Mobile terminal and control method thereof

• US 8,787,983 B2
• Filed: 07/19/2012
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jonghwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US13/553,598
• Publication Number:
  US 20130072263A1
• Time in Patent Office: 733 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/418, 715/778, 715/781, 715/804, 715/864
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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 mobile terminal and a method of controlling the mobile terminal are provided. The mobile terminal includes a display configured to display a display area including one or more items, and a controller configured to set one or more virtual areas adjacent to the display area, wherein the one or more virtual areas have different attributes from an attribute of the display area, and configured to change and display at least one item selected from the one or more items depending on an attribute of at least one virtual area of the one or more virtual areas.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit configured to display one or more items; and

a controller configured to control the display unit to;

display the one or more items;

set one or more virtual areas on the display unit, the one or more virtual areas having different attributes for editing at least one item;

select a particular item from the one or more displayed items;

relocate the selected particular item to a particular virtual area of the one or more virtual areas; and

change the selected particular item according to an attribute of the particular virtual area.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to set a plurality of virtual areas having different attributes from each other in different locations adjacent to a display area of the display unit.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the plurality of virtual areas include a buffer area having an attribute of temporarily storing the selected particular item, a management area having an attribute of managing the selected particular, a lock screen area having an attribute of relocating the selected particular item to a lock screen and displaying the relocated particular item, and a hidden area having an attribute of selectively restricting access to the selected particular item.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the display area has a substantially rectangular shape and the different locations include at least two of an upper portion, a lower portion, a left portion, a right portion, and a corner portion of the display area.

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

select the particular item from the one or more displayed items according to a touch input; and

relocate the selected particular item to the particular virtual area corresponding to a direction of a drag of the touch input.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to set the one or more virtual areas when an editing mode is initiated in response to a touch input.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to display at least a predetermined number of virtual areas of the one or more virtual areas that are adjacent to a border of a display area of the display unit when a trajectory of a drag of the selected particular item approaches the border.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the display unit to change locations of the one or more virtual areas according to a rotational direction of the mobile terminal.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more virtual areas include a buffer area having an attribute of temporarily storing the selected particular item; and

the controller is further configured to control the display unit to;

relocate the selected particular item from a first background screen to the buffer area; and

relocate the selected particular item from the buffer area to a second background screen in response to a received touch input and display the relocated particular item.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more virtual areas include a buffer area having an attribute of temporarily storing the selected particular item; and

the controller is further configured to control the display unit to relocate the selected particular item to the buffer area and associate the selected particular item with an operation of an application being executed in a display area of the display unit in response to a received touch input.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more virtual areas include a lock screen area having an attribute of relocating the selected particular item to a lock screen and displaying the relocated particular item; and

the controller is further configured to control the display unit to relocate and execute the selected particular item irrespective of whether the mobile terminal is locked.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more virtual areas include a lock screen area having an attribute of relocating the selected particular item into a lock screen and displaying the relocated particular item; and

the controller is further configured to execute the relocated particular item when the mobile terminal is unlocked.

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

change a display area of the selected particular item to the particular virtual area; and

display the selected particular item on the particular virtual area.

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

change a shape of the selected particular item to a folder comprising the selected particular item.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the one or more virtual areas adjacent to the selected particular item.

16. A method of controlling a mobile, the method comprising:

displaying one or more items;

setting one or more virtual areas, the one or more virtual areas having different attributes for editing at least one item;

selecting a particular item from the one or more displayed items;

relocating the selected particular item to a particular virtual area of the one or more virtual areas; and

changing the selected particular item according to an attribute of the particular virtual area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of virtual areas include a buffer area having an attribute of temporarily storing the selected particular item, a management area having an attribute of managing the selected particular item, a lock screen area having an attribute of relocating the selected particular item to a lock screen and displaying the relocated particular item, and a hidden area having an attribute of selectively restricting access to the selected particular item.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein the particular item is selected from the one or more displayed items according to a touch input;

and

the selected particular item is relocated to the particular virtual area corresponding to a direction of a drag of the touch input.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying at least a predetermined number of virtual areas of the one or more virtual areas that are adjacent to a border of a display area of a display unit when a trajectory of a drag of the selected particular item approaches the border.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising changing locations of the one or more virtual areas according to a rotational direction of the mobile terminal.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising setting a plurality of virtual areas having different attributes from each other in different locations adjacent to a display area of a display unit.

22. The method of claim 16, further comprising setting the one or more virtual areas when an editing mode is initiated in response to a touch input.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein

a display area of a display unit has a substantially rectangular shape;

a plurality of virtual areas having different attributes from each other are set in different locations adjacent to the display area; and

the different locations include at least two of an upper portion, a lower portion, a left portion, a right portion, and a corner portion of the display area.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the changing the selected particular item comprises:

changing a display area of the selected particular item to the particular virtual area; and

displaying the selected particular item on the particular virtual area.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein changing the selected particular item comprises:

changing a shape of the selected particular item to a folder comprising the selected particular item.

26. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying the one or more virtual areas adjacent to the selected particular item.