Mobile terminal and method of controlling operation of the mobile terminal

• US 9,081,496 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Issued: 07/14/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Seonhwi, Kang, Yeonjoo, Lee, Jinhyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parker, Jeanette J
• Application Number:
  US13/085,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20110252362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,554 Days
• Field of Search: 715/784, 715/864, 345/162, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 mobile terminal and a method of controlling the operation of the mobile terminal are provided. The method of one embodiment includes displaying an electronic document on a display module; responsive to detecting a scroll command, scrolling the electronic document in a particular direction at a particular speed; and changing a speed of scrolling the electronic document upon encountering a scroll limit during the scrolling of the electronic document. Therefore, it is possible to set a scroll limit in an electronic document and thus to automatically slow down or stop the scrolling of the electronic document upon encountering the scroll limit.

Claims

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

displaying an electronic document on a display module of the mobile terminal;

responsive to a scroll command received in an operating mode operable to receive a scroll command, scrolling the electronic document on the display module in a particular direction at a particular speed corresponding to the scroll command;

decreasing a scrolling speed of the electronic document upon encountering a scroll limit during the scrolling of the electronic document,

the scroll limit being set at a position in the electronic document selected in accordance with a user command, wherein the scroll limit is a predefined item, the predefined item being a favorite item selected in advance by a user and being displayed in a different color or shape from other items of the electronic document;

stopping the scrolling of the electronic document upon the first event of

1) receiving a user input other than the scroll command or an event occurs,

2) entering another operating mode, or

3) encountering the scroll limit while the speed of the electronic document is less than a reference speed at the scroll limit;

realigning the electronic document around the scroll limit when the scrolling of the electronic document is stopped at the scroll limit; and

displaying a beginning portion of the electronic document next to an end portion of the electronic document when the scrolling of the electronic document reaches the end portion of the electronic document; and

responsive to detecting a touch input on a part of the electronic document other than the predefined item while the scrolling is stopped, scrolling the electronic document again in the particular direction.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a screen effect or a haptic effect when scrolling past the scroll limit.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the display module, an indicator corresponding to a location of a currently displayed portion of the electronic document or an indicator of a predefined item in the currently displayed portion of the electronic document.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the scroll command is at least one of a touch-and-flick, a touch-and-drag, and a proximity touch on the display module, and

wherein the electronic document includes a plurality of scroll limits, and the rate of the decrease of the scrolling speed is different depending on the plurality of scroll limits.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to determining the electronic document has been dragged, in connection with the scroll command, in the particular direction by more than a predefined distance, continuing to scroll the electronic document in the particular direction.

6. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display module; and

a controller operatively connected to the display module and configured to

display an electronic document on a display module,

receive a scroll command when in an operating mode operable to receive a scroll command,

scroll the electronic document on the display module in a particular direction at a particular speed corresponding to the scroll command,

decrease a scrolling speed of the electronic document upon encountering a scroll limit during the scrolling of the electronic document,

the scroll limit being set at a position in the electronic document selected in accordance with a user command, wherein the scroll limit is a predefined item, the predefined item being a favorite item selected in advance by a user and being displayed in a different color or shape from other items of the electronic document, stop the scrolling of the electronic document upon the first event of

1) receiving a user input other than the scroll command or an event occurs,

2) entering another operating mode, or

3) encountering the scroll limit while the speed of the electronic document is less than a reference speed at the scroll limit,

realign the electronic document around the scroll limit when the scrolling of the electronic document is stopped at the scroll limit, and

display a beginning portion of the electronic document next to an end portion of the electronic document when the scrolling of the electronic document reaches the end portion of the electronic document,

and

wherein the controller is further configured to scroll the electronic document again in the particular direction in response to detecting a touch input on a part of the electronic document other than the predefined item while the scrolling is stopped.

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

displaying an electronic document on a display module of the mobile terminal;

responsive to a scroll command received when in an operating mode operable to receive a scroll command, scrolling the electronic document in a first direction;

decreasing a scrolling speed of the electronic document upon the first event of

1) receiving a user input other than the scroll command or an event occurs,

2) entering another operating mode, or

3) encountering a predefined item during the scrolling of the electronic document, the predefined item being a favorite item selected in advance by a user and being displayed in a different color or shape from other items of the electronic document;

realigning the electronic document around the predefined item by scrolling the electronic document in a second direction different from the first direction so that the predefined item can be displayed at a predefined position on the display module;

responsive to detecting a touch on the predefined item, displaying an information window relevant to the predefined item over the electronic document; and

responsive to detecting another scroll command within the displayed information window, scrolling contents of the information window in response to the other scroll command,

wherein a scroll limit is the predefined item, and

responsive to detecting a touch input on a part of the electronic document other than the predefined item while the scrolling is stopped, scrolling the electronic document back in the first direction.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

generating a screen haptic effect when scrolling past the end portion of the electronic document.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to detecting a touch-and-drag on a boundary of the information window, changing a size of the information window.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to detecting a touch on a hyperlink object in the information window, displaying information relevant to the hyperlink object in the information window.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

responsive to detecting a touch outside of the information window, removing the information window from the display module.

12. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display module; and

a controller operatively connected to the display module and configured to display an electronic document,

receive a scroll command in an operating mode operable to receive a scroll command, responsive to detecting the scroll command, scrolling the electronic document in a first direction,

decreasing a scrolling speed of the electronic document upon the first event of

1) receiving a user input other than the scroll command or an event occurs,

2) entering another operating mode, or

3) encountering a predefined item during the scrolling of the electronic document, the predefined item being a favorite item selected in advance by a user and being displayed in a different color or shape from other items of the electronic document;

realigning the electronic document around the predefined item by scrolling the electronic document in a second direction different from the first direction so that the predefined item can be displayed at a predefined position on the display module;

detect a touch on the predefined item,

in response to detecting a touch on the predefined item, display an information window relevant to the predefined item over the electronic document, and

scroll contents of the information window in response to detection of another scroll command within the displayed information window,

wherein a scroll limit is the predefined item, and

wherein the controller is further configured to scroll the electronic document back in the first direction responsive to detecting a touch input on a part of the electronic document other than the predefined item while the scrolling is stopped.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to generating a screen effect or haptic effect when scrolling past the predefined item of the electronic document.