Mobile terminal and method of controlling the mobile terminal

• US 9,632,653 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2014
• Issued: 04/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Ko, Eulina, Kim, Hosoo, Leem, Chaesung, Chung, Minjoo, Jung, Hojae, Ahn, Shinhui, Jung, Juhyun, Kim, Yong, Kim, Hyoungkeun
• Primary Examiner(s): Xiao, Di
• Application Number:
  US14/176,487
• Publication Number:
  US 20140229888A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

Provided is a mobile terminal including a display unit to which multiple divisional screen regions are output, and a control unit that when an input for entering a division mode in which the display unit is divided into the multiple screen regions is received, generates a list region including a list of multiple applications, divides the display unit into first and second screen regions with the list region in between, and executes first and second applications selected from among the multiple applications on the first and second screen regions, respectively, in which the controller executes an application selected from among the multiple applications included in the list on the list region, and in which when an object included in the application being executed on the list region is selected, at least one of the first and second applications uses the selected object.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display device to display a screen to execute an application; and

a controller that, in response to an input to enter a division mode, to generate a list region in such a manner as to spread out upward and downward from a predetermined position of the screen, to divide the screen into a first screen region and a second screen region by the list region, and to execute first and second applications selected from the list region on at least one of the first and second screen regions, respectively,

wherein the list region includes a list of a plurality of applications,

wherein the controller to execute an application selected from among the plurality of applications included in the list displayed on the list region,

wherein in response to selection of an object from the application being executed, at least one of the first and second applications to use the selected object, and

wherein the screen is dimly displayed while the list region is generated and displayed.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller to select the plurality of applications included in the list differently depending on the first and second applications.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the list region of the display includes an indicator to indicate one of the first screen region and the second screen region, in which to execute the application included in the list.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3, wherein the controller to enable the application being executed on the indicated screen region to use the selected object.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when a first application and a second application are concurrently selected, the controller to concurrently execute the first application and the second application on the first screen region and the second screen region, respectively.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when the list region of the display decreases in size and is converted into a bar shape, the controller to set sizes of the first and second screen regions based on an input for adjusting a position of the bar shape.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein when a first application is executed on substantially an entire screen of the display, and a second application is executed on a floating screen that is displayed such that the floating screen to overlap the entire screen on which the first application is executed, and the floating screen is dragged to one region of the entire screen, which is set in advance, the controller to divide the entire screen into the first and second screen regions and to execute the first and second applications on the first and second screen regions, respectively.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7, wherein in response to selection of a switching-to-floating-screen icon displayed on the second screen region, the controller to enable the first application to be executed on the substantially entire screen of the display and to enable the second application to be executed on the floating screen that overlaps the entire screen on which the first application is executed.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller to transfer a captured image of the first screen region to the second screen region.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1, wherein the controller to transfer an object displayed on the first screen region to the second screen region.

11. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, comprising:

receiving an input to enter a division mode that divides a screen of a display device into a plurality of screen regions;

generating a list region in such a manner as to spread out upward and downward from a predetermined position of the screen and dividing the screen into a first screen region and a second screen region by the list region, the list region including a list of a plurality of applications;

executing first and second applications selected from among the plurality of applications included in the list displayed in the list region on at least one of the first and second screen regions; and

executing an application selected from among the plurality of applications included in the list displayed in the list region,

in response to selection of an object from the application being executed, at least one of the first and second applications to use the selected object, and

wherein the screen is dimly displayed while the list region is generated and displayed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein executing the application selected from among the plurality of applications includes selecting the plurality of applications included in the list differently depending on the first and second applications.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the list region includes an indicator to indicate one of the first screen region and the second screen region, in which to execute the application included in the list.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising enabling at least one of a first application and a second application by enabling the application being executed on the indicated screen region to use a selected object.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein executing the application includes concurrently executing a first application and a second application on the first screen region and the second screen region, respectively, when the first application and the second application are concurrently selected.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

setting sizes of the first screen region and the second screen region depending on an input to adjust a position of a bar when the list region decreases in size and the list region is provided in a shape of the bar.

17. The method of claim 11, comprising:

in response to selection of a switching-to-floating screen icon, enabling a first application to be executed on the entire screen of the display and enabling a second application to be executed on a floating screen such that the floating screen overlaps the entire screen on which the first application is executed.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transferring a captured image obtained by capturing at least part of an image of the first screen region to the second screen region.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

transferring an object displayed on the first screen region to the second screen region.

20. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display device to display screen regions on a screen; and

a controller to control the display device to display a first screen region, a second screen region and a list region between the first screen region and the second screen region, and the list region to display a plurality of applications, and the controller to execute a first application selected from among the plurality of applications at the first screen region, and to execute a second application selected from among the plurality of applications at the second screen region,

wherein the controller is configured to;

generate a list region in such a manner as to spread out upward and downward from a predetermined position of the screen,

divide the screen into a first screen region and a second screen region by the list region, and

executing an application selected from among the plurality of applications included in the list displayed in the list region,

in response to selection of an object from the application being executed, at least one of the first and second applications to use the selected object, and

wherein the screen is dimly displayed while the list region is generated and displayed.

21. The mobile terminal of claim 20, wherein the display displays an indicator to identify one of the first screen region and the second screen region, in which to execute the application.

22. The mobile terminal of claim 21, wherein the controller to enable the executed application on the identified screen region to use the selected object.

23. The mobile terminal of claim 20, wherein the controller to change sizes of the first and second screen regions based on an input to adjust the list region.

24. The mobile terminal of claim 20, wherein when the first application is executed on the entire screen of the display and the second application is executed on a floating screen that overlaps the entire screen on which the first application is executed, and the floating screen is dragged, the controller to divide the entire screen into the first and second screen regions and to execute the first and second applications at the first and second screen regions, respectively.

25. The mobile terminal of claim 24, wherein in response to selection of a switching-to-floating-screen icon displayed at the second screen region, the controller to enable the first application to be executed on the entire screen of the display and to enable the second application to be executed on the floating screen that overlaps the entire screen on which the first application is executed.