Mobile terminal

• US 20040056897A1
• Filed: 08/26/2003
• Published: 03/25/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited, NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited, NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Ueda, Takeyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/779
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A mobile terminal includes a controller for switching a current screen theme of a GUI screen of an application program to a prospective screen theme, the GUI screen including two or more GUI tools of a same type, and a storage for storing a plurality of screen theme definition data sets, wherein the controller loads one of the plural screen theme definition data sets stored in the storage, which screen theme defines the prospective screen theme, into a memory region reserved for the application program, and draws the two or more GUI tools of a same type included in the GUI screen using the loaded screen theme definition data set, which is stored in the memory region for the application program. As a result, the entire GUI screen of an application is displayed on a common screen theme and a screen theme can be switched rapidly, using a reduced memory capacity.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a controller for switching a current screen theme of a GUI (graphical user interface) screen of an application program to a prospective screen theme, the GUI screen including two or more GUI tools of a same type and being displayed on a display of said mobile terminal; and

a storage for storing a plurality of screen theme definition data sets, one defining each of a plurality of screen themes;

wherein said controller performs the steps of

(a) loading one of the plural screen theme definition data sets stored in said storage, which screen theme definition data set defines the prospective screen theme, into a memory region reserved for the application program, and

(b) drawing the two or more GUI tools of a same type included in the GUI screen using the loaded screen theme definition data set, which is stored in the memory region for the application program.

2. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein, at the step (a) of loading, said controller loads at least part of the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme, which part concerns one or more GUI tools required for the GUI screen, from said storage into the memory region for the application program.

3. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein

when the application program is activated, said controller loads a default screen definition data set defining a default screen theme, which data set is one of the plural screen theme definition data sets stored in said storage, into the memory region for the application program;

and

at the step (a) of loading, said controller replaces the default screen theme definition data set with the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme by loading the last-named screen theme definition data set stored in said storage into the memory region for the application program.

4. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said controller performs the step (a) of loading using screen-theme information managed by an operating system.

5. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said controller loads the plural screen theme definition data sets, which are stored in said storage, into a memory region reserved for an operating system, and

at the step (a) of loading,

said controller loads the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme loaded in the last-named memory region for the operating system, instead of loading the last-named screen theme definition data set stored in said storage.

6. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein,

if current screen theme information managed by an operating system is replaced, said controller performs the step (a) of loading and the step (b) of drawing.

7. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said controller replaces current screen-theme information managed by an operating system with screen-theme information associated with the prospective screen theme responsive to a screen theme determination command based on a screen-theme setting application program used for setting a screen theme;

if the current screen-theme information is replaced with the screen-theme information associated with the prospective screen theme, said controller sends the first-named application program a notification of screen theme replacement based on the operating system; and

if the first-named application program receives the notification of screen-theme replacement from the operating system, said controller performs the step (a) of loading and the step (b) of drawing based on the first named application program.

8. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said controller switches, in accordance with a position selected in a screen theme list included in a GUI screen of a screen-theme setting application program used for setting a screen theme, a screen theme of a GUI screen of the screen-theme setting application program.

9. A mobile terminal according to claim 1, wherein

said controller displays, in accordance with a position selected in a screen-theme list included in a GUI screen of a screen-theme setting application program used for setting a screen theme, a bitmap image on the display of said mobile terminal.

10. A computer-readable recording medium in which an application program, for instructing a computer to switch a current screen theme of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen including two or more GUI tools of a same type to a prospective screen theme, is stored, wherein said application program instructs the computer to execute the following steps of:

(a) loading one of a plurality of screen theme definition data sets stored in a storage, which screen theme defines the prospective screen theme, into a memory region reserved for said application program, and

(b) drawing the two or more GUI tools of a same type included in the GUI screen using the loaded screen theme definition data set, which is stored in the memory region for said application program. 11. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein, at said step (a) of loading, said application program instructs the computer to load at least part of the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme, which part concerns one or more GUI tools required for the GUI screen, from the storage into the memory region for said application program.

11. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein, at said step (a) of loading, said application program instructs the computer to load at least part of the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme, which part concerns one or more GUI tools required for the GUI screen, from the storage into the memory region for said application program.

12. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein

when the application program is activated, said application program instructs the computer to load a default screen definition data set which defines a default screen theme and which is stored in the storage, into the memory region for said application program;

and

at the step (a) of loading, said application program instructs the computer to replace the default screen theme definition data set with the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme by loading the last-named the screen theme definition data set stored in the storage into the memory region for said application program.

13. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein said application program instructs the computer to perform the step (a) of loading using screen-theme information managed by an operating system.

14. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein said application program instructs the computer to load the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme, which screen theme definition data set is one from the plural screen theme definition data sets loaded from the storage into a memory region reserved for an operating system, instead of loading the screen theme definition data set defining the prospective screen theme from the storage.

15. A computer-readable recording medium according to claim 10, wherein, if said application program receives a notification of screen theme replacement which notification is issued when current screen-theme information managed by an operating system is replaced, said application program instructs the computer to perform said step (a) of loading and said step (b) of drawing.

16. A computer-implemented method of switching a current screen theme of a GUI (Graphical User Interface) screen of an application program to a prospective screen theme, which GUI screen includes two or more GUI tools of a same type, using a computer, comprising the steps of:

(a) loading one of a plurality of screen theme definition data sets stored in a storage, which screen theme defines the prospective screen theme, into a memory region reserved for the application program, and

(b) drawing the two or more GUI tools of a same type included in the GUI screen using the loaded screen theme definition data set, which is stored in the memory region for the application program.