Mobile terminal

• US 8,934,949 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2013
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Yeo, Byungsang, Cho, Mijin, Lee, Shinhae
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Tuan
• Application Number:
  US13/897,734
• Publication Number:
  US 20140141841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 603 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/575.1, 455/90.3, 455/347, 455/575.3, 455/575.4
• US Class Current: 455/575.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a case having a curved back side between first and second end portions such that when the mobile terminal is placed on a flat surface, a portion of the curved back side touches the flat surface and the first and second end portions are raised above the flat surface; a display unit arranged on a front side of the case; a sensor configured to detect a moving or tilting of the mobile terminal; and a controller configured to perform a designated function in accordance with the moving or tilting of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a case having a curved back side between a first end portion and a second end portion such that when the mobile terminal is placed on a flat surface, a portion of the curved back side touches the flat surface and the first and second end portions are raised above the flat surface;

a display unit arranged on a front side of the case, the display unit having a first end and a second end;

a sensor configured to detect a moving or tilting of the mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to perform a designated function in accordance with the moving or tilting of the mobile terminal,

wherein when the moving or tilting of the mobile terminal is detected while the display unit is in a screen-off state, the controller is further configured to display a specific information corresponding to the specific function on the display unit, and

wherein when the sensor detects a moving or tilting direction corresponds to the first end portion being lower than the second end portion, the controller is further configured to display the specific information appearing at the second end of the display unit and moving across the display unit towards the first end of the display unit.

2. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to stop displaying the specific information displaying screen when the moving or titling of the mobile terminal is stopped.

3. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of input keys arranged on a predetermined portion of the display unit,

wherein when at least one input key assigned a specific function is selected together with the moving or tilting, the controller is further configured to display a specific information displaying screen corresponding to the specific function on the display unit.

4. The mobile terminal according to claim 3, wherein the selected input key is one of a button independent from the display unit or a touch icon on the display unit.

5. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a moving object on the display unit, and move the moving object on the display unit in accordance with a moving or tilting direction of the mobile terminal.

6. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein a moving speed of the moving object is relatively fast when the moving or tilting direction of the mobile terminal is a first angle, and relatively slow when the moving or tilting direction of the mobile terminal is second angle less than the first angle.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to display the moving object as shaking on the display unit, when the moving or tilting direction of the mobile terminal indicates the mobile terminal is being shaken.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 5, wherein the controller is further configured to:

display function objects on at least one end of the display unit, and

when the moving object is overlapped with one of the function objects, execute a function designated by the overlapped function object.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

display a notification window on the display unit notifying an event has been generated on the mobile terminal,

receive an action indicating the mobile terminal is being moved or tilted, and

display a window for responding to the notification window when the action indicating the mobile terminal is being moved or tilted is received.

10. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

display a list of items on the display unit,

display a focus on one item of the list of the items, and

move the focus on the display unit to an object positioned in a moving or tilting direction of the mobile terminal.

11. The mobile terminal according to claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to select the object having the focus positioned thereon, when the moving or titling of the mobile terminal maintains the focus on the selected item for longer than a predetermined time.

12. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the display unit displays a first screen scrollable with respect to one direction, the controller is further configured to scroll the first screen in the other opposite direction based on the moving or titling of the mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein when the display unit outputs a screen including a plurality of pages, the controller is further configured to page through the plurality of pages in a forward direction based on the moving or titling of the mobile terminal being performed at the first end portion and page through the plurality of pages in a reverse direction based on the moving or titling of the mobile terminal being performed at the second end portion.

14. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a screen for unlocking the mobile terminal when multi-touching of the display unit and the moving or titling of the mobile terminal are simultaneously detected.

15. The mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the moving or titling of the mobile terminal comprises at least one of:

a first moving or titling of the first end portion for a time less than or equal to a predetermined reference time such that the first end portion is moved or tilted downward;

a second moving or tilting of the first end portion for a time greater than the predetermined reference time such that the first end portion is moved or tilted further downward;

a third moving or tilting of the second end portion for the time less than or equal to the predetermined reference time such that the second end portion is moved or tilted downward; and

a fourth moving or tilting of the second end portion for the time greater than the predetermined reference time such that the second end portion is moved or tilted further downward.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the moving or tilting of the mobile terminal is caused by a touching or tapping of the case.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display unit has a curved front surface.

18. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

detecting, via a sensor, a moving or tilting of the mobile terminal, said mobile terminal including a case having a curved back side between a first end portion and a second end portion such that when the mobile terminal is placed on a flat surface, a portion of the curved back side touches the flat surface and the first and second end portions are raised above the flat surface, and a display unit arranged on a front side of the case, the display unit having a first end and a second end; and

performing, via a controller, a designated function in accordance with the moving or tilting of the mobile terminal,

wherein when the moving or tilting of the mobile terminal is detected while the display unit is in a screen-off state, the controller is further configured to display a specific information corresponding to the specific function on the display unit, and

wherein when the sensor detects a moving or tilting direction corresponds to the first end portion being lower than the second end portion, the controller is further configured to display the specific information appearing at the second end of the display unit and moving across the display unit towards the first end of the display unit.

19. A mobile terminal comprising:

a case having a curved back side between first and second end portions such that when the mobile terminal is placed on a flat surface, a portion of the curved back side touches the flat surface and the first and second end portions are raised above the flat surface;

a display unit arranged on a front side of the case;

a sensor configured to detect a moving or tilting of the mobile terminal;

a controller configured to perform a designated function in accordance with the moving or tilting of the mobile terminal; and

a plurality of input keys arranged on a predetermined portion of the display unit, and

wherein when at least one input key assigned a specific function is selected together with the moving or titling, the controller is further configured to display a specific information displaying screen corresponding to the specific function on the display unit.