KR101674964B1 - Mobile terminal and method for controlling the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, in which usage of a terminal can be realized by further considering convenience of a user. According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, an advantage that a terminal user can input characters more conveniently in a keypad provided in a mobile terminal having fewer or smaller key buttons than a keyboard of a personal computer have.

Description

[0001] MOBILE TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME [0002]

The present invention relates to a mobile terminal and a control method thereof, in which usage of a terminal can be realized by further considering convenience of a user.

The terminal can move And can be divided into a mobile / portable terminal and a stationary terminal depending on whether the mobile terminal is a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can be divided into a handheld terminal and a vehicle mount terminal according to whether the user can directly carry the mobile terminal.

Such a terminal has various functions, for example, in the form of a multimedia device having multiple functions such as photographing and photographing of a moving picture, reproduction of a music or video file, reception of a game and broadcasting, etc. .

In order to support and enhance the functionality of such terminals, it may be considered to improve the structural and / or software parts of the terminal.

Recently, many touch screen type mobile terminals have been introduced. The touch screen type mobile terminal is provided with a hardware or software type keypad so that a terminal user can input characters through the keypad. However, the keypad of the mobile terminal has fewer or fewer key buttons than general personal computers, so that it is not easy to input characters. Therefore, it is necessary to study a method for allowing the terminal user to input characters more conveniently in the keypad of the mobile terminal.

The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a keypad of a mobile terminal having fewer or smaller key buttons than a keyboard of a personal computer, And a control method thereof.

In order to accomplish the above object, the present invention provides a touch screen display device, comprising: a touch screen for displaying a keypad including a plurality of key buttons corresponding to unique alphabets; Wherein the predetermined key button has a first alphabetical character and a second alphabetical alphabet of the key button, and the second alphabetic character of the key button is a second alphabet alphabet. And a control unit for controlling the first alphabet to be input.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a touch screen display method including displaying a keypad including a plurality of key buttons corresponding to unique alphabets on a touch screen, When the predetermined key button is firstly touched and then a second word is touched after the predetermined key button is firstly touched, And inputting a second alphabet of the recommendation word.

Effects of the mobile terminal and the control method according to the present invention will be described as follows.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present invention, an advantage that a terminal user can input characters more conveniently in a keypad provided in a mobile terminal having fewer or smaller key buttons than a keyboard of a personal computer have.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a front perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2B is a rear perspective view of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a method of controlling a mobile terminal according to the present invention.
4 to 16D are state diagrams of a display screen on which an embodiment of a control method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention is implemented.

Hereinafter, a mobile terminal related to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The suffix "module" and " part "for the components used in the following description are given or mixed in consideration of ease of specification, and do not have their own meaning or role.

The mobile terminal described in this specification may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), navigation and the like. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the configuration according to the embodiments described herein may be applied to a fixed terminal such as a digital TV, a desktop computer, and the like, unless the configuration is applicable only to a mobile terminal.

1 is a block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile terminal 100 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an audio / video input unit 120, a user input unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, a memory 160, A controller 170, a controller 180, a power supply 190, and the like. The components shown in FIG. 1 are not essential, and a mobile terminal having more or fewer components may be implemented.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in order.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include one or more modules for enabling wireless communication between the mobile terminal 100 and the wireless communication system or between the mobile terminal 100 and the network in which the mobile terminal 100 is located. For example, the wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless Internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, and a location information module 115 .

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals and / or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel.

The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel. The broadcast management server may refer to a server for generating and transmitting broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information, or a server for receiving broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information generated by the broadcast management server and transmitting the generated broadcast signals and / or broadcast related information. The broadcast signal may include a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, a data broadcast signal, and a broadcast signal in which a data broadcast signal is combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

The broadcast-related information may refer to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or information related to a broadcast service provider. The broadcast-related information may also be provided through a mobile communication network. In this case, it may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast-related information may exist in various forms. For example, an EPG (Electronic Program Guide) of DMB (Digital Multimedia Broadcasting) or an ESG (Electronic Service Guide) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

For example, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DMB-T), a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting-Satellite (DMB-S), a Media Forward Link Only A digital broadcasting system such as DVB-CB, OMA-BCAST, or Integrated Services Digital Broadcast-Terrestrial (ISDB-T). Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 may be adapted to other broadcasting systems as well as the digital broadcasting system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the memory 160.

The mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives radio signals to at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data depending on a voice call signal, a video call signal or a text / multimedia message transmission / reception.

The wireless Internet module 113 is a module for wireless Internet access, and may be built in or externally attached to the mobile terminal 100. WLAN (Wi-Fi), Wibro (Wireless broadband), Wimax (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) and the like can be used as wireless Internet technologies.

The short-range communication module 114 refers to a module for short-range communication. Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), infrared data association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), ZigBee, and the like can be used as a short range communication technology.

The position information module 115 is a module for obtaining the position of the mobile terminal, and a representative example thereof is a Global Position System (GPS) module. According to the current technology, the GPS module 115 calculates distance information and accurate time information from three or more satellites, and then applies trigonometry to the calculated information to obtain a three-dimensional string of latitude, longitude, The location information can be accurately calculated. At present, a method of calculating position and time information using three satellites and correcting an error of the calculated position and time information using another satellite is widely used. In addition, the GPS module 115 can calculate speed information by continuously calculating the current position in real time.

