Screen display method for mobile terminal

• US 20080204424A1
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin, Sang Hoon, Lee, Su Yeul
• Granted Patent: US 8,633,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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 content display method for a mobile terminal is disclosed. The mobile terminal includes at least two hierarchical structures each having at least two contents at a level. The content display method includes: displaying, in response to selection of a content, a window associated with the selected content; displaying, in response to input of a multi-window display request, windows associated with contents at the same level as the selected content together on a single screen; and rearranging, in response to input of a window movement request, the content windows by window movement to display the rearranged content windows together on a single screen. As a result, same-level contents or application windows in execution can be displayed together on a single screen according to a user request. Hence, the user can readily transition between contents or applications with enhanced user convenience.

Claims

1. A content display method for a mobile terminal using at least two hierarchical structures each having at least two contents at a level, comprising:

displaying, in response to selection of a content, a window associated with the selected content;

displaying, in response to input of a multi-window display request, windows associated with contents at the same level as the selected content together on a single screen; and

rearranging, in response to input of a window movement request, the content windows by window movement to display the rearranged content windows together on a single screen.

2. The content display method of claim 1, wherein displaying a window associated with the selected content comprises displaying on the window a descriptive listing including a character, image, number, symbol, category, or combination thereof.

3. The content display method of claim 2, wherein displaying same-level content windows comprises displaying the same-level content windows in a form of a stack.

4. The content display method of claim 1, wherein displaying same-level content windows comprises detecting input of a multi-window display request by recognizing any of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

5. The content display method of claim 3, wherein displaying same-level content windows comprises displaying partial descriptive listings on inactive ones of the content windows.

6. The content display method of claim 1, wherein rearranging the content windows by window movement comprises changing the order of the content windows in units of a single window.

7. The content display method of claim 6, wherein changing the order of the content windows comprises detecting input of a window movement request by recognizing any of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

8. The content display method of claim 1, further comprising rearranging, in response to input of a multiple window movement request, the content windows in units of multiple windows to display the rearranged content windows together on a single screen.

9. The content display method of claim 8, wherein rearranging the content windows in units of multiple windows comprises detecting input of a multiple window movement request by recognizing any of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

10. The content display method of claim 1, further comprising scrolling, in response to input of a scrolling request, the same-level content windows in display.

11. The content display method of claim 10, wherein scrolling the same-level content windows comprises detecting input of a scrolling request by recognizing any of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

12. A content display method for a mobile terminal having a motion sensor and touch screen, using at least two hierarchical structures each having at least two contents at a level, comprising:

detecting, during display of a window associated with a selected content, a user action through the motion sensor;

displaying, if a user action is detected, windows associated with contents at the same level as the selected content together in a form of a stack on a single screen; and

rearranging the content windows by window movement through a touch to the touch screen to display the rearranged content windows together on a single screen.

13. The content display method of claim 12, wherein display of a window associated with a selected content comprises displaying a descriptive listing of the selected content on the window.

14. The content display method of claim 13, wherein displaying same-level content windows comprises displaying partial descriptive listings on inactive ones of the content windows.

15. The content display method of claim 14, wherein detecting a user action further comprises detecting an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel.

16. The content display method of claim 14, wherein rearranging the content windows by window movement comprises shifting windows in display forwards so that the front window becomes the last window and the second window becomes a new front window.

17. The content display method of claim 14, wherein rearranging the content windows by window movement comprises shifting windows in display backwards so that the last window becomes a new front window and the old front window becomes the second window.

18. The content display method of claim 14, wherein rearranging the content windows by window movement comprises moving windows so that a group of windows in display become not displayed and a group of windows not in display become displayed.

19. An application display method for a mobile terminal, comprising:

displaying, in response to selection of an application during execution of multiple applications, a window associated with the selected application;

displaying, in response to input of a multi-window display request, windows associated with the applications in execution together on a single screen; and

rearranging, in response to input of a window movement request, the application windows by window movement to display the rearranged application windows together on a single screen.

20. The application display method of claim 19, wherein displaying application windows together comprises displaying the application windows in a form of a stack.

21. The application display method of claim 19, wherein displaying application windows together comprises detecting input of a multi-window display request by recognizing any of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

22. The application display method of claim 20, wherein displaying application windows together comprises displaying partial descriptive listings on the application windows except the front window.

23. The application display method of claim 19, wherein rearranging the application windows by window movement comprises shifting windows in display forwards so that the front window becomes the last window and the second window becomes a new front window.

24. The application display method of claim 19, wherein rearranging the application windows by window movement comprises shifting windows in display backwards so that the last window becomes a new front window and the old front window becomes the second window.

25. The application display method of claim 19, wherein rearranging the application windows by window movement further comprises detecting a multiple window movement request for moving application windows in units of multiple windows.

26. An information appliance including a display unit and a user input unit and using at least two hierarchical structures each having at least two contents at a level, wherein the information appliance is capable of:

displaying, in response to selection of a content, a window associated with the selected content;

displaying, in response to input of a multi-window display request, windows associated with contents at the same level as the selected content together on a single screen of the display unit; and

rearranging, in response to input of a window movement request, the content windows by window movement to display the rearranged content windows together on a single screen.

27. The information appliance of claim 26, wherein the information appliance displays a window associated with the selected content by displaying on the window a descriptive listing including a character, image, number, symbol, category, or combination thereof.

28. The information appliance of claim 27, wherein the information appliance displays same-level content windows by displaying the same-level content windows in a form of a stack.

29. The information appliance of claim 26, wherein the information appliance displays same-level content windows by detecting input of a multi-window display request by recognizing any of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

30. The information appliance claim 28, wherein the information appliance displays same-level content windows by displaying partial descriptive listings on inactive ones of the content windows.