Mobile terminal

• US 20040067778A1
• Filed: 07/01/2003
• Published: 04/08/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Sata, Norifumi, Nakamura, Masakazu
• Application Number:
  US10/610,965
• Publication Number:
  US 20040067778A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 1/0025 in a remote control unit remote control tuning in general H03J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H03J 2200/23 Remote control device with display showing data to be transmitted to the controlled apparatus

Abstract

A mobile terminal which has a tag section and menu section in a display. The tag section displays tags indicating menu names. A controller displays contents of one of tags on the menu section when the tag is selected by operating left and right selection keys. This allows to immediately switch to other menu just by selecting a tag shown on the display. Accordingly, an easy-to-use mobile terminal which requires fewer operations is achieved.

Claims

1. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display having a menu section for displaying a predetermined function and a tag section for displaying a name of said menu section;

an input unit where a selection key and an entry key are disposed; and

a controller connected to said input unit and said display,

wherein a plurality of tags are displayed on said tag section, and said controller displays contents of one of said tags, after being selected using said selection key, on said menu section.

2. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein said selection key has an approximately cylindrical shape, said selection key being rotated in one of vertical and horizontal directions for selecting an item in one of said menu section and said tag section.

3. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 2, wherein a plurality of functions displayed in said menu section are disposed in an approximately circular arc.

4. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein the predetermined function selected in said menu section is displayed larger than other functions.

5. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein at least one of said selection key and said entry key is made of a transparent touch panel disposed on a front face of said display.

6. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein a plurality of functions are selected by operating said selection key, and a combination of said selected functions is stored in said controller as a new function.

7. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 6, wherein the function selected by continuously operating said selection key for a predetermined time is stored in said controller as a new function.

8. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1, wherein said controller detects a state that said input unit is not operated for a predetermined time, and turns off said display.

9. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 further comprising a transmitter for receiving an electrical signal from said controller and outputting said electrical signal in the form of an infrared optical signal.

10. The mobile terminal as defined in claim 1 further comprising a receiver for receiving an infrared optical signal and converting said infrared optical signal to an electrical signal.