Referring to FIG. 1, an A / V (Audio / Video) input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera 121 and a microphone 122. The camera 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by the image sensor in the video communication mode or the photographing mode. The processed image frame can be displayed on the display unit 151. [

The image frame processed by the camera 121 may be stored in the memory 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. [ Two or more cameras 121 may be provided depending on the use environment.

The microphone 122 receives an external sound signal through a microphone in a communication mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, or the like, and processes it as electrical voice data. The processed voice data can be converted into a form that can be transmitted to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 when the voice data is in the call mode, and output. Various noise reduction algorithms may be implemented in the microphone 122 to remove noise generated in receiving an external sound signal.

The user input unit 130 generates input data for a user to control the operation of the terminal. The user input unit 130 may include a key pad, a dome switch, a touch pad (static / static), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like.

The sensing unit 140 senses the current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as the open / close state of the mobile terminal 100, the position of the mobile terminal 100, the presence or absence of user contact, the orientation of the mobile terminal, And generates a sensing signal for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, it is possible to sense whether the slide phone is opened or closed. It is also possible to sense whether the power supply unit 190 is powered on, whether the interface unit 170 is connected to an external device, and the like. Meanwhile, the sensing unit 140 may include a proximity sensor 141. This will be discussed later in connection with touch screens.

The output unit 150 is for generating an output relating to visual, auditory or tactile sense and includes a display unit 151, an acoustic output module 152, an alarm unit 153, a haptic module 154, 155, and the like.

The display unit 151 displays (outputs) information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in the call mode, a UI (User Interface) or a GUI (Graphic User Interface) associated with a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in the video communication mode or the photographing mode, the photographed and / or received video or UI and GUI are displayed.

The display unit 151 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display display, and a 3D display.

Some of these displays may be transparent or light transmissive so that they can be seen through. This can be referred to as a transparent display, and a typical example of the transparent display is TOLED (Transparent OLED) and the like. The rear structure of the display unit 151 may also be of a light transmission type. With this structure, the user can see an object located behind the terminal body through the area occupied by the display unit 151 of the terminal body.

There may be two or more display units 151 according to the embodiment of the mobile terminal 100. For example, in the mobile terminal 100, a plurality of display portions may be spaced apart from one another or may be disposed integrally with each other, or may be disposed on different surfaces.

(Hereinafter, referred to as a 'touch screen') in which a display unit 151 and a sensor for sensing a touch operation (hereinafter, referred to as 'touch sensor') form a mutual layer structure, It can also be used as an input device. The touch sensor may have the form of, for example, a touch film, a touch sheet, a touch pad, or the like.

The touch sensor may be configured to convert a change in a pressure applied to a specific portion of the display unit 151 or a capacitance generated in a specific portion of the display unit 151 into an electrical input signal. The touch sensor can be configured to detect not only the position and area to be touched but also the pressure at the time of touch.

If there is a touch input to the touch sensor, the corresponding signal (s) is sent to the touch controller (not shown). The touch controller processes the signal (s) and transmits the corresponding data to the controller 180. Thus, the control unit 180 can know which area of the display unit 151 is touched or the like.

The proximity sensor 141 may be disposed in an inner region of the mobile terminal or in the vicinity of the touch screen, which is enclosed by the touch screen. The proximity sensor refers to a sensor that detects the presence or absence of an object approaching a predetermined detection surface or a nearby object without mechanical contact using the force of an electromagnetic field or infrared rays. The proximity sensor has a longer life span than the contact sensor and its utilization is also high.

Examples of the proximity sensor include a transmission type photoelectric sensor, a direct reflection type photoelectric sensor, a mirror reflection type photoelectric sensor, a high frequency oscillation type proximity sensor, a capacitive proximity sensor, a magnetic proximity sensor, and an infrared proximity sensor. And to detect the proximity of the pointer by the change of the electric field along the proximity of the pointer when the touch screen is electrostatic. In this case, the touch screen (touch sensor) may be classified as a proximity sensor.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the act of recognizing that the pointer is positioned on the touch screen while the pointer is not in contact with the touch screen is referred to as "proximity touch & The act of actually touching the pointer on the screen is called "contact touch. &Quot; The position where the pointer is proximately touched on the touch screen means a position where the pointer is vertically corresponding to the touch screen when the pointer is touched.

The proximity sensor detects a proximity touch and a proximity touch pattern (e.g., a proximity touch distance, a proximity touch direction, a proximity touch speed, a proximity touch time, a proximity touch position, a proximity touch movement state, and the like). Information corresponding to the detected proximity touch operation and the proximity touch pattern may be output on the touch screen.

