Mobile terminal, mobile terminal system, and method for controlling operation of the same

• US 8,958,747 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2010
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Baek, Sungmin, Cho, Eunhae, Chung, Jaehee, Kim, Namhoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): FLEMING-HALL, ERICA L
• Application Number:
  US12/954,466
• Publication Number:
  US 20110165841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 345/173, 715/748, 715/702, 715/769
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A mobile terminal which can enter a content share mode, a mobile terminal system, and a method for controlling the operation of the same are provided. After entering a content share mode, a mobile terminal can transmit and receive content to and from another mobile terminal which is in the content share mode and within a predetermined distance. The mobile terminal can also specify a content transmission format. Before the content is transmitted, the content may be displayed on another mobile terminal using a thumbnail of the content. Users can conveniently transmit content between mobile terminals.

Claims

1. A method for controlling operation of a first mobile terminal, the method comprising:

entering, by the first mobile terminal, a content share mode;

detecting, by the first mobile terminal, a second mobile terminal which is in the content share mode;

specifying a content transmission format for transmitting content to the second mobile terminal based on the detection result,

wherein the content transmission format is at least one of a first transmission format and a second transmission format,

the first transmission format allows the first mobile terminal to control the transmitted content according to a first command input to the first mobile terminal, and

the second transmission format allows the second mobile terminal to control the transmitted content according to a second command input to the second mobile terminal;

displaying, on a display unit of the first mobile terminal, a first indicator representing the first transmission format at one side of the display unit and a second indicator representing the second transmission format at another side of the display unit;

dragging, on the display unit of the first mobile terminal, an image corresponding to the content to the first indicator or the second indicator for specifying a desired content transmission format;

upon dragging the image, highlighting one indicator located at the side to which the image is dragged among the first and second indicators and fading out the other indicator;

transmitting, to the second mobile terminal, information regarding the image corresponding to the content according to the desired content transmission format;

transmitting, to the second mobile terminal, the content, after a content transmission grant signal is received from the second mobile terminal in response to the thumbnail being dragged to a different region on a display unit of the second mobile terminal; and

stopping the transmission of the content to the second mobile terminal in response to the thumbnail being dragged out of the display unit of the second mobile terminal,

wherein the transmitted content is displayed on the display unit of the second mobile terminal in a floating state when the desired content transmission format is the first transmission format, and in a sunken state when the desired content transmission format is the second transmission format, and

wherein the desired content transmission format automatically changes from the first transmission format to the second transmission format when the first mobile terminal is removed from the second mobile terminal by more than a predetermined distance.

2. The method for controlling operation of the first mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first transmission format allows the second mobile terminal only to display the content on a display unit of the second mobile terminal in the same manner as the display unit of first mobile terminal according to the first command.

3. The method for controlling operation of the first mobile terminal according to claim 2, wherein each of the first command and the second command includes a command for moving, editing, playing, playing back, or stopping playback of the content.

4. The method for controlling operation of the first mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the display unit of the first mobile terminal displays the content in a full screen mode when the transmission of the content to the second mobile terminal is completed.

5. The method for controlling operation of the first mobile terminal according to claim 1, further comprising:

stopping the transmission of the content to the second mobile terminal when the determining step determines that the second mobile terminal has rejected the content transmission grant request signal.

6. The method for controlling operation of the first mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein the first mobile terminal transmits the content to the second mobile terminal without transmitting the content transmission grant request signal and receiving the content transmission grant signal if the first mobile terminal and the second mobile terminal are registered as trusted devices to each other.

