Mobile terminal and control method thereof

• US 8,532,596 B1
• Filed: 10/24/2012
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jongseok
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fahnert, Marisol
• Application Number:
  US13/659,839
• Time in Patent Office: 321 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/158.4, 715781-784, 715/800, 715/764, 715/230, 715/234, 715/232, 715/268, 382/229, 382/186, 345/173, 345/176
• US Class Current: 455/158.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/169 Annotation, e.g. comment data or footnotes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly

Abstract

A mobile terminal including a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal; a display configured to display a first screen layer corresponding to one of a back screen of the mobile terminal and an execution screen of an application installed on the mobile terminal, and to display a second screen layer corresponding to a note function of the mobile terminal; and a controller configured to control the display to selectively display the second screen layer based on an input request for requesting the second screen layer, to receive a touch input on the first or second screen layers and to execute a function corresponding to the received touch input on the first or second screen layers.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

a display configured to display a first screen layer corresponding to one of a back screen of the mobile terminal and an execution screen of an application installed on the mobile terminal, and to display a second screen layer corresponding to a note function of the mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to;

control the display to display the second screen layer based on a first input request for requesting the second screen layer, said second screen layer having a same width of the display as the first screen layer,

receive a touch input on the second screen layer,

draw a note on the second screen layer corresponding to the received touch input on the second screen layer,

receive a second input request for activating the first screen layer and deactivating the second screen layer,

activate the first screen layer and deactivate the second screen layer based on the received second input request,

receive a touch input on the activated first screen layer, and

execute a function corresponding to the received touch input on the first screen layer,

wherein the controller is further configured to display at least one of menu icons that can be selected to edit the drawn note on the second screen layer when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second screen layer is transparently superimposed on the first screen layer.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to slidably superimpose the second screen layer on the first screen layer based on a corresponding touch and drag operation on the display.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the input request for requesting the second screen layer includes at least one of a touch input applied on a random point of the display, a touch input applied to a specific soft key or indicator displayed on the display, and an input through a specific hard key button on the mobile terminal.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display an indicator indicating whether the first screen layer or the second screen layer is enabled.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to maintain display of the note function of the second layer regardless of a screen change of the first screen layer.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second screen layer includes multiple screen layers corresponding to different notes written on the multiple screen layers, and the controller is further configured to slidably scroll or page through the multiple screen layers based on a received input from a user of the mobile terminal.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to execute an edit function for editing the note drawn on the second screen layer based on a received edit command.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein, when the second screen layer is enabled and superimposed on the first screen layer, the controller is further configured to copy or move part of content displayed on the first screen layer to the second screen layer based on a copy or move command.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second screen layer includes multiple screen layers corresponding to different notes written on the multiple screen layers, and the controller is further configured to display at least one of the multiple screen layers on top of another multiple screen layer based on a received input.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to display the multiple screen layers in a tile form based on a specific input action.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to display the multiple screen layers in a three-dimensional form based on a specific input action, and scroll through the multiple screen layers based on a touch and drag or scrolling input action.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to perform at least one of:

change a location of the note on a specific area of the second screen layer based on a move input command such that the note is not superimposed on a corresponding specific area of the first screen layer,

reduce a size of the note based on a reduction input command such that the note is not superimposed on a specific area of the first screen layer,

change a color of part of the note, which is superimposed on content displayed on the first screen layer, to a color different from the content based on a change color input command, and

vary a darkness of the note with time.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to store the note on the second screen layer with content displayed on the first screen layer in a memory.

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

a camera configured to acquire an image and to display the acquired image on the display,

wherein the first screen layer includes the acquired image and the second screen layer includes the drawn note, and the controller stores information based on the drawn note as a tag of the captured image, a file name of the captured image, or as an image.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to display an indicator area including at least one icon that can be selected to activate the first screen layer and deactivate the second screen layer.

30. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to change an indicator area of the mobile terminal to include the at least one of menus that can be selected to edit the drawn note when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer.

31. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one of menu icons comprise a menu icon that can be selected to crop the drawn note when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer, and the controller is configured to store the cropped note with the content displayed on the first screen layer in the memory of the mobile terminal.

32. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to display the at least one of menu icons on an upper edge area of the second screen layer.

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

allowing, via a wireless communication unit of the mobile terminal, wirelessly communication with at least one other terminal;

displaying, via a display of the mobile terminal, a first screen layer corresponding to one of a back screen of the mobile terminal and an execution screen of an application installed on the mobile terminal;

displaying, via the display, a second screen layer corresponding to a note function of the mobile terminal;

controlling, via a controller of the mobile terminal, the display to display the second screen layer based on a first input request for requesting the second screen layer, said second screen layer having a same width of the display as the first screen layer;

receiving, via the controller, a touch input on the second screen layer;

drawing, via the controller, a note on the second screen layer corresponding to the received touch input on the second screen layer;

receiving a second input request for activating the first screen layer and deactivating the second screen layer;

activating, via the controller, the first screen layer and deactivating the second screen layer based on the received second input request;

receiving a touch input on the activated first screen layer; and

executing, via the controller, a function corresponding to the received touch input on the first or second screen layers,

wherein the method further comprises displaying at least one of menu icons that can be selected to edit the drawn note on the second screen layer when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second screen layer is transparently superimposed on the first screen layer.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

slidably superimposing, via the controller, the second screen layer on the first screen layer based on a corresponding touch and drag operation on the display.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the input request for requesting the second screen layer includes at least one of a touch input applied on a random point of the display, a touch input applied to a specific soft key or indicator displayed on the display, and an input through a specific hard key button on the mobile terminal.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

displaying an indicator indicating whether the first screen layer or the second screen layer is enabled.

21. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

maintaining display of the note function of the second layer regardless of a screen change of the first screen layer.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the second screen layer includes multiple screen layers corresponding to different notes written on the multiple screen layers, and the method further comprises slidably scrolling or paging through the multiple screen layers based on a received input from a user of the mobile terminal.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

executing an edit function for editing the note drawn on the second screen layer based on a received edit command.

25. The method of claim 16, further comprising displaying an indicator area including at least one icon that can be selected to activate the first screen layer and deactivate the second screen layer.

33. The method of claim 16, further comprising changing an indicator area of the mobile terminal to include the at least one of menus that can be selected to edit the drawn note when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer.

34. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one of menu icons comprise a menu icon that can be selected to crop the drawn note when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer, and wherein the method further comprises storing the cropped note with the content displayed on the first screen layer in the memory of the mobile terminal.

35. The mobile method of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises displaying the at least one of menu icons on an upper edge area of the second screen layer.

26. A mobile terminal comprising:

a wireless communication unit configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one other terminal;

a display configured to display a first screen layer corresponding to one of a back screen of the mobile terminal and an execution screen of an application installed on the mobile terminal; and

a controller configured to;

receive a touch and drag signal on the first screen layer,

superimpose a second screen layer corresponding to a note function of the mobile terminal over the first screen layer based on the received touch and drag signal, said second screen layer having a same width of the display as the first screen layer,

receive a touch input on the second screen layer,

draw a note on the second screen layer corresponding to the received touch input on the second screen layer, and

store the note on the second screen layer with content displayed on the first screen layer in a memory of the mobile terminal,

wherein the controller is further configured to display at least one of menu icons that can be selected to edit the drawn note on the second screen layer when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer.

27. The mobile terminal of claim 26, wherein the controller is further configured to change an indicator area of the mobile terminal to include the at least one of menu icons that can be selected to edit the drawn note when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer.

28. The mobile terminal of claim 26, wherein the at least one of menu icons comprise a menu icon that can be selected to crop the drawn note when the second screen layer is superimposed over the first screen layer, and the controller is configured to store the cropped note with the content displayed on the first screen layer in the memory of the mobile terminal.

29. The mobile terminal of claim 26, wherein the controller is configured to display the at least one of menu icons on an upper edge area of the second screen layer.