The audio output module 152 may output audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the memory 160 in a call signal reception mode, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, The sound output module 152 also outputs sound signals related to functions (e.g., call signal reception sound, message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. [ The audio output module 152 may include a receiver, a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm unit 153 outputs a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event of the mobile terminal 100. Examples of events that occur in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, key signal input, touch input, and the like. The alarm unit 153 may output a signal for notifying the occurrence of an event in a form other than the video signal or the audio signal, for example, vibration. In this case, the display unit 151 and the sound / voice output module 152 may be a kind of the alarm unit 153. The display unit 151 and the sound / . ≪ / RTI >

The haptic module 154 generates various tactile effects that the user can feel. A typical example of the haptic effect generated by the haptic module 154 is vibration. The intensity and pattern of the vibration generated by the hit module 154 can be controlled. For example, different vibrations may be synthesized and output or sequentially output.

In addition to the vibration, the haptic module 154 may include a pin arrangement vertically moving with respect to the contact skin surface, a spraying force or a suction force of the air through the injection port or the suction port, a touch on the skin surface, contact with an electrode, And various tactile effects such as an effect of reproducing a cold sensation using an endothermic or exothermic element can be generated.

The haptic module 154 can be implemented not only to transmit the tactile effect through the direct contact but also to allow the user to feel the tactile effect through the muscular sensation of the finger or arm. At least two haptic modules 154 may be provided according to the configuration of the mobile terminal 100.

The projector module 155 is a component for performing an image project function using the mobile terminal 100 and is similar to the image displayed on the display unit 151 in accordance with a control signal of the controller 180 Or at least partly display another image on an external screen or wall.

Specifically, the projector module 155 includes a light source (not shown) that generates light (for example, laser light) for outputting an image to the outside, a light source And a lens (not shown) for enlarging and outputting the image at a predetermined focal distance to the outside. Further, the projector module 155 may include a device (not shown) capable of mechanically moving the lens or the entire module to adjust the image projection direction.

The projector module 155 can be divided into a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) module, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module and a DLP (Digital Light Processing) module according to the type of the display means. In particular, the DLP module may be advantageous for miniaturization of the projector module 151 by enlarging and projecting an image generated by reflecting light generated from a light source on a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) chip.

Preferably, the projector module 155 may be provided longitudinally on the side, front or back side of the mobile terminal 100. It goes without saying that the projector module 155 may be provided at any position of the mobile terminal 100 as occasion demands.

The memory unit 160 may store a program for processing and controlling the control unit 180 and temporarily store the input / output data (e.g., telephone directory, message, audio, For example. The memory unit 160 may store the frequency of use of each of the data (for example, each telephone number, each message, and frequency of use for each multimedia).

In addition, the memory unit 160 may store data on vibration and sound of various patterns output when the touch is input on the touch screen.

In addition, the memory unit 160 may include a word prediction database for predicting words to be input by a terminal user based on the input characters when characters are input to the terminal. An example of the word prediction database is a T9 database.

The memory 160 may be a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (for example, SD or XD memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), SRAM (Static Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), PROM A disk, and / or an optical disk. The mobile terminal 100 may operate in association with a web storage that performs a storage function of the memory 160 on the Internet.

The interface unit 170 serves as a path for communication with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or supplies power to each component in the mobile terminal 100 or transmits data to the external device. For example, a wired / wireless headset port, an external charger port, a wired / wireless data port, a memory card port, a port for connecting a device having an identification module, an audio I / O port, A video input / output (I / O) port, an earphone port, and the like may be included in the interface unit 170.

The identification module is a chip for storing various information for authenticating the use right of the mobile terminal 100 and includes a user identification module (UIM), a subscriber identity module (SIM), a general user authentication module A Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), and the like. Devices with identification modules (hereinafter referred to as "identification devices") can be manufactured in a smart card format. Accordingly, the identification device can be connected to the terminal 100 through the port.

When the mobile terminal 100 is connected to an external cradle, the interface unit may be a path through which power from the cradle is supplied to the mobile terminal 100, or various command signals input by the user to the cradle may be transmitted It can be a passage to be transmitted to the terminal. The various command signals or the power source input from the cradle may be operated as a signal for recognizing that the mobile terminal is correctly mounted on the cradle.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, voice communication, data communication, video communication, and the like. The control unit 180 may include a multimedia module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia module 181 may be implemented in the control unit 180 or may be implemented separately from the control unit 180. [

The controller 180 may predict a word to be input by the terminal user based on the input character and the word prediction database when a character is input to the mobile terminal.

The power supply unit 190 receives external power and internal power under the control of the controller 180 and supplies power necessary for operation of the respective components.

The various embodiments described herein may be embodied in a recording medium readable by a computer or similar device using, for example, software, hardware, or a combination thereof.

According to a hardware implementation, the embodiments described herein may be implemented as application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays May be implemented using at least one of a processor, controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors, and other electronic units for performing other functions. In some cases, The embodiments described may be implemented by the control unit 180 itself.

According to a software implementation, embodiments such as the procedures and functions described herein may be implemented with separate software modules. Each of the software modules may perform one or more of the functions and operations described herein. Software code can be implemented in a software application written in a suitable programming language. The software code is stored in the memory 160 and can be executed by the control unit 180. [

2A is a perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal or a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

The disclosed mobile terminal 100 includes a bar-shaped terminal body. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and can be applied to various structures such as a slide type, a folder type, a swing type, and a swivel type in which two or more bodies are relatively movably coupled.

