Method of selectively operating a rotating function and portable terminal supporting the same

• US 9,239,632 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Cho, Youngho
• Primary Examiner(s): Sternbane, Larry
• Assistant Examiner(s): MICHAUD, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/767,201
• Publication Number:
  US 20130215054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,069 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03 Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser

Abstract

A method of selectively operating a rotation function of an electronic device permits selective rotation of a display screen rotation function such that a terminal operation according to a user request may be supported while processing a user function may be performed based on the rotation function as needed. The method includes a receiving step of receiving a request to activate a specific user function, an application determination step of determining whether the rotation function applies to the specific user function of which activation is requested, a direction determining step of determining a rotation direction of a terminal when the specific user function is set to be applied with the rotation function, and an applying step of applying the rotation function to the specific user function according to the rotation direction of the terminal.

Claims

1. A method of selectively operating a rotation function of a display of an electronic device comprising a sensor, the method comprising:

generating a rotation application selection list comprising at least one user function;

executing a user function according to an input means;

determining whether the executed user function is listed in the rotation application selection list; and

turning on the rotation function for the at least one user function in a state in which the rotation function for the electronic device is turned off if the executed user function is listed in the rotation application selection list.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the rotational direction of the electronic device by using the sensor; and

rotating an orientation of the display of the executed user function according to the detected rotational direction.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising at least one of:

removing the user function listed in the rotation application selection list;

or

adding the user function in the rotation application selection list.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the removing or adding of the user function is a performed in response to the input means.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting the rotational direction of the electronic device comprises:

collecting sensor information by the sensor which is turned on; and

determining at least one of a rotation state and the rotation direction of the electronic device based on the collected sensor information.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein rotating an orientation of the display of the executed user function comprises:

outputting the orientation of the display of the executed user function as a horizontal mode or a vertical mode.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the user function according to an input means comprises:

executing a note or memo function based on at least one of a touch pen according to an electrostatic induction method, and a pen panel and a touch panel which are provided for supporting the touch pen.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein turning on the rotation function for the at least one user function in a state in which the rotation function for the electronic device is turned off comprises:

turning on the rotation function for the at least one user function when the touch pen approaches within a predetermined distance from the pen panel such that an electromagnetic field is formed on the pen panel;

collecting sensor information by the sensor which is turned on for the at least one user function; and

determining at least one of a rotation state and the rotational direction of the electronic device based on the collected sensor information.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

determining a horizontal mode direction or a vertical mode direction according to the rotation state and the rotational direction of the electronic device; and

applying a different compensation value with respect to a distance to the touch pen according, to the horizontal mode direction or the vertical mode direction.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting at least one of an icon indicating a rotation function application state, an icon indicating a rotation function non-application state, and a forcible icon indicating the user function which supports to apply the rotation function in the rotation function non-application state by forcibly turning on the sensor to collect sensor information.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting a selection window for selecting rotation function application or rotation function non-application with respect to the user function.

12. An electronic device for supporting selective operation of a rotation function, the electronic device comprising:

a display;

a storage unit configured to store a rotation application selection list;

a sensor configured to collect sensor information for supporting the rotation function; and

a controller configured to;

generate the rotation application selection list comprising at least one user function,

execute a user function according to an input means,

determine whether the executed user function is listed in the rotation application selection list, and

turn on the rotation function for the at least one user function in a state in which the rotation function for the electronic device turned off if the executed user function is listed in the rotation application selection list.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

detect a rotational direction of the electronic device by using the sensor; and

rotate an orientation of the display of the executed user function according to the detected rotational direction.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to:

remove the user function listed in the rotation application selection list, or

add the user function in the rotation application selection list.

15. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the display is further configured to output the orientation of the display of the executed user function according to the rotational direction of the electronic device in a horizontal mode or a vertical mode.

16. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the display is configured to:

output at least one of an icon indicating a rotation function application state, an icon indicating a rotation function non-application state, and a forcible icon indicating the user function which supports to apply the rotation function in the rotation function non-application state by forcibly turning on the sensor to collect the sensor information.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the display is configured to:

output a selection window for selecting a rotation function application or a rotation function non-application with respect to the user function.

18. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to:

execute a note or memo function based on at least one of a touch pen according to an electrostatic induction method, and a pen panel and a touch panel which are provided for supporting the touch pen.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to determine a horizontal mode direction or a vertical mode direction according to a rotation state and a rotational direction of the electronic device and configured to apply a different compensation value with respect to a distance to the touch pen according to the horizontal mode or the vertical mode direction.