Privacy screen for amobile terminal that displays protected data

• US 9,892,251 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Hyungbin
• Primary Examiner(s): Bhatia, Ajay
• Assistant Examiner(s): Olshannikov, Alex
• Application Number:
  US14/201,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253526A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 715778, 715781, 715741, 715742, 715821, 726 4- 7, 726 16- 19, 726 21, 726 26- 30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/36 by graphic or iconic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/629 to features or functions of an application
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/45 using multiple identity modules

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes: a display; and a controller. The controller puts at least one screen corresponding to the current display screen and having the same execution depth into standby, and when a predetermined trigger operation is performed, further displays on the display a screen chosen from the at least one screen by the trigger operation.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display configured to display a current display screen, wherein the current display screen is an execution screen of a first application; and

a controller configured to;

cause the display to display a result of performing a function of the first application on the current display screen;

perform an authentication procedure while the current display screen is displayed;

place a plurality of screens on standby when authentication is successful according to the authentication procedure, wherein the plurality of screens are execution screens of a plurality of applications other than the first application, each of the execution screens containing a result of performing a function of a respectively corresponding one of the plurality of applications, the function of the respectively corresponding one of the plurality of applications corresponding to the function of the first application;

cause the display to display a plurality of indicators when the authentication is successful, each of the plurality of indicators associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of screens and displayed on a corresponding edge portion of the current display screen, wherein the plurality of indicators indicate that the plurality of screens are on standby;

select a screen from among the plurality of screens on standby in response to a preset trigger operation received via one of the plurality of indicators while the current display screen is displayed; and

cause the display to display the selected screen such that the displayed selected screen is overlaid on a first portion of the current display screen, wherein the first portion is a partial portion of the current display screen, and wherein a size of the selected screen increases progressively while a size of the first portion decreases according to progress of the preset trigger operation.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of indicators are not displayed when authentication is not successful according to the authentication procedure.

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

not store at least part of information obtained by executing on the selected screen;

or

limit access to at least part of the obtained information.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of screens comprise a screen including icons for executing applications designated as private applications when the current display screen is a wallpaper.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the plurality of screens comprise a wallpaper assigned to a second user identity module of the mobile terminal when the current display screen is a wallpaper assigned to a first user identity module and the mobile terminal is operated according to the first user identity module.

6. The mobile terminal claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of screens comprise an execution screen of a second application that performs a function corresponding to a function of a first application when the current display screen is an execution screen of the first application that is operated based on a first user identity module of the mobile terminal; and

the second application is executed based on a second user identity module of the mobile terminal.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the current display screen includes a user interface for logging in to a first website; and

the plurality of screens comprise a screen including a user interface for logging in to a second website by using same log-in information that is used for the first website.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

a second portion of the current display screen that is not overlaid by the displayed selected screen comprises a user interface; and

a user input is receivable via the user interface while both the selected screen and the first user interface of the current display screen are displayed.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein an area of the displayed selected screen is determined according to a degree of the preset trigger operation performed.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9, wherein:

the preset trigger operation comprises touching a designated area of the one of the plurality of indicators while the current display screen is displayed and dragging from the touched area; and

the area of the displayed selected screen is determined based on a distance of the dragging.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the selected screen semi-transparently such that the current display screen is at least partially overlaid by the semi-transparent selected screen, and both a user interface on the selected screen and the plurality of indicators on the current display screen are ready for receiving a user input.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of screens that is on standby is not displayed until a corresponding one of the plurality of indicators is manipulated.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the authentication procedure comprises a near field communication (NFC) tagging.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the first application and the plurality of applications perform a same function.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution screen of the first application and the execution screens of the plurality of applications are search results screens.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the first application and the plurality of applications are web browsing applications.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the function of the first application and the function of the respectively corresponding one of the plurality of applications are performing a search for a same keyword.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the same keyword is received via the execution screen of the first application such that the same keyword is also entered to the execution screens of the plurality of applications in response to the same keyword received via the execution screen of the first application.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the preset trigger operation comprises dragging the one of the plurality of indicators toward the execution screen of the first application.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the function of the respectively corresponding one of the plurality of applications and the function of the first application are same or similar.