The body includes a case (a casing, a housing, a cover, and the like) which forms an appearance. In this embodiment, the case may be divided into a front case 101 and a rear case 102. [ A variety of electronic components are embedded in the space formed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. At least one intermediate case may be additionally disposed between the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The cases may be formed by injection molding a synthetic resin, or may be formed to have a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti) or the like.

The display unit 151, the sound output unit 152, the camera 121, the user input units 130/131 and 132, the microphone 122, the interface 170, and the like may be disposed in the front body 101 have.

The display unit 151 occupies most of the main surface of the front case 101. A sound output unit 151 and a camera 121 are disposed in an area adjacent to one end of both ends of the display unit 151 and a user input unit 131 and a microphone 122 are disposed in an area adjacent to the other end. The user input unit 132 and the interface 170 may be disposed on the side surfaces of the front case 101 and the rear case 102. [

The user input unit 130 is operated to receive a command for controlling the operation of the mobile terminal 100 and may include a plurality of operation units 131 and 132. The operation units 131 and 132 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion.

The contents inputted by the first or second operation unit 131 or 132 may be variously set. For example, the first operation unit 131 receives commands such as start, end, scroll, and the like, and the second operation unit 132 controls the size of the sound output from the sound output unit 152 or the size of the sound output from the display unit 151 The touch recognition mode can be activated or deactivated.

2B is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2A.

Referring to FIG. 2B, a camera 121 'may be further mounted on the rear surface of the terminal body, that is, the rear case 102. The camera 121 'may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the camera 121 (see FIG. 2A), and may be a camera having the same or different pixels as the camera 121.

For example, the camera 121 may have a low pixel so that the face of the user can be photographed and transmitted to the other party in case of a video call or the like, and the camera 121 ' It is preferable to have a large number of pixels. The cameras 121 and 121 'may be installed in the terminal body so as to be rotatable or pop-upable.

A flash 123 and a mirror 124 may be additionally disposed adjacent to the camera 121 '. The flash 123 illuminates the subject when the subject is photographed by the camera 121 '. The mirror 124 allows the user to illuminate the user's own face or the like when the user intends to shoot himself / herself (self-photographing) using the camera 121 '.

An acoustic output 152 'may be additionally disposed on the rear surface of the terminal body. The sound output unit 152 'may implement the stereo function together with the sound output unit 152 (see FIG. 2A), and may be used for the implementation of the speakerphone mode during a call.

In addition to the antenna for communication, a broadcast signal receiving antenna 116 may be additionally disposed on the side of the terminal body. The antenna 116, which forms part of the broadcast receiving module 111 (see FIG. 1), can be installed to be able to be drawn out from the terminal body.

A power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the mobile terminal 100 is mounted on the terminal body. The power supply unit 190 may be built in the terminal body or may be detachable from the outside of the terminal body.

The rear case 102 may further include a touch pad 135 for sensing a touch. The touch pad 135 may be of a light transmission type for the display unit 151. [ In this case, if the display unit 151 is configured to output the time information on both sides (i.e., in the directions of both the front and back sides of the mobile terminal), the time information can be recognized through the touch pad 135 do. The information output on both sides may be all controlled by the touch pad 135. [

Meanwhile, the display for exclusive use of the touch pad 135 may be separately installed, so that the touch screen may be disposed in the rear case 102 as well.

The touch pad 135 operates in correlation with the display portion 151 of the front case 101. The touch pad 135 may be disposed parallel to the rear of the display unit 151. The touch pad 135 may have a size equal to or smaller than that of the display unit 151.

Hereinafter, embodiments related to a control method that can be implemented in the mobile terminal will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, it will be assumed that the display module 151 is a touch screen, since the following embodiments can be more easily implemented when the display module 151 is configured as a touch screen. Hereinafter, the display screen of the touch screen 151 will be referred to as a reference numeral 400.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an embodiment of a control method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention, and FIGS. 4 to 16d are state diagrams of a display screen on which an embodiment of a control method of a mobile terminal according to the present invention is implemented. In FIGS. 5A to 16D, only a part of the touch screen shown in FIG. 4 is excerpted for the sake of simplicity.

The mobile terminal 100 generates a URL, an ID, a password, and a keyword of a text input box of a web page, for example, by creating various messages (a short message, a multimedia message, Assume that you are performing a function to input characters such as an input.

4, a software type keypad 410 including a plurality of key buttons may be displayed on the touch screen 400 (S31). The mobile terminal 100 may be provided with a hardware keypad (not shown) to be used for character input.

The plurality of key buttons of the keypad 410 may include alphabetical key buttons corresponding to the respective alphabetical characters (for example, key buttons corresponding to "A" to "Z"). The unique alphabet includes concepts such as an English alphabet, a Hangul alphabet (sub-set), and a Japanese alphabet (hiragana and katakana). Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the unique alphabet is the English alphabet.

Each of the alphabetical key buttons may display an identifier of the corresponding alphabet. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, a first key button 411 among the alphabet key buttons 411 is displayed with a unique identifier "B".

