Mobile terminal and control method thereof

• US 9,116,594 B2
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Issued: 08/25/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hwang, Inyong, Kim, Hyundong
• Primary Examiner(s): Amini, Javid A
• Application Number:
  US13/006,925
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 345/629
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/40 Scaling of whole images or parts thereof, e.g. expanding or contracting
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

A mobile terminal is provided that includes a display unit configured to display one or more windows at a time, and a controller configured to generate a first window and a second window separate from the first window when an event occurs in the first window. The controller is configured to control the display unit to display at least one of the first window and the second window. Methods for controlling the mobile terminal are also provided.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display unit; and

a controller configured to control an operating system of the mobile terminal to;

display information of a first application on the display unit in response to a selection of the first application to execute the first application, wherein an indicator of a list of applications is displayed on the display unit;

display, on the display unit, the list of applications to be executed when the indicator of the list of applications is accessed, wherein the list of applications is not displayed before the indicator of the list of applications is accessed; and

receive, from the list of applications, a selection of a second application to execute the second application and respectively display the information of the first application in a first window and information of the second application in a second window on the display unit,

wherein, when the second window is initially formed, the second window does not overlap with the first window,

wherein the list of applications is not displayed on the display unit when the second application is executed on the second window, and

wherein the first application executed in the first window is a different type of application from the second application executed in the second window.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the list of applications comprises a plurality of applications available for multitasking.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the list of applications are hidden from view when the second application is executed on the second window.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first window is a main window and the second window is a sub-window.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the list of applications comprises at least one of a voice call application, a video call application, a text message application, a text chatting application, a game application, a mobile internet application, a DMB application, a navigation application, an E-book reader application, a camera application, a phone book application, or a document creator application.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a horizontal bar at an edge of the first window, and to resize the first window when the horizontal bar is dragged through the display unit.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display on the display unit an indicator indicating an occurrence of an event,

wherein the event is a video call signal, a call signal reception, a text message reception, or an alarm event, and

wherein the controller is further configured to:

display a text message associated with the text message reception in response to an input thereof; and

display an edit window for replying to the text message in response to an input thereof.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the indicator is in a form of an icon or a character box.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application is a web-browser and the second application is a text message application.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein information processed by the web-browser is applied to the text message application in response to an input thereof.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein a position of the first window is interchanged with a position of the second window in response to an input thereof.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the size of the first window is enlarged to be equal to the size of the display unit if the second window is closed in response to a touch input to a first designated key on the display unit, and

wherein the size of the second window is enlarged to be equal to the size of the display unit if the first window is closed in response to a touch input to a second designated key on the display unit.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display unit is divided to simultaneously display the first window and the second window on a same layer.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the indicator of the list of applications is accessed when the indicator is touched or dragged.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the indicator of the list of applications is initially displayed at an edge of the first window.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the size of the first window is reduced to be equal to the size of the second window in response to the selection of the second application.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application executed in the first window corresponds to a different type of icon than the second application executed in the second window.

17. A method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

controlling an operating system of the mobile terminal to;

display information of a first application on a display unit of the mobile terminal in response to a selection of the first application to execute the first application, wherein an indicator of a list of applications is displayed on the display unit;

display, on the display unit, the list of applications to be executed when the indicator of the list of applications is accessed, wherein the list of applications is not displayed before the indicator of the list of applications is accessed; and

receive, from the list of applications, a selection of a second application to execute the second application and respectively display the information of the first application in a first window and information of the second application in a second window on the display unit,

wherein, when the second window is initially formed, the second window does not overlap with the first window,

wherein the list of applications is not displayed on the display unit when the second application is executed on the second window, and

wherein the first application executed in the first window is a different type of application from the second application executed in the second window.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the list of applications comprises a plurality of applications available for multitasking.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the executing the second application comprises hiding the list of applications from view.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying a horizontal bar at an edge of the first window; and

resizing the first window when the horizontal bar is dragged through the display unit.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

displaying on the display unit an indicator indicting an occurrence of an event, wherein the event is a video call signal, a call signal reception, a text message reception, or an alarm event;

displaying a text message associated with the text message reception in response to an input thereof; and

displaying an edit window for replying to the text message in response to an input thereof.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the indicator is in a form of an icon or a character box.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the size of the first window is reduced to be equal to the size of the second window in response to the selection of the second application.