Watch type mobile terminal and method for controlling the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9794397-B2
Application number	US-201414515370-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 15, 2014
Priority date	Oct 16, 2013
Publication date	Oct 17, 2017
Grant date	Oct 17, 2017

Abstract

A watch type mobile terminal configured to be wearable on a wrist and a control method thereof are provided. The watch type mobile terminal includes a display unit configured to display screen information, a terminal body configured to allow the display unit to be installed therein and disposed on the wrist, a sensing unit configured to sense a position in which the mobile terminal is worn, and a controller configured to allocate a particular region of the display unit, as a control region for receiving a control command based on the sensing result, and process a user's touch input applied to the control region, as a control command for controlling an operation of the mobile terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A watch type mobile terminal, comprising:
a terminal body shaped to be wearable by a user;
a display located on the terminal body and configured to display clock information, wherein the clock information comprises an hour hand image, a minute hand image, and a background image representing current time;
an information processing unit configured to obtain current situation information associated with the mobile terminal; and
a controller configured to:
determine a shape or form of the hour hand image and the minute hand image to be displayed such that a current mode corresponding to the current situation information is represented via the hour hand image and the minute hand image having the determined shape or form;
cause the display to change the shape or form of the hour hand image and the minute hand image based on the current situation information such that a different hour hand image and a different minute hand image are displayed according to a change of the current situation information, a first hour hand image and a first minute hand image displayed when a first situation mode corresponds to the current situation information, and a second hour hand image and a second minute hand image displayed when a second situation mode corresponds to the current situation information,
wherein each of the first situation mode and the second situation mode, which is different from the first situation mode, is one of a weather mode, a traffic mode, a meal mode, a work mode, or an exercise mode; and
execute one of a plurality of functions based on the current mode in response to a touch input received via the display, the touch input received while the hour hand image and the minute image are displayed on the display,

wherein:
an exercise related function is executed and screen information related to the exercise related function is displayed on the display when the hour hand image and the minute hand image correspond to the exercise mode; and
a weather related function is executed and screen information related to the weather related function is displayed on the display when the hour hand image and the minute hand image correspond to the weather mode.

2. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to change a shape or form of the background image according to the current mode corresponding the current situation information.

3. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 1 , further comprising:
a memory configured to store mode information comprising a plurality of situation modes classified based on various information associated with the mobile terminal,
wherein the plurality of situation modes comprise the weather mode, the traffic mode, the meal mode, the work mode, and the exercise mode, and
wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the updated clock information such that the current situation information corresponds to the first situation mode among the plurality of situation modes that is currently associated with the terminal body.

4. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 3 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
cause the information processing unit to obtain updated information when the current situation information is updated;
cause the display to further update the updated clock information to correspond to the second situation mode if the second situation mode related to the updated information is different from the first situation mode; and
cause the display to continue displaying the updated clock information if a third situation mode related to the updated situational information is same as the first situation mode.

5. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
at least one of the hour hand image or the minute hand image is movable by a drag touch;
the controller is further configured to set time in response to the drag touch applied to the at least one of the hour hand image or the minute hand image; and
the controller is further configured to execute a particular function that is associated with the set time when the set time corresponds to current time.

6. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
cause the display to display a plurality of selectable icons corresponding to a plurality of functions when the time is set;
designate one of the plurality of functions as the particular function in response to selection of one of the plurality of selectable icons; and
execute the particular function corresponding to the designated one of the plurality of functions.

7. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display the clock information differently when current time is within a predetermined time period from the set time in order to inform that the set time is approaching.

8. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 5 , wherein:
the obtained current situation information comprises position information of the terminal body; and
the controller is further configured to cause the display to display place information based on the position information and the set time.

9. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the information processing unit is further configured to obtain information regarding movement of the terminal body;
the controller is further configured to determine that the user wearing the mobile terminal is exercising when the movement of the terminal body is within a reference range; and
the controller is further configured to cause the display to display clock information related to the determination.

10. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to cause the display to display a number of times the movement of the terminal body is repeated along with the clock information related to the determination.

11. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the current situation information comprises position information of the terminal body and position information of an object that is present within a reference distance from the terminal body; and
the controller is further configured to cause the display to display information in the clock information, the information reflecting relative position information of the object with respect to the terminal body.

12. The watch type mobile terminal of claim 1 , wherein:
the information processing unit is further configured to obtain information regarding movement of the terminal body;
the controller is further configured to cause the information processing unit to obtain specific information when the information regarding the movement of the terminal body corresponds to a specific gesture for obtaining the specific information; and
cause the display to display the clock information such that the obtained specific information is reflected in the displayed clock information.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Min Jihye
• Lee Yongdeok
• Bae Kwonhan
• Kim Myoungeun
• Lee Sunjung
• Jung Eunsoo
• Choi Eunkyung
• Han Miran

Classifications

• G04G21/08

  Touch switches specially adapted for time-pieces · CPC title

• H04M2201/38

  Displays · CPC title

• H04M1/0281

  for providing single handed use or left/right hand conversion · CPC title

• G04C3/002

  Position, e.g. inclination dependent switches · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title