In addition, the plurality of key buttons of the keypad 410 may include at least one of a symbol key button, a numeric key button, a space key button, a backspace key button, and an enter key button in addition to the alphabetic key buttons. Hereinafter, among the plurality of key buttons, those other than the alphabet key buttons may be collectively referred to as "additional key buttons ".

The touch screen 400 may display an input character window 460 for displaying characters input through the keypad 410.

The first key button 411 as the desired key button may be touched (S32).

B ", which is a unique alphabet of the first key button 411, is input, and the input unique alphabet" B "can be displayed in the input character window 460 (S33).

The control unit 180 predicts a desired word to be input by the terminal user based on the inputted unique alphabet "B ", and can recommend the predicted word to the terminal user (S34).

Hereinafter, various schemes for providing the recommended word (hereinafter referred to as a recommended word) to the terminal user will be described. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, it is assumed that the recommended word according to the input unique alphabet "B " is" BEST ".

As the recommendation word is predicted, the identifier of the unique alphabet "B" displayed on the first key button 411 is converted into the identifier of the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word, as shown in FIG. 5A .

Then, as shown in FIG. 5B, the first key button 411 can be touched again (S35).

Then, the second letter "E" of the recommendation word is input and can be further displayed in the input character window 460 (S36).

5C, the identifier of the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word displayed on the first key button 411 can be converted to the identifier of the third alphabet "S" of the recommendation word have.

In this way, when the desired word to be input by the terminal user is the same as the recommended word, the terminal user can easily input the desired word by simply pressing the first key button 411 four times in succession. After all the desired words are input, the first key button 411 can be restored to have the identifier of the unique alphabet "B ". Inputting the desired word when the desired word is different from the recommended word will be described later.

5A to 5C, the identifier displayed on the first key button 441 is changed so that the terminal user can know in advance what the next alphabet is input each time the first key button 441 is continuously touched . Alternatively, it is also possible to inform the terminal user about the next alphabet input. This will be described with reference to Figs. 6A to 6C.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4, when the first key button 411, which is the desired key button, is touched, among the alphabet key buttons, the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411 is input, The input unique alphabet "B" may be displayed in the input character window 460. [

As shown in FIG. 6A, the second key button 412 corresponding to the second letter "E" of the recommendation word may be displayed so as to be visually distinguished from the other key buttons. In FIG. 6A, it is illustrated that the second key button 412 is displayed so as to be larger than other key buttons. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the second key button 412 can be visually distinguished from other key buttons in at least one of size, color, and shape.

Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first key button 411 can be touched again. Then, the second letter "E" of the recommended word can be input and displayed further in the input character window 460. [

Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the second key button 412 corresponding to the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word can be restored to its original shape. Then, the third key button 413 corresponding to the third alphabet "S " of the recommendation word can be displayed so as to be visually distinguished from the other key buttons.

6A to 6C, each time the first key button 441 is continuously touched, the key buttons corresponding to the next alphabet input are sequentially displayed so as to be visually distinguished from the other key buttons, Let the user know in advance about the alphabet input.

7A to 7C, another method of informing the terminal user about the next alphabet to be inputted next when the first key button 411 is continuously touched will be described.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4, when the first key button 411, which is the desired key button, is touched, among the alphabet key buttons, the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411 is input, The input unique alphabet "B" may be displayed in the input character window 460. [

Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, a first indicator 421 indicating the second letter "E" of the recommendation word may be displayed. It is illustrated that the first indicator 421 is displayed above the first key button 411. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first indicator 421 may be displayed at another position of the touch screen 400.

Then, as shown in FIG. 7B, the first key button 411 can be touched again. Then, the second alphabet "E" of the recommended word can be input and displayed further in the input character window 460. [

7C, the first indicator 421 indicating the second letter " E "of the recommended word disappears, and the second indicator 421 indicating the third letter" S " (422) may be displayed.

7A to 7C, each time the first key button 441 is touched continuously, the indicators corresponding to the next alphabetical letters are sequentially displayed, so that the terminal user can know in advance about the next alphabet do.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figs. 8A to 8C, another method of informing the terminal user about the next alphabet to be inputted next when the first key button 411 is continuously touched will be described.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4, when the first key button 411, which is the desired key button, is touched, among the alphabet key buttons, the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411 is input, The input unique alphabet "B" may be displayed in the input character window 460. [

Then, as shown in Fig. 8A, a first indicator 421 indicating the second letter "E" of the recommendation word may be displayed above the first key button 411

The first indicator 421 may be touched or the first key button 411 may be touch-dragged to the first indicator 421.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8B, the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word can be input and displayed further in the input character window 460. Then, a second indicator 422 indicating the third letter "S" of the recommendation word may be displayed on the first indicator 421. [

The second indicator 422 may be touched or the first indicator 421 may be touch-dragged to the second indicator 422, as shown in FIG. 8C. Then, the third alphabet "S" of the recommended word can be input and displayed further in the input character window 460. [

8A to 8C, each time the first key button 441 is touched continuously, the indicators corresponding to the next alphabet are sequentially displayed next to each other, so that the terminal user can select the next alphabet So that you can know. Also, when the indicators are sequentially touched to be adjacent to each other, corresponding alphabets may be sequentially input.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figs. 9A to 9C, another method of informing the terminal user about the next alphabet to be input when the first key button 411 is continuously touched will be described.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4, when the first key button 411, which is the desired key button, is touched, among the alphabet key buttons, the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411 is input, The input unique alphabet "B" may be displayed in the input character window 460. [ In Fig. 4, it is illustrated that the unique alphabet "B" is displayed as a solid line.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word is displayed on the input character window 460 in a form different from the input unique alphabet "B" .

