Activating display and performing user authentication in mobile terminal with one-time user input

1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a touch screen display;

a power button configured to turn on and off the terminal by pressing; and

an activation button separate from the power button and located outside the touch screen display, the activation button configured for pressing to turn on the touch screen display,

wherein upon one-time pressing of the activation button while the touch screen display is turned off, the terminal is configured to turn on the touch screen display and perform a fingerprint authentication function in addition to turning on the touch screen display such that:

a lock screen is displayed on the touch screen display upon turning on the touch screen display in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button while the touch screen display being turned off,

in addition to turning on the touch screen display and displaying the lock screen, the one-time pressing while the touch screen display being turned off initiates the fingerprint authentication function,

the lock screen is displayed on the touch screen display when the fingerprint authentication function initiated by the one-time pressing is being performed,

a lock state of the terminal continues when the fingerprint authentication function fails to authenticate a user, and

the lock state is released for enabling other functions of the terminal when the fingerprint authentication function authenticates a user in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button while the touch screen display being turned off, wherein the terminal is further configured to perform at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function in addition to turning on the touch screen display for displaying the lock screen in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button when the one-time pressing is for long time longer than a reference time period, wherein the at least one function to perform in addition to turning on the touch screen display for displaying the lock screen in response to the one-time pressing for long time is associated with initiating a hands-free operation of the terminal.

2. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured to perform at least one additional function in addition to the fingerprint authentication function after turning on the touch screen display for displaying the lock screen when the one-time pressing of the activation button is detected while the touch screen display is turned off.

3. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is further configured to perform at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function in addition to turning on the touch screen display for displaying the lock screen in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button when the one-time pressing is for long time longer than a reference time period, wherein the at least one function is selected from the group consisting of activating a camera, and an operation that involves playing a sound.

4. The terminal of claim 3 , wherein the touch screen display displays the lock screen thereon as it is turned on in response to the one-time pressing for long time, wherein the lock screen is displayed on the touch screen display when the at least one function is being initiated.

5. The terminal of claim 3 , wherein the terminal is configured to have a mobile application stay in a standby state when the touch screen display is turned off while the mobile application is running, wherein in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button while the touch screen display is turned off, the terminal is configured to perform the at least one function regardless of whether the at least one function is in its standby state or an operation disable state.

6. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is configured to display a message on the touch screen display when the lock state continues due to failure of fingerprint authentication by the fingerprint authentication function.

7. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal is further configured to perform at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function in addition to turning on the touch screen display for displaying the lock screen in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button when the one-time pressing is for long time longer than a reference time period.

8. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein upon repeated pressing of the activation button while the touch screen display is turned off, the terminal is configured to turn on the touch screen display and further perform at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function in addition to turning on the touch screen display.

9. The terminal of claim 1 , wherein the terminal comprises a smartphone which comprises an activation sensor configured to detect pressing of the activation button and a user identification module configured to perform the fingerprint authentication function.

10. A method of operating a mobile computing terminal, the method comprising:

providing a mobile computing terminal which comprises a touch screen display, a camera, a power button for pressing to turn on/off the terminal, and an activation button for pressing to turn on the touch screen display, the activation button located outside the touch screen display;

detecting one-time pressing of the activation button while the terminal is in an inactive state in which the touch screen display is turned off;

in response to the one-time pressing, changing the terminal from the inactive state to an active state in which the touch screen display is turned on; and

in addition to changing to the active state, further performing a fingerprint authentication function using fingerprint recognition without additional user input,

wherein in changing to the active state and performing the fingerprint authentication function, the terminal operates such that:

a lock screen is displayed on the touch screen display upon changing the terminal from the inactive state to the active state in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button while the terminal being in the inactive state,

in addition to changing the terminal to the active state, the one-time pressing while the terminal being in the inactive state initiates the fingerprint authentication function,

the lock screen is displayed on the touch screen display when the fingerprint authentication function initiated by the one-time pressing is being performed,

a lock state of the terminal continues when the fingerprint authentication function fails to authenticate a user, and

the lock state is released for enabling other functions of the terminal when the fingerprint authentication function authenticates a user in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button while the terminal being in the inactive state, wherein the method further comprises performing at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function in addition to changing to the active state in response to the one-time pressing during the terminal's inactive state when the one-time pressing is for long time longer than a reference time period, wherein the at least one function to perform in addition to turning on the touch screen display for displaying the lock screen in response to the one-time pressing for long time is associated with initiating a hands-free operation of the terminal.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein performing at least one function in addition to the fingerprint authentication function after changing to the active state for displaying the lock screen when the one-time pressing is detected while the terminal being in the inactive state.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises performing at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function in addition to changing to the active state in response to the one-time pressing during the terminal's inactive state when the one-time pressing is for long time longer than a reference time period, wherein the at least one function is selected from the group consisting of activating the camera, a hands-free operation and an operation that involves playing a sound.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the touch screen display displays the lock screen thereon as the terminal changes to its active state in response to the one-time pressing for long time, wherein the lock screen is displayed on the touch screen display when the at least one function is being initiated.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the terminal is configured to have a mobile application stay in a standby state when the touch screen display is turned off while the mobile application is running, wherein in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button while the terminal is in its inactive state, the terminal performs the at least one function regardless of whether the at least one function is in its standby state or an operation disable state.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the touch screen display displays a message thereon when the lock state continues due to failure of fingerprint authentication by the fingerprint authentication function.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving user input on a setting menu of the terminal; and

configuring, based on the user input, settings of the terminal such that the at least one function is set to be performed in addition to changing to the active state in response to the one-time pressing of the activation button while the terminal is in its inactive state.

17. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method further comprises performing at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function in addition to changing to the active state in response to the one-time pressing during the terminal's inactive state when the one-time pressing is for long time longer than a reference time period.

18. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

detecting repeated pressing of the activation button while the terminal is in its inactive state;

in response to the repeated pressing, changing the terminal from the inactive state to the active state; and

in addition to changing to the active state, further performing at least one function other than the fingerprint authentication function without additional user input,

wherein in changing to the active state and performing the at least one function, the terminal operates such that:

the touch screen display displays the lock screen thereon as the terminal changes to the active state in response to the repeated pressing,

the lock screen is displayed on the touch screen display when the at least one function is being performed.