Patent Application
20110009112
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. ยง119(a) to a Korean Patent Application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Jul. 7, 2009 and assigned Serial No. 10-2009-0061501, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to controlling a mobile terminal, and more particularly, to a multifunction remote control device that is connected to a mobile terminal in a wired or wireless manner and controls functions of the mobile terminal, and a method using the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the development of various technologies including wired/wireless communication technology, multimedia technology, technology for manufacturing hardware like Central Processing Units (CPUs) and memories, and power charging technology, miniaturization and improved performance of mobile terminals is now underway. These advances in mobile terminal-related technologies have led to improvements in existing products such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and Laptops, as well as the introduction of new-concept products such as smart phones, Netbooks, Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) and Ultra Mobile PCs (UMPCs). Due to the development of such technologies, all or some of the functions, which were available only in desktop PCs in the past, are now available in mobile terminals, breaking down the boundaries between the mobile terminals and the desktop PCs.
However, these functions, which are intended to offer the user pleasure and convenience, are difficult to perform in a size-limited mobile terminal like the smart phone and the PDA. Therefore, the user may suffer from many restrictions in enjoying the above functions when using the mobile terminal. For example, the limited size of a display of the mobile terminal causes inconvenience in visually displaying content such as internet web and video browsing, and the space-limited input unit makes it difficult to perform document editing. In addition, the limited battery capacity of the mobile terminal makes it impossible to use the above functions for long periods of time. Besides, mobile devices are often not compatible with external devices, such as PCs. These problems result in a contradiction where the smaller size of the mobile terminal is preferable for its portability but a large-sized display and high compatibility are needed for the user's convenience.
An aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for providing convenience to a user by remotely controlling functions of a mobile terminal by means of a multifunction remote control device connected to the mobile terminal in a wired or wireless manner in order to increase usability of the mobile terminal in non-mobile environments such as the home or office.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a multifunction remote control device for a mobile terminal, in which a wireless communication unit communicates with the mobile terminal or an external device using one of various types of wireless interfaces. A processing unit controls operations of, and interactions between, all or some components of the mobile terminal and the external device. An input/output interface determines whether to convert pertinent content of the mobile terminal if a user request is input into the mobile terminal.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for controlling a mobile terminal in a multifunction remote control device. The method includes checking whether the mobile terminal is connected to the multifunction remote control device, running a multi-screen mode for composing a service environment in which control and call connection functions of the mobile terminal are executable, by implementing a wireless interface of the mobile terminal, and controlling key functions and additional functions of the mobile terminal.
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Throughout the drawings, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features and structures.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, specific details of the configuration and components are provided to assist the overall understanding of certain embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.
The present invention relates to a multifunction remote control device for remote control of a mobile terminal, and to controlling functions of the mobile terminal. A service environment in which the multifunction remote control device is included as one of its components will be described below.
Referring to
The terminal stand 203 serves to connect the first mobile terminal 201 to the secondary display 205 such as a digital TV or a PC monitor, and also to recharge the first mobile terminal 201. The second mobile terminal 207 is connectable to the first mobile terminal 201 and/or the multifunction remote control device 211 in a wired or wireless manner, and may be connected for the purpose of information sharing such as a file-sharing transfer, and point-to-multipoint communication such as a call exchange. The external device 209 may include all connectable devices other than the secondary display 205 and the second mobile terminal 207. A PC and an internet phone, such as a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, may be examples of the external device 209.
The multifunction remote control device 211 serves to remotely control the key functions and the additional functions of the first mobile terminal 201. Its control is possible only when the first mobile terminal 201 is connected to the terminal stand 203. The multifunction remote control device 211 also controls the secondary display 205, the second mobile terminal 207 and the external device 209, which can be directly or indirectly connected.
The multifunction remote control device 211 of the present invention controls two key functions and three additional functions, as shown in
The three additional functions controlled by the multifunction remote control device 211 in
The sensor & game control function 309 controls games by sensing a position and an operation of the multifunction remote control device 211 using a variety of sensors included in the multifunction remote control device 211. This allows the user to fully enjoy the interesting and emotional functions of the first mobile terminal 201. These sensors may include a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, an image sensor etc.
The PBX function 307 carries out small-scale private exchanges by connecting multiple mobile terminals located in a limited space by means of the multifunction remote control device 211. Specifically, the PBX function 307 may correspond to various exchange functions, including an extension call function between mobile terminals connected to a homogeneous or heterogeneous wireless network, a call waiting function for an incoming call simultaneously received at several mobile terminals, and other call processing functions. These functions may be extended by interlinking the multifunction remote control device 211 with an internet telephone network or public telephone network. A process of performing such call exchanges is shown in
Referring to
The processing unit 503 serves to control operations of, and interactions between, all or some components of the multifunction remote control device 211, and between mobile terminals 201 and 207 and the external device 209 connected to the multifunction remote control device 211. The processing unit 503, as stated above, includes the device controller 511, the connection manager 513, the exchange network manager 515, and the call manager 517. These components are described below.