In FIG. 9A, the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word is displayed as a dotted line, and the input unique alphabet "B" is displayed as a solid line. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and it suffices that the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word is displayed only so as to be visually distinguishable from the inputted unique alphabet "B ".

Then, the first key button 411 can be touched again. Then, the second letter "E" of the recommended word is input.

As shown in Fig. 9B, the second alphabet "E" of the input recommended word is converted from a dotted line to a solid line in the input character window 460 and displayed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 9C, the third letter "S" of the recommendation word can be further displayed in the input character window 460 as a dotted line.

9A to 9C, each time the first key button 441 is continuously touched, the next alphabetical letters are displayed on the input character window 460 in a shape different from the already inputted alphabet, Make sure you know ahead of time what the next alphabet is.

10A to 10C, another method of informing the terminal user about the next alphabet to be inputted next when the first key button 411 is continuously touched will be described.

As described above with reference to FIG. 4, when the first key button 411, which is the desired key button, is touched, among the alphabet key buttons, the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411 is input, The input unique alphabet "B" may be displayed in the input character window 460. [ In Fig. 4, it is illustrated that the unique alphabet "B" is displayed as a solid line.

As shown in FIG. 10A, all the remaining letters " E ", "S ", and " T" of the recommendation word other than the input unique alphabet "B " May be further displayed in the input character window 460, e.g., in dotted lines.

Then, the first key button 411 can be touched again. Then, the second letter "E" of the recommended word is input.

As shown in FIG. 10B, the second alphabet "E" of the input recommended word is converted from the dotted line to the solid line in the input character window 460 and displayed.

Then, the second key button 411 can be touched again. Then, the third letter "S" of the recommended word is input.

As shown in FIG. 10C, the second letter "S" of the input recommended word is converted from a dotted line to a solid line in the input character window 460 and displayed.

10A to 10C, when the first key button 441 is touched for the first time, all the remaining letters "E", "S", " T "is displayed in a different form from the input unique alphabet" B ", and every time the first key button 411 is touched successively, all the remaining alphabets are sequentially input, and the same alphabet" B " .

10D to 10F, when the remaining alphabets of the recommendation word are displayed in the input character window 460, an identifier displayed on the first key button 441 according to the recommendation word is displayed together with the identifier . That is, the identifier of the first key button 411 can be converted into the identifier of the alphabet to be input each time the first key button 411 is continuously touched. The conversion of the identifier of the first key button 411 has already been described above, so the detailed description will be omitted for the sake of simplicity.

In the present embodiment, all the remaining alphabets need not be sequentially input every time the first key button 411 is continuously touched. This will be described with reference to Figs. 11A and 11B.

As shown in FIG. 11A, all the remaining alphabets "E", "S", "T" of the recommended word except for the input unique alphabet "B" are different from the inputted unique alphabet "B" And is further displayed in the input character window 460.

The recommendation word displayed in the input character window 460 is touched or an appropriate operation of the user input unit 130 is performed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, all the remaining alphabets of the recommendation word are simultaneously input and converted into the same form as the unique alphabet "B".

In the above description, the case where the terminal user wants to input the desired word is the same as the recommended word has been described. However, the desired word can not always be the same as the recommended word.

Hereinafter, with reference to Figs. 12A to 12D, description will be given of inputting the desired word when the desired word is different from the recommended word.

In the following description, a predetermined key button is touched to input a corresponding alphabet, and the second or more alphabets of a recommendation word that can be input when the predetermined key button is touched again are selected from among the methods described above with reference to FIGS. 5A to 11B It may be provided to the terminal user according to any of them. However, for the sake of simplicity of explanation only, it is assumed that the second or more alphabets of the recommendation word are provided to the terminal user in the manner described above in connection with Figs. 5A to 5C.

In the following description, it is assumed that the desired word is " BEAST "while the recommended word is" BEST ".

12A, it is exemplified that the first key button 411 is touched successively twice so that "B" and "E" are sequentially input and displayed in the input character window 460. [ Since this has already been described above, the detailed description will be omitted for the sake of simplicity in this specification.

In order to input the desired word, "A" should be input after the input "B" Therefore, when the first key button 411 is touched again, "S" is inputted and inputted differently from the desired word "BEAST", so that the first key button 411 should not be touched again.

Instead, the fourth key button 414 with the unique alphabet "A" is touched.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12B, the unique alphabet "A" of the fourth key button 414 is input. Then, the identifier of the first key button 411 is restored to the identifier of "B" which is the unique alphabet of the first key button 411.

The control unit 180 may predict a desired word to be input by the terminal user based on the input letters "B", "E", "A", and recommend the predicted word to the terminal user. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, it is assumed that the recommended word according to the input alphabets "B", "E", and "A" is "BEAST".

