Mobile terminal device

• US 8,934,944 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Original Assignee: Kyocera Corporation
• Inventors: Sato, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Vuong, Quochien B
• Application Number:
  US13/637,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20130012273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,391 Days
• Field of Search: 455/566, 455/575.1, 455/575.3, 455/575.4, 455/90.3, 379/433.04, 379/433.12, 379/433.13, 379/434
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/021 Power management, e.g. power saving
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0239 Sliding mechanism with two degree of freedom, e.g. translation in two different directions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0247 comprising more than two body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

A cellular phone includes a first display, a second display, and a CPU. The cellular phone is configured to be switchable between a first state in which the first display, out of the first display and the second display, is exposed to the outside and a second state in which both of the displays are exposed to the outside. When an application is operated and shown on the first display in the first state, the CPU sets another application associated with the application in an operational state.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal device comprising:

a first display module comprising a first display;

second display module comprising a second display;

a switch mechanism configured to switch the first display module and the second display module between a closed state, in which the first display is exposed and the second display module is not exposed, and an open state in which both the first display and the second display are exposed; and

a controller configured to, while the first and display modules are in the closed state,

receive a user selection of a first application, and

in response to the user selection,

activate the first application, generate a first operation screen for the first application, and display the first operation screen on the first display, and

automatically activate a second application associated with the first application, generate a second operation screen for the second application, but not display the second operation screen on any of the first and second displays.

2. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, comprising a memory that stores a correspondence table which associates the first application and the second application.

3. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to receive a user-specified association between two or more applications, and store the association in the correspondence table.

4. The mobile terminal device according to claim 3, wherein receiving a user-specified association between two or more applications comprises:

displaying, on the first display, a first plurality of selectable icons for a plurality of applications;

displaying, on the second display, a second plurality of selectable icons for a plurality of applications;

receiving a user selection of one of the first plurality of selectable icons corresponding to one of the two or more applications; and

receiving a user selection of one of the second plurality of selectable icons corresponding to another one of the two or more applications.

5. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:

record a number of times that a set of two or more applications are used concurrently; and

,

when the number of times exceeds a predetermined value, store an association between the two or more applications in the correspondence table.

6. The mobile terminal device according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to the user selection, identify the second application associated with the first application based on the correspondence table.

7. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, while the first and second display modules are in the closed state and when no input operation is performed with respect to the first application for a predetermined period of time keep the first application activated while deactivating the second application.

8. The mobile terminal device according to claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to, when an input operation is resumed after the second application has been deactivated, reactivate the second application.

9. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, while the first and second display modules are in the closed state, when the first application is deactivated, display the second operation screen on the first display module.

10. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, when there is an incoming call:

display an operation screen for an application for a telephone function on the first display; and

automatically activate an application that is associated with the application for the telephone function.

11. The mobile terminal device according to claim 10, wherein the controller is further configured to, when the application for the telephone function is deactivated, redisplay the operation screen for the first application on the first display, and reactive the second application.

12. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein, when the second application is automatically activated in response to the user selection of the first application, the second application is activated with a lower task priority than when the second application is activated in response to a user selection of the second application.

13. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to, subsequently, when the first and second display modules are switched to the open state while the first application remains activated, display the second operation screen on the second display.

14. The mobile terminal device according to claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to, subsequently, when the first and second display modules are switched back to the closed state while the first application remains activated, stop display of the second operation screen on the second display while keeping the second application activated.