Mobile terminal and method of controlling the same

• US 9,521,241 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Issued: 12/13/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation), Tradewinds Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Ilhyun, Yim, Soyeon, Kim, Jonghoon, Choi, Jinhae, Koo, Bonjoon, Kim, Youngjoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Agosta, Steve D
• Application Number:
  US14/476,464
• Publication Number:
  US 20150264169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 455410-411, 455/550.1, 715/863, 345/173, 717/102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3265 Power saving in display device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• 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 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/673 the user being required to key in a code
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions
• 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 digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a terminal body; a display unit configured to switch between an activated state in which lighting is turned on and a deactivated state in which lighting is turned off; and a controller configured to sense a plurality of touch inputs applied to the display unit when the display unit is deactivated, release a locked state of the terminal, when the sensed touch inputs are matched to a pre-set pattern, switch the deactivated display unit to an activated state, and selectively display on the activated display unit at least one execution screen based on characteristics of the sensed touch inputs among a plurality of pre-set execution screens.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body;

a display unit configured to switch between an activated state in which lighting is turned on and a deactivated state in which lighting is turned off; and

a controller configured to;

sense a plurality of touch inputs applied to the display unit when the display unit is deactivated,

release a locked state of the terminal, when the sensed touch inputs are matched to a pre-set pattern,

switch the deactivated display unit to an activated state, and

selectively display on the activated display unit at least one execution screen based on characteristics of the sensed touch inputs among a plurality of pre-set execution screens,

wherein;

the display unit is divided into a plurality of regions respectively corresponding to different execution screens in the deactivated state,

the controller is further configured to selectively display at least one execution screen based on a position of a region to which the sensed touch inputs have been applied, and display an execution screen corresponding to any one region to which the sensed touch inputs have been applied among the plurality of regions,

when the sensed touch inputs are sensed in a first region of a display region of the display unit, the controller is further configured to execute a function set by a user and display an execution screen of the executed function, and

when the sensed touch inputs are sensed in a second region different from the first region of the display region, the controller is further configured to display a home screen.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the characteristics of the sensed touch inputs correspond to at least one of a position of a region to which the sensed touch inputs have been applied, a size of the region to which the sensed touch inputs have been applied, a type of an object used to apply the sensed touch inputs, and the number of touches included in a final touch input among the sensed touch inputs.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein when the sensed touch inputs are matched to the pre-set pattern and have first characteristics, the controller is further configured to release the locked state and display a first execution screen on the display unit, and when the sensed touch inputs are matched to the pre-set pattern and have second characteristics different from the first characteristics, release the locked state and display a second execution screen different from the first execution screen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively display the at least one execution screen based on a type of an object used to apply the touch inputs.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to selectively display the at least one execution screen based on the number of touches included in a final touch input among the sensed touch inputs.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pre-set execution screens include different home screens set for multiple users, and when the sensed touch inputs are matched to a pre-set pattern, the controller is further configured to perform a log-in with respect to any one user based on characteristics of the sensed touch inputs among the multiple users and display a home screen corresponding to the any one user.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to execute a function corresponding to the at least one execution screen.

8. A mobile terminal comprising:

a terminal body;

a display unit configured to switch between an activated state in which lighting is turned on and a deactivated state in which lighting is turned off; and

a controller configured to;

sense a plurality of touch inputs applied to the display unit when the display unit is deactivated,

release a locked state of the terminal, when the sensed touch inputs are matched to a pre-set pattern,

switch the deactivated display unit to an activated state, and

selectively display on the activated display unit at least one execution screen based on characteristics of the sensed touch inputs among a plurality of pre-set execution screens,

wherein when a final touch input among the sensed touch inputs is not released but maintained for a pre-set period of time, the controller is further configured to cause displaying of graphic objects corresponding to different functions on the display unit, and

wherein types of the graphic objects are varied depending on characteristics of the sensed touch inputs.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the graphic objects are formed to execute different functions and include icons fixedly displayed at the same position even though a page of a home screen including a plurality of pages is shifted.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein when a drag input starting from the final touch input to any one of the graphic objects is sensed, the controller is further configured to execute a function corresponding to the any one of the graphic objects.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the display unit is divided into virtual regions and the sensed touch inputs include a plurality of touch inputs sequentially applied to at least one region according to a pre-set pattern among the virtual regions in pre-set order.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein at least one of a position and a size of the virtual regions on the display unit is varied based on a touch point at which the plurality of touch inputs are sensed on the display unit.