7. A method for controlling operation of a second mobile terminal, the method comprising:

entering a content share mode;

receiving, from the first mobile terminal in the content share mode, information regarding content to be received from the first mobile terminal, the information regarding content being information for displaying a thumbnail of the content on a display unit of the second mobile terminal;

displaying, on the display unit of the second mobile terminal, the thumbnail of the content, the displayed thumbnail comprising first text information regarding a user name of the first mobile terminal and second text information regarding a name of a folder in which content for transmission is stored;

transmitting a content transmission grant request signal for receiving the content to the first mobile terminal in response to a dragging of the thumbnail of the content to a different region on the display unit of the second mobile terminal;

receiving the content from the first mobile terminal after the thumbnail is dragged to the different region on the display unit of the second mobile terminal;

rejecting the reception of the content after the thumbnail is dragged to the different region on the display unit of the second mobile terminal which causes the content to be received from the first mobile terminal, and after the second mobile terminal is rotated in a predetermined direction; and

displaying, on the display unit of the second mobile terminal, the received content in a floating state when the content is received according to a give transmission format, and in a sunken state when the content is received according to a show transmission format,

wherein the received content is displayed on the display unit of the second terminal in the sunken state when the first mobile terminal is removed from the second mobile terminal by more than a predetermined distance.

8. The method for controlling operation of the second mobile terminal according to claim 7, further comprising:

displaying the received content in a full screen mode on the display unit of the second mobile terminal when the reception of the content received from the first mobile terminal is completed.

9. A first mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit;

a wireless communication unit configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a second mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to;

when the first mobile terminal has entered a content share mode, detect the second mobile terminal which is capable of transmitting and receiving signals through the wireless command unit and which is in the content share mode,

specify a content transmission format for transmitting content to the second mobile terminal, wherein the content transmission format is at least one of a first transmission format and a second transmission format,

the first transmission format allows the first mobile terminal to control the transmitted content according to a first command input to the first mobile terminal, and

the second transmission format allows the second mobile terminal to control the transmitted content according to a second command input to the second mobile terminal,

control the display unit of the first mobile terminal to display a first indicator representing the first transmission format at one side of the display unit and a second indicator representing the second transmission format at another side of the display unit,

drag, on the display unit of the first mobile terminal, an image corresponding to the content to the first indicator or the second indicator for specifying a desired content transmission format,

upon dragging the image, highlight one indicator located at the side to which the image is dragged among the first and second indicators and fade out the other indicator,

control the wireless communication unit to transmit, to the second mobile terminal, information regarding a thumbnail corresponding to the content according to the desired content transmission format,

control the wireless communication unit to transmit, to the second mobile terminal, the content, after a content transmission grant signal is received from the second mobile terminal in response to the thumbnail being dragged to a different region on the display unit of the second mobile terminal, and

control the wireless communication unit to stop the transmission of the content to the second mobile terminal in response to the thumbnail being dragged out of the display unit of the second mobile terminal,

wherein the transmitted content is displayed on the display unit of the second mobile terminal in a floating state when the desired content transmission format is the first transmission format, and in a sunken state when the desired content transmission format is the second transmission format, and

wherein the desired content transmission format automatically changes from the first transmission format to the second transmission format when the first mobile terminal is removed from the second mobile terminal by more than a predetermined distance.

10. A second mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit;

a wireless communication unit configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a first mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to;

enter a content share mode,

control the wireless transmission unit to receive, from the first mobile terminal in the content share mode, information regarding content to be received from the first mobile terminal, the received information regarding the content being information for displaying a thumbnail of the content on the display unit of the second mobile terminal,

display, on the display unit of the second mobile terminal, the thumbnail of the content, the displayed thumbnail comprising information regarding a user name of the first mobile terminal and information regarding a name of a folder in which content for transmission is stored,

transmit a content transmission grant request signal for receiving the content to the first mobile terminal in response to a dragging of the thumbnail of the content to a different region on the display unit of the second mobile terminal,

control the wireless communication unit to receive the content transmitted by the first mobile terminal after the thumbnail is dragged to the different region on the display unit of the second mobile terminal,

control the wireless communication unit to reject the reception of the content after the thumbnail is dragged to the different region on the display unit of the second mobile terminal which causes the content to be received from the first mobile terminal, and after the second mobile terminal is rotated in a predetermined direction,

control the display unit of the second mobile terminal to display the received content in a floating state when the content is received according to a give transmission format, and in a sunken state when the content is received according to a show transmission format,

wherein the received content is displayed on the display unit of the second terminal in the sunken state when the first mobile terminal is removed from the second mobile terminal by more than a predetermined distance.