Mobile terminal capable of providing multiplayer game and method of controlling operation of the mobile terminal

• US 8,849,355 B2
• Filed: 06/02/2011
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Choi, Kyungdong
• Primary Examiner(s): TAYLOR, NATHAN SCOTT
• Application Number:
  US13/151,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20110300910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,216 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/566, 345169-174, 715/702, 715/788, 715/255
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of controlling a mobile terminal and which includes allowing, via a wireless communication of the mobile terminal, wireless communication with at least one other terminal; displaying, via a touch screen display unit of the mobile terminal, a display screen; receiving, via a controller of the mobile terminal, a first touch input on the display screen and a second touch input on the display screen while the first touch input is touching the display screen; and executing, via the controller, a preset function based on the received first and second touch inputs.

Claims

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

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

displaying, via a touch screen display unit of the mobile terminal, an idle screen having predefined first and second display portions in which a multi-touch input simultaneously in both the first and second display portions is defined as a multi-site multi-touch input and a multi-touch input simultaneously only in one of the first and second predefined display portions is defined as a single-site multi-touch input, the predefined first and second display portions being left and right halves of the touch screen display unit;

receiving, via a controller of the mobile terminal, the multi-site multi-touch input in both of the first and second display portions;

executing, via the controller, a first function based on the received multi-site multi-touch input, said first function displaying a first menu screen that includes a plurality of applications executable on the mobile terminal;

receiving, via the controller, the single-site multi-touch input; and

executing, via the controller, a second function different from the first function based on the received single-site multi-touch input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein executing the first function further comprises:

receiving, via the controller, another touch input that satisfies a predefined condition in at least one of the first and second display portions, the predefined condition being set regarding a touch duration or touch area; and

in response to the another touch input, displaying a second menu screen that includes a plurality of different applications executable on the mobile terminal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second function includes displaying a modify settings menu screen.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the modify settings menu screen includes menus for modifying at least one of background setting information, control-related information, event-related information and user setting information of the mobile terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving another touch input on one of the menus included in the modify settings menu screen; and

providing options for modifying the information for said one of the touched menus.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the single-site multi-touch input includes a second touch input on said one of the menus, and

wherein the method further comprises receiving a touch-and-drag action from said one of the menus displayed in the first display portion to the second display portion and modifying the information for said one of the touched menus based on the touch-and-drag action.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first menu screen includes home applications that can be executed on the mobile terminal and the second function includes displaying an environment settings menu for assigning different settings on the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first menu screen includes a plurality of application icons respectively corresponding to the plurality of applications executable on the mobile terminal.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving a first selection signal indicating a selection of a first application icon among the plurality of application icons; and

executing the application corresponding to the selected first application icon.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a second selection signal indicating a selection of a second application icon among the plurality of application icons after the first application icon is selected; and

executing the application corresponding to the selected second application icon after the application corresponding to the first application icon is executed.

11. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

providing a menu for setting at least one of the first and second menu screens.

12. A mobile terminal, comprising:

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

a touch screen display unit configured to display an idle screen having predefined first and second display portions in which a multi-touch input simultaneously in both the first and second display portions is defined as a multi-site multi-touch input and a multi-touch input simultaneously only in one of the first and second predefined display portions is defined as a single-site multi-touch input, the predefined first and second display portions being left and right halves of the touch screen display unit; and

a controller configured to;

receive the multi-site multi-touch input in both of the first and second display portions,

execute a first function based on the received multi-site multi-touch input, said first function displaying a first menu screen that includes a plurality of applications executable on the mobile terminal,

receive the single-site multi-touch input, and

execute a second function different from the first function based on the received single-site multi-touch input.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to receive another touch input that satisfies a predefined condition in at least one of the first and second display portions, the predefined condition being set regarding a touch duration or touch area, and

in response to the another touch input, to display a second menu screen that includes a plurality of different applications executable on the mobile terminal.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the second function includes displaying a modify settings menu screen.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the modify settings menu screen includes menus for modifying at least one of background setting information, control-related information, event-related information and user setting information of the mobile terminal.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to receive another touch input on one of the menus included in the modify settings menu screen, and provide options for modifying the information for said one of the touched menus.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 16, wherein the single-site multi-touch input includes a second touch input on said one of the menus, and

wherein the controller is further configured to receive a touch-and-drag action from said one of the menus displayed in the first display portion to the second display portion and modify the information for said one of the touched menus based on the touch-and-drag action.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the first menu screen includes home applications that can be executed on the mobile terminal and the second function includes displaying an environment settings menu for assigning different settings on the mobile terminal, under control of the controller.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the first menu screen includes a plurality of application icons respectively corresponding to the plurality of applications executable on the mobile terminal.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a first selection signal indicating a selection of a first application icon among the plurality of application icons, and execute the application corresponding to the selected first application icon.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a second selection signal indicating a selection of a second application icon among the plurality of application icons after the first application icon is selected, and execute the application corresponding to the selected second application icon after the application corresponding to the first application icon is executed.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to provide a menu for setting at least one of the first and second menu screens.