Mobile terminal and controlling method of a locked screen

• US 9,626,083 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2013
• Issued: 04/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lee, Jungbin, Yim, Soyeon, Lee, Jisun, Park, Jinwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ulrich, Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US14/071,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20140359454A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,261 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• 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 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are provided. If a screen of a touchscreen is locked, at least communication-connectable external device is automatically found and the found external device is displayed on the locked screen. Accordingly, both of the unlocking of the locked screen and the communication connection to the found external device can be simultaneously performed in response to a user'"'"'s touch gesture.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to communicate wirelessly;

a touchscreen configured to display images and to sense touch; and

a controller configured to;

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to display a locked screen;

control the wireless communication unit to search for one or more external devices capable of wireless communication with the wireless communication unit;

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to display a first item and a second item on the locked screen, the first item indicating an external device identified by the search and the second item for unlocking the locked screen; and

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to unlock the locked screen and control the wireless communication unit to establish a wireless communication connection with the identified external device when the first item and second item are touched and a distance between the touched first item and second item is decreased less than a predetermined distance;

determine a cooperative function with the identified external device;

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to display a function item indicating the cooperative function after unlocking the locked screen; and

execute the cooperative function in response to a user selection of the function item.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to unlock the locked screen and control the wireless communication unit to establish a wireless communication connection with the identified external device in response to a touch input that is based on a motion of a first touch sensed via the touchscreen.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein:

the touch input is further based on a path of the motion.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein:

the path selects the identified external device by at least contacting the first item, approaching within a predetermined distance of the first item, or designating a region that includes the first item.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein:

the touch input is further based on a motion of a second touch sensed via the touchscreen of the mobile terminal.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to unlock the locked screen and control the wireless communication unit to establish a wireless communication connection with the external device in response to a touch input that is based on two touches sensed via the touchscreen of the mobile terminal.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein:

the two touches are concurrent.

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

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to display at least a third item on the locked screen, the at least the third item corresponding to one or more additional external devices resulting from the search; and

control the wireless communication unit to establish a wireless communication connection with at least one of the additional external devices.

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

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to display the second item in response to a first touch sensed via the touchscreen; and

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to stop displaying the second item in response to the first touch being removed from the touchscreen.

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

control the wireless communication unit to receive information related to a touch sensed via a touchscreen of the external device; and

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to unlock the locked screen and control the wireless communication unit to establish a wireless communication connection with the external device in response to a touch input that is based on the touch sensed via the touchscreen of the external device and a touch sensed via the touchscreen of the mobile terminal.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein:

the touch input is further based on timing of the touch sensed via the touchscreen of the mobile terminal and the touch sensed via the touchscreen of the external device.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein:

the touch input is further based on a motion of the touch sensed via the touchscreen of the mobile terminal and a motion of the touch sensed via the touchscreen of the external device.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the wireless communication unit to perform the search while the lock screen is displayed.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a camera,

wherein the cooperative function includes a camera function in which the controller activates the camera and controls the wireless communication unit to transmit a preview image received from the camera to the identified external device.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the cooperative function includes a camera function in which the controller controls the wireless communication unit to transmit a signal to the identified external device, the signal including a request for transmission of a preview image received from a camera of the external device; and

the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to display the preview image received from the identified external device.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the cooperative function includes a memo function in which the controller controls the wireless communication unit to transmit a signal commanding the identified external device to operate in a memo writing mode when the mobile terminal is connected to a call with a counterpart, to receive written memo content from the identified external device, and to transmit the received memo content to the counterpart.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a camera,

wherein the cooperative function includes a video call function in which the controller controls the wireless communication unit to transmit a counterpart image to the identified external device, the counterpart image being an image of a video call between the mobile terminal and a counterpart.

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

control the touchscreen of the mobile terminal to display content usable by the identified external device after the wireless communication connection is established;

determine a selection of the content; and

control the wireless communication unit to transmit the selected content to the identified external device in response to the selection.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the content includes at least recently used content or content previously shared with the identified external device.

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

displaying a locked screen on the touchscreen;

searching for one or more external devices capable of wireless communication with the mobile terminal;

displaying a first item and a second item on the locked screen, the first item indicating an external device identified by the search and the second item for unlocking the locked screen;

unlocking the locked screen and establishing a wireless communication connection with the identified external device when the first item and second item are touched and a distance between the touched first item and second item is decreased less than a predetermined distance;

determining a cooperative function with the identified external device;

displaying a function item on the touchscreen indicating the cooperative function after unlocking the locked screen; and

executing the cooperative function in response to a user selection of the function item.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

displaying content usable by the identified external device on the touchscreen after the wireless communication connection is established;

determining a selection of the content; and

transmitting the selected content to the identified external device in response to the selection.