As the recommendation word is predicted, the identifier of the unique alphabet "A" displayed on the fourth key button 414 is converted into the identifier of the fourth alphabet "S" of the recommendation word, as shown in FIG. 12B .

Then, as shown in Fig. 12C, the fourth key button 414 can be touched again. Then, the fourth alphabet "S" of the recommended word can be input and displayed further in the input character window 460. [

Then, as shown in Fig. 12D, the identifier of the fourth alphabet "S" of the recommendation word displayed on the fourth key button 414 can be converted into the identifier of the fifth alphabet "T" of the recommendation word have.

12A to 12D, when the alphabet which can be input by repeatedly touching the first key button is different from the alphabet to be inputted by the terminal user, the other key button having the alphabet to be inputted is a unique alphabet, You can enter the alphabet you want correctly.

On the other hand, let us consider the case where the desired word is "BBC ". In this case, if the first key button 411 is touched to input "B ", the control unit predicts a word" BEST " Therefore, if the first key button 411 is touched again, "E" Therefore, there is a problem that the desired word "BBC" can not be input properly. A method for solving such a problem will be described with reference to Figs. 13A and 13B.

In FIG. 13A, the first key button 411 is touched to input the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411, and the input unique alphabet "B" is displayed in the input character window 460 Are illustrated.

The identifier of the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word "BEST" is displayed on the first key button 411.

At this time, the first key button 411 is double-touched or long-touched. 13A illustrates that the first key button 411 is double-touched.

Then, as shown in FIG. 13B, not the second alphabet "E" of the recommended word "BEST" displayed on the first key button 411 but the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411 Quot; is further input and displayed in the input character window 460.

The control unit 180 may predict a desired word to be input by the terminal user based on the input letters "B" and "B ", and recommend the predicted word to the terminal user. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, it is assumed that the recommended word according to the input alphabets "B" and "B" is "BBC".

The identifier of the third alphabet "C" of the recommendation word "BBC " may be displayed on the first key button 411.

Hereinafter, another method for properly inputting the desired word "BBC" will be described with further reference to Figs. 14A to 14D.

In FIG. 14A, the first key button 411 is touched to input the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411, and the input unique alphabet "B" is displayed in the input character window 460 Are illustrated. The identifier of the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word "BEST" is displayed on the first key button 411.

At this time, the keypad 410 is not touched for more than a predetermined time (for example, 0.5 seconds or 1 second).

Then, the control unit 180 controls to restore each corresponding identifier of all alphabetic key buttons of the keypad to the original alphabetic identifier.

14B, the identifier of the second alphabet "E" of the recommended word " BEST " displayed on the first key button 411 corresponds to the unique alphabet of the first key button 411 "B" Lt; / RTI >

The first key button 411 is touched again, as shown in Fig. 14C.

Then, the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411 is input and displayed in the input character window 460.

The control unit 180 predicts the recommendation word "BBC" based on the alphabets "B" and "B"

14D, the identifier of the third letter "C" of the recommendation word "BBC " can be displayed on the first key button 411. [

In FIGS. 14A to 14D, when the keypad is not touched for a predetermined time or longer, each corresponding identifier of all the alphabetical key buttons of the keypad is restored to the original alphabetical identifier. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 15A and 15B, another case in which each corresponding identifier of all the alphabetical key buttons of the primary keypad is restored to the original alphabetical identifier will be described.

In FIG. 15A, "B" and "B" are displayed in the input character window 460 and the "C" identifier of the third letter of the recommendation word "BBC" is displayed on the first key button 411 Respectively.

At this time, one of the additional key buttons is touched. In FIG. 15A, it is illustrated that the "space" key button 415 is touched.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15B, the space is input in the mobile terminal 100. FIG. The identifier of the third letter "C" of the recommended word "BBC" displayed on the first key button 411 is converted to the identifier of the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411.

16A to 16D will be described below.

In FIG. 16A, the first key button 411 is touched to input the unique alphabet "B" of the first key button 411, and the input unique alphabet "B" is displayed in the input character window 460 Are illustrated. The identifier of the second alphabet "E" of the recommendation word "BEST" is displayed on the first key button 411.

At this time, the first key button 411 is double-touched or long-touched. In FIG. 16A, the first key button 411 is illustrated as being long-touched.

16B, a first priority recommendation word "BEST" according to the input unique alphabet "B " is displayed on the touch screen 400. [

Next, the first key button 411 is generally touched rather than a double touch or a long touch.

Then, as shown in Fig. 16C, the second priority recommendation word "BEAST" according to the inputted unique alphabet "B " is displayed on the touch screen 400. [

The first key button 411 is double-touched or long-touched. In FIG. 16C, the first key button 411 is illustrated as being long-touched. Or the second priority recommendation word "BEAST" is touched on the touch screen 400. [

Then, as shown in Fig. 16D, a second priority recommendation word "BEAST" can be input.

16A to 16D, it is described that the recommended words are displayed one by one. However, this embodiment is not limited to this. Although not shown, a plurality of recommendation words including a first priority recommendation word and a second preference recommendation word are simultaneously displayed, and when one of the displayed recommendation words is touched to be selected, for example, .

