Mobile terminal and method of controlling the same

• US 9,330,180 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Tae Hun, Jung, Jang Jae
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang, Haimei
• Application Number:
  US12/242,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20090094206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,772 Days
• Field of Search: 715/773, 715/841, 715/864
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A mobile terminal and method of controlling the same are disclosed, by which a terminal user is enabled to input specific commands to the mobile terminal with minimum effort in a manner of configuring a display screen with consideration of enhanced user'"'"'s convenience. The present invention includes a display unit, a wireless communication unit for an internet access, a user input unit for receiving an input from a user, and a control unit controlling both a text input box and an indicator indicating one selected from the group consisting of at least two functions of the text input box to be displayed on a standby image of the display unit.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touchscreen;

a wireless communication unit configured to establish an Internet access;

an input unit configured to receive an input from a user; and

a controller configured to;

display on the touchscreen a text input box on a standby image, the text input box usable for selectively searching a first search category and a second search category;

display a current category indicator at a designated location which is one side of the text input box, and the current category indicator indicating a current search category of the text input box;

receive a text input into the text input box for searching the input text;

send the text input to a search program;

receive a search result from the search program; and

display the search result on the touch screen;

wherein, in response to changing the current search category of the text input box from the first search category to the second search category, an appearance of the current category indicator for the text input box is changed to indicate the changed search category,

wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed at the same designated location with the text input box,

wherein the controller is further configured to preserve the input text in the text input box even after the current search category for the input text is changed between the first and second search categories, wherein the first search category is for searching the same input text via the Internet access, and the second search category is for searching the same input text within the mobile terminal,

wherein the controller is further configured to display a matched one of two different virtual keypads for the same text input box on the touchscreen before the text input into the text input box and in response to selection of the text input box,

wherein the matched virtual keypad is selected between the two different virtual keyboards according to the current search category of the same text input box on the touchscreen, and

wherein the controller is further configured to;

display icons for sub search categories in addition to the current category indicator when the current search category is the first search category for searching via the Internet access, and

render the icons for the sub search categories to disappear when the current search category is changed from the first search category to the second search category for searching within the mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed while the text is input into the text input box for the changed search category.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the text input box is displayed on the standby image in a standby mode.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the sub search categories for the first search category include at least one of a webpage category, and image category, a moving picture category, a dictionary category, a news category, and a blog category.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input unit further comprises a real keypad, and

wherein, in response to selection of the text input box after the real keypad has become inactivated, the controller is further configured to display the virtual keypad.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input unit further comprises a real keypad, and

wherein, in response to exposure of the real keypad after the text input box is selected, the controller is further configured to cause the displayed virtual keypad to disappear.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, in response to selection of the text input box for inputting the text therein, the controller is further configured to display a list of texts recently inputted to the selected text input box.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display the same input text within a different text input box together with the search result corresponding to the input text.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a webpage corresponding to a URL, when the URL is input into the same text input box and a command for processing the input URL is received.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein the real keypad is inactivated by not being externally exposed.

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

establishing an Internet access via a wireless connection;

displaying, by the mobile terminal, a text input box on a standby image of the mobile terminal, the text input box usable for selectively searching a first search category and a second search category;

displaying, by the mobile terminal, a current category indicator at a designated location which is one side of the text input box, the current category indicatory indicating a current search category of the text input box;

receiving a text input into the text input box for searching the input text;

sending the text input to a search program;

receiving a search result from the search program; and

displaying a search result on a screen of the mobile terminal;

wherein, in response to changing the current search category of the text input box is changed from the first search category to the second search category, an appearance of the current category indicator for the text input box is changed to indicate the changed search category,

wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed at the same designated location with the text input box,

wherein the input text is preserved in the text input box even after the current search category for the input text is changed between the first and second search categories,

wherein the first search category is for searching the same input text via the Internet access, and the second search category is for searching the same input text within the mobile terminal,

wherein the method further comprises displaying a matched one of two different virtual keypads for the same text input box on the touchscreen before the text input into the text input box and in response to selection of the text input box,

wherein the matched virtual keypad is selected between the two different virtual keyboards according to the current search category of the same text input box on the touchscreen, and

wherein the method further comprises;

displaying icons for sub search categories in addition to the current category indicator when the current search category is the first search category for searching via the Internet access; and

rendering the icons for the sub search categories to disappear when the current search category is changed from the first search category to the second search category for searching within the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed while the text is input into the text input box for the changed search category.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the text input box is displayed on the standby image in a standby mode.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the sub search categories for the first search category include at least one of a webpage category, an image category, a moving picture category, a dictionary category, a news category, and a blog category.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying the virtual keypad when the text input box is selected after a real keypad has become inactivated.

12. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing the displayed virtual keypad to disappear when a real keypad is externally exposed after the text input box is selected.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising displaying a list of texts recently inputted to the selected text input box in response to selection of the text input box for inputting the text therein.

18. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying the same input text within a different text input box together with the search result corresponding to the input text.

19. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

displaying a webpage corresponding to a URL, when the URL is input into the same text input box and a command for processing the input URL is received.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the real keypad is inactivated by not being externally exposed.