SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SCROLLING DISPLAY SCREEN, MOBILE TERMINAL INCLUDING THE SYSTEM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM STORING PROGRAM FOR EXECUTING THE METHOD

• US 20080235617A1
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Jae-young, KIM, Young-sun
• Application Number:
  US11/856,316
• Publication Number:
  US 20080235617A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A system and method for scrolling a display screen, a mobile terminal including the system, and a recording medium storing a program for executing the method. The system includes an input unit which receives input information according to a key input operation, a display unit which displays items grouped according to a predetermined criterion, and a controller which controls the display unit to display selected items by scrolling the grouped items on a group-by-group basis, in response to the received input information. Accordingly, since a group-based scroll operation can be performed by grouping items displayed on a display screen, items can be efficiently searched for without a separate hierarchical screen change in a situation where the size of a display screen is limited, such as when using a mobile communication terminal.

Claims

1. A system for scrolling a display screen, the system comprising:

an input unit which receives input information according to a key input operation;

a display unit which displays items which are grouped according to a predetermined criterion; and

a controller which controls the display unit to display selected items by scrolling grouped items on a group-by-group basis, in response to the received input information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the items comprises information regarding digital content, and

wherein the grouped items are virtually grouped using metadata of the digital content.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the input information comprises information regarding a grouping attribute related to the predetermined criterion, and

wherein the grouped items are grouped according to the input grouping attribute information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the input unit further receives input information for item-based scrolling, and

wherein the controller controls the display unit to display items selected by item-based scrolling, from among the grouped items, according to the further received input information.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a group designator which groups the items,

wherein each of the items displayed by the display unit comprises information regarding digital content, and

wherein the grouped items are grouped by the group designator.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the group designator groups the items using metadata of the digital content.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein each of the items comprises information regarding a title or an artist of digital content.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein an item image displayed by the display unit is a portion of a virtual display image in which all the items are listed, and

wherein the virtual display image is selected according to the input information.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the input information further comprises scroll mode information, and

wherein the scroll mode information comprises general scroll mode information for item-based scrolling and jump scroll mode information for group-based scrolling.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the display unit further displays a group name of a group to which items grouped on a group-by-group basis belong.

11. A method of scrolling a display screen, the method comprising:

displaying items which are grouped according to a predetermined criterion on the display screen;

receiving input information according to a key input operation; and

scrolling the display screen on which the grouped items are displayed, on a group-by-group basis, according to the received input information.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the items comprises information regarding digital content, and

wherein the grouped items are grouped using metadata of the digital content.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the input information comprises information regarding a grouping attribute related to the predetermined criterion, and

wherein the grouped items are grouped according to the received grouping attribute information.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the receiving input information comprises receiving input information for item-based scrolling, and

wherein the method further comprises scrolling a display screen, on which the grouped items are displayed, on an item-by-item basis according to the received input information for item-based scrolling.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the items displayed on the display screen are items corresponding to a portion of a virtual display image in which all the items are listed, and

wherein the virtual display image is selected according to the input information.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the displaying items comprises further displaying a group name of a group to which items grouped on a group-by-group basis belong.

17. A computer readable recording medium storing a computer readable program for executing a method of scrolling a display screen, the method comprising:

displaying items which are grouped according to a predetermined criterion on the display screen;

receiving input information according to a key input operation; and

scrolling the display screen on which the grouped items are displayed, on a group-by-group basis, according to the received input information.

18. A mobile terminal comprising a scroll apparatus, the mobile terminal comprising:

an input unit which receives input information according to a key input operation;

a display unit which displays items which are grouped according to a predetermined criterion; and

a controller which controls the display unit to display selected items by scrolling grouped items on a group-by-group basis, in response to the received input information.