MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL AND METHOD OF SELECTING MENU AND ITEM

• US 20080074399A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: LEE, Chang Sub
• Granted Patent: US 7,834,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• 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 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A menu selection method, which includes selecting a main menu displayed on a touch device of a terminal, displaying one or more sub-menus corresponding to the selected main menu, sensing a direction of a dragging operation on the touch device, and executing a corresponding sub-menu located in the sensed direction of the dragging operation.

Claims

1. A menu selection method, the method comprising:

selecting a main menu displayed on a touch device of a terminal;

displaying one or more sub-menus corresponding to the selected main menu;

sensing a direction of a dragging operation on the touch device; and

executing a corresponding sub-menu located in the sensed direction of the dragging operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step displays the one or more sub-menus so as to surround the selected main menu.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step displays the one or more sub-menus only above the selected main menu.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step displays the one or more sub-menus only above and to the right of the selected main menu.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step displays the one or more sub-menus only above and below the selected main menu.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step displays the one or more sub-menus only to the right or left of the selected main menu.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying step displays the one or more sub-menus only to partially surround the selected main menu.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing step executes the corresponding sub-menu when the sensed dragging operation is only in the direction toward the corresponding sub-menu but does not actually touch the corresponding sub-menu.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the executing step executes the corresponding sub-menu when the sensed dragging operation touches the corresponding sub-menu.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a plurality of main menus on the touch device; and

activating the selected main menu when the main menu is selected and deactivating other non-selected main menus.

11. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a touch screen configured to be touched by a user; and

a controller configured to display at least one main menu on the touch screen, to determine when a corresponding main menu is touched so as to be selected, to display one or more sub-menus corresponding to the selected main menu, to sense a direction of a dragging operation on the touch device, and to execute a corresponding sub-menu located in the sensed direction of the dragging operation.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller displays the one or more sub-menus so as to surround the selected main menu.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller displays the one or more sub-menus only above the selected main menu.

14. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller displays the one or more sub-menus only above and to the right of the selected main menu.

15. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller displays the one or more sub-menus only above and below the selected main menu.

16. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller displays the one or more sub-menus only to the right or left of the selected main menu.

17. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller displays the one or more sub-menus only to partially surround the selected main menu.

18. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller executes the corresponding sub-menu when the sensed dragging operation is only in the direction toward the corresponding sub-menu but does not actually touch the corresponding sub-menu.

19. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller executes the corresponding sub-menu when the sensed dragging operation touches the corresponding sub-menu.

20. The mobile communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller displays a plurality of main menus on the touch device, and activates the selected main menu when the main menu is selected and deactivates other non-selected main menus.

21. An item selection method, the method comprising:

selecting a direction point on a touch device of a terminal;

sensing a direction of a dragging operation from the selected direction point on the touch device; and

executing a corresponding item located in the sensed direction of the dragging operation.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the item comprises one of a menu option, characters, icons, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a music file, a picture file, and contact information corresponding to another terminal to be called.

24. The mobile communication terminal of claim 22, wherein the item comprises one of a menu option, characters, icons, a Uniform Resource Locator (URL), a music file, a picture file, and contact information corresponding to another terminal to be called.

23. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a touch screen configured to be touched by a user; and

a controller configured to display a direction point on touch screen, to sense a direction of a dragging operation from the selected direction point on the touch device, and to execute a corresponding item located in the sensed direction of the dragging operation.