Mobile communications terminal having a touch input unit and controlling method thereof

• US 9,244,602 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2006
• Issued: 01/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kwon, Yong-Man, Tak, Yong-Sang, Kim, Jin-Chul, Ko, Dong-Seuck, Lee, Hyung-Woon
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAVIS, TONY O
• Application Number:
  US11/467,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20070046646A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,442 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 345/684, 345156-157, 345/160, 345/184
• 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 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A method and apparatus for scrolling a display includes detecting contact relative to a touch pad having a plurality of regions which individually correspond to a plurality of different scrolling directions, and determining which region of the plurality of regions the contact is detected. If the contact is maintained for a first threshold time period, the method further includes scrolling an associated display in a direction corresponding to the previously determined region. Alternatively, scrolling a display includes receiving input responsive to contact relative to a plurality of regions of a touch pad, in which each of the plurality of regions individually correspond to a plurality of different scrolling directions, and scrolling an associated display in a direction corresponding to a scrolling direction associated with a last-contacted region of the plurality of regions.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display configured to display information;

a plurality of touch pad strips configured to receive a touch input, wherein each of the plurality of touch pad strips is of an elongated shape;

a processor configured to;

detect the touch input when the mobile terminal is operating in an unlocked mode and disregard the touch input when the mobile terminal is operating in a locked mode; and

perform an operation related to at least one object displayed on the display in response to the touch input when the mobile terminal is operating in the unlocked mode,

wherein the plurality of touch pad strips are separated from the display such that the touch input can be received from a user without contacting the display,

wherein each of the plurality of touch pad strips is proximate to the display and extends along different sides of the display, wherein a first touch pad strip among the plurality of touch pad strips extends vertically along one side of the display, and a second touch pad strip among the plurality of touch pad strips extends horizontally along another side of the display,

wherein the first touch pad strip is different from the second touch pad strip and the one side of the display is different from the another side of the display,

wherein the plurality of touch pad strips are situated on a surface of the mobile terminal where the display is located,

wherein a length of the first touch pad strip is equal to or less than a length of the one side of the display, and a length of the second touch pad strip is equal to or less than a length of the another side of the display,

wherein the processor is further configured to provide at least an audible, visual, or tactile feedback to the user when the touch input is detected,

wherein the first touch pad strip and the second touch pad strip are coupled at a region on the surface of the mobile terminal, and

wherein the processor is further configured to scroll the screen horizontally and vertically simultaneously in response to a touch input applied to the region.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the operation is at least an image scrolling operation, an image moving operation, a multimedia playback operation, a volume control operation, or an image zooming operation.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch input is either a sliding touch input or a non-sliding touch input.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of touch pad strips comprises a plurality of multimedia playback control keys.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of navigation touch pads, wherein a first one of the plurality of navigation touch pads is configured as a function touch pad, and wherein at least a second one of the plurality of navigation touch pads corresponds to a direction.

6. A method for a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying information on a display;

receiving a touch input via one of a plurality of touch pad strips, wherein each of the plurality of touch pad strips is of an elongated shape;

detecting the touch input when the mobile terminal is operating in an unlocked mode and disregarding the touch input when the mobile terminal is operating in a locked mode; and

performing an operation related to at least one object displayed on the display in response to the touch input when the mobile terminal is operating in the unlocked mode,

wherein the plurality of touch pad strips are separated from the display such that the touch input can be received from a user without contacting the display,

wherein each of the plurality of touch pad strips is proximate to the display and extends along different sides of the display, wherein a first touch pad strip among the plurality of touch pad strips extends vertically along one side of the display, and a second touch pad strip among the plurality of touch pad strips extends horizontally along another side of the display,

wherein the first touch pad strip is different from the second touch pad strip and the one side of the display is different from the another side of the display,

wherein the plurality of touch pad strips are situated on a surface of the mobile terminal where the display is located

wherein a length of the first touch pad strip is equal to or less than a length of the one side of the display, and a length of the second touch pad strip is equal to or less than a length of the another side of the display,

wherein at least an audible, visual, or tactile feedback is generated when the touch input is detected,

wherein the first touch pad strip and the second touch pad strip are coupled at a region on the surface of the mobile terminal, and

wherein the screen is scrolled horizontally and vertically simultaneously in response to a touch input applied to the region.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the operation is at least an image scrolling operation, an image moving operation, a multimedia playback operation, a volume control operation, or an image zooming operation.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the touch input is either a sliding touch input or a non-sliding touch input.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of touch pad strips comprises a plurality of multimedia playback control keys.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising a plurality of navigation touch pads,

wherein a first one of the plurality of navigation touch pads is configured as a function touch pad, and

wherein at least a second one of the plurality of navigation touch pads corresponds to a direction.