Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

• US 9,274,705 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Son, Joo-Hee, Song, Young-Hoon, Suh, Hyo-Jin, Son, Seung-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): FRY, MATTHEW A
• Application Number:
  US12/484,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20100097321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,454 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-169, 345/173, 715/773, 715/763, 715/810, 715/73, 715/863, 715/764
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

Disclosed are a terminal in which a shape or configuration of a virtual keypad is transformable by considering user'"'"'s convenience and a method for controlling the same, the terminal including: a display module configured to display a virtual keypad; a user input unit configured to receive a touch or drag input from a user; and a controller configured to transform the shape of the virtual keypad according to a dragged direction or dragged length when a spot of the virtual keypad is touched to be dragged in a specific direction.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

a touchscreen; and

a controller configured to;

cause the touchscreen to display a data input region;

cause the touchscreen to display a virtual keypad to permit data entry into the data input region, wherein the virtual keypad comprises a plurality of keys with individually defined visual boundaries, wherein a first key group of the plurality of the keys is associated with alphabetic characters and include a character identifier visually identifying an associated alphabetic character;

cause the touchscreen to display the virtual keypad as visually divided first and second virtual keypads collectively comprising the plurality of keys in response to an input received at first and second locations of the displayed virtual keypad, wherein the first location is any one of a plurality of different locations of the virtual keypad and the second location is any one of a plurality of different locations of the virtual keypad;

cause a change in displayed size of one virtual keypad of the visually divided first and second virtual keypads in response to an input received at the one virtual keypad;

wherein the character identifiers of the keys of the first key group, and the visual boundaries of each of the plurality of keys, are always displayed while the data is being entered into the data input region via user input to the virtual keypad,

wherein the size of each of the plurality of keys of the first and second virtual keypads is relatively smaller than the size of a respective key of the plurality of keys of the virtual keypad prior to the dividing, and

wherein the input at the first location is a touch input and the input at the second location is a drag input that extends over a portion of the virtual keypad, wherein which keys that form the first and second keypads are defined according to the second location of the drag input.

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

rotate each of the displayed first and second virtual keypads in response to an input.

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

delete a key of the plurality of keys of the first virtual keypad or the second virtual keypad.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the touchscreen comprises a proximity sensor and the touch input at the first location comprises a proximity touch input.

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

cause the touchscreen to display information in a gap formed between the first virtual keypad and the second virtual keypad, wherein the information was not displayed, or was visually obscured, by the virtual keypad prior to receiving the input at the first location and the second location.

14. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the drag input at the second location is received in a direction away from the first location.

15. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the drag input at the second location extends over a portion of the virtual keypad, wherein keys located at one side of the virtual keypad as defined by the second location of the drag input are keys which form the first virtual keypad and remaining keys of the virtual keypad form the second virtual keypad.

16. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the drag input at the second location extends over a portion of the virtual keypad to enclose a plurality of keys of the virtual keypad, wherein the enclosed plurality of keys are keys that form the first virtual keypad and remaining keys of the virtual keypad form the second virtual keypad.

6. A method comprising:

displaying, on a touchscreen, a data input region;

displaying, on the touchscreen, a virtual keypad to permit data entry into the data input region, wherein the virtual keypad comprises a plurality of keys with individually defined visual boundaries, wherein a first key group of the plurality of the keys is associated with alphabetic characters and include a character identifier visually identifying an associated alphabetic character;

displaying, on the touchscreen, the virtual keypad as visually divided first and second virtual keypads collectively comprising the plurality of keys in response to an input received at first and second locations of the displayed virtual keypad, wherein the first location is any one of a plurality of different locations of the virtual keypad and the second location is any one of a plurality of different locations of the virtual keypad;

changing in displayed size of one virtual keypad of the visually divided first and second virtual keypads in response to an input received at the one virtual keypad;

wherein the character identifiers of the keys of the first key group, and the visual boundaries of each of the plurality of keys, are always displayed while the data is being entered into the data input region via user input to the virtual keypad during the text input mode,

wherein the size of each of the plurality of keys of the first and second virtual keypads is relatively smaller than the size of a respective key of the plurality of keys of the virtual keypad prior to the dividing, and

wherein the input at the first location is a touch input and the input at the second location is a drag input that extends over a portion of the virtual keypad, wherein which keys that form the first and second keypads are defined according to the second location of the drag input.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

rotating each of the displayed first and second virtual keypads in response to an input.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

deleting a key of the plurality of keys of the first virtual keypad or the second virtual keypad.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the touchscreen comprises a proximity sensor and the touch input at the first location comprises a proximity touch input.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying, on the touchscreen, information in a gap formed between the first virtual keypad and the second virtual keypad, wherein the information was not displayed, or was visually obscured, by the virtual keypad prior to receiving the input at the first location and the second location.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the drag input at the second location is received in a direction away from the first location.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the drag input at the second location extends over a portion of the virtual keypad, wherein keys located at one side of the virtual keypad as defined by the second location of the drag input are keys which form the first virtual keypad and remaining keys of the virtual keypad form the second virtual keypad.

13. The method of claim 6, wherein the drag input at the second location extends over a portion of the virtual keypad to enclose a plurality of keys of the virtual keypad, wherein the enclosed plurality of keys are keys that form the first virtual keypad and remaining keys of the virtual keypad form the second virtual keypad.