Watch type mobile terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 9,880,524 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ryu, Grami, Yoo, Mijun, Lee, Yongdeok, Kang, Yoojin, Lee, Junghoon, Rhee, Taeryung
• Primary Examiner(s): Kayes, Sean
• Application Number:
  US14/975,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 774 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/00 Input or output devices integrated in time-pieces
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0064 in which functions not related to time can be displayed digital output to display devices of digital computers G06F3/14
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 9/0082 by building-up characters using a combination of indicating elements and by selecting desired characters out of a number of characters or by selecting indicating elements the positions of which represents the time, i.e. combinations of G04G9/02 and G04G9/08
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/228 combined with other devices having a different main function, e.g. watches

Abstract

A watch type mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which a position of an hour hand and a position of a minute hand can be automatically changed to prevent an object contained in an application running screen from being blocked. A watch type mobile terminal in which time is indicated by at least one hand, the mobile terminal comprising: a display; and a controller configured to: cause the display to display a face screen; cause the at least one hand to point to a current time while the face screen is displayed; cause the display to display an execution screen of an application when the application is executed; and cause the at least one hand to move from a first position to a second position, deviating from the current time, to not block an area of the execution screen at which an object is displayed.

Claims

1. A watch type mobile terminal in which time is indicated by at least one hand, the mobile terminal comprising:

a display; and

a controller configured to;

cause the display to display a face screen;

cause the at least one hand to point to a current time while the face screen is displayed;

cause the display to display an execution screen of an application when the application is executed;

cause the at least one hand to move from a first position to a second position, deviating from the current time, to not block an area of the execution screen at which an object is displayed;

cause the display to display a gauge bar indicating a progressive status on the execution screen; and

cause the at least one hand to point to a position corresponding to a progressive rate of the gauge bar.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the face screen comprises a dial region for displaying an index object at a position corresponding to at least one of an hour or a minute and an edge region surrounding the dial region; and

the controller is further configured to cause the display to display numerals corresponding to the current time via the edge region.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to stop the displaying of the dial region when the execution screen is displayed while the displaying of the edge region is maintained when the execution screen is displayed.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein:

the at least one hand comprises an hour hand and a minute hand; and

the numerals displayed via the edge region comprise a first numeral corresponding to hour-unit information indicated by the hour hand and a second numeral corresponding to minute-unit information indicated by the minute hand.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the first numeral and the second numeral are displayed distinguishably from each other by being displayed differently in at least one of their font types, colors, or sizes.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the gauge bar indicates a progression of multimedia content being played or an achieved rate of a target exercise amount.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display a widget via the face screen such that a different widget is displayed based on a place at which the mobile terminal is located.

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

display a first widget when the mobile terminal is located at a first place; and

display a second widget when the mobile terminal is relocated from the first place to a second place.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one hand comprises an hour hand and a minute hand; and

when the execution screen is displayed, the controller is further configured to cause the hour hand and the minute hand to be re-directed to overlap each other.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a touch sensor configured to receive a touch input, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust a position of the at least one hand in response to the touch input.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the at least one hand to re-point to a position corresponding to the current time when the execution of the application is stopped.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to re-display the face screen when the execution of the application is stopped.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising the at least one hand as a physical hand.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the at least one hand.

15. A method for controlling a watch type mobile terminal in which time is indicated by at least one hand, the method comprising:

displaying a face screen;

causing the at least one hand to point to a current time while the face screen is displayed;

executing an application and displaying an execution screen of the executed application;

moving the at least one hand from a first position to a second position, deviating from the current time, to not block an area of the execution screen at which an object is displayed;

displaying a gauge bar indicating a progressive status on the execution screen; and

causing the at least one hand to point to a position corresponding to a progressive rate of the gauge bar.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the face screen comprises a dial region for displaying an index object at a position corresponding to at least one of an hour or a minute and an edge region surrounding the dial region; and

the method further comprises displaying numerals corresponding to the current time via the edge region.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising stopping the displaying of the dial region when the execution screen is displayed while the displaying of the edge region is maintained when the execution screen is displayed.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a gauge bar indicating a progressive status on the execution screen; and

causing the at least one hand to point to a position corresponding to a progressive rate of the gauge bar.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

stopping the execution of the application in response to an input;

re-displaying the face screen; and

causing the at least one hand to re-point to a position corresponding to the current time.