The connection manager 513 serves to manage connections with one or more mobile terminals 201 and 207 and the external device 209. For connections with mobile terminals 201 and 207 and the external device 209, an exchange of information such as the initial unique identifier is needed. Once their information is registered in the connection manager 513, mobile terminals and other devices may be automatically connected without the need for re-registration if they move to a pertinent area from outside the area.
The exchange network manager 515 configures an extension telephone network between two or more connected mobile terminals 201 and 207 in addition to managing connections and services between the mobile terminals 201 and 207. To this end, one or more mobile terminals could be connected to the connection manager 513. Otherwise, the exchange network manager 515 repeats searches for mobile terminals, other devices, or for a wireless network until the desired conditions are satisfied. Also, if a connection is made to an external telephone network, such as an IP network supporting a VoIP phone, the exchange network manager 515 may configure the extension telephone network including the external telephone network, and manage connections and services between mobile terminals 201 and 207 and the VoIP phone. In addition, if a new incoming call request is received at the second mobile terminal 207 connected to the connection manager 513 while a call is being processed by controlling the first mobile terminal 201 connected to the terminal stand 203, the exchange network manager 515 may perform call waiting or call forwarding depending on the user's preference.
The call manager 517 serves to manage and process incoming/outgoing calls received from mobile terminals 201 and 207. The call manager 517 manages and processes the incoming/outgoing call received from the first mobile terminal 201 connected to the terminal stand 203, and may also manage and process the incoming/outgoing call from the second mobile terminal 207 connected to the connection manager 513. If a new incoming call request is received at the second mobile terminal 207 connected to the connection manager 513 while a call is being processed by controlling the first mobile terminal 201 connected to the terminal stand 203, the call manager 517 may inform the exchange network manager 515 of the receipt of the incoming call request.
The device controller 511 controls functions of mobile terminals 201 and 207 and the external device 209 connected to the connection manager 513 and replies to incoming/outgoing calls received from the call manager 517, and if two or more incoming calls are received at the same time, the device controller 511 controls them.
The sensor unit 505 serves to recognize, handle and process information from various sensors including a position sensor, an acceleration sensor, and a pressure sensor. The sensor unit 505 is controlled by the device controller 511 in the processing unit 503, and its sensors may be used in additional applications supplied in or downloaded by mobile terminals 201 and 207, like games.
The input/output interface 507 includes a keyboard, a mouse, a touch screen, a digital TV, a computer monitor, etc. During data input, the input/output interface 507 is used to input desired user information to connected mobile terminals 201 and 207. During data output, the input/output interface 507 is used to exhibit the original content of mobile terminals 201 and 207 or to exhibit the content after changing a user interface or a resolution so as to be suitable for the output screen. The call interface 509 includes a speaker and a microphone, and is used for voice calls with another party when it is connected to other mobile terminals or an external device 209.
A process of controlling mobile terminals and external devices using the above components will be described in conjunction with
In step 605, the multifunction remote control device 211 can control basic functions of the first mobile terminal 201. The basic functions of the first mobile terminal 201 include the call sending/receiving function 301 and the control function 303. The user may make a phone call using the multifunction remote control device 211 instead of the first mobile terminal 201, and control and enjoy content of the first mobile terminal 201 on the secondary display 205.
In step 607, the user can perform additional functions of the first mobile terminal 201 by means of the multifunction remote control device 211. Performance of the additional functions is determined depending on the connection status between devices, the requested service, and the operation conditions. For example, if two or more mobile terminals are connected to the multifunction remote control device 211, or the external device 209 is connected to the multifunction remote control device 211, the additional functions may be performed. The additional functions include a control function 305 for the external device 209 such as a VoIP phone, a call exchange, or a PBX function 307 for enabling calls between mobile terminals connected to the multifunction remote control device 211, and a sensor & game control function 309 for providing convenience to the user by controlling the sensors, and any other additional functions for user convenience.
If the user determines to perform the additional functions in step 607, the multifunction remote control device 211 selects one of the multiple additional functions in step 611, and manages and controls the selected additional function in step 613. In step 615, the multifunction remote control device 211 determines whether there is a change in the service environment, for example, whether the first mobile terminal 201 is disconnected from the terminal stand 203 or powered off. In the case of a change in the service environment, the multifunction remote control device 211 ends its operation, returning to the previous service environment in which the first mobile terminal 201 was disconnected from the terminal stand 203. However, in the absence of a change in the service environment, the multifunction remote control device 211 returns to step 613 and continues to manage and control the selected additional function.
If the user determines not to perform the additional functions in step 607, the multifunction remote control device 211 determines in step 609 whether there is a change in the service environment. In the case of a change in the service environment, the multifunction remote control device 211 ends its operation, returning to the previous service environment in which the first mobile terminal 201 was disconnected from the terminal stand 203. However, in the absence of a change in the service environment, the multifunction remote control device 211 returns to step 605 and continues to control the basic functions of the first mobile terminal 201.
As is apparent from the foregoing description, the present invention can simultaneously remotely control the key functions and the additional functions of mobile terminals, and can provide outputs to a digital TV or a PC monitor, enabling convenient use of the functions that the user couldn't enjoy on the small screen of the mobile terminal.
While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2009-0061501 | Jul 2009 | KR | national |
