Mobile terminal and information transfer method thereof

• US 9,213,483 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Issued: 12/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hong, Hyun-Taek
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gu, Andy
• Application Number:
  US12/410,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20100041442A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,457 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal may always display an image (or icon) representing a specific object on a display screen and directly transmit certain information to the specific object by using the image (or icon). The mobile terminal may include a user input unit to receive a user'"'"'s selection about at least one object to be floated from a user list, a display to display a floating icon indicating the selected object to be floated on one side of a display area, and a controller for transmitting certain information to the object to be floated when the certain information is dragged or moved onto the floating image (or icon) or when the floating image (or icon) is dragged or moved to the certain information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a memory;

an input unit configured to receive an input for selecting one or more receiving entities, wherein the selecting of the one or more receiving entities is performed by flicking a displayed object in a particular direction, and then displaying the at least one or more graphical images in a specific area of the screen for selection;

a display unit configured to display a screen of an application being executed in the mobile terminal;

a wireless communication unit; and

a controller operatively connected to the memory, the input unit, the display unit and the wireless communication unit, the controller configured to;

determine whether transferable data is included at displayed on the screen of the application being executed;

in response to the determination that transferable data is included at displayed on the screen of the application being executed, control the display unit to display, on the screen of the application being executed, one or more graphical images linked to each of the one or more receiving entities for transmitting the transferable data, wherein the displayed graphical images to be at a specific area of the screen, and the displayed graphical images include an icon corresponding to the selected receiving entity or an image corresponding to the selected receiving entity,

wherein the one or more graphical images for transmitting the transferable data is not displayed on the screen of the application being executed when a result of the determination is that there is no transferable data included at the screen of the application being executed on the screen, and

in response to the transferable data included at the screen of the application being executed is moved to the displayed at least one of the one or more graphical images or the displayed at least one of the one or more graphical images is moved to the transferable data included at the screen of the application being executed, determining a specific transferring method based on a specific type of the transferable data; and

transmitting the transferable data, based on the determined specific transferring method, to one or more external terminal corresponding to at least one receiving entity linked to the at least one of the one or more graphical images, wherein the transferring method is one of a Short Message Service (SMS), a Multimedia Message Service (MMS), an email and an instant message.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the one or more graphical images are displayed at the specific area at an uppermost portion of the display unit.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the one or more graphical images are an icon, an avatar, a character or a thumbnail image.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the selecting of the one or more receiving entities is performed through entering of an email address of the receiving entity or a phone number of the receiving entity.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the transferable data includes at least one of a multimedia file, schedule information, a message, an e-mail, a phonebook data, name card information, or a widget file.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display of the one or more graphical images includes a display of a total number of receiving entities that have been selected.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input for selecting one or more receiving entities includes at least one input for selecting an entire group of receiving entities.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the at least one input for selecting an entire group of receiving entities includes an input for selecting a displayed group tag and then dragging the group tab to the specific area of the screen.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller to receive an input at the specific area of the screen and to subsequently display, on a pop-up window, a list of receiving entities corresponding to the displayed one or more graphical images.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the displayed one or more graphical images indicates that information has been appended.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller to change a shape of the one or more graphical images displayed at the specific area when information has been appended.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller to receive an input at the displayed one or more graphical images and to subsequently display a list of appended information, and in response to a selection of one of the appended information, the controller to delete or edit the selected one of the appended information.

13. An information transfer method for a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving, via an input unit, an input for selecting a receiving entity, wherein the input for selecting of the one or more receiving entities is performed by flicking a displayed object in a particular direction, and then the at least one or more graphical images are displayed in a specific area of a screen for selection;

displaying, on a display unit, the screen of an application being executed in the mobile terminal,

determining whether transferable data is displayed on the screen of the application being executed;

in response to the determination that transferable data is displayed on the screen of the application being executed, controlling the display unit to display, on the screen of the application being executed, one or more graphical images linked to each of the one or more receiving entities for transmitting the transferable data, wherein the displayed graphical images to be at the specific area of the screen, and the displayed graphical images include an icon corresponding to the specific receiving entity or an image corresponding to the specific receiving entity,

wherein the one or more graphical images for transmitting the transferable data is not displayed on the screen of the application being executed when a result of the determination is that there is no transferable data displayed on the screen of the application being executed on the screen,

in response to the transferable data included at the screen of the application being executed is moved to the displayed at least one of the one or more graphical images, or the displayed at least one of the one or more graphical images is moved to the transferable data included at the screen of the application being executed, determining a specific transferring method based on a specific type of the transferable data; and

transmitting the transferable data, based on the determined transferring method, to one or more external terminal corresponding to the at least one receiving entity linked to the at least one of the one or more graphical images, wherein the transferring method is one of a Short Message Service (SMS), a Multimedia Message Service (MMS), an email and an instant message.

14. The information transfer method of claim 13, wherein the one or more graphical images are displayed at the specific area of an uppermost portion of the display unit.

15. The information transfer method of claim 13, wherein the one or more graphical images are an icon, an avatar, a character or a thumbnail image.

16. The information transfer method of claim 13, wherein the selecting of the one or more receiving entities is performed by entering an email address of the receiving entity or a phone number of the receiving entity.

17. The information transfer method of claim 13, wherein the transferable data includes at least one of a multimedia file, schedule information, a message, an e-mail, a phonebook data, name card information, or a widget file.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying of the one or more graphical images includes displaying a total number of receiving entities that have been selected.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the input for selecting the receiving entity includes receiving at least one input for selecting an entire group of receiving entities.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving the at least one input for selecting an entire group of receiving entities includes receiving an input for selecting a displayed group tag and then dragging the group tab to the specific area of the screen.

21. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving an input at the specific area of the screen and subsequently displaying, on a pop-up window, a list of receiving entities corresponding to the displayed one or more graphical images.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the displayed one or more graphical images indicates that information has been appended.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising changing a shape of the one or more graphical images displayed at the specific area when information has been appended.

24. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving an input at the displayed one or more graphical images and subsequently displaying a list of appended information, and in response to a selection of one of the appended information, deleting or editing the selected one of the appended information.