Scrolling method of mobile terminal

• US 20090070711A1
• Filed: 09/02/2008
• Published: 03/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, So-Young, Lee, Seung-Jun, Kwak, Woo-Young
• Granted Patent: US 9,569,088 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/829
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• 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: Y10S 715/973 Scroll tool, e.g. window scroll bar

Abstract

A mobile terminal having a touch screen or a touch pad is disclosed. In a user environment, when a displayed menu list is moved according to a flicking operation, a feedback indicating the reaching of the end (the last item) of the menu list is issued in a visible, audible or tactile manner to a user, thereby increasing the user convenience of menu searching and the durability of the mobile terminal.

Claims

1. A scrolling method of a mobile terminal, comprising:

moving a displayed menu list according to a user input; and

outputting a certain feedback for indicating reaching of the end of the displayed menu list when the last item of the displayed menu list appears.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the feedback is outputted when a portion or the entirety of the last item of the menu list is displayed.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user input is a flicking input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the certain feedback comprises one or more of visual, audible and tactile feedback.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual feedback displays a certain blank space at both ends of the displayed list indicating the ends of the menu list.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual feedback displays a border of a certain color indicating the end of the menu list below the last item of the menu list.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the visual feedback indicates that the last item of the list will be immediately displayed by coloring the last item of the list or changing the color of an item adjacent to the last item of the list.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the audible feedback includes a voice, a mechanical sound, an intermittent sound or a continuous sound.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the tactile feedback includes a vibration.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the outputting of the certain feedback comprises:

checking whether a certain portion of the last item of the menu list is displayed; and

when the certain portion of the last item of the menu list is displayed, outputting a feedback for indicating to the user the reading of the end of the menu list.

19. The terminal of claim 8, wherein the tactile feedback includes a vibration.

11. A mobile terminal comprising:

a sensing unit operable to sense a flicking input;

an output unit operable to output a feedback indication; and

a controller operable to move a displayed menu list according to the flicking input detected by the sensing unit, and to output a certain feedback indication via the output unit when the last item of the displayed menu list appears.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the output unit comprises one or more of a display module, an audio output module and an alarm output module.

13. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the feedback indication is outputted when a portion or the entirety of the last item of the menu list is displayed.

14. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the certain feedback indications comprises one or more of visual, audible and tactile feedback indications.

15. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the visual feedback displays a certain blank space at both ends of the list indicating the end of the menu list.

16. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the visual feedback displays a border of a certain color indicating the end of the menu list below the last item of the menu list.

17. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the visual feedback indicates that the last item of the list will be immediately displayed by coloring the last item of the list or changing the color of an item adjacent to the last item of the list.

18. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the audible feedback includes a voice, a mechanical sound, an intermittent sound or a continuous sound.

20. A mobile terminal comprising:

a manipulation unit operable for receiving a user'"'"'s manipulation input;

a display unit to display a certain signal in accordance with a user'"'"'s manipulation inputted via the manipulation unit; and

a controller to display a graphic effect indicating the reaching of one end of a displayed list on the display unit at a certain region of a screen if the list is moved to the one end.

21. The terminal of claim 20, wherein the one end of the list is one of an upper end, a lower end, a left end and a right end.

22. The terminal of claim 20, wherein the controller controls the motion of the graphic effect proportionally according to the movement speed of the displayed list.

23. The terminal of claim 20, wherein the display unit displays directional symbols indicating that there are remaining items of the list at one of the upper and lower ends of the list screen display.

24. The terminal of claim 23, wherein the controller provides at least one of a color change, a highlighting effect, a blinking effect, an effect of march of ants, and a neon sign effect to a directional symbol of a corresponding direction according to the movement direction of the list.

25. The terminal of claim 23, wherein if a certain portion of the first item of the list is displayed on the screen, the controller changes a directional symbol displayed at an upper end portion of the screen into a non-directional symbol, and if a certain portion of the last item of the list is displayed on the screen, the controller changes a directional symbol displayed at a lower end portion of the screen to a non-directional symbol.

26. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit operable for receiving a touch input; and

a controller operable to display on the display unit a graphic effect indicating the reaching of one end of a displayed list on a certain region of a screen if the displayed list is moved to the one end according to a touch input.

27. The terminal of claim 26, wherein the one end of the list is one of an upper end, a lower end, a left end and a right end.

28. The terminal of claim 26, wherein the touch input is one of a flicking, a dragging and a scrolling.

29. The terminal of claim 26, wherein when the movement speed of the displayed list is faster than a certain speed, the controller displays the graphic effect.

30. The terminal of claim 26, wherein the controller controls the motion of the graphic effect proportionally according to the movement speed of the displayed list.

31. The terminal of claim 26, wherein the display unit displays directional symbols indicating that there are remaining undisplayed items of the list at one of the upper and lower ends of the list screen display.

32. The terminal of claim 31, wherein the controller provides at least one of a color change, a highlighting effect, a blinking effect, an effect of march of ants, and neon sign effect to a directional symbol of a corresponding direction according to the movement direction of the displayed list.

33. The terminal of claim 31, wherein if a certain portion of the first item of the list is displayed on the screen, the controller changes a directional symbol displayed at an upper end portion of the screen to a non-directional symbol, and if a certain portion of the last item of the list is displayed on the screen, the controller changes a directional symbol displayed at a lower end portion of the screen into a non-directional symbol.

34. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit operable for receiving a touch input; and

a controller operable to display a graphic effect on the display unit for indicating the reaching of one end of a displayed list on a certain region of a screen display if the displayed list is moved to the one end thereof according to a received touch input,

wherein the graphic effect is a motion graphic image showing such a shape as that one portion of the certain region is wavy.

35. A mobile terminal comprising:

a display unit operable for receiving a touch input; and

a controller operable to display a graphic effect on the display unit for indicating the reaching of one end of a displayed list on a certain region of a screen if the displayed list is moved to the one end according to a received touch input,

wherein the graphic effect is a motion graphic image showing such a shape as that the certain region is thrust in a certain direction.

36. A scrolling method of a mobile terminal comprising:

inputting a certain input via an input unit;

moving a displayed list to one end thereof according to the input; and

displaying a graphic effect at a certain region of a screen display if the displayed list is moved to the one end thereof.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the input is a touch input.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the touch input is at least one of a flicking, a dragging and a scrolling.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the graphic effect is displayed according to at least one of a touch speed, a touch area, and a touch time.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein the graphic effect is a motion graphic having such a shape as that one portion of the certain region is wavy.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein the graphic effect is a motion graphic having such a shape as that the certain portion is thrust in a certain direction.