text: 1. Field of the Invention
  The present invention relates generally to a method and apparatus for unlocking a terminal, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for easily unlocking a mobile terminal.
  2. Description of the Related Art
  The recent development of communication technology has resulted in mobile terminals being adapted to serve many functions. Accordingly, various User Interfaces (UIs) and functions based thereon are being provided.
  Particularly, mobile terminals with touch screens have various types of lock/unlock functions in order to limit undesired input errors in a sleep mode or to prevent other users from using the mobile terminals. In general, a mobile terminal performs a lock function when a lock activation has been selected by a user.
  The mobile terminal activates the lock function when there is no input from the user for a time period. Accordingly, if there is no input from the user for the time period although the user is using a specific function of the mobile terminal, the screen or function of the mobile terminal is deactivated. Generally, a mobile terminal releases a lock mode, such as a touch screen hold status, using a method.
  An example of a method of releasing a lock mode is slide-to-unlock, which is illustrated in FIG. 1.
  Referring to FIG. 1, a user touches a touch screen of a mobile terminal to start an unlock operation. The user touches a leftmost location of a unlock image 10 displayed on a touch screen, and then moves his/her fingertip to a right direction 20 while maintaining contact with the unlock image 10 to thereby complete the unlock operation.
  As such, an unlock operation is completed in the slide-to-unlock, by moving a touch input along a path starting from a particular location.
  The mobile terminal activates the lock function whenever there is no input from a user for a waiting time period. For example, a mobile terminal may not receive a key input from a user for a time period when the user is viewing content on a web site. In this case, the mobile terminal determines that there is no input from a user, and deactivates its screen and functions although the user is using a specific function. In order for the user to re-activate the specific function, the user should release the lock function using a preset method, which is cumbersome.
  Accordingly, a method for easily releasing the lock function is needed.
  In addition, the unlock operation fails if a user's fingertip deviates from the path in the slide-to-unlock, causing the user to have to re-slide his/her fingertip on the unlock image 10 starting from the leftmost location of the unlock image 10. If the user releases the lock mode of the mobile terminal while no function of the mobile terminal is being used, the mobile terminal will return to a main menu. Accordingly, when the user wants to use a specific function of the mobile terminal after releasing the lock mode, the user has to perform a procedure for entering a menu for executing the specific function.
  Accordingly, a method capable of easily unlocking a mobile terminal while preventing undesired input errors, which is an original purpose of a lock function, is needed, and if a method capable of easily unlocking a mobile terminal and directly jumping to a desired function is implemented, a user-friendly UI can be provided.