Method and device for providing quick menu in menu screen of mobile commnunication terminal

• US 20080010610A1
• Filed: 03/05/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Dok-Shin, Hwang, Byeong-Cheol, Shin, Young-Sun
• Application Number:
  US11/714,095
• Publication Number:
  US 20080010610A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs

Abstract

Disclosed is a device and method for providing a quick menu in a menu screen of a mobile communication terminal. The method and device allow a user to more easily utilize the menu frequently employed in menu screen, and to execute the functions of the quick menu. The method for providing a quick menu in a menu screen of the mobile communication terminal displaying many menu items, which includes, if there is a move of a focus marking the menu item according to the user'"'"'s input, displaying an auxiliary display area, which displays at least one shortcut menu item for the purpose of carrying out the quick menu corresponding to the menu item in which the focus is located; checking whether the user selects the shortcut menu item in the auxiliary display area; and converting the current screen into the screen for executing the selected shortcut menu item, if there is a selection of the shortcut menu item as a result of checking.

Claims

1. A method for providing a quick menu in a menu screen of a mobile communication terminal displaying a plurality of menu items, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying an auxiliary display area, if a focus marking a menu item according to a user'"'"'s input is located in an area where a specific menu item is displayed, wherein the auxiliary display area displays at least one shortcut menu item corresponding to the menu item on which the focus is located;

checking whether the user selects the shortcut menu item in the auxiliary display area; and

converting a screen into a screen for executing the selected shortcut menu item, if there is a selection of the shortcut menu item as a result of the checking.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises displaying the shortcut menu item and a list of user logs corresponding to the menu items together on the auxiliary displaying area.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the list of user logs corresponds to data generated according to menu item usage, and is displayed in latest data order.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary displaying area is displayed overlapping the menu screen, if the menu screen is made up of a plurality of tile-type menu items.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary displaying area is displayed in a popup type window under the menu item in which the focus is located, if the menu items are horizontally arranged at an upper screen part.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the auxiliary displaying area is displayed in a popup type window beside the menu item in which the focus is located, if the menu items are vertically arranged at a screen edge.

7. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the method further comprises converting into a screen for displaying detailed log information on the selected list of the user log, if one of the lists of the user log is selected.

8. A device for providing a quick menu in a menu screen of a mobile communication terminal displaying a plurality of menu items, the device comprising:

a memory for storing at least one shortcut menu item corresponding to each menu item;

a control unit for, if a focus marking a menu item according to a user'"'"'s input is located in an area where a specific menu item is displayed, extracting at least one shortcut menu item for the menu item from the memory to display the extracted at least one shortcut menu item on an auxiliary display area corresponding to the menu item in which the focus is located, and, if there is a selected one among the shortcut menu items, converting into a screen for executing the selected menu; and

a display unit for displaying the auxiliary display area on the menu screen under the control of the control unit and the screen for executing the selected shortcut menu item.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the memory stores in up-to-date order at least one user log list corresponding to data created according to menu item usage by each menu item.

10. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit displays the shortcut menu item and the user log list extracted from the memory together on the auxiliary displaying area in up-to-date order.

11. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control unit allows the auxiliary display area to be displayed overlapping the menu screen on the display unit, if the menu screen has been made up of a plurality of tile-type menu items.

12. The device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the control unit allows the auxiliary display area to be displayed at a point allowing visually distinguishing the auxiliary display area from menu items in the menu screen.

13. The device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the control unit converts the screen into a screen for displaying detailed log information on the selected lists of user logs, if one of the lists of user logs is selected.