Mobile terminal and method of controlling the same

• US 9,122,340 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2013
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Jaehun, Han, Sanggil
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): FRANK, EMILY J
• Application Number:
  US13/953,021
• Publication Number:
  US 20140160010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal; a body provided with a front surface, a rear surface and a lateral surface; a display unit disposed on at least the front surface and configured to display screen information; a squeeze sensing unit configured to sense a pressure applied to the body to detect a squeeze operation; and a controller configured to receive a control command for controlling a preset first operation of the mobile terminal, perform the first preset operation based on receiving only the control command and not detecting the squeeze operation, and perform a second preset operation different than the first preset operation based on receiving both the received control command and the detected squeeze operation.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

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

a body provided with a front surface, a rear surface and a lateral surface;

a display unit disposed on at least the front surface and configured to display screen information;

a squeeze sensing unit configured to sense a pressure applied to the body to detect a squeeze operation; and

a controller configured to;

receive a control command for controlling a preset first operation of the mobile terminal,

perform the first preset operation based on receiving only the control command and not detecting the squeeze operation, and

perform a second preset operation different than the first preset operation based on receiving both the received control command and the detected squeeze operation,

wherein when the controller detects only the squeeze operation and does not receive the control command, the controller is further configured to;

store the screen information,

detect the squeeze operation has been released,

display a home screen,

receive another control command selecting contents displayed on the home screen,

display new screen information corresponding to results of said another control command,

detect another squeeze operation, and

display the stored screen information.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first preset operation corresponds to selecting content displayed on the screen information and the second preset operation corresponds to scrolling the screen information.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first preset operation corresponds to selecting content displayed on the screen information and the second preset operation corresponds to displaying new screen information.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first preset operation corresponds to selecting a link displayed on the screen information and the second preset operation corresponds to scrolling the screen information.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller displays the stored screen information when the squeeze operation has been released.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the squeeze sensing unit is further configured to sense a level of the pressure applied to the body, and

wherein the controller is further to execute different operations on the mobile terminal according to the sensed level of the pressure.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to scroll through the screen information at different speeds based on a touch operation on the display unit and the sensed level of the pressure.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the screen information includes at least one content, and

wherein the controller is further configured to display different parts of the content based on a preset criteria according to the sensed level of the pressure.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to terminate an application being executed when a preset pressure is sensed on the body.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 6, further comprising:

a memory configured to store at least first screen information corresponding to a first pressure applied to the body and second screen information corresponding to a second pressure applied to the body,

wherein the controller is further configured to display the first screen information when the first pressure is sensed and to display the second screen information when the second pressure is sensed.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein when the squeeze operation is detected when a touch input selecting one region of the first screen information is applied, the controller is further configured to store in the memory the touched one region of the first screen information.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein when the squeeze operation is detected again when the second screen information is displayed, the controller is further configured to display the stored one region of the first screen information to be overlapped with the second screen information.

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

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

displaying, via a display unit disposed on at least a front surface of the mobile terminal, screen information;

sensing, via a squeeze sensing unit, a pressure applied to a body of the mobile terminal, to detect a squeeze operation;

receiving, via a controller, a control command for controlling a preset first operation of the mobile terminal;

performing, via the controller, the first preset operation based on receiving only the control command and not detecting the squeeze operation; and

performing, via the controller, a second preset operation different than the first preset operation based on receiving both the received control command and the detected squeeze operation,

wherein when the sensing step detects only the squeeze operation and the receiving step does not receive the control command, the method further comprises;

storing, via a memory, the screen information;

detecting, via the controller, the squeeze operation has been released;

displaying, via the display unit, a home screen;

receiving, via the controller, another control command selecting contents displayed on the home screen;

displaying, via the display unit, new screen information corresponding to results of said another control command;

detecting, via the squeeze sensing unit, another squeeze operation; and

displaying, via the display unit, the stored screen information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first preset operation corresponds to selecting content displayed on the screen information and the second preset operation corresponds to scrolling the screen information.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first preset operation corresponds to selecting content displayed on the screen information and the second preset operation corresponds to displaying new screen information.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first preset operation corresponds to selecting a link displayed in the screen information and the second preset operation corresponds to scrolling the screen information.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

displaying the stored screen information when the squeeze operation has been released.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the sensing step further comprises sensing a level of the pressure applied to the body, and

wherein the method further comprises executing different operations on the mobile terminal according to the detected level of the pressure.