ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20110296339A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 12/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kang, Minhun
• Granted Patent: US 9,081,477 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/782
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/20 Details of the management of multiple sources of image data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

An electronic device having a display; a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of external electronic devices on a network; and a controller configured to cause displaying of a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display, the GUI having a plurality of areas, activate the GUI responsive to receiving a predetermined user input, identify a connection state of each of the plurality of external electronic devices having a connection to the electronic device, correspond each of the plurality of areas with a respective one of the plurality of external electronic devices, and cause displaying of content relating to each of the plurality of external electronic devices in their respective one of the plurality of areas.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a communication unit configured to communicate with a plurality of external electronic devices on a network; and

a controller configured to;

cause displaying of a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display, the GUI comprising a plurality of areas,

activate the GUI responsive to receiving a predetermined user input,

identify a connection state of each of the plurality of external electronic devices having a connection to the electronic device,

correspond each of the plurality of areas with a respective one of the plurality of external electronic devices, and

cause displaying of content relating to each of the plurality of external electronic devices in their respective one of the plurality of areas.

2. The electronic device claim 1, wherein the network is a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to cause displaying of a second GUI having a plurality of information areas on the display, wherein each of the plurality of information areas permits user control of a respective one of the plurality of external electronic devices.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the user control is accomplished via touch input with the display.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the second GUI is displayed as a two-dimensional array.

6. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the second GUI is displayed as a three-dimensional array having at least one reference axis.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to cause rotating of the second GUI relative to the at least one reference axis responsive to receiving touch input with the display.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive information about content or applications from at least one of the plurality of external electronic devices, and

cause displaying of the received information in a corresponding at least one of the plurality of areas of the display.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive information about multiple content or applications from at least one of the plurality of external electronic devices,

group the received information, and

cause displaying of the grouped information in a corresponding at least one of the plurality of areas of the display.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select a first area of the first GUI corresponding to a first electronic device of the plurality of external electronic devices responsive to receiving a user contact with the display proximate to the first area, and

switch settings between the first area and a second area of the first GUI responsive to receiving a drag input that extends from the selected first area toward the second area on the display, wherein the switch of the settings comprises;

change a setting of the first external electronic device to change a correspondence from the first area to the second area, and

change a setting of a second external electronic device to change a correspondence from the second area to the first area.

11. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to:

select a first information area of the second GUI corresponding to a first electronic device of the plurality of external electronic devices responsive to receiving a user contact with the display proximate to the first information area,

switch settings between the first information area and a second information area of the second GUI responsive to receiving a drag input that extends from the selected first information area toward the second information area on the display, wherein the switch of the settings comprises;

change a setting of the first external electronic device to change a correspondence from the first information area to the second information area, and

change a setting of a second external electronic device to change a correspondence from the second information area to the first information area.

12. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to:

change the connection state from a deactivated state to an activated state of the at least one external electronic device being displayed in at least one of the plurality of information areas included in the second GUI,

receive a particular predetermined input via the second GUI, and

cause enlarging of the second GUI responsive to receiving the particular predetermined input.

13. The electronic device claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to send a command to one of the plurality of external electronic devices for executing a particular operation according to the connection state responsive to receiving user contact with the respective one of the plurality of areas.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to execute a particular application of a plurality of applications associated with one of the plurality of external electronic devices when the controller determines that a number of multitasking applications being performed by the one of the plurality of external electronic devices is greater than a threshold value.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the one of the plurality of external electronic devices is determined by the controller according to a type of the particular application.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to:

receive content information from at least one of the plurality of external electronic devices through the communication unit, and

cause displaying of the received content information in the respective one of the plurality of areas.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to:

provide content to at least one of the plurality of external electronic devices through the communication unit, and

cause displaying of the provided content in the respective one of the plurality of areas.

18. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

communicating with a plurality of electronic devices on a network via a communication unit of a first electronic device of the plurality of electronic devices;

displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) on a display of the first electronic device, the GUI comprising a plurality of areas;

activating the GUI responsive to receiving a predetermined user input;

identifying a connection state of each of the plurality of electronic devices having a connection to the first electronic device;

correspond each of the plurality of areas with a respective one of the plurality of electronic devices; and

displaying content relating to each of the plurality of electronic devices in their respective one of the plurality of areas.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

communicating with a plurality of external electronic devices included in a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network, wherein the plurality of external electronic devices includes the second electronic device; and

executing a particular application of a plurality of applications associated with one of the plurality of external electronic devices when a controller of the first electronic device determines that a number of multitasking applications being performed by the one of the plurality of external electronic devices is greater than a threshold value.

20. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving first and second touch inputs relative to a display of an electronic device;

displaying a three-dimensional (3D) graphical user interface (GUI);

activating the displayed 3D GUI responsive to receiving the first and second touch inputs within a defined time period;

enlarging the displayed 3D GUI after receiving the second touch input within the defined time period;

receiving a stroke input proximate to the enlarged 3D GUI for rotating the enlarged 3D GUI; and

rotating the enlarged 3D GUI in a direction which generally corresponds to a direction of the stroke input.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

establishing a connection between the electronic device and at least one external electronic device included in a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network;

identifying a connection state relating to a connection with the at least one external electronic device; and

displaying the 3D GUI via the display for executing a control operation in the at least one external electronic device according to the connection state.

22. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) via a display of a mobile terminal;

receiving a touch input proximate to a first area of the GUI, wherein the first area corresponds to a first electronic device having a connection with the mobile terminal;

selecting the first area responsive to receiving a particular touch input;

switching settings between the first area and a second area of the GUI responsive to receiving a drag input that extends from the selected first area toward the second area on the display, wherein switching the settings comprises;

changing a setting of the first external electronic device to change a correspondence from the first area to the second area, and

changing a setting of a second external electronic device to change a correspondence from the second area to the first area.