Mobile terminal and control method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12081691-B2
Application number	US-201917756005-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 14, 2019
Priority date	Nov 14, 2019
Publication date	Sep 3, 2024
Grant date	Sep 3, 2024

Abstract

The present specification provides a mobile terminal, which can simultaneously enable unlocking and display expansion, and a control method therefor. A mobile terminal of the present invention comprises a flexible display unit which can expand in size. If a knock code via a user's touch input on the display unit matches a preconfigured pattern, a display positioned on the front side can expand in size as the mobile terminal unlocks.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:
a body varying in size;
a flexible display including a first display located on a front side of the body, a second display located on one lateral side of the body and a third display located on a rear side of the body;
a drive unit expanded in a direction of the one lateral side of the body to expand a size of the first display;
a sensing unit detecting an input signal; and
a controller configured to, based on the input signal matching a preset pattern, release locking of the mobile terminal and control the drive unit to expand the size of the first display,
wherein the input signal includes a knock code through a user's touch input onto the flexible display and
wherein the flexible display has the third display contracted when the first display is expanded.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the knock code comprises a touch input of consecutively knocking a prescribed region of the flexible unit within a reference time.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the prescribed region includes a plurality of divided grids and wherein the knock code is a password generated from a user-set sequence of the grids each of which a touch input is detected from.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 3 , wherein the prescribed region is located on the second display.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the knock code comprises a touch input of consecutively knocking the prescribed region of each of the first and third displays within a reference time.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein based on detecting the knock code, the controller displays a guide text indicating that the size of the first display is expanded on the first display.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein based on receiving a notification in a locked state of the mobile terminal, the input signal comprises the knock code and a touch & drag in a specific direction with respect to the knock code and wherein the controller releases the locking of the mobile terminal, expands the size of the first display, and executes an application for the notification on the first display.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein the specific direction is the same as a direction in which the first display is expanded.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 7 , wherein the notification is related to at least one of a phone call, a message, or a Social Network Service (SNS).

10. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein based on receiving a notification in a locked state of the mobile terminal, the input signal comprises a knock code detected from the second display and wherein the controller releases the locking of the mobile terminal, expands the size of the first display, and executes an application for the notification on the first display.

11. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first display of the flexible display is expandable into one of a plurality of sizes and wherein based on inputting the knock code, the controller displays a selection menu for selecting any one of a plurality of the sizes on the first display.

12. The mobile terminal of claim 11 , wherein the selection menu is displayed on a region having the knock code inputted thereto by the user in the first display.

13. A mobile terminal, comprising:
a body varying in size;
a flexible display including a first display located on a front side of the body, a second display located on one lateral side of the body and a third display located on a rear side of the body;
a drive unit expanded in a direction of the one lateral side of the body to expand a size of the first display;
a sensing unit detecting an input signal; and
a controller configured to expand the size of the first display and display a standby screen on the first display based on the input signal matching a preset pattern,
wherein the flexible display has the third display contracted when the first display is expanded.

14. The mobile terminal of claim 13 , wherein the input signal comprises a combination of a knock code through a user's touch input on to the flexible display and a user's gesture action.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 14 , wherein the knock code comprises a touch input of consecutively knocking a prescribed region of the flexible display within a reference time.

16. The mobile terminal of claim 15 , wherein the user's gesture action comprises a swipe action performed on one side direction of the mobile terminal and wherein the one side direction is the same as a direction in which the first display is expanded.

17. The mobile terminal of claim 13 , wherein the input signal comprises a knock code of consecutively knocking a prescribed region of the second display within a reference time.

18. The mobile terminal of claim 13 , wherein the input signal comprises a swipe action performed in one side direction after fingerprint recognition.

19. The mobile terminal of claim 18 , wherein after the fingerprint recognition, the controller displays information for guiding the swipe action on the first display.

20. The mobile terminal of claim 13 , wherein the input signal comprises fingerprint recognition.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Changmok
• Lee Jinhee
• Choi Eunkyung
• Seo Junho

Classifications

• H04M2250/22

  including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector · CPC title

• H04M1/0235

  Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title