Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 9,459,708 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2014
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Seyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, VIET DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/459,625
• Publication Number:
  US 20150153843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which a currently displayed function screen can be switched to a desired function screen using a motion gesture of a mobile terminal while at least two functions are enabled. The present disclosure includes a display unit configured to display a screen of a first function among screens of a plurality of currently executed functions, a motion sensor configured to detect a motion gesture of the mobile terminal, and a controller configured to switch the screen of the first function to a screen of a second function among the screens of the plurality of currently executed functions, the second function is associated with the detected motion gesture.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display unit configured to display a first screen of a first function among screens for a plurality of currently executed functions;

a motion sensor configured to detect a motion gesture corresponding to a movement of the mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to;

switch the first screen to a second screen of a second function among the screens of the plurality of currently executed functions in response to detection of a first motion gesture for switching the first screen to the second screen, and

wherein;

the first screen includes a prescribed region for attaching a specific content included in the second screen, and

the controller is further configured to;

when the first motion gesture is detected via the motion sensor after the prescribed region is selected, switch the first screen to the second screen;

when a second motion gesture for switching the second screen to the first screen is detected via the motion sensor after the specific content is selected from the switched second screen, switch the second screen to the first screen; and

automatically attach the selected specific content to the prescribed region in the switched first screen.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein one of the first motion gesture and the second motion gesture is a gesture input having prescribed characteristics including at least one of a direction of motion, a direction of rotation, an amount of movement, an amount of rotation, a speed of motion or a pattern of motion.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a memory configured to store a plurality of prescribed motion gestures for displaying each of the screens of the plurality of currently executed functions,

wherein the controller searches the memory for the second function corresponding to the detected first motion gesture, and displays the second screen of the searched second function by switching the first screen to the second screen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein, when the searched second function is not currently executed, the controller maintains the display of the first screen or switches the first screen to a home screen.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when a prescribed motion gesture is detected via the motion sensor, the controller partitions a display region of the display unit into a plurality of regions including a first region and a second region, and displays the first screen in the first region and displays the second screen in second region.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when a prescribed motion gesture is detected via the motion sensor, the controller controls to display a list of the screens for the plurality of currently executed functions and to display a screen for a prescribed function selected from the list by switching the first screen to the screen for the selected function.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the displayed list includes at least one of a screen for at least one function that has been recently used or a screen for at least one function that is preferred by a user.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when a prescribed motion gesture is detected via the motion sensor, the controller controls the second screen to be displayed on the first screen, the second screen being displayed to be transparent such that the first and second screens are visible at the same time.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein, when the transparently displayed screen of the second function is selected, the controller switches the first screen to the second screen and controls the first screen to be transparently displayed on the second screen.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1,

wherein, when a prescribed motion gesture is detected via the motion sensor, the controller displays a thumbnail of the second screen on the first screen, and

wherein, when the thumbnail is selected, the controller switches the first screen to the second screen.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1,

wherein, when the first screen is switched to the second screen, the controller controls to display a thumbnail of the first screen on the second screen, and

wherein, when the thumbnail is selected, the controller switches the first screen to the second screen.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when there is no function screen associated with the detected first motion gesture, the controller switches the first screen to a home screen.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller switches the first screen to one of the second screen or a third screen for a third function according to an amount of movement in the detected first motion gesture.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1,

wherein, when an event occurs while the first screen or the second screen is displayed, the controller controls to display a thumbnail of a screen associated with the event on the first screen or the second screen, and

wherein, when the thumbnail is selected, the controller switches the first screen or the second screen to the screen associated with the event.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein, when the event occurs while the first screen or the second screen is displayed, the controller controls to display information indicating a location of the screen associated with the event on the displayed first or second screen.

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

executing a plurality of functions on the mobile terminal;

displaying a first screen of a first function among screens for a plurality of executed functions;

detecting a first motion gesture corresponding to a movement of the mobile terminal;

switching the first screen to a second screen of a second function among the screens of the plurality of executed functions in response to a first motion gesture for switching the first screen to the second screen, wherein the first screen includes a prescribed region for attaching a specific content included in the second screen,

when the first motion gesture is detected after the prescribed region is selected, switching the first screen to the second screen;

when a second motion gesture for switching the second screen to the first screen is detected after the specific content is selected from the switched second screen, switching the second screen to the first screen; and

automatically attaching the selected specific content to the prescribed region in the switched first screen.