Mobile terminal and method of displaying information therein

• US 8,880,044 B2
• Filed: 01/26/2009
• Issued: 11/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jong Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hua, Quan M
• Application Number:
  US12/359,867
• Publication Number:
  US 20090247234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,108 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/414.1, 455/466, 345/594, 345/657, 345/173, 715/700
• US Class Current: 455/414.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- 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 without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

Abstract

A mobile terminal is presented. The mobile terminal includes a display including a touchscreen, and a controller for performing an editing operation on information displayed on the touchscreen according to a state of an object in near-proximity to the displayed information.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display unit including a touchscreen configured to display a plurality of menu items;

a sensing unit configured to receive proximity touch input for selecting a menu item among the plurality of menu items;

a controller configured to;

select one menu item of the plurality of menu items indicated by the proximity touch when a distance between a pointer for inputting the proximity touch input and the touchscreen enters a first range;

wherein as the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is decreased, in response to the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen entering a second range whose maximum value is less than a maximum value of the first range, the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display a predetermined number of sub-menu items subordinated to the selected menu item;

wherein the predetermined number of sub-menu items are determined based on an order of frequency of use or time of use among all sub-menu items subordinated to the selected menu item; and

wherein as the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is decreased, in response to the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen entering a third range whose maximum value is less than the maximum value of the second range, the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display a number of sub-menu items subordinated to the selected menu-item that is greater than the predetermined number of sub-menus;

wherein in response to one of a number of sub-menu items being selected, the controller is configured to cause the display unit to display an overlaying interface selectable by the proximity touch input;

wherein the overlaying interface comprises a plurality of editing operation icons related to the selected sub-menu item;

wherein the plurality of editing operation icons comprise one or more visual direction indicators that display a corresponding position of the plurality of editing operation icons on the touchscreen; and

wherein in response to detection of the proximity touch input moving in a specific direction indicated by the one or more visual direction indicators, the controller is configured to perform a corresponding editing operation of the plurality of editing operation icons.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of sub-menu items are displayed via a pop-up window overlapped displayed on the plurality of menu items.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2, wherein if the distance between the pointer and the touch screen enters the third range, the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to stop displaying the plurality of menu items and the pop-up window and then display an additional number of sub-menu items subordinated to the selected menu item.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when the menu item is selected, the controller is configured to visually change the selected menu item.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller is further configured to control at least one of a size of the selected menu item or a color of the selected menu item to be changed.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein as the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is increased, if the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is changed from the second range to the first range, the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to stop displaying the predetermined number of sub-menu items.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein as the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is increased, if the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is changed from the third range to the second range, the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display the predetermined number of sub-menu items among all sub-menu items subordinated to the selected menu item.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein if a location of the proximity touch is changed by a proximity drag input dragging the pointer in a specific direction, the controller is further configured to control the selected menu item to be changed based on the changed location of the proximity touch.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein as the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is decreased, if the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen enters a fourth range whose maximum value is less than the maximum value of the third range, the controller is further configured to control the touchscreen to display an image related to a specific sub-menu item indicated by the proximity touch.

10. An information selection method, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of menu items on a touchscreen;

receiving proximity touch input for selecting a menu item among the plurality of menu items; and

selecting one menu item of the plurality of menu icons indicated by the proximity touch when a distance between a pointer and the touchscreen enters a first range;

wherein as the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is decreased, in response to the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen entering a second range whose maximum value is less than a maximum value of the first range, the method further comprises;

displaying a predetermined number of sub-menu items subordinated to the selected menu icon on the touchscreen;

wherein the predetermined number of sub-menu-items are determined based on an order of frequency of use or time of use among all sub-menu items of the selected menu item,

wherein as the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen is decreased, in response to the distance between the pointer and the touchscreen entering a third range whose maximum value is less than the maximum value of the second range, the method further comprises;

displaying a number of sub-menu items subordinated to the selected menu-item that is greater than the predetermined number of sub-menus on the touchscreen,

wherein in response to one of a number of sub-menu items being selected, the method further comprises;

displaying an overlaying interface selectable by the proximity touch input wherein the overlaying interface comprises a plurality of editing operation icons related to the selected sub-menu item and the plurality of editing operation icons comprise one or more visual direction indicators that display a corresponding position of the plurality of editing operation icons on the touchscreen; and

wherein in response to detection of the proximity touch input moving in a specific direction indicated by the one or more visual direction indicators, the method further comprises;

performing a corresponding editing operation of the plurality of editing operation icons.