Picture displaying method and apparatus of a personal information terminal

Abstract

The present invention relates to method and apparatus of displaying a picture if a personal information terminal is in power-off mode or in nonuse state when an external AC power is being supplied. The present picture displaying apparatus embedded in a personal information terminal comprises a power supplier for receiving an electric energy from an external power source; a data storage storing picture data; a data displayer for reading and displaying the stored picture data; and a controller checking whether the external power source is supplied through the power supplier if a current operation state is power-off or nonuse state, and controlling the data displayer to read and display the stored picture data, based on the checked result. Owing to the present invention, a personal information terminal presents user's favorite picture or pictures on a displaying unit when in nonuse state under the condition that an external power is supplied, whereby a user can feel sentimental emotion from a dry machine.

1 - 15 . (canceled) 
   
   
       16 . A mobile terminal, comprising:
 a display screen;   a memory configured to store picture data;   an input device configured to enter a user setting for a non-use or power-save mode for the mobile terminal; and   a controller configured to determine whether there are any inputs to the mobile terminal, to determine whether a prescribed period of time has passed, and to enter into the non-use or power-save mode based on results of the determining corresponding to the user setting entered via the input device,   wherein the controller is configured to determine whether an external device is connected to the mobile terminal, said external device being capable of supplying an external power to mobile terminal, to enter into a picture display mode when the external device is connected to the mobile terminal and the mobile terminal has entered into the non-use or power-save mode, and to read at least one image data from the memory, and   the display screen is configured to display the at least one image data while the mobile terminal is in the picture display mode.   
   
   
       17 . The terminal of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one image data is read from the memory with reference to location information of the image data written in a previously-made information table. 
   
   
       18 . The terminal of  claim 17 , wherein said information table includes information about an image data decoder, an address of image data, and an image displaying manner. 
   
   
       19 . The terminal of  claim 18 , wherein the image data is stored in the external device other than the mobile terminal, and an address of the image data stored in the external device is written in the address of the image data. 
   
   
       20 . The terminal of  claim 18 , wherein the information of the image data decoder relates to software capable of decoding the image data, and the address of the image data is an address of a ROM or a RAM or is URL information used in Internet. 
   
   
       21 . The terminal of  claim 16 , wherein the display screen displays the at least one image data by the controller replacing the displayed image data on the display screen with other image data when a predetermined time elapses after the at least one image data is displayed on the display screen and the mobile terminal remains in the picture display mode. 
   
   
       22 . The terminal of  claim 16 , further comprising a power supply unit configured to receive the external power. 
   
   
       23 . A method of displaying at least one image on a mobile terminal, comprising:
 (a) entering a user setting for non-use or power-save mode for the mobile terminal;   (b) determining whether there are any inputs to the mobile terminal;   (c) determining whether a prescribed period of time has passed;   (d) entering into the non-use state or power-save mode if determining the results of (b) and (c) correspond to the entered user setting;   (e) determining whether an external device is connected to the mobile terminal, wherein said external device is capable of supplying an external power to mobile terminal;   (f) entering into a picture display mode if a predetermined time elapses after the external device is connected to the mobile terminal, and reading at least one image data from a memory;   (g) displaying the at least one image data on a display screen while the mobile terminal is in the picture display mode; and   (h) periodically replacing the displayed image data with other image data at a regular interval after the at least one image data is displayed and the mobile terminal remains in the picture display mode.   
   
   
       24 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the at least one image data is read from the memory with reference to location information of the image data written in a previously-made information table. 
   
   
       25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein said information table includes information about an image data decoder, an address of image data, and an image displaying manner. 
   
   
       26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein the information of the image data decoder relates to software capable of decoding the image data, and the address of the image data is an address of a ROM or a RAM or is URL information used in Internet. 
   
   
       27 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein the image data is stored in the external device other than the mobile terminal. 
   
   
       28 . The method of  claim 27 , wherein the image data is downloaded from the external device through a USB interface in the picture display mode. 
   
   
       29 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein displaying the at least one image data includes displaying simultaneously more than one picture in a divided sub-windows of a full screen.