-screen includes establishing a plurality of sensing zones on the touch-screen, wherein sizes of the plurality of sensing zones change in sequential order according to a key-arrangement direction, and allocating the at least one key to at least one of the plurality of sensing zones.

Claims

1. A method for changing displayed key characteristics on a touch a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying a key characteristic menu on a first touch screen, wherein the menu includes a plurality of user-selectable options for modifying a first key group that includes a plurality of keys, wherein the user-selectable options of the menu include key arrangement and key background;

displaying a key arrangement modification menu on a second touch screen in response to user selection of the key arrangement option of the key characteristic menu, wherein the key arrangement modification menu includes a plurality of templates, wherein each template of the plurality of templates graphically depicts a different spatial arrangement for the displaying of keys;

identifying a selected template of the plurality of templates in response to user selection with regard to the displayed key arrangement modification menu;

displaying the keys of the first key group according to a first spatial arrangement on the first touch screen;

displaying keys of a second key group according to a spatial arrangement of the selected template on the second touch screen, wherein the keys of the first key group and the keys of the second key group are the same but are displayed in different spatial arrangements such that the first spatial arrangement is different from the spatial arrangement of the selected template;

modifying key allocation of the keys of the second key group by changing any key of the keys of the second key group in response to user input, wherein a key of the second key group is changed by a touch input moving a key of the first key group to a changed key of the second key group;

displaying the keys of the second key group on the second touch screen according to the modified key allocation and the selected template;

displaying a key background menu on the second touch screen in response to user selection of the key background option of the key characteristic menu, wherein the key background menu includes a plurality of images for use as background for the keys of the second key group;

associating a selected image of the plurality of images with the keys of the second key group in response to user selection with regard to the displayed key background menu, wherein the selected image is displayed as a background image only when the keys of the second key group are displayed;

storing the modified key allocation, the selected template, and the selected image; and

transmitting the modified key allocation, the selected template, and the selected image to another mobile terminal to permit the another mobile terminal to apply the modified key allocation, the selected template, and the selected image to a key group of the another mobile terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of templates includes at least one template having at least a matrix-shape key arrangement, a two-sided-shape key arrangement, a three-sided-shape key arrangement, a circular-shape key arrangement, or a square-shape key arrangement.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first touch screen and the second touch screen are separated by a connection portion configured to indicate a movement of a key being moved from the first key group on the first touch screen to the second key group on the second touch screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a size and shape of one or more keys in each of the plurality of templates are selectable by a user.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first key group and the second key group each display only a plurality of preferred keys indicated by the user as preferred keys.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first key group and the second key group each display all keys of each respective key group except one or more non-preferred keys indicated by the user as non-preferred keys.

7. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a first touch screen and a second touch screen each configured to display information and receive inputs;

a memory unit configured to store information;

a wireless communication unit configured to transmit information; and

a controller configured to;

cause the first touch screen to display a key characteristic menu which includes a plurality of user-selectable options for modifying a first key group that includes a plurality of keys, wherein the user-selectable options of the menu include key arrangement and key background;

cause the second touch screen to display a key arrangement modification menu in response to user selection of the key arrangement option of the key characteristic menu, wherein the key arrangement modification menu includes a plurality of templates, wherein each template of the plurality of templates graphically depicts a different spatial arrangement for the displaying of keys;

identify a selected template of the plurality of templates in response to user selection with regard to the displayed key arrangement modification menu;

cause the first touch screen to display the keys of the first key group according to a first spatial arrangement;

cause the second touch screen to display keys of a second key group according to a spatial arrangement of the selected template, wherein the keys of the first key group and the keys of the second key group are the same but are displayed in different spatial arrangements such that the first spatial arrangement is different from the spatial arrangement of the selected template;

modify key allocation of the keys of the second key group by changing any key of the keys of the second key group in response to user input, wherein a key of the second key group is changed by an input received by the touch screen moving a key of the first key group to a changed key of the second key group;

cause the second touch screen to display the keys of the second key group according to the modified key allocation and the selected template;

cause the second touch screen to display a key background menu in response to user selection of the key background option of the key characteristic menu, wherein the key background menu includes a plurality of images for use as background for the keys of the second key group;

associate a selected image of the plurality of images with the keys of the second key group in response to user selection with regard to the displayed key background menu, wherein the selected image is displayed as a background image only when the keys of the second key group are displayed;

cause the memory unit to store the modified key allocation, the selected template, and the selected image; and

cause the wireless transmission unit to transmit the modified key allocation, the selected template, and the selected image to another mobile terminal to permit the another mobile terminal to apply the modified key allocation, the selected template, and the selected image to a key group of the another mobile terminal.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the plurality of templates includes at least one template having at least a matrix-shape key arrangement, a two-sided-shape key arrangement, a three-sided-shape key arrangement, a circular-shape key arrangement, or a square-shape key arrangement.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7, further comprising a connection portion, wherein the first touch screen and the second touch screen are separated by the connection portion, and the controller is further configured to cause the connection portion to indicate a movement of a key being moved from the first key group on the first touch screen to the second key group on the second touch screen.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to change a size and shape of one or more keys in each of the plurality of templates in response to a user input.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the touch screen to display each of the first key group and the second key group with only a plurality of preferred keys indicated as preferred keys in response to a user input.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the touch screen to display each of the first key group and the second key group with all keys of each respective key group except one or more non-preferred keys indicated as non-preferred keys in response to a user input.