MOBILE TERMINAL AND DISPLAY CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120306927A1
• Filed: 12/20/2011
• Published: 12/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Jiyoun, LEE, Minjeong, SONG, Younghoon, LEE, Choonjae, JANG, Hyungtae
• Granted Patent: US 9,495,058 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A mobile terminal and display controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which a different function may be executed in accordance with whether a means for touching a touchscreen is a user finger or a touch pen.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen configured to;

display information; and

receive a touch input via at least a finger of a user or a touch pen; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether the touch input was received via the finger of the user or via the touch pen;

control the touch screen to display a first screen corresponding to a first function when it is determined that the touch input was received via the finger of the user;

control the touch screen to display a second screen corresponding to a second function when it is determined that the touch input was received via the touch pen; and

control execution of the first function and the second function in a same application or execution of the first function in a first application and execution of the second function in a second application.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

one of the first function and the second function is an information display function; and

the other of the first function and the second function is an information input function.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the first function is a basic function; and

the second function is a touch pen dedicated function.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine whether the touch input was received via the finger of the user or the touch pen based on at least a touch size, a touch pressure, an electrostatic variation attributed to the received touch input, or a temperature variation attributed to the received touch input.

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

a wireless communication unit configured to receive a prescribed signal from the touch pen,

wherein the controller is further configured to determine that the touch input was received via the touch pen based on the received prescribed signal.

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

cease execution of the first function and begin execution of the second function when the touch input is received via the touch pen while the first screen is displayed on the touch screen; and

cease execution of the second function and begin execution of the first function when the touch input is received via the finger of the user while the second screen is displayed on the touch screen.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display a counterpart list identifying at least one counterpart;

the touch screen is further configured to receive the touch input via the finger of the user or via the touch pen on a specific one of the at least one identified counterpart;

execution of one of the first function and the second function comprises controlling the touch screen to display counterpart information related to the specific one of the at least one identified counterpart, and execution of the other of the first function and the second function comprises transmitting data to the specific one of the at least one identified counterpart or controlling the touch screen to display a screen for editing information related to the specific one of the at least one identified counterpart.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display a calendar identifying at least one scheduled event; and

the touch screen is further configured to receive the touch input via the finger of the user or via the touch pen on a specific one of the at least one identified scheduled event;

execution of one of the first function and the second function comprises controlling the touch screen to display information related to the specific one of the at least one identified schedule event, and

execution of the other of the first function and the second function comprises controlling the touch screen to display a screen for adding a schedule event to the calendar for a date corresponding to the specific one of the at least one identified schedule event or controlling the touch screen to display a screen for editing the specific one of the at least one identified schedule event.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display a map image;

the touch screen is further configured to receive the touch input via the finger of the user or via the touch pen on a specific point of the map image;

execution of one of the first function and the second function comprises controlling the touch screen to enlarge the map centering on the specific point; and

execution of the other of the first function and the second function comprises setting a place corresponding to the specific point as a destination or controlling the touch screen to display a screen for inputting a memo related to the specific point.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display an image list including at least one image;

the touch screen is further configured to receive the touch input via the finger of the user or via the touch pen on a specific one of the at least one image;

execution of one of the first function and the second function comprises controlling the touch screen to display an enlarged view of the specific image; and

execution of the other of the first function and the second function comprises transmitting the specific image or controlling the touch screen to display a screen for inputting a memo related to the specific image.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display a webpage including an input region;

the touch screen is further configured to receive the touch input via the finger of the user or via the touch pen on the input region of the webpage;

execution of one of the first function and the second function comprises controlling the touch screen to display a virtual keypad; and

execution of the other of the first function and the second function comprises controlling the touch screen to display a direct input window configured for receiving handwriting input.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display a specific page of a plurality of pages of an electronic book (e-book);

the touch screen is further configured to receive the touch input via the finger of the user or via the touch pen on the specific page;

execution of the first function comprises controlling the touch screen to cease displaying the specific page and to display another page of the plurality of pages of the e-book; and

execution of the second function comprises enabling the touch screen to receive pen drawing input from the touch pen.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the second screen is a touch pen dedicated home screen; and

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display the pen dedicated home screen upon detection of a touch input via the touch pen on at least a random point of a home screen displayed on the touch screen or an unlock region of a locked screen displayed on the touch screen.

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

control the touch screen to display a locked screen including at least one indicator for an application requiring the touch by the touch pen;

control the touch screen to continue to display the locked screen upon detection of the touch input via the touch pen on a random point on the locked screen away from the at least one indicator;

unlock the locked screen upon detection of the touch input via the touch pen on a specific one of the at least one indicator and control execution of an application corresponding to the specific one of the at least one indicator.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display a function key related to the touch pen when the second screen is displayed on the touch screen;

the touch screen is further configured to receive the touch input via the touch pen on the function key; and

the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display at least one indicator related to a touch pen dedicated application upon detecting the touch input via the touch pen on the function key.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to activate a mode for controlling execution of a function and controlling a screen displayed on the touch screen based on whether the touch input was received via the finger of the user or via the touch pen.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to recognize the touch pen as being dedicated to the mobile terminal.

18. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen configured to;

display at least one object having a predetermined reference size; and

receive a touch input either via a finger of a user or via a touch pen; and

a controller configured to;

determine whether the touch input was received via the finger of the user or via the touch pen;

control the touch screen to increase a displayed size of the at least one object to at least the predetermined reference size when it is determined that the touch input was received via one of the finger of the user and the touch pen; and

control the touch screen to decrease the displayed size of the at least one object to less than the predetermined reference size when it is determined that the touch input was received via the other of the finger of the user and the touch pen.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18, further comprising a memory for storing information,

wherein the predetermined reference size is determined based on object size information saved in the memory or object size information received from an external server.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein:

the touch screen is further configured to;

display at least one application indicator having the predetermined reference size; and

receive the touch input via the finger of the user or the touch pen while the at least one application indicator is displayed; and

the controller is further configured to;

control the touch screen to increase a displayed size of the at least one application indicator to at least the predetermined reference size when it is determined that the touch input was received via one of the finger of the user and the touch pen; and

control the touch screen to decrease the displayed size of the at least one application indicator to less than the predetermined reference size when it is determined that the touch input was received via the other of the finger of the user and the touch pen.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to:

control the touch screen to display a greater number of objects of the at least one object when the displayed size of the at least one object is decreased than when the displayed size of the at least one object is increased.

22. A method of controlling a display in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

receiving a touch input on a touch screen of the mobile terminal via at least a finger of a user or a touch pen;

determining, via a controller of the mobile terminal, whether the touch input was received via the finger of the user or via the touch pen;

controlling the touch screen, via the controller, to display a first screen corresponding to a first function when it is determined that the touch input was received via the finger of the user;

controlling the touch screen, via the controller, to display a second screen corresponding to a second function when it is determined that the touch input was received via the touch pen; and

controlling, via the controller, execution of the first function and the second function in a same application or execution of the first function in a first application and execution of the second function in a second application.

23. A method of controlling a display in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

controlling, via a controller of the mobile terminal, a touch screen of the mobile terminal to display at least one object having a predetermined reference size;

receiving a touch input on the touch screen either via a finger of a user or via a touch pen;

determining, via the controller, whether the touch input was received via the finger of the user or via the touch pen;

controlling, via the controller, the touch screen to increase a displayed size of the at least one object to at least the predetermined reference size when it is determined that the touch input was received via one of the finger of the user and the touch pen; and

controlling, via the controller, the touch screen to decrease the displayed size of the at least one object to less than the predetermined reference size when it is determined that the touch input was received via the other of the finger of the user and the touch pen.