Menu displaying method in a mobile terminal

• US 20030008686A1
• Filed: 07/08/2002
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Hyun-Soo, Park, Sun-Ae
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A menu displaying method in a mobile terminal. When a user opens a menu function, a list of menu items is displayed on a display. Upon user selection of a menu item from the list, the selected menu item is perceivably displayed. It is determined whether a sub-menu of the menu item has been set as status information of the menu item. If the sub-menu has been set as the status information, a bubble window having the status information is displayed near the menu item.

Claims

1. A menu displaying method in a mobile terminal, comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of menu items on a display when a user opens a menu function;

displaying a selected menu item upon user selection of the menu item;

determining whether a sub-menu of the menu item has been set as status information of the menu item; and

displaying a bubble window including the status information near the menu item if the sub-menu has been set as the status information.

2. The menu displaying method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of changing the status information in the bubble window and setting the changed status information for the menu item, if the user requests the status information to be changed.

3. The menu displaying method of claim 1, wherein the status information indicates one of “

no sub-menu”

entries for the menu item and the setting status of the menu item.

4. The menu displaying method of claim 2, wherein the user requests the status information to be changed by pressing one of a left directional key or a right directional key.

5. A menu displaying method in a mobile terminal, comprising the steps of:

determining whether a selected menu item has status information as a sub-menu of the menu item upon user selection of the menu item;

displaying a bubble window including first status information in such a position that the bubble window does not overlap the menu item while the menu item is displayed, if the menu item has the first status information; and

changing the first status information to second status information selected by a user and setting the second status information for the menu item while the bubble window is displayed, if the user requests the first status information to be changed.

6. The menu displaying method of claim 5, wherein each of the first status information and the second status information indicates one of “

no sub-menu”

entries for the menu item and the setting status of the menu item.

7. The menu displaying method of claim 6, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of status information items if the user selects a sub-menu for the menu item while the bubble window is displayed; and

changing the first status information to a third status information selected by the user and setting the third status information for the menu item while the sub-menu item list is displayed, if the user requests the first status information to be changed.

8. The menu displaying method of claim 5, wherein the user requests the first status information to be changed by pressing one of a left directional key and a right directional key.