Mobile communications terminal having an improved user interface and method therefor
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:
- a user interface including a display component and an input component;
a processor being configured to control operation of said terminal including being configured to receive input from a user through the input component, and to run an application on said terminal;
said processor also being configured to show a partitioned application area with two or more application area sections on said display component when an application is running on the terminal;
said processor further being configured to at least temporarily define an initial one of said application area sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area, and simultaneously at least temporarily define a complementary one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section as shown within the partitioned application area;
said processor moreover being configured to at least temporarily redefine said initial one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section as shown within the partitioned application area, and simultaneously at least temporarily redefine said complementary one of said application area sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area in response to user input; and
said processor being configured to allocate a ratio of respective areas between the larger application area section and the smaller application area section within said partitioned application area.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A mobile communication terminal having a display with an application area thereon. The application area is partitioned into at least two unequally, sized sections. The size of the application area allocated to the respective application area sections is dynamically controlled in response to user input.
101 Citations
55 Claims
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1. A mobile communication terminal comprising:
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a user interface including a display component and an input component;
a processor being configured to control operation of said terminal including being configured to receive input from a user through the input component, and to run an application on said terminal;
said processor also being configured to show a partitioned application area with two or more application area sections on said display component when an application is running on the terminal;
said processor further being configured to at least temporarily define an initial one of said application area sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area, and simultaneously at least temporarily define a complementary one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section as shown within the partitioned application area;
said processor moreover being configured to at least temporarily redefine said initial one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section as shown within the partitioned application area, and simultaneously at least temporarily redefine said complementary one of said application area sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area in response to user input; and
said processor being configured to allocate a ratio of respective areas between the larger application area section and the smaller application area section within said partitioned application area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A method of operating a user interface of a mobile communication terminal having a display component and an input component, said method comprising the steps of:
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running an application;
showing a partitioned application area with two or more application area sections on said display component;
temporarily defining an initial one of said application area sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area; and
simultaneously at least temporarily defining a complementary one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section as shown within the partitioned area;
temporarily redefining said initial one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section As shown within the partitioned application area, and simultaneously at least temporarily redefining said complementary one of said application are sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area in response to user input; and
allocating a ratio of respective areas between the larger application area section and the smaller application area section within said partitioned application area. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a mobile communication terminal with a display component and an input component to:
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show a partitioned application area with two or more application area sections on said display component when an application is running;
temporarily define an initial one of said application area sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area; and
simultaneously at least temporarily define a complementary one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section as shown within the partitioned area;
temporarily redefining said initial one of said application area sections as a smaller application area section as shown within the partitioned application area, and simultaneously at least temporarily redefining said complementary one of said application are sections as a larger application area section as shown within the partitioned application area in response to user input; and
allocating a ratio of respective areas between the larger application area section and the smaller application area section within said partitioned application area. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A method of allocating display area of a user interface of a mobile communication terminal comprising:
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initializing an application stored in the terminal;
designating a portion of the user interface as a primary area;
designating another portion of the user interface as a secondary area;
allocating, in an initial state of the user interface, a larger portion of the user interface display area to the primary area relative to the secondary area;
displaying a list of user selectable items in the primary area;
displaying at least a portion of a content of a highlighted one of the user selectable items in the secondary area;
expanding, in a second state of the user interface, a size of the secondary area and correspondingly, reducing a size of the primary area, a transition from the first state to the second state occurring upon a selection of the highlighted one of the user selectable items;
displaying a content of the selected one of the user selectable items in the expanded secondary area; and
displaying at least a portion of the user selectable items in the reduced primary area. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41)
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42. A user interface for a mobile communication terminal comprising:
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a primary display area; and
a secondary display area, the secondary display area allocated a smaller portion of the user interface relative to the primary display area in an initial state;
at least one user selectable item in the primary display area that can be highlighted and selected; and
wherein upon highlighting of the at least one user selectable item in the primary display area, at least a portion of details associated with the highlighted item are displayed in the secondary display area. - View Dependent Claims (43, 44)
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45. A display for a graphical user interface comprising:
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a dynamically sizeable first portion;
a dynamically sizeable second portion that responds in an inversely proportional manner to a change in size of the first portion;
a first state in which the first portion has a display area larger than a display area of the second portion; and
a second state in which the display area of the first portion decreases in response to an increase in display area of the second portion. - View Dependent Claims (46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53)
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54. A computer program product comprising:
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a computer useable medium having computer readable code means embodied therein for causing a computer to initialize an application stored in the terminal, the computer readable code means in the computer program product comprising;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to designate a portion of the user interface as a primary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to designate another portion of the user, interface as a secondary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to, in an initial state of the user interface, allocate a larger portion of the user interface display area to the primary area relative to the secondary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display a list of user selectable items in the primary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display at least a portion of a content of one of the user selectable items in the secondary area when the user selectable item is highlighted in the primary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to transition to a second state when the user selectable item is selected, the second state comprising expanding a size of the secondary area and correspondingly reducing a size of the primary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display a content of the selected user selectable item in the expanded secondary area; and
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display at least a portion of the user selectable items in the reduced primary area.
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55. An article of manufacture comprising:
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a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a computer to initialize an application stored in the terminal, the computer readable code means in the article of manufacture comprising;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to designate a portion of the user interface as a primary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to designate another portion of the user interface as a secondary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to allocate a larger portion of the user interface display area to the primary area relative to the secondary area in an initial state of the user interface;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display a list of user selectable items in the primary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display at least a portion of a content of one of the user selectable items in the secondary area when the user selectable item is highlighted in the primary area;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to expand a size of the secondary area and correspondingly reduce a size of the primary area in a second state when one of the user selectable items is selected;
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display a content of the selected user selectable item in the expanded secondary area; and
computer readable program code means for causing a computer to display at least a portion of the user selectable items in the reduced primary area.
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Specification