Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

• US 9,798,460 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2015
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2015
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hyun, Juha, Kang, Shinnyue, Yang, Yoonseok
• Primary Examiner(s): HALEY, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US14/948,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20160357392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 704 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Abstract

Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a method for controlling the same. The mobile terminal includes a touch screen disposed at a first side of the mobile terminal and configured to display information; and a controller configured to: divide the touch screen into a plurality of regions corresponding to a first function in response to a touch drag starting from a preset point on the first side, wherein the plurality of regions correspond to a plurality of sub-menus of the first function; execute the first function according to a sub-menu corresponding to a region where the touch drag is released; and cause the touch screen to display an execution screen of the executed first function according to the sub-menu to at least part of the touch screen.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen disposed at a first side of the mobile terminal and configured to display information; and

a controller configured to;

divide the touch screen into a plurality of regions corresponding to a first function in response to a touch drag starting from a preset point on the first side, wherein the plurality of regions correspond to a plurality of sub-menus of the first function;

execute the first function according to a sub-menu corresponding to a region where the touch drag is released; and

cause the touch screen to display an execution screen of the executed first function according to the sub-menu to at least part of the touch screen;

wherein the plurality of regions comprises a first region corresponding to the first sub-menu and a second region corresponding to a second sub-menu, and the controller is further configured to;

execute the first function according to the first sub-menu and the second sub-menu when the touch drag is maintained at the first region for a predetermined length of time then moved to the second region and released at the second region.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the preset point is determined based on a position where a specific touch input is applied to the first side.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the first function is based on a position where the specific touch input is applied to the touch screen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the preset point corresponds to a display position of a function icon corresponding to the first function when screen information is displayed on the touch screen.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to divide the plurality of regions based on a position of the preset point on the first side.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the touch screen to display information related to each corresponding sub-menu as the touch drag is moved across the plurality of regions.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the touch screen to display first information related to a first sub-menu corresponding to a first region when the touch drag is located at the first region; and

cause the touch screen to terminate displaying the first information and display second information related to a second sub-menu corresponding to a second region when the touch drag is moved from the first region to the second region.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the first information is displayed on the first region and the second information is displayed on the second region.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to execute the first function according to the second sub-menu and cause the touch screen to display an execution screen of the first function according to the second sub-menu when the touch drag is released at the second region.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to cause the touch screen to display a first execution screen corresponding to the executed first function according to the first sub-menu and a second execution screen corresponding to the executed first function according to the second sub-menu to at least part of the touch screen.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the touch screen to continue displaying the first information when the touch drag is moved to the second region.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of regions are divided along a first direction and a second direction;

a first sub-group of regions divided along the first direction correspond to sub-menus of the first function;

a second sub-group of regions divided along the second direction correspond to sub-menus of a second function, wherein the first sub-group of regions and the second sub-group of regions intersect; and

the controller is further configured to execute at least the first function according to a sub-menu of the first function or execute the second function according to a sub-menu of the second specific function when the touch drag is released at a specific region.

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

select the sub-menu of the first function and the sub-menu of the second function based on a position of the specific region of the touch screen; and

consecutively execute the first function according to the sub-menu of the first function and the second function according to the sub-menu of the second function.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to execute the second function according to the sub-menu of the second function using specific data related to execution of the first function according to the sub-menu of the first function when the first function is executed.

15. A method for controlling the mobile terminal, the method comprising:

dividing the touch screen into a plurality of regions corresponding to a first function in response to a touch drag starting from a preset point on a first side of the mobile terminal, wherein the plurality of regions correspond to a plurality of sub-menus of the first function;

executing the first function according to a sub-menu corresponding to a region where the touch drag is released; and

displaying an execution screen of the executed first function according to the sub-menu to at least part of a touch screen of the mobile terminal,

wherein the plurality of regions comprises a first region corresponding to the first sub-menu and a second region corresponding to a second sub-menu, and the method further comprises;

executing the first function according to the first sub-menu and the second sub-menu when the touch drag is maintained at the first region for a predetermined length of time then moved to the second region and released at the second region.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the preset point is determined based on a position where a specific touch input is applied to the first side.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first function is based on a position where the specific touch input is applied on the touch screen.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of regions are divided based on a position of the preset point on the first side.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying information related to each corresponding sub-menu as the touch drag is moved across the plurality of regions.