Mobile terminal and method of controlling the same for tagging different NFC tags

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9313315-B2
Application number	US-201213546593-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2012
Priority date	Jul 20, 2011
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

Disclosed are a mobile terminal and a method of controlling the same. The mobile terminal according to the present invention includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module and a controller configured to set up a first communication link with at least one first terminal, placed within a specific distance, by using the NFC module, activate a first operation mode based on data obtained through the first communication link, and execute at least one function included in the activated first operation mode. In accordance with the present invention, the mobile terminal can be easily set so that it is operated in a specific operation mode based on data obtained through a communication link using the NFC module.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:
a Near Field Communication (NFC) module; and
a controller configured to:
set up a first NFC communication link via the NFC module with a NFC tag,
activate a first operation mode, based on a first point in time when the first communication link was formed,
execute a first function included in the activated first operation mode,
set up a second NFC communication link via the NFC module with the NFC tag,
activate a second operation mode, based on a second point in time when the second communication link was formed, and
execute a second function included in the activated second operation mode,
wherein the first point in time is different from the second point in time, and the first operation mode is different from the second operation mode, and
wherein when the first communication link with the mobile terminal is set up again when the first operation mode has been activated, the controller deactivates the activated first operation mode, changes a setting of the mobile terminal to a state before the activation of the first operation mode, and continues to execute a function that was performed in a relevant mode in the past,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
generate a setting value corresponding to a first operation mode in response to receiving an input of a set button; and
transmit the setting value and a unique number of the mobile terminal to a first terminal in response to receiving a tagging input of the first terminal such that the first terminal stores the setting value matching with the unique number.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the controller sets up another communication link with the first NFC tag by using the NFC module and transmits a setting value of the at least one function to be executed in the first operation mode to the first NFC tag through the other communication link.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 2 , wherein the setting value includes information about an area where the first operation mode will be activated.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the NFC module comprises an NFC communication module.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first communication link is set up by tagging to the first NFC tag and the second communication link is set up by tagging to the second NFC tag.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first point in time falls within a first time period where the mobile terminal is set to be in the first operation mode, and the second point in time falls within a second time period where the mobile terminal is set to be in the second operation mode.

7. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the NFC tag is carried along with the mobile terminal and not fixed at a geographical location.

8. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the first function is deactivated during the second operation mode.

9. The mobile terminal of claim 8 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
set up a third NFC communication link via the NFC module with the NFC tag,
activate a third operation mode, based on a third point in time when the third communication link was formed, and
execute a third function in the activated third operation mode.

10. The mobile terminal of claim 9 , wherein the third function includes reactivation of the deactivated first function in a state that the first function became deactivated.

11. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, comprising:
setting up a first communication link via an Near Field Communication (NFC) module with a NFC tag;
activating a first operation mode according to data included on the NFC tag obtained through the set-up first communication link, based on a first point in time when the first communication link was formed;
executing at least one function included in the activated first operation mode;
setting up a second NFC communication link via the NFC module with the NFC tag;
activating a second operation mode according to data included on the NFC tag obtained through the second communication link, based on a second point in time when the second communication link was formed;
executing at least one function included in the activated second operation mode, wherein the first point in time is different from the second point in time, and the first operation mode is different from the second operation mode;
deactivating the activated first operation mode, when the first communication link with the mobile terminal is set up again when the first operation mode has been activated;
returning a setting of the mobile terminal to a state before the activation of the first operation mode;
continuously executing a function that was executed in a relevant mode in the past;
generating a setting value corresponding to a first operation mode in response to receiving an input of a set button; and
transmitting the setting value and a unique number of the mobile terminal to a first terminal in response to receiving a tagging input of the first terminal such that the first terminal stores the setting value matching with the unique number.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:
setting up another communication link with the first terminal by using the NFC module, and
transmitting a setting value of the at least one function to be executed in the first operation mode to the first terminal through the other communication link.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first point in time falls within a first time period where the mobile terminal is set to be in the first operation mode, and the second point in time falls within a second time period where the mobile terminal is set to be in the second operation mode.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the NFC tag is carried along with the mobile terminal and not fixed at a geographical location.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the first function is deactivated during the second operation mode.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
setting up a third NFC communication link via the NFC module with the NFC tag;
activating a third operation mode, based on a third point in time when the third communication link was formed; and
executing a third function in the activated third operation mode,
wherein the third function includes reactivation of the deactivated first function in a state that the first function became deactivated.

Assignees

• Choi Eunkyung
• Kim Nayeoung
• Lee Jungmin
• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Choi Eunkyung
• Kim Nayeoung
• Lee Jungmin

Classifications

• H04M1/72569

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M1/7253 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04M2250/04

  including near field communication means, e.g. RFID · CPC title

• H04B7/24

  for communication between two or more posts (wireless communication networks H04W) · CPC title

• H04W88/02 Primary

  Terminal devices · CPC title