Mobile terminal and method of controlling function of the mobile terminal

• US 9,959,750 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Ju-youn, Lee, Sang-hyup
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US15/464,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 406 Days
• Field of Search: 455 412, 455 413, 4554331, 4554323
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/163 Wearable computers, e.g. on a belt
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/26 at least one of which is mobile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6066 including a wireless connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• 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 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/27 Transitions between radio resource control [RRC] states

Abstract

A method of controlling a function of a mobile terminal is provided. The method includes placing the mobile terminal within a communication range of a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) device previously registered in the mobile terminal, receiving identification information of the BLE device from the BLE device, extracting function information corresponding to the received identification information of the BLE device, and performing a previously set function corresponding to the extracted function information.

Claims

1. A method of setting a mode of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

placing the mobile terminal within a communication range of a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) device previously registered in the mobile terminal;

receiving identification information of the registered BLE device from the registered BLE device;

confirming mode information corresponding to the received identification information of the registered BLE device; and

setting the mode of the mobile terminal based on the confirmed mode information.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the mode information comprises information regarding a mode for the mobile terminal in a case in which the mobile terminal comes within or goes beyond the communication range of the registered BLE device.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the mode of the mobile terminal comprises at least one of:

a Wi-Fi On/Off mode, a Bluetooth ON/OFF mode, a sound ON/OFF mode, a vibration mode, an airplane mode, a driving mode, a data transmission/reception mode, and a brightness control mode.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input of a single piece of mode information regarding the registered BLE device; and

mapping and storing the identification information and the single piece of mode information based on the user input.

5. The method of claim 4,

wherein the mapping and storing further comprises the single piece of mode information based on the user input and at least one of property information of the registered BLE device and user additional information, and

wherein the property information of the registered BLE device comprises at least one of color information regarding an appearance, shape information, and sensor information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a user input of a plurality of pieces of mode information regarding the registered BLE device; and

mapping and storing the identification information and the plurality of pieces of mode information based on the user input.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the receiving of the user input further comprises:

receiving a user input of a plurality of pieces of mode information regarding the registered BLE device, which are classified with respect to time.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a list of registered BLE devices; and

receiving a user input of selecting at least one registered BLE device from the list of registered BLE devices.

9. The method of claim 1,

wherein the setting of the mode of the mobile terminal further comprises changing the mode of the mobile terminal using location information of the mobile terminal.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed, cause at least one processor to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A mobile terminal comprising:

a communication unit configured to, when the mobile terminal is disposed within a communication range of a Bluetooth low energy (BLE) device previously registered in the mobile terminal, receive identification information from the registered BLE device;

a processor configured to;

confirm mode information corresponding to the received identification information of the registered BLE device, and

set a mode of the mobile terminal based on the confirmed mode information.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11,

wherein the mode information comprises information regarding a mode set for the mobile terminal in a case in which the mobile terminal comes within or goes beyond the communication range of the registered BLE device.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11,

wherein the mode of the mobile terminal comprises at least one of:

a Wi-Fi On/Off mode, a Bluetooth ON/OFF mode, a sound ON/OFF mode, a vibration mode, an airplane mode, a driving mode, a data transmission/reception mode, and a brightness control mode.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 11, further comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input of a single piece of mode information regarding the registered BLE device; and

a memory configured to map and store the identification information and the single piece of mode information based on the user input.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14,

wherein the memory is further configured to:

map and store the single piece of mode information based on the user input and at least one of property information of the registered BLE device and user additional information, and

wherein the property information of the registered BLE device comprises at least one of color information regarding an appearance, shape information, and sensor information.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 11, further comprising:

a user interface configured to receive a user input of a plurality of pieces of mode information regarding the registered BLE device; and

a memory configured to map and store the identification information and the plurality of pieces of mode information based on the user input.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the user interface is further configured to receive a user input of a plurality of pieces of mode information regarding the registered BLE device, which are classified with respect to time.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 11, further comprising:

an output configured to display a list of registered BLE devices; and

a user interface configured to receive a user input selecting at least one registered BLE device from the list of registered BLE devices.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 11,

wherein the processor is further configured to change the mode of the mobile terminal by using location information of the mobile terminal.