Touch-based mobile device and method for performing touch lock function of the mobile device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9584643-B2
Application number	US-201113081598-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 7, 2011
Priority date	Apr 14, 2010
Publication date	Feb 28, 2017
Grant date	Feb 28, 2017

Abstract

A touch-based mobile device and a method for performing a touch lock function of the mobile device are provided. In the method, the device displays a touch lock screen in which a cover layer is superimposed over a specific underlying screen and allows the underlying screen to be visible. When an input of a touch moving gesture is detected, the device moves the cover layer depending on the touch moving gesture, and determines whether a distance of the touch moving gesture reaches a predefined critical distance. If so, the device removes the cover layer from the touch lock screen and switches the touch lock state to a touch unlock state, thus allowing a user to more conveniently switch the touch lock state to the touch unlock state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for unlocking an electronic device, the method comprising:
when the electronic device is in a locked state, executing a lock screen including display of a cover layer overlaid on an entirety of an underlying screen such that the underlying screen is visible underneath the cover layer, the cover layer further including an event indicator;
after display of the cover layer and the event indicator, in response detecting an object executing a touch gesture including a drag, displaying movement of an entirety of the cover layer in accordance with the drag; and
responsive to detecting that the drag exceeds a critical distance, removing the cover layer from the lock screen, and switching the electronic device from the locked state to an unlocked state,
wherein, after display of the cover layer and the event indicator, moving the cover layer includes moving the event indicator as part of the cover layer in accordance with a direction and a distance of the drag, such that the event indicator is removed from the lock screen when the cover layer is removed from the lock screen.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the underlying screen is one of a background screen and an application execution screen.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cover layer is one of a transparent layer and a translucent layer.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cover layer and the event indicator are displayed undistortedly during movement of the cover layer and the event indicator in accordance with the direction and the distance of the drag.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the cover layer is moved in accordance with the drag beyond a display area of the electronic device, displaying the cover layer and the event indicator undistortedly includes excluding a portion of the cover layer and the event indicator from display while the locked state is maintained, and
the method further comprising: responsive to a touch release occurring before the touch gesture reaches the critical distance, returning the event indicator to an initial display state while maintaining the electronic device in the locked state.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving of the cover layer includes initiating measurement of a touch holding duration when the touch gesture is inputted.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising returning the cover layer to an initial display state when the touch holding duration exceeds a predefined critical time period.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the moving of the cover layer includes beginning to measure a touch holding duration when a touch gesture is inputted, wherein the detecting whether the drag exceeds the critical distance further includes determining whether the touch holding duration exceeds a predefined critical time period; and
wherein removing the cover layer includes, if the touch gesture reaches the critical distance before the touch holding duration exceeds the critical time period, removing the cover layer from the lock screen to switch the locked state to the unlocked state, and if the touch holding duration exceeds the critical time period, returning the cover layer to an initial display state while the locked state remains unchanged.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cover layer is a transparent or translucent layer that includes a list of missed events.

10. An electronic device comprising:
a touch screen unit configured to detect a touch input; and
a control unit operatively coupled to memory, configured to:
when the electronic device is in a locked state, execute a touch lock screen including display of a cover layer overlaid on an entirety of an underlying screen, such that the underlying screen is visible underneath the cover layer, the cover layer further including an event indicator;
after display of the cover layer and the event indicator, control the touch screen unit to display movement of an entirety the cover layer in accordance with a drag in response to a detected object executing the drag via a touch gesture; and
responsive to detecting that the detected drag exceeds a predefined critical distance, remove the cover layer from the executed touch lock screen and switch the electronic device from the locked state to an unlocked state,

wherein, after display of the cover layer and the event indicator, moving the cover layer includes moving the event indicator as part of the cover layer in accordance with a direction and a distance of the drag, such that the event indicator is removed from the lock screen when the cover layer is removed from the lock screen.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the underlying screen includes one of a background screen and an application execution screen, and wherein the cover layer includes one of a transparent layer and a translucent layer.

12. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein when the cover layer is moved in accordance with the drag beyond a display area of the electronic device, a portion of the cover layer and the event indicator is excluded from display while the locked state is maintained, and
wherein the control unit is further configured to return the event indicator to an initial display state and maintain the locked state if a touch release is detected before the touch gesture reaches the critical distance.

13. The electronic device of claim 10 :
wherein the control unit is further configured to return the cover layer to an initial display state while the locked state remains unchanged if a touch release occurs before the a touch gesture reaches the critical distance; and
wherein the control unit is further configured to: begin to measure a touch holding duration when a touch gesture is inputted; determine whether the touch holding duration exceeds a predefined critical time period; and when the touch holding duration exceeds the critical time period, return the cover layer to the initial display state while the locked state remains unchanged, and wherein the cover layer is removed from the touch lock screen, when the distance of the touch gesture reaches the critical distance before the touch holding duration exceeds the critical time period.

14. A method for unlocking an electronic device, the method comprising:
when the electronic device is in a locked state, executing a lock screen including a cover layer overlaid on an entirety of an underlying screen such that the underlying screen is visible through the cover layer, the cover layer including one or more event indicators;
after display of the cover layer and the event indicator, in response to detecting an object executing a touch gesture including a drag, displaying movement of an entirety of the cover layer in accordance with the drag; and
responsive to detecting that the drag exceeds a critical distance, removing the cover layer from display and switching the electronic device from the locked state to an unlocked state,
wherein, after display of the cover layer and the one or more event indicators and before the drag exceeds the critical distance, the cover layer and the one or more event indicators are moved according to a direction and a distance of the drag such that the one or more event indicators are removed from display when the cover layer is removed from display.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein the cover layer is one of a transparent layer and a translucent layer.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein a portion of the cover layer and the one or more event indicators is excluded from display while the locked state is maintained when the cover layer is moved in accordance with the drag

Assignees

• Bok Il Geun
• Shin Seung Woo
• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Bok Il Geun
• Shin Seung Woo

Classifications

• G06F3/04883

  for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text · CPC title

• G06F2203/04804

  Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows · CPC title

• H04W4/20

  Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel · CPC title

• H04M1/67 Primary

  by electronic means · CPC title

• H04M1/725

  Cordless telephones (user interfaces specially adapted therefor H04M1/724) · CPC title