APPARATUS AND METHODS OF DISPLAYING MULTIPLE MENUS

• US 20070089069A1
• Filed: 08/03/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hsieh, Kuan-Hong, Li, Xiao-Guang, Wang, Han-Che
• Application Number:
  US11/309,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20070089069A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• 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

Abstract

A display apparatus and methods for displaying multiple menus are provided. In one embodiment, the display apparatus includes a screen and a frame connecting to the screen. The screen has a first menu region and a second menu region each displaying a menu therein. The menu in the second menu region is a child menu of a menu option displayed in a selection area of the first menu region. The frame has a first touch strip and a second touch strip. Each touch strip corresponds to one of the menu regions, and allows one to select a desired menu option to perform an associated function.

Claims

1. A display apparatus capable of displaying multiple menus, the display apparatus comprising:

a screen having a first menu region and a second menu region each menu region displaying a menu therein, wherein the menu in the second menu region is a child menu of a menu option of the menu in the first menu region; and

a frame connected to the screen and having a first touch strip corresponding to the first menu region and a second touch strip corresponding to the second menu region, each touch strip being selective to perform a function associated with a menu option displayed in a corresponding menu region.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each touch strip comprises a plurality of touch sensitive units each mapped to a menu option.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein each touch sensitive unit further comprises a sensing signal processing circuit for generating sensing signals in response to contact, and each touch sensitive unit is assigned a coordinate for identification.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a processing unit for processing the sensing signals and performing corresponding functions associated with the menu options.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to hide a subset of menu options displayed in the first menu region and to replace the subset of the displayed menu options by another a hidden subset of menu options and to display a child menu of the menu option which moves into a selection area of the first menu region, in response to a stroke operation on the first touch strip.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to display a parent menu of the menu currently displayed in the first menu region in the first menu region and simultaneously to display the child menu of the menu option displayed in the selection area in the second menu region, in response to a touch operation on the first touch strip.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to hide a subset of menu options displayed in the second menu region and to replace the subset of the displayed menu options by another a hidden subset of menu options, in response to a stroke operation on the second touch strip.

8. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the processing unit is configured to display a plurality of menu options of a child menu of a selected menu option displayed in the second menu region if necessary, in response to a touch operation on the second touch strip.

9. A method for enabling a display apparatus to display multiple menus, wherein the display apparatus has a screen and a frame connected to the screen, the screen having a first menu region and a second menu region, and the frame having a first touch strip corresponding to the first menu region and a second touch strip corresponding to the second menu region, the method comprising the steps of:

hiding a subset of menu options displayed in the first menu region and replacing a subset of the displayed menu options by another a hidden subset of menu options and displaying a child menu of the menu option which moves into a selection area of the first menu region in the second menu region, in response to a plurality of sensing signals from the first touch strip;

hiding a subset of menu options displayed in the second menu region and replacing the subset of the displayed menu options by another a hidden subset of menu options, in response to a plurality of sensing signals from the second touch strip;

displaying a parent menu of the menu currently displayed in the first menu region in the first menu region and simultaneously displaying a child menu of the menu option displayed in the selection area in the second menu region, in response to a sensing signal from the first touch strip; and

performing a function associated with a selected menu option, in response to a sensing signal from the second touch strip.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the performing step further comprises the step of:

displaying a child menu of the selected menu option if the selected menu option has the child menu.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the child menu is displayed in the second menu region, and the menu including the selected menu option is displayed in the first menu region.

