Mobile terminal and method of setting an application indicator therein

• US 9,052,927 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Baek, Songyi, Chang, Jina, Kim, Hyolin, Na, Hannah, Cho, Yongwon, Kim, Meejeong, Kim, Hanseop, Han, Changhee
• Primary Examiner(s): Sax, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOI, DAVID E
• Application Number:
  US13/216,951
• Publication Number:
  US 20120054663A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 715/772, 715/810, 715/784, 715/746
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal; an input unit configured to enter an application indicator edit mode for editing application indicators providing information on corresponding applications; a display configured to display a first display region including a plurality of settable application indicators and a second display region including a guide screen indicating at least one of a display location and a display size of the settable application indicators on the guide screen when entering the edit mode; and a controller configured to receive a selection signal indicating a selection of a specific application indicator among the plurality of settable application indicators included in the first display region, and to determine whether the specific application indicator can be set on the guide screen included in the second display region.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

a touchscreen; and

a controller configured to;

receive a first touch input on the touchscreen,

display at least one widget candidate and information indicating a display size of a corresponding widget corresponding to one of the at least one widget candidate,

receive a second touch input selecting the one of the at least one widget candidate, and

display settability indication information indicating that the corresponding widget is available to be set on a current screen based on the received second touch input, when the selected widget candidate is displayed in a preview state of the current screen having a sufficient space for setting the corresponding widget of the indicated display size,

wherein the information displayed with the one of the at least one widget candidate indicating the display size of the corresponding widget includes text information about the display size,

wherein the settability indication information is displayed as a line that is forming a rectangular shape around the corresponding widget,

wherein the controller is further configured to display a plurality of screen indicators indicating respective different target screens on the touchscreen and to perform screen turning among the plurality of target screens in accordance with a third touch input with respect to the plurality of screen indicators, and

wherein the corresponding widget set on the current screen is displayed larger than the one of the at least one widget candidate.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one widget candidate corresponds to a plurality of widgets belonging to a same category and differing from each other in size.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the selected widget candidate in the preview state before setting the corresponding widget on the touchscreen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein if the controller determines a setting space of the corresponding widget is insufficient to be set on the current screen on the touchscreen, the controller is further configured to shift the corresponding widget to another screen when setting the corresponding widget.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second touch input is further to place the selected widget candidate in the preview state of the current screen.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to display the corresponding widget on the current screen when the second touch input is released after the settability indication information has been displayed.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured not to display the corresponding widget on the current screen when the second touch input is released before the settability indication information is displayed.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display size of the corresponding widget is larger than a display size of the one of the at least one widget candidate.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein in response to releasing the second touch input, the controller is further configured to stop displaying the settability indication information and setting the corresponding widget on the touchscreen at a location corresponding to the previously displayed settability indication information.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein in response to releasing the touch operation, the method further includes stop displaying the settability indication information and setting the corresponding widget at a location corresponding to the previously displayed settability indication information.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the controller is configured to display the settability indication information while the second touch input is maintained on the touchscreen.

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

allowing, via a wireless communication unit on the mobile terminal, wireless communication with at least one other terminal;

receiving, via a controller of the mobile terminal, a first touch input on the touchscreen;

displaying, via a touchscreen of the mobile terminal, at least one widget candidate and information indicating a display size of a corresponding widget corresponding to one of the at least one widget candidate;

receiving, via the controller, a second touch input selecting the one of the at least one widget candidate;

displaying, via the touchscreen, settability indication information indicating that the corresponding widget is available to be set on a current screen based on the received second touch input, when the selected widget candidate is displayed in a preview state of the current screen having a sufficient space for setting the corresponding widget of the indicated display size; and

displaying a plurality of screen indicators indicating respective different target screens on the touchscreen and to perform screen turning among the plurality of target screens in accordance with a third touch input with respect to the plurality of screen indicators,

wherein the information displayed with the one of the at least one widget candidate indicating the display size of the corresponding widget includes text information about the display size,

wherein the settability indication information is displayed as a line that is forming a rectangular shape around the corresponding widget,

wherein the corresponding widget set on the current screen is displayed larger than the one of the at least one widget candidate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one widget candidate corresponds to a plurality of widgets belonging to a same category and differing from each other in size.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying the selected widget candidate in the preview state before setting the corresponding widget on the touchscreen.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein if a setting space of the corresponding widget is insufficient to be set on the current screen of the touchscreen, the method further comprises shifting the corresponding widget to another screen when setting the corresponding widget.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the second touch input is further to place the selected widget candidate in the preview state of the current screen.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying the corresponding widget on the current screen when the second touch input is released after the settability indication information has been displayed.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

not displaying the corresponding widget on the current screen when the second touch input is released before the settability indication information is displayed.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the settability indication information is displayed while the second touch input is maintained on the touchscreen.