Mobile terminal and method of controlling the same

• US 9,535,568 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Sekhar, Penugonda Chandra, Hong, Jiyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nhat-Huy T
• Application Number:
  US13/194,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20120042272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,985 Days
• Field of Search: 715/245, 715/247, 715/520, 715/724, 715/770, 715/810, 715/835, 715/837, 345/348
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A method of controlling a mobile terminal includes displaying, on a display module of the mobile terminal, an operation screen on which a plurality of icons including a first icon and a second icon are arranged, displaying at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen, receiving, on the display module, a dragging input for dragging the first icon into the at least one pocket area, wherein the first icon disappears into the pocket area as a result of the dragging input, and displaying the second icon at a location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed.

Claims

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

displaying, on a display module of the mobile terminal, an operation screen on which a plurality of icons are arranged;

displaying at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen;

receiving, on the display module, a dragging input for dragging a first icon of the plurality of icons into the at least one pocket area, wherein the first icon disappears into the at least one pocket area in response to the dragging input while the operation screen is displayed;

generating a new icon in the at least one pocket area and making the new icon appear from the at least one pocket area in response to the dragging input, wherein the new icon corresponds to a folder icon representing a folder including the disappeared first icon;

automatically moving the new icon from the at least one pocket area to a location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed without a further dragging input;

displaying the new icon at the location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed; and

displaying the disappeared first icon included in the new icon on the operation screen as a thought balloon or a popup window upon receiving a command to select the new icon.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying the at least one pocket area comprises:

activating a folder creation mode; and

providing at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

activating the folder creation mode by receiving (i) a first touch input on a particular region of the display module or a particular icon on the operation screen, (ii) a second touch input on any one of the plurality of icons on the operation screen for more than a predefined amount of time, or (iii) a third touch input with a pressure higher than a predefined level generating a long-touch input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the folder icon comprises one or more icons.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising;

receiving a second dragging input for dragging another one of the plurality of icons into the folder icon; and

displaying the other one of the plurality of icons in the folder icon, wherein the dragged one of the plurality of icons is saved to be a part of the folder icon.

6. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display module configured to display an operation screen on which a plurality of icons are arranged; and

a controller configured to;

control the display module to display at least one pocket area on one side of the operation screen,

make a first icon of the plurality of icons disappear into the at least one pocket area while the operation screen is displayed when a dragging input for dragging the first icon into the at least one pocket area is received,

generate a new icon in the at least one pocket area and make the new icon appear from the at least one pocket area in response to the dragging input, wherein the new icon corresponds to a folder icon representing a folder including the disappeared first icon,

automatically move the new icon from the at least one pocket area to a location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed without a further dragging input,

control the display module to display the new icon at the location where the disappeared first icon was originally displayed, and

control the display module to display the disappeared first icon included in the new icon on the operation screen as a thought balloon or a popup window upon receiving a command to select the new icon.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to activate a folder creation mode to display the at least one pocket area in response to a user input.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein the user input corresponds to one of the following:

a first touch input to a particular region of the display module or a particular icon;

a second touch input to any one of the plurality of icons on the operation screen for more than a predetermined amount of time;

or

a third touch input corresponding to a pressure higher than a predetermined level for generating a long-touch input.

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

displaying, on a display module of the mobile terminal, an operation screen on which a plurality of objects are arranged;

displaying a first pocket area for creating a new folder on one side of the operation screen and a second pocket area for performing a predefined function on another side of the operation screen when any one of the plurality of objects is touched for more than a predefined amount of time;

receiving, on the display module, a first dragging input for dragging a first object of the plurality of objects into the first pocket area;

in response to the received first dragging input, making the first object disappear into the first pocket area, and generating a new folder in the first pocket area, and automatically moving the new folder from the first pocket area to a location where the disappeared first object was originally displayed without a further dragging input, the new folder including the disappeared first object;

receiving, on the display module, a second dragging input for dragging a second object of the plurality of objects into the second pocket area; and

in response to the received second dragging input, making the second object disappear into the second pocket area and saving the disappeared second object in a folder for performing the predefined function.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the predefined function includes one of a ‘

trash’

function, a folder creation function, a ‘

cut’

function, a ‘

copy’

function, a ‘

paste’

function and a ‘

clipboard’

function.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of objects are icons.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

generating a plurality of pocket areas, each of the plurality of pocket areas performing different predefined functions on the operation screen.

13. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display module configured to display an operation screen on which a plurality of objects are arranged; and

a controller configured to;

control the display module to display a first pocket area on one side of the operation screen and a second pocket area for performing a predefined function on another side of the operation screen when any one of the plurality of objects is touched for more than a predefined amount of time,

detect a first dragging input for dragging a first object of the plurality of objects into the first pocket area from the display module,

in response to the detected first dragging input, make the first object disappear into the first pocket area, and generate a new folder in the first pocket area, and automatically move the new folder from the first pocket area to a location where the disappeared first object was originally displayed without a further dragging input, the new folder including the disappeared first object,

detect a second dragging input for dragging a second object of the plurality of objects into the second pocket area from the display module, and

in response to the detected second dragging input, make the second object disappear into the second pocket area and save the disappeared second object in a folder for performing the predefined function.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the predefined function includes one of a ‘

trash’

function, a folder creation function, a ‘

cut’

function, a ‘

copy’

function, a ‘

paste’

function and a ‘

clipboard’

function.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the plurality of objects are icons.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to generate a plurality of pocket areas and to set each of the plurality of pocket areas to perform different predefined functions on the operation screen.