Apparatus and method for displaying icon

• US 20070011622A1
• Filed: 06/30/2006
• Published: 01/11/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Moon-gyu, Chae, Yeong-sook
• Application Number:
  US11/477,473
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011622A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1734 Details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

An apparatus and method of displaying an icon displayed on a desktop or a file explorer by assigning a transparency to the icon and changing the transparency of the icon according to a date when a program linked to the icon was last accessed. The apparatus includes a scanning unit to scan an icon, a detection unit to detect predetermined date information given to the scanned icon, an icon conversion unit to convert the scanned icon into an icon corresponding to the difference between the detected date information and a current date, and a display unit to display the converted icon thereon.

Claims

1. An apparatus to display an icon, comprising:

a scanning unit to scan the icon;

a detection unit to detect predetermined date information assigned to the scanned icon;

an icon conversion unit to convert the scanned icon into an icon corresponding to a difference between the detected predetermined date information and a current date; and

a display unit to display the converted icon.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage unit to categorize a difference between an icon access date and the current date into a plurality of access date levels.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the storage unit stores the access date levels, transparencies of the icon, previously created icons, and/or information regarding the size of the icon according to the access date levels.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the icon comprises at least one of a file icon and a folder icon.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the scanning unit periodically scans the icon.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined date information comprises an access date when the icon was previously clicked on to access at least one of a program, a file, and a folder linked to the icon.

7. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the icon conversion unit changes the transparency of the scanned icon into one of the transparencies stored in the storage unit, according to the difference between the detected predetermined date information and the current date.

8. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the icon conversion unit replaces the scanned icon with one of the previously created icons stored in the storage unit, according to the difference between the detected predetermined date information and the current date.

9. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the icon conversion unit changes the size of the scanned icon based on the information regarding the size of the icon stored in the storage unit, according to the difference between the detected predetermined date information and the current date.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a user sets a certain date, the icon conversion unit replaces the scanned icon with an icon corresponding to a difference between the detected predetermined date information and the certain date.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the icon conversion unit changes a color of the scanned icon to a color corresponding to a work priority assigned to the scanned icon.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the work priority comprises at least one of a high level, a normal level, a private work level, and/or other levels.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein different work priorities are set according to a location of the scanned icon.

14. A method of displaying an icon, comprising:

scanning the icon;

detecting predetermined date information assigned to the scanned icon;

converting the scanned icon into an icon corresponding to a difference between the detected predetermined date information and a current date; and

displaying the converted icon.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the scanned icon comprises at least one of a file icon and a folder icon.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein, during the scanning of the icon, the icon is periodically scanned.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein the date information comprises a date when an operation was last performed by using the icon on at least one of a program, a file, and a folder linked to the icon.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the converting of the scanned icon comprises changing a transparency of the scanned icon according to the difference between the detected predetermined date information and the current date.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein the converting of the scanned icon comprises replacing the scanned icon with a previously created icon, according to the difference between the detected predetermined date information and the current date.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein converting of the scanned icon comprises changing the size of the scanned icon according to the difference between the detected predetermined date information and the current date.

21. The method according to claim 14, wherein, when a user sets a certain date, the converting of the scanned icon comprises replacing the scanned icon with an icon corresponding to a difference between the detected predetermined date information and the certain date.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the converting of the scanned icon comprises changing a color of the scanned icon to a color corresponding to a work priority assigned to the scanned icon.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the work priority comprises at least one of a high level, a normal level, a private work level, and/or other levels.

24. The method according to claim 22, wherein different work priorities are set according to a location of the scanned icon.

25. A computer readable medium on which a program is stored to execute the method according to claim 14.

26. An apparatus to display an icon, comprising:

a scanning unit to scan properties of the icon;

a detection unit to detect access date information, the access date information being assigned to the scanned icon in accordance with a date the icon was last accessed;

an icon conversion unit to convert the transparency, the color, the shape, and/or the size of the scanned icon according to a difference between the detected access date information and a current date; and

a display unit to display the converted icon.

27. An apparatus to display at least first and second icons, the apparatus comprising:

a scanning unit to scan respective properties of each of the icons;

a detection unit to detect respective access date information that is assigned to each of the scanned icons in accordance with dates each of the icons were last accessed;

an icon conversion unit to convert the transparency, the color, the shape, and/or the size of at least one of the scanned icons according to relative differences between the detected access date information of each of the icons and a current date; and

a display unit to display the at least one converted icon.

28. A method of managing a display of an icon, comprising:

scanning and storing first properties associated with the icon and scanning and storing second properties;

determining if the icon should be converted according to differences between the scanned and stored first properties and the scanned and stored second properties;

if the scanned icon should be converted, converting the scanned icon according to the differences; and

displaying the converted icon.

29. A method of managing a display of an icon, comprising:

scanning and storing an access time associated with a time when the icon was last accessed;

determining a difference between the access time and a current time;

converting the display of the icon according to the determined difference; and

displaying the converted icon.