Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 9,417,789 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2012
• Issued: 08/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Ki Young, Kim, Seon Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Olson, Jason
• Application Number:
  US13/570,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20130106742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,469 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed. The present invention includes a memory configured to set at least one touch gesture having a specific function assigned thereto, a memory configured to store at least one touch gesture to which a specific function is assigned, a touchscreen having a screen configured to receive the at least one touch gesture, and a controller configured to control the touchscreen to display a trajectory line of the received at least one touch gesture on the screen such that the trajectory line can be discriminated from other information displayed on the screen, to search the memory for the function assigned to the received at least one touch gesture, and to execute the function assigned to the received at least one touch gesture.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a memory configured to store at least one touch gesture to which a specific function is assigned;

a touchscreen having a screen configured to receive the at least one touch gesture; and

a controller configured to;

control the touchscreen to display a trajectory line of the received at least one touch gesture on a background within the screen such that the trajectory line can be discriminated from other information displayed on the screen, the trajectory line displayed either by displaying the trajectory line more prominently than the background by changing a color of the background to a color other than white that is different than a color of the trajectory line or by displaying the background semi-transparently

search the memory for the specific function assigned to the at least one touch gesture; and

execute the assigned specific function.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display the trajectory line or the screen brighter than the other such that the trajectory line can be discriminated from the other information displayed on the screen.

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

recognize a color of a specific portion of the screen at which the trajectory line will be displayed; and

control the touchscreen to display the trajectory line in a different color than the recognized color.

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

determine that at least two colors exist at the specific portion of the screen;

determine an average color of the at least two colors; and

display the trajectory line in a different color than the average color.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display the trajectory line or the screen 3-dimensionally (3D) and the other 2-dimensionally (2D) such that the trajectory line can be discriminated from the other information displayed on the screen.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display the trajectory line or a line displayed on the screen bolder than the other such that the trajectory line can be discriminated from the other information displayed on the screen.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

at least two touch gestures are stored in the memory; and

the controller is further configured to;

detect receipt of the at least two touch gestures via the screen;

search the memory for the at least two touch gestures; and

control the touchscreen to display a list including patterns and corresponding functions of the at least two touch gestures.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

an executable function of a specific application is assigned to each of the at least one touch gesture; and

the controller is further configured to;

search the memory while the at least one touch gesture is being received to identify at least one stored touch gesture that includes a pattern of the at least one touch gesture being received; and

control the touchscreen to display information indicating a function assigned to the identified at least one stored touch gesture.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

at least a first touch gesture and a second touch gesture are stored in the memory, a specific main function assigned to the first touch gesture and a sub-function that is subordinate to the specific main function assigned to the second touch gesture; and

the controller is further configured to;

control the touchscreen to display a first trajectory line of the first touch gesture and a second trajectory line of the second touch gesture on the screen when both the first touch gesture and the second touch gesture are received; and

simultaneously execute both the main function and the sub-function.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the first touch gesture or the second touch gesture comprises a contact touch and the other touch gesture comprises a proximity touch.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the first and second touch gestures comprise independent touch gestures.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the touchscreen to display information on the first trajectory line that indicates the specific main function; and

control the touchscreen to display information on the second trajectory line that indicates the sub-function.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display the first trajectory line and the second trajectory line such that the first trajectory line can be discriminated from the second trajectory line.

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

simultaneously execute a first function related to first content and a second function related to second content, the first content having a corresponding first screen and the second content having a corresponding second screen;

control the touchscreen to display the first screen;

detect receipt on the displayed first screen of a specific touch gesture to which an operation control function of the second content is assigned;

control the touchscreen to identifiably display on the displayed first screen a trajectory line of the detected specific touch gesture; and

execute the operation control function.

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

simultaneously execute a first function related to first content and a second function related to second content, the first content having a corresponding first screen and the second content having a corresponding second screen;

control the touchscreen to display the second screen corresponding to the second content;

detect receipt on the displayed second screen of a first specific touch gesture to which an operation control function of the first content is assigned and a second specific touch gesture to which an operation control function of the second content is assigned;

control the touchscreen to identifiably display on the screen a trajectory line of the detected first specific touch gesture and a trajectory line of the detected second specific touch gesture; and

simultaneously execute the operation control function of the first content and the operation control function of the second content.

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

recognize a size of a contact area on the screen of the received at least one touch gesture; and

execute the assigned specific function according to the recognized size of the contact area.

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

assigning a specific function to at least one touch gesture;

receiving the at least one touch gesture via a touchscreen;

displaying a trajectory line of the received at least one touch gesture on a background within the touchscreen such that the trajectory line can be discriminated from other information displayed on the touchscreen, the trajectory line displayed either by displaying the trajectory line more prominently than the background by changing a color of the background to a color other than white that is different than a color of the trajectory line or by displaying the background semi-transparently; and

executing the specific function after input of the at least one touch gesture is completed.