Mobile terminal and method of controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9330180-B2
Application number	US-24220808-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2008
Priority date	Oct 2, 2007
Publication date	May 3, 2016
Grant date	May 3, 2016

Abstract

A mobile terminal and method of controlling the same are disclosed, by which a terminal user is enabled to input specific commands to the mobile terminal with minimum effort in a manner of configuring a display screen with consideration of enhanced user's convenience. The present invention includes a display unit, a wireless communication unit for an internet access, a user input unit for receiving an input from a user, and a control unit controlling both a text input box and an indicator indicating one selected from the group consisting of at least two functions of the text input box to be displayed on a standby image of the display unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mobile terminal, comprising:
a touchscreen;
a wireless communication unit configured to establish an Internet access;
an input unit configured to receive an input from a user; and
a controller configured to:
display on the touchscreen a text input box on a standby image, the text input box usable for selectively searching a first search category and a second search category;
display a current category indicator at a designated location which is one side of the text input box, and the current category indicator indicating a current search category of the text input box;
receive a text input into the text input box for searching the input text;
send the text input to a search program;
receive a search result from the search program; and
display the search result on the touch screen;
wherein, in response to changing the current search category of the text input box from the first search category to the second search category, an appearance of the current category indicator for the text input box is changed to indicate the changed search category,
wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed at the same designated location with the text input box,
wherein the controller is further configured to preserve the input text in the text input box even after the current search category for the input text is changed between the first and second search categories, wherein the first search category is for searching the same input text via the Internet access, and the second search category is for searching the same input text within the mobile terminal,
wherein the controller is further configured to display a matched one of two different virtual keypads for the same text input box on the touchscreen before the text input into the text input box and in response to selection of the text input box,
wherein the matched virtual keypad is selected between the two different virtual keyboards according to the current search category of the same text input box on the touchscreen, and
wherein the controller is further configured to:
display icons for sub search categories in addition to the current category indicator when the current search category is the first search category for searching via the Internet access, and
render the icons for the sub search categories to disappear when the current search category is changed from the first search category to the second search category for searching within the mobile terminal.

2. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed while the text is input into the text input box for the changed search category.

3. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the text input box is displayed on the standby image in a standby mode.

4. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the sub search categories for the first search category include at least one of a webpage category, and image category, a moving picture category, a dictionary category, a news category, and a blog category.

5. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the input unit further comprises a real keypad, and
wherein, in response to selection of the text input box after the real keypad has become inactivated, the controller is further configured to display the virtual keypad.

6. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the input unit further comprises a real keypad, and
wherein, in response to exposure of the real keypad after the text input box is selected, the controller is further configured to cause the displayed virtual keypad to disappear.

7. A method of controlling a mobile terminal, the method comprising:
establishing an Internet access via a wireless connection;
displaying, by the mobile terminal, a text input box on a standby image of the mobile terminal, the text input box usable for selectively searching a first search category and a second search category;
displaying, by the mobile terminal, a current category indicator at a designated location which is one side of the text input box, the current category indicatory indicating a current search category of the text input box;
receiving a text input into the text input box for searching the input text;
sending the text input to a search program;
receiving a search result from the search program; and
displaying a search result on a screen of the mobile terminal;
wherein, in response to changing the current search category of the text input box is changed from the first search category to the second search category, an appearance of the current category indicator for the text input box is changed to indicate the changed search category,
wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed at the same designated location with the text input box,
wherein the input text is preserved in the text input box even after the current search category for the input text is changed between the first and second search categories,
wherein the first search category is for searching the same input text via the Internet access, and the second search category is for searching the same input text within the mobile terminal,
wherein the method further comprises displaying a matched one of two different virtual keypads for the same text input box on the touchscreen before the text input into the text input box and in response to selection of the text input box,
wherein the matched virtual keypad is selected between the two different virtual keyboards according to the current search category of the same text input box on the touchscreen, and
wherein the method further comprises:
displaying icons for sub search categories in addition to the current category indicator when the current search category is the first search category for searching via the Internet access; and
rendering the icons for the sub search categories to disappear when the current search category is changed from the first search category to the second search category for searching within the mobile terminal.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the changed appearance of the current category indicator is displayed while the text is input into the text input box for the changed search category.

9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the text input box is displayed on the standby image in a standby mode.

10. The method of claim 7 , wherein the sub search categories for the first search category include at least one of a webpage category, an image category, a moving picture category, a dictionary category, a news category, and a blog category.

11. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
displaying the virtual keypad when the text input box is selected after a real keypad has become inactivated.

12. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
causing the displayed virtual keypad to disappear when a real keypad is externally exposed after the text input box is selected.

13. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein, in response to selection of the text input box for inputting the text therein, the controller is further configured to display a list of texts recently inputted to the selected text input box.

14. The method of claim 7 , further comprising displaying a list of texts recently inputted to the selected text input box in response to selection of the text input box for inputting the text therein.

15. The mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to display the same input text within a different text input box together with the search result corresponding to the input text.

16. The mobile termin

Assignees

• Kim Tae Hun
• Jung Jang Jae
• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Kim Tae Hun
• Jung Jang Jae

Classifications

• G06F16/9535 Primary

  Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation · CPC title

• G06F16/9538 Primary

  Presentation of query results · CPC title

• H04M2250/70

  methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation · CPC title

• G06F3/04886

  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 title

• G06F17/30867 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic