Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 9,176,661 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Kyungchul
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUCKWORTH, JIANMEI F
• Application Number:
  US13/412,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20120240071A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04801 Cursor retrieval aid, i.e. visual aspect modification, blinking, colour changes, enlargement or other visual cues, for helping user do find the cursor in graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal comprising a touchscreen configured to display a 1^st region that comprises a 1^st icon and one or more other icons and a controller configured to control the touchscreen to shift the 1^st region in a 1^st direction when the 1^st icon is selected by a touch and dragged in a 2^nd direction that is opposite to the 1^st direction, shift a position of the 1^st icon to a prescribed zone in the 1^st region when the dragged 1^st icon is released over the prescribed zone and arrange the one or more other icons of the 1^st region according to a prescribed formation.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touchscreen configured to display a first region that comprises a first icon and one or more second icons; and

a controller configured to control the touchscreen to;

shift the first region in a first direction and move the first icon in a second direction opposite to the first direction when the first icon is selected by a touch and dragged in the second direction,

display the first icon as a three-dimensional (3D) image when the first icon is selected and display the 3D image of the first icon to appear to roll in the second direction while the first icon is dragged;

display an additional region adjacent to the first region when the first region is shifted in the first direction, wherein a height of the additional region corresponds to a length in which the first region was shifted;

shift a position of the first icon to the additional region when the dragged first icon is released over the additional region,

display the first icon as a two-dimensional (2D) image when the first icon is released over the additional region; and

arrange the one or more second icons of the first region according to a prescribed formation,

wherein;

the additional region includes at least one empty row of arrangeable sub-regions or at least one empty column of arrangeable sub-regions, and each arrangeable sub-region is configured for positioning the first icon.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

shift the first region at a speed that corresponds to a dragged speed of the first icon.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

identify a specific coordinate direction of a plurality of coordinate directions, the specific coordinate direction having a highest directional similarity to the first direction among the plurality of coordinate directions; and

set the second direction to a coordinate direction opposite the specific coordinate direction.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display the first icon as tilted at an angle in accordance with the second direction.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display a visual effect indicating the shift of the first region in the first direction.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display a visual effect for each of a plurality of arrangeable sub-regions when the first icon is released over the plurality of arrangeable sub-regions.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display an indicator indicating that the first icon is shiftable to a first arrangeable sub-region of the plurality of arrangeable sub-regions when a distance between the first icon being dragged and the first arrangeable sub-region is less than a preset threshold distance, and

shift the position of the first icon to the first arrangeable sub-region when the first icon being dragged is released.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

partition the additional region into equal parts when the first icon is released in the additional region, wherein the additional region comprises a third icon,

display the additional region as a grid comprising the equal parts, and

display the first icon on one of the equal parts and the third icon on another of the equal parts.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to:

simultaneously execute applications corresponding to the first icon and the third icon when the third icon is selected.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to;

control the touchscreen to display an enlarged folder icon with a plurality of arrangeable sub-regions when the first icon is released over a region with a folder icon, wherein the folder icon is enlarged at a preset ratio and the enlarged folder is partitioned into the plurality of arrangeable sub-regions using a preset ratio,

position the first icon in an arrangeable sub-region of the plurality of arrangeable sub-regions where the first icon was released, wherein the first icon is arrangeable in each of the plurality of arrangeable sub-regions, and

control the touchscreen to reduce a size of the enlarged folder icon to its original size when the first icon is released in the arrangeable sub-region.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the additional region is displayed at a prescribed ratio of a display area of the touchscreen when the first icon is dragged over the additional region.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display the additional region at the prescribed ratio when a distance between the first icon being dragged and a first arrangeable sub-region of the plurality of arrangeable sub-regions is at least a threshold distance and the dragged first icon remains within a range of the threshold distance for a threshold time period.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

shift the first region in the first direction when the one or more second icons of the first region are arranged in at least a preset number of rows and columns of adjacent icons.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

shift the first region in the first direction when;

a count of failed attempts to drag and release the first icon over the additional region exceeds a threshold number, or

a size of a pointer performing at least a touch, a proximity touch, or a gesture on the touchscreen is equal to or greater than a threshold size.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

display a visual effect indicating that the first region is shifted in the first direction.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to:

change a propagation direction of the first icon; and

display the first icon as a three-dimensional stereoscopic image using a stereoscopic scheme.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the touchscreen to display a combined icon comprising at least a portion of the first icon and at least a portion of a third icon when the first icon is released at a sub-region comprising the third icon, and

execute a first application corresponding to the first icon and a second application corresponding to the third icon in response to an input selecting the displayed combined icon.

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

displaying a first region comprising a first icon and one or more second icons;

moving the first icon selected from the first region in a first direction in response to an input selecting and dragging the first icon in the first direction;

shifting the one or more second icons in a second direction, wherein the second direction is opposite to the first direction;

displaying the first icon as a three-dimensional (3D) image when the first icon is selected and displaying the 3D image of the first icon to appear to roll in the first direction while the first icon is dragged;

displaying an additional region adjacent to the first region when the one or more second icons are shifted in the second direction, wherein a height of the additional region corresponds to a length in which the one or more second icons were shifted;

shifting a position of the first icon to a position in the additional region when the first icon is released over the additional region;

displaying the first icon as a two-dimensional (2D) image when the first icon is released over the additional region; and

arranging the one or more second icons of the first region according to a prescribed formation,

wherein the additional region includes at least one empty row of arrangeable sub-regions or at least one empty column of arrangeable sub-regions, and wherein each arrangeable sub-region is configured for positioning the first icon.

19. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising:

shifting the first region at a speed that corresponds to a dragged speed of the first icon.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

identifying a specific coordinate direction of a plurality of coordinate directions, the specific coordinate direction having a highest directional similarity to the first direction among the plurality of coordinate directions; and

setting the second direction to a coordinate direction opposite the specific coordinate direction.

21. The method of claim 18, the method further comprising:

partitioning the additional region into equal parts when the first icon is released in the additional region, wherein the additional region comprises a third icon,

displaying the additional region as a grid comprising the equal parts, and

displaying the first icon on one of the equal parts and a third icon on another of the equal parts.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

displaying a combined icon comprising at least a portion of the first icon and at least a portion of a third icon when the first icon is released at a sub-region comprising the third icon, and

executing a first application corresponding to the first icon and a second application corresponding to the third icon in response to an input selecting the displayed combined icon.