METHOD OF DISPLAYING MENU ITEMS AND RELATED TOUCH SCREEN DEVICE

• US 20090172531A1
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chang, Yuan-Chen, Chen, Hsueh-Chun
• Granted Patent: US 8,302,004 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

To improve usability of a touch screen device for input with a finger, a method of displaying a plurality of text-based items in the touch screen device includes the touch screen device displaying a predetermined item of the plurality of text-based items as an icon, and the touch screen device displaying the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with an increased display size.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a plurality of text-based items in a touch screen device, the method comprising:

the touch screen device displaying a predetermined item of the plurality of text-based items as an icon; and

the touch screen device displaying the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with an increased display size.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch screen device displaying the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with the increased display size comprises the touch screen device displaying the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with an increased font size.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch screen device displaying the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with the increased display size comprises the touch screen device displaying the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with an increased spacing size.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the touch screen device removing the predetermined item from the plurality of text-based items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the predetermined item is a most commonly used (MCU) function, or a most recently used (MRU) function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the touch screen device detecting that the touch screen device is operating in landscape mode or in portrait mode for displaying a corresponding format of the icons and the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

when the touch screen device is operating in landscape mode;

the touch screen device reducing size of the icon;

the touch screen device displaying a second item of the plurality of text-based items as an icon; and

the touch screen device displaying the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item and the second item with an increased display size.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch screen device is a smartphone, a PDA, a PDA phone, a Touch phone, a pocket PC, a mobile device, or a portable music player.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch screen device utilizes a Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Symbian, Palm, Android or Linux operating system.

10. A touch screen device comprising:

a touch screen for displaying a user interface of the mobile device;

a memory storing program code, a plurality of text-based items, and a plurality of icons corresponding to the plurality of text-based items; and

a processor coupled to the touch screen and the memory for controlling the touch screen to modify the user interface to display a predetermined item of the plurality of text-based items as a predetermined icon of the plurality of icons, and to increase display size of the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item according to the program code.

11. The touch screen device of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores an increased font size, and the processor controls the touch screen to display the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with the increased display size by controlling the touch screen to display the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with the increased font size.

12. The touch screen device of claim 10, wherein the memory further stores an increased spacing size, and the processor controls the touch screen to display the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with the increased display size by controlling the touch screen to display the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item with an increased spacing size.

13. The touch screen device of claim 10, wherein the processor controls the display to remove display of the predetermined item from the display of the plurality of text-based items.

14. The touch screen device of claim 10, wherein the predetermined item corresponds to a most commonly used (MCU) function or a most recently used (MRU) function.

15. The touch screen device of claim 10, wherein the processor comprises a mode detection module for detecting that the touch screen device is operating in landscape mode or in portrait mode for displaying a corresponding format of the icons and the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item.

16. The touch screen device of claim 15, wherein when the touch screen device operates in landscape mode, the processor further controls the touch screen to display the icon with reduced size, display a second item of the plurality of text-based items as an icon, and display the plurality of text-based items less the predetermined item and the second item with an increased display size.

17. The touch screen device of claim 10, wherein the touch screen device is a smartphone, a PDA, a Touch phone, a PDA phone, a pocket PC, a mobile device, or a portable music player.

18. The touch screen device of claim 10, wherein the touch screen device utilizes a Windows Mobile, Windows CE, Symbian, Palm, or Android, Linux operating system.