Portable device including a flip cover and method of controlling therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9986166-B2
Application number	US-201415112414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 14, 2014
Priority date	Jan 28, 2014
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A method of controlling a portable device including a flip cover for covering a display unit according to one embodiment of the present specification includes the steps of detecting that the portable device operates in a standby mode and the flip cover is positioned in a closed position, wherein the flip cover contains an open window and wherein the open window exposes a first part of the display unit when the flip cover is positioned in a closed position, sensing an orientation of the portable device, detecting a first control input, when the orientation of the portable device corresponds to a first orientation, displaying predetermined information in the first part of the display unit and when the orientation of the portable device corresponds to a second orientation, activating the camera unit in response to the first control input and displaying a first preview image of the digital image sensed by the camera unit in the first part of the display unit.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A portable device, comprising:
a camera unit configured to sense a digital image;
a display unit configured to display the digital image;
a cover sensor unit configured to sense whether a flip cover is opened or not, wherein the flip cover contains an open window and wherein the open window exposes a first part of the display unit when the flip cover is positioned in a closed position;
an orientation sensor unit configured to sense an orientation of the portable device; and
a controller configured to control the camera unit, the display unit, the cover sensor unit, and the orientation sensor unit,
wherein the controller is further configured to:
detect a first control input when the portable device operates in a standby mode and the flip cover is positioned in the closed position,
display predetermined information in the first part of the display unit when the orientation of the portable device corresponds to a first orientation,
when the orientation of the portable device corresponds to a second orientation, activate the camera unit in response to the first control input and display a first preview image of the digital image sensed by the camera unit in the first part of the display unit,
detect a second control input for taking a picture of the digital image, and
selectively store an area displayed in the first part of the display unit among the digital image sensed by the camera unit.

2. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the first orientation corresponds to a portrait mode of the portable device and wherein the second orientation corresponds to a landscape mode of the portable device.

3. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined information corresponds to information on a current time.

4. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the first preview image is generated by resizing the digital image according to at least one selected from the group consisting of a position, a shape, and a size of the first part of the display unit.

5. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the first preview image is generated by cropping the digital image according to at least one selected from the group consisting of a position, a shape, and a size of the first part of the display unit.

6. The portable device of claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to take a picture after increasing a resolution of the camera unit when the first preview image is generated by cropping the digital image.

7. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to store a whole area of the digital image sensed by the camera unit when the first preview image is generated by resizing the digital image.

8. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to store a part of cropped area among the digital image sensed by the camera unit when the first preview image is generated by cropping the digital image.

9. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to switch the first preview image to a second preview image and display the second preview image when the flip cover moves to an open position after the first preview image is displayed in the first part of the display unit.

10. The portable device of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to display the second preview image in a whole area of the display unit.

11. The portable device of claim 9 , wherein the second preview image comprises a whole area of the sensed digital image.

12. The portable device of claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
detect a second control input for taking a picture of the digital image; and
store the digital image in response to the second preview image displayed in the display unit.

13. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to switch the portable device to an active mode when the flip cover is positioned in an open position, and wherein the controller is configured to switch the portable device to the standby mode when the flip cover is positioned in the closed position.

14. The portable device of claim 1 , further comprising a touch sensor unit,
wherein the controller is further configured to detect a touch input for the first part of the display unit as the first control input when the flip cover is positioned in the closed position.

15. The portable device of claim 14 , wherein the controller is further configured to limit a touch sensitive area of the display unit to the first part when the flip cover is positioned in the closed position.

16. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to:
sense a gravity orientation via the orientation sensor unit,
activate the camera unit only when an angle between the display unit of the portable device and the gravity orientation is within an angle threshold, and
maintain the activated state of the camera unit although the angle between the display unit and the gravity orientation exceeds the angle threshold when the camera unit is activated.

17. The portable device of claim 1 , further comprising a distance sensor unit configured to measure a separation distance between the portable device and an external object,
wherein the controller is further configured to measure the separation distance between the portable device and the external object and activate the camera unit only when the separation distance is greater than a distance threshold.

18. The portable device of claim 1 , wherein the second orientation is orthogonal to the first orientation relative to a vector that is orthogonal to a display area of the display unit.

19. A method of controlling a portable device containing a flip cover for covering a display unit, the method comprising:
detecting that the portable device operates in a standby mode and the flip cover is positioned in a closed position, wherein the flip cover contains an open window and wherein the open window exposes a first part of the display unit when the flip cover is positioned in a closed position;
sensing an orientation of the portable device;
detecting a first control input;
displaying predetermined information in the first part of the display unit when the orientation of the portable device corresponds to a first orientation;
when the orientation of the portable device corresponds to a second orientation, activating the camera unit in response to the first control input and displaying a preview image of the digital image sensed by the camera unit in the first part of the display unit;
detecting a second control input for taking a picture of the digital image; and
selectively storing an area displayed in the first part of the display unit among the digital image sensed by the camera unit.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the second orientation is orthogonal to the first orientation relative to a vector that is orthogonal to a display area of the display unit.

Assignees

• Lg Electronics Inc

Inventors

• Kim Jongho
• Chun Sinae
• Lee Doyoung

Classifications

• H04N23/633 Primary

  for displaying additional information relating to control or operation of the camera · CPC title

• H04N23/62

  Control of parameters via user interfaces · CPC title

• G06F1/1677 Primary

  for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment · CPC title

• H04N23/667

  Camera operation mode switching, e.g. between still and video, sport and normal or high- and low-resolution modes · CPC title

• G06F1/3262

  Power saving in digitizer or tablet · CPC title