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

The present invention described above can be embodied as computer-readable codes on a medium on which a program is recorded. The computer readable medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. Examples of the computer-readable medium include ROM, RAM, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, floppy disk, optical data storage, and the like, and also implemented in the form of a carrier wave (for example, transmission over the Internet) . Also, the computer may include a control unit 180 of the terminal.

Accordingly, the above description should not be construed in a limiting sense in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of the present invention should be determined by rational interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the scope of equivalents of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

100: mobile terminal 110: wireless communication unit
120: A / V input / output unit 130: user input unit
140: sensing unit 150: output unit
160: memory 170: interface section
180: control unit 190: power supply unit

Claims (20)

A display unit for displaying a keypad including a plurality of key buttons to which different alphabets are assigned; And
Receiving a first selection for selecting a first key button among the plurality of key buttons,
Inputting a first alphabet assigned to the first key button into a text input box displayed on the display unit,
Generating a first sub-key button on the keypad to which a second alphabet predicted through the first alphabet is assigned,
Receiving a second selection for selecting a first sub-key button,
Inputting a second alphabet next to the first alphabet in the text input box,
And a controller for generating a second sub-key button having a third alphabet predicted through at least a first alphabet on the key button, the first sub-key button disappearing from the keypad,
Wherein,
A first sub key button to which a second alphabet is assigned and a second key button to which the second alphabet is assigned are displayed together. The apparatus of claim 1,
And displays the first sub-key button adjacent to the first key button on the keypad. 3. The apparatus of claim 2,
And controls to display a third key button adjacent to the first key button and a first sub key button to partially overlap the third key button. The apparatus of claim 1,
In response to a first selection for selecting a first key button, to display a first subkey button with a prediction word starting with a first alphabet. 5. The apparatus of claim 4,
Receiving a third selection for selecting the prediction word,
And controls the remaining alphabets of the predictive word to be simultaneously input next to the first alphabet in the text input box. delete The apparatus of claim 3,
In response to a second selection for selecting the first sub-key button, controls the second sub-key button to be displayed in a position where the first sub-key button disappears on the keypad. 8. The apparatus of claim 7,
A second sub key button to which a third alphabet is assigned, and a fourth key button to which the third alphabet is assigned are displayed together. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the predicted second alphabet is an alphabet following the first alphabet of the predicted word and the predicted third alphabet is an alphabet following the first alphabet and the second alphabet of the predicted word. Displaying on a display unit a keypad including a plurality of key buttons assigned different alphabets;
Receiving a primary selection for selecting a first key button among the plurality of key buttons;
Inputting a first alphabet assigned to a first key button into a text input box displayed on the display unit;
Generating a first sub-key button on the keypad to which a second alphabet predicted via a first alphabet is assigned;
Receiving a second selection for selecting a first subkey button;
Inputting a second alphabet next to the first alphabet in the text input box; And
Generating a second sub-key button on the key button to which a third alphabet predicted through at least a first alphabet is assigned, wherein the first sub-key button disappears from the keypad,
Wherein a first subkey button to which a second alphabet is assigned and a second key button to which the second alphabet is assigned are displayed together. 11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising displaying the first sub-key button adjacent to the first key button on the keypad. 12. The method of claim 11,
Further comprising the step of displaying a third key button adjacent to the first key button and a first subkey button to partially overlap. 11. The method of claim 10,
Responsive to a first selection for selecting a first key button, displaying a first subkey button with a prediction word beginning with a first alphabet. delete 13. The method of claim 12,
In response to a second selection for selecting a first sub-key button, a second sub-key button is displayed in a position where the first sub-key button disappears on the keypad. 16. The method of claim 15,
Displaying a second sub key button assigned a third alphabet and a fourth key button assigned a third alphabet together. delete delete A display unit for displaying a keypad including a plurality of key buttons to which different alphabets are assigned; And
Receiving a first selection for selecting a first key button among the plurality of key buttons,
Inputting a first alphabet assigned to the first key button into a text input box displayed on the display unit,
Generating a first sub-key button on the keypad to which a second alphabet predicted through the first alphabet is assigned,
Receiving a second selection for selecting a second key button among the plurality of key buttons,
Inputting a third alphabet assigned to the second key button next to the first alphabet in the text input box,
And a controller for generating a second sub-key button on the key button to which a fourth alphabet predicted through the first alphabet and a third alphabet is assigned, wherein the controller controls the first sub-key button to disappear from the keypad Broadcasting receiver. A display unit for displaying a keypad including a plurality of key buttons to which different alphabets are assigned; And
Receiving a first selection for selecting a first key button among the plurality of key buttons,
Inputting a first alphabet assigned to the first key button into a text input box displayed on the display unit,
Generating a sub key button to which a second alphabet predicted through the first alphabet is assigned on the keypad,
Receiving a second selection for selecting the subkey button,
Inputting a second alphabet next to the first alphabet in the text input box,
And to change the alphabet assigned to the sub key button from a second alphabet to a third alphabet predicted through at least a first alphabet.

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