Apparatus, method, and medium for providing area division unit having touch function

• US 20070252822A1
• Filed: 01/04/2007
• Published: 11/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyun-jeong, Nam, Dong-kyung, Kim, Hyun-jin, Kim, Jin-kwang
• Application Number:
  US11/649,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20070252822A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Provided are an apparatus, method, and medium for providing an area division unit having a touch pad function, and more particularly, an apparatus and method for providing an area division unit having a touch pad function which are capable of dividing a display screen of a display device into one or more display areas using an area division unit equipped with a transparent touch pad and allowing a user to choose and execute one of a plurality of menu items that are displayed on the display screen and are seen through the transparent touch pad. The apparatus includes an area division unit which can be moved in a predetermined direction by a user and can thus divide a display screen into one or more display areas, the display screen which is divided into one or more display areas according to the location of the area division unit, and a touch pad which is attached on the top surface of the area division unit and allows the user to choose and execute one of a plurality of icons displayed on the display screen.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a movable area divider to divide a display screen into two or more display areas, wherein size of at least one display area is determined by location of movable area divider; and

a touch pad which is attached on a top surface of the movable area divider and which is touched by a user to select one of a plurality of icons displayed on one of the display areas.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the display screen is divided into first and second display areas by the movable area divider;

the movable area divider is located at a third display area of the display screen between the first display area and the second display area, and

the third display area is the one of the display areas displaying the icons.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein at least one of the icons selects or deselects a predetermined executable operation.

4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein size of at least one display area changes when location of the movable area divider is moved, and wherein size of content displayed in at least one of the display areas into which the display screen is divided is adjusted according to change in size of the at least one display area.

5. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch pad is formed of a transparent material.

14. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display apparatus displays a content item associated with the selected icon in another display area.

15. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of icons is a lock button.

6. A display apparatus having a movable area divider, the display apparatus comprising:

a first signal input module which receives a signal that is generated when the movable area divider is moved;

a second signal input module which receives a touch signal that is generated when a user touches a touch pad attached to the movable area divider;

an area divider location determination module which determines the location of the movable area divider relative to a display screen based on the signal received by the first signal input module;

a touch location calculation module which calculates a touch location on the display screen that is selected by the user, based on the touch signal received by the second signal input module and the location of the movable area divider determined by the area divider location determination module; and

a control module which divides the display screen according to the location of the movable area divider determined by the area divider location determination module.

7. The display apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

a first display module which displays a content item associated with icon in a first display area, wherein the user selected the icon and content item;

a second display module which displays, in a second display area, images of other content items that are associated with the selected icon but are not selected by the user; and

a third display module which displays the icon in a third display area.

8. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein the touch pad is formed of a transparent material.

16. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein one of the plurality of icons is a lock button.

9. A method for dividing a display screen into display areas and adjusting size of content displayed in display areas, comprising:

receiving a signal that is generated when a user moves a movable area divider;

determining location of the movable area divider relative to the display screen based on the received signal;

dividing the display screen according to the determined location of the movable area divider into the display areas;

receiving a touch signal that is generated when the user touches a touch pad attached to the movable area divider;

calculating a touch location on the display screen that is selected by the user, based on the received touch signal and the determined location of the movable area divider;

activating an icon corresponding to the calculated touch location; and

adjusting the size of content displayed in at least one of the display areas into which the display screen is divided by the movable area divider according to the size of the at least one display area.

10. At least one computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that control at least one processor to implement the method of claim 9.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein one the display areas is a portion of the display screen where the movable area divider is located.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one display area which is a portion of the display screen where the movable area divider is located contains the icon which is activated to perform a predetermined executable operation.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the touch pad is formed of a transparent material.

17. A movable area divider attached to a touch pad, wherein:

the movable area divider divides a display screen into at least three display areas which display an icon, content item corresponding to the icon, and information corresponding to the icon in three separate display areas; and

size of content item displayed in one of the at least three separate display areas is adjusted according to location of the movable area divider which defines size of each display area.

18. The movable area divider of claim 17, wherein the movable area divider further comprises a plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of content items.

19. A movable area divider attached to a touch pad, wherein:

the movable area divider divides a display screen into at least two separate display areas which display an icon and content item corresponding to the icon in two separate display areas; and

size of content item displayed in at least one of the two display areas is adjusted according to location of the movable area divider which defines size of each display area.

20. The movable area divider of claim 19, wherein the movable area divider further comprises a plurality of icons corresponding to a plurality of content items.