Mobile terminal and display controlling method thereof

• US 8,866,810 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2010
• Issued: 10/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Shin, Hyun Bin, Shin, Joon Hun, Cho, Eun Woo, An, Young Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Hoang, Phi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Akhavannik, Mohammad H
• Application Number:
  US12/769,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20100315417A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1637 Details related to the display arrangement, including those related to the mounting of the display in the housing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A mobile terminal and display controlling method thereof are provided. The present invention includes determining a polyhedral shape to correspond to a number of display target objects, designating the number of display target objects to facets of a polyhedron having the determined polyhedral shape, displaying the polyhedron having the determined polyhedral shape in a three-dimensional rotational position, and displaying the number of display target objects on the designated facets of the polyhedron.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a controller unit for determining a polyhedron having a polyhedral shape according to a number of display target objects and for designating each of the number of display target objects to a facet of the polyhedron; and

a display module for displaying the polyhedron in three dimensions and for displaying each of the number of display target objects on the designated facet of the polyhedron,

wherein the controller unit is further for controlling the display module to;

display information related to each of the number of display target objects, the information corresponding to currently non-visible facets;

simultaneously display a first polyhedron as a larger version of the polyhedron and a second polyhedron as a smaller version of the polyhedron such that at least one currently displayed facet of the first polyhedron is partially displayed and a remainder of the at least one partially displayed facet is positioned beyond an edge of the display module, wherein each currently displayed facet of the first polyhedron corresponds to a currently displayed facet of the second polyhedron with corresponding facets of the first polyhedron and second polyhedron including a same display target object, wherein relative orientation of the display target objects of the first polyhedron is always the same as a relative orientation of the display target objects of the second polyhedron, wherein the display target objects of the first polyhedron are always the same as the display target objects of the second polyhedron; and

simultaneously rotate each of the first polyhedron and second polyhedron based on a received position shift signal input, wherein the rotation of the first polyhedron is about a first axis and the rotation of the second polyhedron is about a second axis, wherein the first axis is offset by a distance relative to the second axis.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the number of display target objects comprises at least menu item information, terminal state information, image data, audio data, text data, or widget data.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller unit is further for determining the polyhedral shape to have a same number of facets as the number of display target objects.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a user input unit for receiving a designation signal input for designating each of the number of display target objects to a corresponding facet of the displayed polyhedron,

wherein the controller unit is further for designating each of the number of display target objects to the corresponding facet according to the received designation signal input.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display module is further for:

displaying a first display target object designated to a facet on a front-view side of the first polyhedron; and

displaying a second display target object that corresponds to the first display target object on the second polyhedron such that the second display target object is distinguishable from other facets of the second polyhedron.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a user input unit for receiving an execution command signal input related to a prescribed facet of the displayed polyhedron,

wherein the controller unit is further for executing one of the number of display target objects designated to the prescribed facet according to the received execution command signal input.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller unit is further for performing at least one operation comprising a detail information display of one of the number of display target objects, a menu item execution corresponding to the one of the number of display target objects, or a data output corresponding to the one of the number of display target objects.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller unit is further for controlling the display module to display the polyhedron in a three-dimensional rotational position.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, further comprising:

a user input unit for receiving a rotation command signal input related to the displayed polyhedron,

wherein the controller unit is further for controlling the display module to display the polyhedron in the three-dimensional rotational position according to the input rotation command signal input.

10. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a controller unit for designating each of a plurality of display target objects to one of a plurality of facets of a polyhedron; and

a display module for displaying the polyhedron with the plurality of display target objects as designated by the controller unit,

wherein the controller unit is further for controlling the display module to display the polyhedron in a three-dimensional rotational position,

wherein at least one of the plurality of facets is arranged at a front-view side of the polyhedron so the at least one of the plurality of facets is visible, and

wherein the controller unit is further for controlling the display module to;

display information related to each of the display target objects corresponding to currently non-visible facets;

simultaneously display a first polyhedron as a larger version of the polyhedron and a second polyhedron as a smaller version of the polyhedron such that at least one currently displayed facet of the first polyhedron is partially displayed and a remainder of the at least one partially displayed facet is positioned beyond an edge of the display module, wherein each of currently displayed facets of the first polyhedron corresponds to a currently displayed facet of the second polyhedron with corresponding facets of the first polyhedron and second polyhedron including a same display target object, wherein relative orientation of the display target objects of the first polyhedron is always the same as a relative orientation of the display target objects of the second polyhedron, wherein the display target objects of the first polyhedron are always the same as the display target objects of the second polyhedron; and

simultaneously rotate each of the first polyhedron and second polyhedron based on a received position shift signal input, wherein the rotation of the first polyhedron is about a first axis and the rotation of the second polyhedron is about a second axis, wherein the first axis is offset by a distance relative to the second axis.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a user input unit for receiving a designation signal input for designating each of the plurality of display target objects to a corresponding one of the plurality of facets of the polyhedron,

wherein the controller unit is further for designating each of the plurality of display target objects to the corresponding one of the plurality of facets according to the received designation signal input.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further for controlling the display module to display the polyhedron in the three-dimensional rotational position for a predetermined duration of time to correspond with a predetermined rotational direction or a predetermined rotational speed.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a user input unit for receiving a rotation stop signal input related to a rotational position of the displayed polyhedron,

wherein the display module is further for terminating the rotational position of the displayed polyhedron according to the received rotation stop signal input.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a user input unit for receiving an execution command signal input related to a specific one of the plurality of facets of the displayed polyhedron,

wherein the controller unit is further for executing one of the plurality of display target objects designated to the specific one of the plurality of facets corresponding to the received execution command signal input.

15. A method of controlling a display in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

determining a polyhedral shape to correspond to a number of display target objects;

designating each of the number of display target objects to a corresponding facet of a polyhedron having the determined polyhedral shape;

displaying the polyhedron having the determined polyhedral shape in a three-dimensional rotational position;

displaying each of the number of display target objects on the corresponding designated facet of the polyhedron;

displaying information related to each of the display target objects corresponding to currently non-visible facets;

simultaneously displaying a first polyhedron as a larger version of the polyhedron and a second polyhedron as a smaller version of the polyhedron such that at least one currently displayed facet of the first polyhedron is partially displayed and a remainder of the at least one partially displayed facet is positioned beyond an edge of the display module, wherein each of currently displayed facets of the first polyhedron corresponds to a currently displayed facet of the second polyhedron with corresponding facets of the first polyhedron and second polyhedron including a same display target object, wherein relative orientation of the display target objects of the first polyhedron is always the same as a relative orientation of the display target objects of the second polyhedron, wherein the display target objects of the first polyhedron are always the same as the display target objects of the second polyhedron; and

simultaneously rotating each of the first polyhedron and second polyhedron based on a received position shift signal input, wherein the rotation of the first polyhedron is about a first axis and the rotation of the second polyhedron is about a second axis, wherein the first axis is offset by a distance relative to the second axis.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least one of the number of display target objects is arranged at a front-view side of the polyhedron so the at least one of the number of display target objects is visible when the polyhedron is displayed.