12. A method for controlling multiple menus displayed in a display apparatus, the display apparatus has a screen and a frame connected to the screen, the screen having a first menu region and a second menu region, and the frame having a first touch strip corresponding to the first menu region and a second touch strip corresponding to the second menu region, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an operational input;

performing a control on the menu displayed in the first menu region, if the operational input is on the first touch strip; and

performing a control on the menu displayed in the second menu region, if the operational input is on a second touch strip.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of performing a control on the menu displayed in the first menu region further comprises the steps of:

hiding a subset of menu options displayed in the first menu region and replacing the subset of the displayed menu options by another a hidden subset of menu options and displaying a child menu of the menu option which moves into a selection area of the first menu region in the second menu region, if the operational input comprises a plurality of sensing signals; and

displaying a parent menu of the menu currently displayed in the first menu region in the first menu region, if the operational input comprises a single sensing signal.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the step of performing a control on the menu displayed in the second menu region further comprises the steps of:

hiding a subset of menu options displayed in the second menu region and replacing the subset of the displayed menu options by another a hidden subset of menu options, if the operational input comprises a plurality of sensing signals; and

performing a function associated with a selected menu option displayed in the second menu region, if the operational input comprises a single sensing signal.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the performing step further comprises the step of:

displaying a child menu of the selected menu option if the selected menu option has the child menu.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the child menu is displayed in the second menu region, and the menu including the selected menu option is displayed in the first menu region.

17. A method for enabling a display apparatus to display a menu structure having multiple menus, {Mi}, i=1, 2, . . . , N, N being an integer greater than zero, wherein the display apparatus has a screen having a first menu region and a second menu region, comprising the steps of:

(a) displaying the ith menu, Mi, in the menu regions, wherein the ith menu, Mi, has a first menu and a second menu, wherein the first menu has a plurality of menu options and the second menu is a sub-menu of one of the plurality of menu options of the first menu and has a plurality of menu options, and wherein the plurality of menu options of the second menu are displayed in the second menu region and the plurality of menu options of the first menu are substantially displayed in the first menu region;

(b) activating a menu option of the plurality of menu options of the second menu of the ith menu, Mi; and

(c) displaying the i+1th menu, Mi+1, in the menu regions, wherein the i+1th menu, Mi+1, has a first menu and a second menu, wherein the first menu has a plurality of menu options and the second menu is a sub-menu of one of the plurality of menu options of the first menu and has a plurality of menu options, wherein the plurality of menu options of the second menu of the i+1th menu, Mi+1, are displayed in the second menu region to replace the plurality of menu options of the second menu of the ith menu, Mi, and the plurality of menu options of the first menu of the i+1th menu, Mi+1, are substantially displayed in the first menu region to replace the plurality of menu options of the first menu of the ith menu, Mi, and wherein the first menu of the i+1th menu, Mi+1, is the second menu of the ith menu, Mi.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the second menu of the ith menu, Mi, is corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of menu options of the first menu of the ith menu, Mi.

19. Software stored on a computer readable medium for enabling a display apparatus to display a menu structure having multiple menus, {Mi}, i=1, 2, . . . , N, N being an integer greater than zero, wherein the display apparatus has a screen having a first menu region and a second menu region, to perform functions comprising:

(a) displaying the ith menu, Mi, in the menu regions, wherein the ith menu, Mi, has a first menu and a second menu, wherein the first menu has a plurality of menu options and the second menu is a sub-menu of one of the plurality of menu options of the first menu and has a plurality of menu options, and wherein the plurality of menu options of the second menu are displayed in the second menu region and the plurality of menu options of the first menu are substantially displayed in the first menu region;

(b) activating a menu option of the plurality of menu options of the second menu of the ith menu, Mi; and

(c) displaying the i+1th menu, Mi+1, in the menu regions, wherein the i+1th menu, Mi+1, has a first menu and a second menu, wherein the first menu of Mi+1 has a plurality of menu options and the second menu of Mi+1 is a sub-menu of one of the plurality of menu options of the first menu of Mi+1 and has a plurality of menu options, wherein the plurality of menu options of the second menu of the i+1th menu, Mi+1, are displayed in the second menu region to replace the plurality of menu options of the second menu of the ith menu, Mi, and the plurality of menu options of the first menu of the i+1th menu, Mi+1, are substantially displayed in the first menu region to replace the plurality of menu options of the first menu of the ith menu, Mi, and wherein the first menu of the i+1th menu, Mi+1, is the second menu of the ith menu, Mi.