Apparatus and method for displaying icons and controlling direct link menus in portable terminal

• US 20060242597A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Seong-Jin
• Application Number:
  US11/304,719
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242597A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Disclosed are an apparatus and a method provided for displaying icons and controlling direct link menus in a portable terminal. The method for displaying icons in a portable terminal includes displaying only the essential icons of all the icons set in an icon area. All the icons are displayed together with an icon informing a user of generation of an event in the icon area, if the event is generated. The method for displaying menus in a portable terminal includes displaying icons direct link menus and data in a predetermined area of the portable terminal. A mode of the portable terminal is directly converted to a mode of a selected menu, if an icon of the direct link menus is selected.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying icons in a portable terminal, comprising

a display unit for displaying essential icons of all icons set in the icon area if the event is not generated or the event is completed, and when the event is generated, displaying an event generation icon for notifying generation of an event in the icon area with all the set icons;

and

a control unit for controlling to display essential icons from all icons set in the icon area of the display unit if the event is not generated or the event is completed, when the event is generated, to display the event generation icon in the icon area with all the set icons and when the event is completed, to delete the event generation icon from the icon area.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls to expand the icon area, when all the icons are displayed together with the event generation icon.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the essential icons are icons in the icon area that are selected from all the icons, representing a state of the portable terminal.

4. An apparatus for displaying icons in a portable terminal, comprising

a display unit for providing a predetermined area in which a direct link menus and data displayed, and

a control unit for displaying the direct link menus and data in the predetermined area of the display unit and converting a mode of the selected menu or data, if an icon of the direct link menus is selected.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the menus are selected and displayed according to the frequency of use, wherein the frequency of use is determined by whether the menus have been recently used and to the setting of a user.

6. The apparatus of according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls to display the data in the predetermined area of the display unit according to the frequency of use, according to whether the data has been recently used and according to the setting of a user, and to display the contents of selected corresponding data.

8. A method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of displaying only the essential icons in the icon area, if the event is completed.

9. A method according to claim 6, wherein the icon area is expanded, when all the icons are displayed together with the icon informing a user of the generation of the event.

10. A method according to claim 6, wherein the essential icons are icons in the icon area that are selected from all the icons, representing a state of the portable terminal.

12. A method according to claim 10, wherein the menus is selected and displayed according to the frequency of use, according to whether the menu has been recently used and according to the setting of a user.

13. A method according to claim 10, wherein data is displayed in the predetermined area according to the frequency of use, according to whether the data has been recently used and according to the setting of a user, and displaying the contents of selected corresponding data.

7. A method for displaying icons in a portable terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying only essential icons of all the icons set in an icon area; and

displaying all the icons together with an icon informing a user of a generation of an event in the icon area, if the event is generated.

11. A method for displaying menus in a portable terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying icons of direct link menus and data in a predetermined area of the portable terminal; and

directly converting a mode of the portable terminal to a mode of a selected menu of the direct link menus, if an icon of the direct link menus is selected.