Mobile terminal and controlling method thereof

• US 8,893,056 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2011
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Jong Cheol, Kim, Hong Joo, Yun, Jae Woong
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shiberou, Mahelet
• Application Number:
  US13/049,841
• Publication Number:
  US 20110244924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,343 Days
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which a selection and/or execution of an application can be designated using a list of applications currently executed in a multitasking environment. The present invention includes a display unit, a user input unit configured to receive an input of a command from a user, and a controller, when a plurality of applications are being executed, if there is a first input via the user input unit, controlling a list of a plurality of the currently executed applications to be displayed on a first region, the controller, if one of at least one or more applications running in the background in the list is selected by a second input via the user input unit, controlling the selected application to be displayed on a second region of the display unit by having a prescribed visual effect applied thereto.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touchscreen; and

a controller configured to control display of at least one executed application,

wherein the touchscreen receives a first input for designating a first region on a screen of the touchscreen while the first application being executed in a foreground is displayed on the touchscreen, and the controller controls the touchscreen to display a menu list on the first region in response to the first input,

wherein the menu list comprises a list of the at least one executed application, the list including a second application being executed in the background,

wherein a prescribed visual effect is applied to a second region to indicate the background execution of the second application while a region to indicate the application displayed in the menu list selected without executing the second application in the foreground,

wherein the second region corresponds to a last position on which the second application was displayed when the second application was executed in the foreground,

wherein the touchscreen receives a second input for selecting the second application from the menu list, and the controller controls the touchscreen to display the second application being executed in a background on the first region or the second region on the touchscreen in response to the second input, the second region being different from the first region, and

wherein the controller controls the touchscreen to display the second application on the second region in response to the second input.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the second application is invisible on the second region while the second application is executed in the background.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the touchscreen receives a touch input via the second region or receives a drag touch input which starts from a region corresponding to the second application displayed in the menu list and ends at the second region, and

the controller is further configured to remove the prescribed visual effect from the second region in response to the touch input to indicate that the second application displayed on the second region is executed in the foreground.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the touchscreen receives a touch input via a region corresponding to the second application in the menu list after receiving the second input, and further receives a third input designating a third region after receiving the touch input;

the first, second, and third regions are different from each other; and

the controller controls the touchscreen to display the second application on the designated third region in response to the third input.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 4, wherein the controller controls the touchscreen to stop displaying the first and second regions upon receiving the third input, and is further configured to activate the second application in the third region.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the touchscreen receives a drag touch input after receiving the second input, the drag touch input starting from a region corresponding to the second application in the menu list and ending at a region on the touchscreen that is not the first and second regions; and

the controller is further configured to activate and display the selected second application on the entire touchscreen in response to the drag touch input.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least one executed application is displayed as an icon in the menu list.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the menu list further includes at least text corresponding to the at least one executed application or a diagram representing a status of each of the at least one executed application.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8, wherein the status includes an activated state, a background state or an idle state.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the prescribed visual effect applied to the second region comprises either a flickering effect or a semi-transparent effect.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein:

the first input comprises one selected from the group consisting of manipulation of a key button, a drag input having a preset trace and received via the touchscreen, a long touch input received via the touchscreen, a repeated touch input consecutively received via the touchscreen within a prescribed duration, and a multi-touch input simultaneously received at two points on the touchscreen; and

the second input comprises a touch input received via a region corresponding to the second application in the menu list.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the key button comprises at least a hardware key button or a virtual key button displayed on the touchscreen.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 11, wherein the two points of the multi-touch input define the first region such that the controller recognizes a rectangle having a diagonal line, of which two end points are two touch release points of the multi-touch input as the first region.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein:

the menu list further includes a shortcut for a main menu; and

the controller controls the touchscreen to display the main menu on the first region in response to an input for selecting the shortcut, the menu list replaced by the main menu in the first region.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to activate the second application in the first region when the second application is selected from the main menu.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the shortcut is selected via a flicking touch input received via the first region on the touchscreen in a specific direction or via selection of an icon corresponding to the shortcut for the main menu.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 1, further comprising a memory storing a specific pattern related to a touch input, wherein the touchscreen receives the touch input before receiving the first input for selecting the first region, the touch input received in the specific pattern, and the touchscreen is further configured to receive the first input in response to the touch input, the specific pattern comprising a trace corresponding to a character or a symbol representing the menu list.