METHOD AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL FOR CHANGING THE MODE OF THE TERMINAL

• US 20080256472A1
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Dong-Kyun, YOON, Gee-Hong, KIM, Joon-Suh
• Granted Patent: US 8,056,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile communication terminal and a method for changing modes of the terminal, which changes a mode of the mobile communication terminal according to a location of a changed menu bar if a menu bar displayed on a touch screen is dragged and dropped.

Claims

1. A method of changing modes in a mobile communication terminal equipped with a touch screen, the method comprising:

dividing the touch screen into at least two regions and displaying a menu bar at one of the at least two regions;

determining if the menu bar is dragged and dropped while a first mode corresponding to a location of the menu bar is being executed;

identifying a region in which the menu bar is placed when the menu bar is dragged and dropped; and

changing to a second mode corresponding to the identified region and displaying a user interface corresponding to the second mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode comprises any one of a moving picture mode, a call mode, and an internet mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu bar is moved up or down on the touch screen by the drag and drop.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein changing to the second mode comprises displaying at least one menu item icon corresponding to the second mode on the menu bar.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two regions comprise an upper region and a lower region.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the menu bar is fixed and displayed at one of an uppermost portion and a lowermost portion of the touch screen that correspond to the upper region and the lower region, respectively.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least two regions comprise an upper region, a middle region, and a lower region.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the menu bar is fixed and displayed at one of a uppermost portion, a center, and a lowermost portion of the touch screen that corresponds to the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region, respectively.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu bar is displayed at the center of the touch screen as a default.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising fixing the location of the menu bar and maintaining the second mode in response to selection of a hold function.

11. A mobile communication terminal for changing modes, comprising:

a memory to store a user interface corresponding to a respective mode and a range of coordinates for a respective region of a touch screen comprising at least two regions;

the touch screen to display the user interface stored in the memory, to display a menu bar at a first region of the touch screen according to the range of the coordinates, and to receive a drag and drop input for the menu bar; and

a controller to calculate the coordinates of a location of the menu bar if the menu bar displayed on the touch screen is dragged and dropped, to identify a second region in which the calculated coordinates are included, to change the mobile communication terminal to a new mode corresponding to the second region, and to cause the touch screen to display a user interface that corresponds to the new mode.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the touch screen comprises a user interface corresponding to any one of a moving picture mode, a call mode, and an internet mode.

13. The terminal of claim 11, wherein, if the at least two regions comprises an upper region and a lower region, the controller fixes and displays the menu bar at one of a uppermost portion and a lowermost portion of the touch screen that correspond to the upper region and the lower region, respectively.

14. The terminal of claim 11, wherein if the at least two regions comprise an upper region, a middle region, and a lower region, the controller fixes and displays the menu bar at any one of an uppermost portion, a center, and a lowermost portion of the touch screen that correspond to the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region, respectively.

15. The terminal of claim 13, wherein, if the second region is any one of the upper region and the lower region, the controller fixes and displays the menu bar at one of the uppermost portion and the lowermost portion that correspond to the second region among the upper region and the lower region, respectively.

16. The terminal of claim 14, wherein, if the second region is any one of the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region, the controller fixes and displays the menu bar at one of the uppermost portion, the center, and the lowermost portion that correspond to the second region among the upper region, the middle region, and the lower region, respectively.

17. The terminal of claim 11, wherein, if a touch strength applied to the touch screen through the drag and drop is greater than a threshold value, the controller moves the menu bar toward a direction of the drag and drop and displays the menu bar, and if the touch strength applied to the touch screen through the drag and drop is less than the threshold value, the controller does not move the menu bar.

18. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller fixes the location of the menu bar and maintains the new mode, even though the menu bar is subsequently moved, when a hold function is selected.

19. A method of changing modes in a mobile communication terminal equipped with a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a menu bar in a first region of the touch screen, a first mode corresponding to the first region being executed;

determining if the menu bar is moved;

identifying a second region to which the menu bar is moved; and

changing to a second mode corresponding to the second region and displaying a user interface corresponding to the second mode.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the menu bar is moved from the first region to the second region by being dragged and dropped.