DISPLAYING ACTIVE CURSOR IN MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20080256477A1
• Filed: 04/16/2008
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Lim, Sang Yeon, Kim, Huhn, Kim, Hoi Chul, Park, Jae Pil, Cho, Hyeyoun, Shim, Kyu Dae
• Granted Patent: US 8,225,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal and a method of multi-tasking in the terminal are provided. The mobile communication terminal displays a first task display associated with a first application task, receives a request to execute a second application task while the first application task is being performed, and displays a second task display associated with the second application task, wherein the second task display at least partially replaces the first task display, at least a portion of the second task display is identified by an active cursor configured to allow a user to select a function associated with the second application task, and at least one display feature of the active cursor indicates that the first application task is being concurrently performed.

Claims

1. A method of multi-tasking in a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying a first task display associated with a first application task in the mobile terminal;

receiving a request to execute a second application task while the first application task is being performed; and

displaying a second task display, the second task display associated with the second application task and at least partially replacing the first task display,

wherein at least a portion of the second task display is identified by an active cursor configured to allow a user to select a function associated with the second application task and at least one display feature of the active cursor indicates that the first application task is concurrently being performed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second task display comprises a menu list corresponding to the second application task, at least one item of the menu list identified by the active cursor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display feature of the active cursor comprises at least one of color, color tone and fading.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the display feature of the active cursor comprises at least one of still and moving images.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first application task comprises an MP3 file reproduction function and the moving images move in response to a tempo of music played via the MP3 file reproduction function.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the active cursor comprises at least one additional display feature that corresponds to at least one additional application task being performed concurrently with the first and the second application tasks.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the additional display feature is selectively determined by the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the active cursor comprises status information associated with the first application task.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the status information comprises one of text information and a progressive bar graph.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the display feature of the active cursor is initiated a predetermined time after displaying the second task display.

11. A terminal comprising:

an input unit for receiving a request to perform a first application task and a request to perform a second application task, the request to perform the second application task received while the first application task is being performed;

a display for displaying a first task display associated with the first application task and a second task display associated with the second application task, the second task display at least partially replacing the first task display; and

a controller for displaying an active cursor on the second task display,

wherein at least one display feature of the active cursor indicates that the first application task is being concurrently performed.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the second task display comprises a menu list corresponding to the second application task, at least one item of the menu list identified by the active cursor.

13. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the display feature of the active cursor comprises at least one of color, color tone and fading.

14. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the display feature of the active cursor comprises at least one of still and moving images.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the first application task comprises an MP3 file reproduction function and the moving images move in response to a tempo of music played via the MP3 file reproduction function.

16. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the active cursor comprises at least one additional display feature that corresponds to at least one additional application task being concurrently performed with the first and the second application tasks.

17. The terminal of claim 16, wherein the additional display feature is selectively determined by the user.

18. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the active cursor comprises status information associated with the first application task.

19. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the status information comprises one of text information and a progressive bar graph.

20. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the display feature of the active cursor is initiated a predetermined time after displaying the second task display.