Mobile terminal and control method thereof

• US 10,261,686 B2
• Filed: 01/08/2015
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Intai, Lee, Daewoo, Park, Jaeyong, Kim, Sumi, Jang, Hyojeong, Hwangbo, Minseok, Oh, Hyunju
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chung, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/592,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20150268854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,559 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/04886 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/232 Orthographic correction, e.g. spell checking or vowelisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/543 User-generated data transfer, e.g. clipboards, dynamic data exchange [DDE], object linking and embedding [OLE]

Abstract

Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, which has a display unit for displaying a virtual keypad and texts input by the virtual keypad. The mobile terminal includes a display unit and a controller. The display unit has a first area in which a virtual keypad is displayed and a second area in which a character input by a touch applied to the virtual keypad is displayed, and displays a first cursor for guiding a position at which a character is to be input. When an editing mode is executed in the state in which the first cursor is displayed, the controller displays, in the second area, a second cursor different from the first cursor, and selectively activates any one of the first and second cursors.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display unit configured to have a first area and a second area, the first area to display a keypad and to receive a touch input at the keypad, the second area to display a character that is input based on the touch input at the displayed keypad, and the second area to display a first cursor to identify a position of the second area at which the character is to be displayed; and

a controller configured to display a second cursor at the second area, and to selectively activate one of the first cursor and the second cursor when an editing mode is executed while the first cursor is displayed,

wherein the editing mode is a state in which the first cursor and the second cursor are displayed at a same time, wherein the character that is input based on the displayed keypad is input at a position of the activated one of the first cursor and the second cursor,

in response to inputting of at least one character when the first cursor is the activated one of the first cursor and the second cursor, the first cursor moves to a position at which a new character is to be input, and the second cursor is configured to start moving when a predetermined time elapses after the first cursor moves and to move along a path of the moving first cursor until the position at which the first cursor is displayed,

wherein the displayed second cursor to move at a first speed when a typographic error is at the position where the second cursor is displayed, and the displayed second cursor to move at a second speed when a typographic error is not provided, wherein the first speed is slower than the second speed,

in response to the inputting of at least one character being stopped, the first cursor stops moving and the second cursor continuously moves along the path of the moving first cursor until the position at which the first cursor is displayed, and

wherein when the second cursor is activated, movement of the second cursor and the first cursor is stopped.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein in response to the typographical error in an inputted text, the controller to display the second cursor at a position corresponding to the typographical error.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein in response to activation of one of the first cursor and the second cursor, the activated one of the first cursor and the second cursor is highlighted to be distinguished from the other one of the first cursor and the second cursor.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein while the editing mode is executed, the display unit to display a cursor selection icon to selectively activate one of the first cursor and the second cursor, and one of the first cursor and the second cursor is activated based on a touch at the cursor selection icon.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein in response to a touch that moves in a first direction while the first cursor is activated, the controller to activate the second cursor.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 5, wherein while the second cursor is activated, the display unit to change from displaying the keypad to displaying a debugging pad related to the second cursor, and

wherein the displayed debugging keypad includes one or more keys not included in the displayed keypad, and the one or more keys include one or more keys related to a function formed to execute a function for correcting the typographical error.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein while the editing mode is executed, the display unit to display a cursor movement icon to move the displayed second cursor, and

wherein in response to a touch at the displayed cursor movement icon, the controller to move the displayed second cursor.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller to move the displayed second cursor for each word based on a touch at the displayed cursor movement icon.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the controller to display a plurality of guidance bars to identify positions at which the second cursor is to be moved, and

wherein the second cursor is displayed at a position of one of the plurality of guidance bars.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein in response to a search command with respect to a search word inputted in a text, the controller to search for a word similar to the search word,

wherein when one or more similar words are searched, the controller to execute the editing mode, and to display sub-cursors respectively at positions corresponding to the searched one or more words, and

wherein the second cursor is one of the sub-cursors.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when at least one typographical error is provided in an inputted text, the controller to display a typographical error list that includes at least one typographical error item, and

wherein in response to a touch at one typographical error item in the displayed typographical error list, the controller to execute the editing mode, to display the second cursor at a position corresponding to the displayed typographical error item, and to activate the second cursor.

12. A method for controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying, at a display, a keypad and a first cursor, the displayed keypad including a plurality of keys, the first cursor to identify a position at which a character is to be input based on a touch at the keypad;

displaying, at the display, a second cursor, when an editing mode is executed while the first cursor is displayed on the display;

selectively activating one of the first cursor and the second cursor based on an input; and

displaying, in response to a touch at one of the keys of the keypad, a character at the activated one of the first cursor and the second cursor,

wherein the editing mode is a state in which the first cursor and the second cursor are displayed at a same time, wherein the character that is input based on the displayed keypad is input at a position of the activated one of the first cursor and the second cursor,

in response to inputting of at least one character when the first cursor k the activated one of the first cursor and the second cursor, the first cursor moves to a position at which a new character is to be input, and the second cursor is configured to start moving, later than the first cursor, along a path of the moving first cursor up to the position at which the first cursor is displayed and the second cursor sequentially moves along places on the display through which the first cursor passes,

wherein the displayed second cursor to move at a first speed when a typographic error is at the position where the second cursor is displayed, and the displayed second cursor to move at a second speed when a typographic error is not provided, wherein the first speed is slower than the second speed,

wherein in response to the inputting of at least one character being stopped, the first cursor stops moving and the second cursor continuously moves along the path of the moving first cursor until the position at which the first cursor is displayed, and

wherein when the second cursor is activated, movement of the second cursor is stopped.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein in response to the typographical error in an inputted text, the second cursor is displayed at a position corresponding to the typographical error.