Method for changing and rotating a mobile terminal standby screen

• US 8,893,057 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2007
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jung, Hee-Won, Kim, Jong-Hee
• Primary Examiner(s): WENG, PEI YONG
• Application Number:
  US11/982,689
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,573 Days
• Field of Search: 715/867, 713/323
• US Class Current: 715/867
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile terminal having a pressure sensor with a plurality of pressure sensing areas that are used to change or rotate a standby screen image. The pressure sensor detects pressure applied by the user to the pressure sensing areas and outputs corresponding pressure sensing signals. The mobile terminal determines the direction of change or rotation of the standby screen image according to the pressure sensing signals. Upon determining the standby screen image changing direction, the mobile terminal loads and displays one of a plurality of images stored in a memory in the determined direction. Upon determining the direction of rotation of the standby screen image, the mobile terminal rotates the current standby screen image in the determined direction.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit for displaying a standby screen image;

a pressure sensor having a predetermined number of pressure sensing areas on the surface of the display unit to detect pressure on at least three non-contiguous pressure sensing areas and to generate corresponding pressure sensing signals; and

a control unit for;

sequentially receiving, while a current standby screen image representing a current background image of the mobile terminal is displayed, the at least three pressure sensing signals from the at least three non-contiguous pressure sensing areas,

determining whether the received at least three pressure sensing signals have been received within a predetermined time;

determining a moving direction according to the received at least three sensing signals, said moving direction being based on an order of receiving the at least three pressure sensing signals from the at least three pressure non-contiguous sensing areas within the predetermined time,

determining a rotating direction of the standby screen image according to the determined moving direction, and

rotating the standby screen image currently displayed on the display unit by a predetermined angle in the determined rotating direction, wherein the control unit is configured to rotate display of the standby screen image while the mobile device remains in standby mode, and

wherein the predetermined angle in the determined rotating direction is proportional to a quantity of received pressure sensing signals within said predetermined time.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least three non-contiguous pressure sensing areas are circularly positioned on the surface of the display unit.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor is a pressure sensing sheet designed to have the predetermined number of the pressure sensing areas.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of pressure sensing areas are exactly three non-contiguous pressure sensing areas.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of pressure sensing areas are exactly four non-contiguous pressure sensing areas.

4. A method implemented in a mobile terminal having a display unit for displaying a standby screen image and having a predetermined number of pressure sensing areas on the surface thereof, said method comprising:

detecting pressure applied to at least three non-contiguous pressure sensing areas on the surface of the display unit and outputting pressure at least three sensing signals;

sequentially receiving, while a current standby screen image representing a current background image of the mobile terminal is displayed, the at least three pressure sensing signals;

determining whether the received at least three pressure sensing signals have been received within a predetermined time;

determining a moving direction according to the received at least three sensing signals, said moving direction being based on an order of receiving the at least three pressure sensing signals from the at least three non-contiguous pressure sensing areas within said predetermined time;

determining a rotating direction of the standby screen image according to the determined moving direction; and

rotating the standby screen image currently displayed on the display unit by a predetermined angle in the determined rotating direction,

wherein a control unit is configured to rotate the standby screen image while the mobile device remains in standby mode, and

wherein the predetermined angle in the determined rotating direction is proportional to a quantity of received pressure sensing signals within said predetermined time.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined number of pressure sensing areas are exactly four non-contiguous pressure sensing areas.