Mobile terminal and method for controlling virtual key pad thereof

• US 9,021,378 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Issued: 04/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Kanghee, Lee, Wonyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): BAUTISTA, XIOMARA L
• Application Number:
  US13/070,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20120030604A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715/744, 715/764, 715/765, 715/810, 715/863, 715/864, 715/866, 715/773, 345/456, 345/169, 345/172, 345/173, 345/156
• US Class Current: 715/773
• 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 and a method for controlling a virtual key pad thereof are disclosed. The mobile terminal identifies a touch pattern of a touch action of each of a plurality of virtual keys, and changes at least one of an area and position of a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to correspond to the identified touch pattern.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a touch screen; and

a controller configured to;

display a virtual key pad including a plurality of virtual keys on the touch screen, and

receive a touch action on one of the plurality of virtual keys via the touch screen

wherein when one of the plurality of virtual keys is selected via the touch action, the controller displays a plurality of additional virtual keys adjacent to the selected virtual key,

wherein the plurality of additional virtual keys includes a first additional virtual key that has an identifier that is the same as the selected virtual key and at least one second additional virtual key that does not have an identifier that is the same as that of the plurality of virtual keys,

wherein the touch screen has a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to sense a touch action of each of the plurality of virtual keys, and

wherein the controller is configured to;

identify a touch pattern of the touch action on one of the plurality of virtual keys; and

change at least one of an area or position of the sensing zone corresponding to the touched virtual key to correspond to the identified touch pattern,

wherein at least one of the area or position of the sensing zone of the touched virtual key is different from at least one of an area or position of the touched virtual key, and

wherein the area of the sensing zone of the touched virtual key is equal to or smaller than that of the touched virtual key.

2. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller does not generate corresponding key data if a touch action is input on a point between two neighboring virtual keys of the plurality of virtual keys.

3. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the controller changes at least one of an area or position of at least one virtual key located in the periphery of a specific virtual key of the plurality of virtual keys if it changes at least one of an area or position of the specific virtual key.

4. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pattern includes at least one of a touch area, a touch pressure, a touch point or a touch type during a touch action.

5. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 4, wherein, if a touch action is input on a specific one of the plurality of virtual keys, the controller changes an area of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key in proportion to at least one of the touch area or the touch pressure of the input touch action.

6. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch pattern includes a position of a touch point by a pointer during the touch action.

7. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein, if a plurality of touch actions are input on a specific one of the plurality of virtual keys, the controller identifies a position of a plurality of touch points based on the plurality of touch actions and changes at least one of an area or position of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key to include the position of the plurality of touch points as a result of identifying.

8. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a user input unit inputting a setting command signal of the sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys,

wherein the controller sets an area and position of the sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys in accordance with the input setting command signal.

9. A method for controlling a virtual key pad of a mobile terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a virtual key pad including a plurality of virtual keys on a touch screen;

receiving a touch action on one of the plurality of virtual keys via the touch screen,

wherein when one of the plurality of virtual keys is selected via the touch action, the method further comprises displaying a plurality of additional virtual keys adjacent to the selected virtual key,

wherein the plurality of additional virtual keys includes a first additional virtual key that has an identifier that is the same as the selected virtual key and at least one second additional virtual key that does not have an identifier that is the same as that of the plurality of virtual keys;

setting a sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys to sense a touch action on one of the plurality of virtual keys;

identifying a touch pattern of the touch action on one of the plurality of virtual keys if the touch action is input; and

changing at least one of an area or position of the sensing zone corresponding to the touched virtual key to correspond to the identified touch pattern, and

wherein at least one of the area or position of the sensing zone of the touched virtual key is different from at least one of an area or position of the touched virtual key.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9,

wherein the changing step includes changing at least one of an area or position of at least one virtual key located in the periphery of a specific virtual key of the plurality of virtual keys if at least one of an area or position of the touched virtual key is changed.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein if a touch action is input on the specific virtual key, the identifying step includes identifying at least one of a touch area or a touch pressure of the input touch action, and the changing step includes changing an area of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key in proportion to at least one of the identified touch area or the identified touch pressure.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein if a touch action is input on the specific virtual key, the identifying step includes identifying a position of a touch point by a pointer that inputs the touch action, and the changing step includes changing at least one of an area or position of the sensing zone to correspond to the identified position of the touch point.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein, if a plurality of touch actions are input on the specific virtual key, the identifying step includes identifying a position of a plurality of touch points based on the plurality of touch actions, and the changing step includes changing at least one of an area or position of a sensing zone corresponding to the specific virtual key to include the identified position of the plurality of touch points.

14. The method as claimed in claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

inputting a setting command signal of the sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys; and

setting an area and position of the sensing zone corresponding to each of the plurality of virtual keys in accordance with the input setting command signal.