MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20090094206A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KIM, Tae Hun, JUNG, Jang Jae
• Granted Patent: US 9,330,180 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A mobile terminal and method of controlling the same are disclosed, by which a terminal user is enabled to input specific commands to the mobile terminal with minimum effort in a manner of configuring a display screen with consideration of enhanced user'"'"'s convenience. The present invention includes a display unit, a wireless communication unit for an internet access, a user input unit for receiving an input from a user, and a control unit controlling both a text input box and an indicator indicating one selected from the group consisting of at least two functions of the text input box to be displayed on a standby image of the display unit.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit;

a wireless communication unit configured to establish an Internet access;

a user input unit configured to receive an input from a user; and

a controller configured

to display on the display unit a text input box on a standby image, the text input box selectively usable for a search function and at least one other function,

to display a current function indicator indicating a current function of the text input box, and

when the current function is the search function, to display a category indicator with the text input box, the category indicator indicating a search category.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the display unit comprises a touchscreen.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one other function is one of an internet address input function and a calculator function.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the search function is a first Internet search function and the at least one other function is a different Internet search function.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the search category includes a webpage category, an image category, a moving picture category, a dictionary category, a news category, and a blog category.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when the current function is the search function, the control unit is further configured to display a search result option key configured to automatically display search results corresponding to a maximum correlation or maximum access frequency among a plurality of search result objects.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein when the text input box is selected, the control unit is further configured to display a virtual keypad matching the current function of the text input box on the touchscreen.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein the user input unit further comprises a real keypad, and wherein when the text input box is selected after the real keypad has become activated, the control unit is further configured to not display a virtual keypad.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the user input unit further comprises a real keypad, and wherein when the text input box is selected after the real keypad has become activated, the control unit is further configured to remove the displayed virtual keypad.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the search category includes a webpage category, an image category, a moving picture category, a dictionary category, a news category, and a blog category.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

when the current function is the search function, displaying a search result option key configured to automatically display search results corresponding to a maximum correlation or maximum access frequency among a plurality of search result objects.

10. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, comprising:

establishing an Internet access via a wireless connection;

receiving an input from a user;

displaying a text input box on a standby image, the text input box selectively usable for a search function and at least one other function;

displaying a current function indicator indicating a current function of the text input box; and

when the current function is the search function, displaying a category indicator with the text input box, the category indicator indicating a search category.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a virtual keypad matching the current function of the text input box on the touchscreen when the text input box is selected.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a virtual keypad when the text input box is selected after a real keypad has become activated.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

removing the displayed virtual keypad when the text input box is selected after a real keypad has become activated.

11. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one other function is one of an internet address input function and a calculator function.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the search function is a first Internet search function and the at least one other function is a different Internet search function.