Mobile terminal and method of controlling the operation of the mobile terminal

• US 9,389,770 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Bang, Sungeun
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yi, Rinna
• Application Number:
  US12/972,330
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258582A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,034 Days
• Field of Search: 715/811, 715/830, 715/841, 715/769, 715/863, 715/702, 715/764, 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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 method of displaying items on a mobile terminal includes displaying a first icon group of a plurality of icons on a display of the mobile terminal, such that each icon of the first icon group is associated with an application that is executable on the mobile terminal. Also performed is detecting user contact at a first location of the display relative to a displayed location of a particular icon of the first icon group and detecting further user contact representing a dragging over a distance beginning from the first location, such that the dragging represents substantially continual user contact from the first location over the distance. Also, after the dragging occurs over a threshold distance, displaying a second group of icons in an icon display region, such that each icon of the second icon group is associated with an application that is executable on the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A method of displaying items on a display of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying a first icon group including a plurality of icons on the display, wherein the plurality of icons are displayed at respective locations on the display;

performing a predefined operation corresponding to a touched icon of the plurality of icons of the first icon group in response to a first user input that is received at the display, wherein the first user input is received while the first icon group is displayed;

displaying a second icon group including at least one icon in response to a second user input received at the display, wherein the second user input, which is different from the first user input, comprises dragging more than a threshold distance beginning from a first displayed location of a first icon of the plurality of icons of the first icon group, at least one icon of the second icon group represents a predefined operation that can be performed at the mobile terminal, and wherein the at least one icon of the second icon group is different from the touched icon of the first icon group; and

after the dragging more than the threshold distance and while user contact is maintained at the display as part of the second user input, continuing the displaying of remaining icons of the plurality of icons of the first icon group at the respective locations of the display with the second icon group and no longer displaying the first icon of the plurality of icons of the first icon group at the first displayed location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each icon of the first icon group is an upper-level icon, and each icon of the second icon group is a lower-level icon.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined operation of each icon of the second icon group represents a separate application that is executable at the mobile terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second icon group comprises an icon related to a call operation and an icon related to a message operation.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each icon of the first icon group includes icon information in an icon information region of the corresponding icon.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

modifying or editing the icon information in accordance with a user input.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a dragged icon on the display at locations that correspond to the dragging of the received second user input, wherein display characteristics of the dragged icon are different from display characteristics of other icons of the first icon group.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second icon group is displayed in response to the second user input reaching the threshold distance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of icons included in the first icon group are displayed as a vertical list.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the display, a screen related to the predefined operation in response to the first user input such that the first icon group is not displayed after receiving the first user input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein one icon of the second icon group is an icon included in the first icon group.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

moving the first icon of the first icon group from the first displayed location to a different location that corresponds with a current location of the second user input.

13. A mobile terminal, comprising:

a display; and

a controller configured to;

cause the display to display a first icon group including a plurality of icons, wherein the plurality of icons are displayed at respective locations on the display;

perform a predefined operation corresponding to a touched icon of the plurality of icons of the first icon group in response to a first user input that is received at the display, wherein the first user input is received while the first icon group is displayed;

cause the display to display a second icon group including at least one icon in response to a second user input is received at the display, wherein the second user input, which is different from the first user input, comprises dragging more than a threshold distance beginning from a first displayed location of a first icon of the plurality of icons of the first icon group, wherein at least one icon of the second icon group represents a predefined operation that can be performed at the mobile terminal, and wherein the at least one icon of the second icon group is different from the touched icon of the first icon group; and

after the dragging more than the threshold distance and while user contact is maintained at the display as part of the second user input, continue the display of remaining icons of the plurality of icons of the first icon group at the respective locations of the display with the second icon group and no longer displaying the first icon of the plurality of icons of the first icon group at the first displayed location.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein each icon of the first icon group is an upper-level icon, and each icon of the second icon group is a lower-level icon.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the predefined operation of each icon of the second icon group represents a separate application that is executable at the mobile terminal.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the second icon group comprises an icon related to a call operation and an icon related to a message operation.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein each icon of the first icon group includes icon information in an icon information region of the corresponding icon.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller is further configured to:

modify or edit the icon information in accordance with a user input.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the display to display a dragged icon at locations that correspond to the dragging of the received second user input, wherein display characteristics of the dragged icon are different from display characteristics of other icons of the first icon group.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the second icon group is displayed in response to the second user input reaching the threshold distance.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the plurality of icons included in the first icon group are displayed as a vertical list.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to:

cause the display to display a screen related to the predefined operation in response to the first user input such that the first icon group is not displayed after receiving the first user input.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein one icon of the second icon group is an icon included in the first icon group.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to:

move the first icon of the first icon group from the first displayed location to a different location that corresponds with a current location of the second user input.