Display device and method of mobile terminal

• US 7,705,833 B2
• Filed: 11/08/2007
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Sang-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US11/937,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20080158189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 715/201, 715/212, 715/784, 715/718, 715/835, 715/974, 715/864, 715/833, 715/825, 715/779, 715/838, 345/713, 345/179, 345/173, 345/158, 455/566
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 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 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A mobile terminal and its display method are discussed. According to an embodiment, the mobile terminal includes a display unit of a touch screen type divided into at least one of first and second display regions; and a controller that performs a particular function or re-adjusts a divisional boundary between the first and second display regions according to a user'"'"'s instruction sensed from the display unit, wherein the display unit displays a movable menu bar that partitions the first and second display regions.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display including a touch screen and configured to display a graphical representation of a touch graphical moveable menu bar on the touch screen that partitions the display into first and second display regions and that can be moved by touching and moving the displayed graphical menu bar; and

a controller configured to re-adjust a divisional boundary of the first and second display regions based on a movement of the menu bar and to perform a function on the mobile terminal in accordance with a sensed touching of the touch screen,

wherein the moveable menu bar comprises at least one touch menu execution button configured to execute a particular function on the terminal when touched,

wherein the at least one touch menu execution button on the movable menu bar comprises a photo execution button,

wherein when the photo execution button is touched, the controller is further configured to display a plurality of photos in one of the first and second display regions, and when one of the photos displayed in said one of the first and second display regions is touched, the controller is further configured to magnify and display the selected photo in the other of the first and second display regions and to maintain displaying the plurality of photos in said one of the first and second display regions,

wherein the display is further configured to sense the user touching the touch screen when the menu bar is not displayed on the touch screen, and the controller is further configured to control the display to display the menu bar on the touch screen based on the sensed user touching the touch screen when the menu bar is not displayed on the touch screen,

wherein when the display senses the user touching and dragging the touch screen in a horizontal direction, the controller is further configured to control the display to display the menu bar on the touch screen at a position the user touches and drags the touch screen in the horizontal direction, and

wherein when the display senses the user touching a left portion of the touch screen and then dragging the touch across the touch screen horizontally, the controller is further configured to control the display to display the menu bar on the touch screen along the touched portion of the touch screen.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one touch menu execution button on the movable menu bar comprises a button configured to execute a text message service on the terminal.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one menu execution button on the moveable menu bar comprises a button configured to display a virtual input device including at least one of a keypad and a keyboard on the touch screen.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one menu execution button on the moveable menu bar comprises a multi-task execution button configured to simultaneously perform multiple tasks on the terminal.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to execute different tasks on the first and second display regions.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display a first task on the first display region and a second task associated with the first task on the second display region.

7. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a touch screen including at least first and second display regions and a menu bar; and

a controller configured to position the menu bar on the touch screen to correspond to a movement of the menu bar from a user touching and moving the menu bar so as to divide the touch screen into said first and second display regions,

wherein the menu bar displayed on the touch screen comprises a graphical representation of a touch graphical moveable menu bar that can be moved by touching and moving the displayed graphical menu bar,

wherein the menu bar comprises at least one touch menu execution button configured to execute a particular function on the terminal when touched,

wherein the at least one touch menu execution button on the movable menu bar comprises a photo execution button,

wherein when the photo execution button is touched, the controller is further configured to display a plurality of photos in one of the first and second display regions, and when one of the photos displayed in said one of the first and second display regions is touched, the controller is further configured to magnify and display the selected photo in the other of the first and second display regions and to maintain displaying the plurality of photos in said one of the first and second display regions,

wherein the touch screen is further configured to sense the user touching the touch screen when the menu bar is not displayed on the touch screen, and the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display the menu bar on the touch screen based on the sensed user touching the touch screen when the menu bar is not displayed on the touch screen,

wherein when the touch screen senses the user touching and dragging the touch screen in a horizontal direction, the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display the menu bar on the touch screen at a position the user touches and drags the touch screen in the horizontal direction, and

wherein when the touch screen senses the user touching a left portion of the touch screen and then dragging the touch across the touch screen horizontally, the controller is further configured to control the touch screen to display the menu bar on the touch screen along the touched portion of the touch screen.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein when the user drags the menu bar to a new position, the controller is further configured to move the menu bar to the new position on the touch screen.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the at least one menu execution button on the menu bar includes a button configured to display a virtual input device including at least one of a keypad and a keyboard on the touch screen.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the at least one menu execution button on the menu bar includes at least one button configured to execute a text message service and a multi-task performing button configured to simultaneously execute multiple tasks on the terminal.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the menu bar horizontally divides the touch screen such that the first and second display regions correspond to upper and lower display regions.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein when the user moves the menu bar to one end of the touch screen, the controller is further configured to display only one of the first and second display regions.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to execute different tasks on the first and second display regions.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to display an image of a first task on the first display region and an image of a second task associated with the first task on the second display region.

15. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

sensing, via a display unit including a touch screen, a user touching a menu bar displayed on touch screen of the mobile terminal as a representation of a touch graphical menu bar that can be moved by touching and moving the displayed graphical menu bar on the mobile terminal;

sensing, via the display unit, a touch and drag operation being performed on the menu bar corresponding to a movement of the menu bar;

issuing a command from the display unit to a controller of the mobile terminal indicating the sensed movement of the menu bar;

re-adjusting, via the controller, a divisional boundary of first and second display regions of the touch screen based on the issued command indicating the sensed movement of the menu bar;

executing a function on the display of the terminal when a touch menu execution button on the menu bar is touched;

sensing the user touching the touch screen when the menu bar is not displayed on the touch screen; and

displaying the menu bar on the touch screen based on the sensed user touching the touch screen when the menu bar is not displayed on the touch screen,

wherein the sensing step senses the user touching and dragging the touch screen in a horizontal direction and the displaying step displays the menu bar on the touch screen at a position the user touches and drags the touch screen in the horizontal direction, and

wherein the sensing step senses the user touching a left portion of the touch screen and then dragging the touch across the touch screen horizontally, and the displaying step displays the menu bar on the touch screen along the touched portion of the touch screen.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

sensing, via a controller, the mobile terminal being rotated; and

controlling, via the controller, the display unit to rotate and display the menu bar on the touch screen based on the sensed rotation of the mobile terminal.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the menu bar is only the graphical representation of the touch graphical menu bar and is not a mechanical structured attached to a top of the display.