Mobile terminal capable of controlling various operations using a plurality of display modules and a method of controlling the operation of the mobile terminal

• US 9,124,713 B2
• Filed: 08/17/2009
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jun Serk, Kim, Jung Eun, Kim, Kang Min, Kang, Min Hun
• Primary Examiner(s): Fang, Keith
• Application Number:
  US12/542,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20100048194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,206 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A mobile terminal equipped with first and second display modules provided at the front and the rear, respectively, and a method of controlling the mobile terminal, is provided. The method includes displaying a screen image related to a first operating mode on the first display module, if it is determined that the mobile terminal has been rotated on a predetermined axial direction, switching the mobile terminal from the first operating mode to a second operating mode; and displaying a screen image related to the second operating mode on the second display module. Therefore, it is possible to control various operations performed by the mobile terminal upon the motion of the mobile terminal using the first and second display modules.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a mobile terminal including at least one display, the method comprising:

executing an application associated with audio output during a first state in which a rear surface of the mobile terminal faces down and a front surface of the mobile terminal faces up;

outputting, via an audio output module of the mobile terminal, an audio signal generated by the execution of the application during the first state;

displaying, on the at least one display, a first indicator associated with the execution of the application while the audio signal is output during the first state;

stopping outputting the audio signal when the mobile terminal is rotated more than ninety degrees in an axial direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of a main body of the mobile terminal while the audio signal is output such that the mobile terminal is rotated from the first state to a second state in which the rear surface of the mobile terminal faces up and the front surface faces down,

wherein the output of the audio signal continues at least for a preset period of time during the first state when the mobile terminal is not rotated to the second state and no user input is received;

displaying, on the at least one display, a second indicator associated with the stopping of the outputting the audio signal, wherein the second indicator comprises a plurality of selectable items; and

selecting one of the plurality of selectable items displayed on the at least one display in response to a user command,

wherein the application comprises an alarm application that is executed at set alarm time, the method further comprising activating a snoozing function of the alarm application when the mobile terminal is rotated from the first state to the second state.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the audio output module comprises at least a first audio output module located in the front surface and a second audio output module located in the rear surface; and

the audio signal is output via the first audio output module during the first state.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the output of the audio signal is stopped temporarily for a predefined amount of time when the mobile terminal is rotated from the first state to the second state, the method further comprising:

resuming the output of the audio signal during the second state after the predefined amount of time, the resumed audio signal output via the second audio output module.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the front surface comprises a single display and the first indicator is displayed on the single display during the first state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of selectable items represents a different length of snoozing associated with the snoozing function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one display comprises a first display and a second display such that the first indicator is displayed on the first display and the second indicator is displayed on the second display.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising resuming the stopped output of the audio signal in a predetermined period of time during the second state without requiring a user input.

8. A mobile terminal, comprising:

at least one display configured to display an indicator according to a state of the mobile terminal;

at least one audio output module configured to output an audio signal;

a sensor configured to detect rotation of the mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to;

execute an application associated with audio output during a first state in which a rear surface of the mobile terminal faces down and a front surface of the mobile terminal faces up;

cause the at least one audio output module to output the audio signal generated by the execution of the application during the first state;

cause the at least one display to display a first indicator associated with the execution of the application while the audio signal is output during the first state;

cause the at least one audio output module to stop outputting the audio signal when the sensor detects that the mobile terminal is rotated more than ninety degrees in an axial direction parallel to a longitudinal direction of a main body of the mobile terminal while the audio signal is output such that the mobile terminal is rotated from the first state to a second state in which the rear surface of the mobile terminal faces up and the front surface faces down,

wherein the output of the audio signal continues at least for a preset period of time during the first state when the mobile terminal is not rotated to the second state and no user input is received;

cause the at least one display to display a second indicator associated with the stopping of the outputting the audio signal, wherein the second indicator comprises a plurality of selectable items; and

select one of the plurality of selectable items displayed on the at least one display in response to a user command,

wherein the application comprises an alarm application that is executed at set alarm time, and the controller is further configured to activate a snoozing function of the alarm application when the mobile terminal is rotated from the first state to the second state.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein:

the at least one audio output module comprises at least a first audio output module and a second audio output module that is different from the first audio output module; and

the audio signal is output via the first audio output module during the first state.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

stop the output of the signal temporarily for a predefined amount of time when the sensor detects that the mobile terminal is rotated from the first state to the second state; and

resume the output of the audio signal during the second state after the predefined amount of time, the resumed audio signal output via the second audio output module.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the first audio output module is positioned on the front surface and the second audio output module is positioned on the rear surface.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to select the first audio output module or the second audio output module based on a rotating of the mobile terminal.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the front surface comprises a single display, and the controller is further configured to cause the single display to display the first indicator during the first state.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of selectable items represents a different length of snoozing associated with the snoozing function.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the at least one display comprises a first display and a second display such that the first indicator is displayed on the first display and the second indicator is displayed on the second display.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to resume the stopped output of the audio signal in a predetermined period of time during the second state without requiring a user input.