USER INTERFACE OF ELECTRONIC APPARATUS

• US 20090172594A1
• Filed: 12/25/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Yu-Chuan
• Granted Patent: US 9,104,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• 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: H04M 1/72472 wherein the items are sorted according to specific criteria, e.g. frequency of use
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A user interface of electronic apparatus includes at least one launched indicator and at least one non-launched indicator, and the arrangement of the launched indicator and non-launched indicators forms a loop path so that the indicators can have a revolution around a centre of the loop path according to a direction command inputted by a user. Each launched indicator indicates an executed program, each non-launched indicator indicates a non-executed program, and the indicator moved to a specific location is defined as a selectable indicator. The user can control the program indicated by the selectable indicator with any operation.

Claims

1. A user interface, implemented on an electronic apparatus, comprising:

at least one launched indicator, each launched indicator indicating an executed program;

at least one non-launched indicator, each non-launched indicator indicating a non-executed program, wherein the arrangement of the launched indicator and non-launched indicator forms a loop path, and the launched indicator and the non-launched indicator have a revolution around a centre of the loop path according to a received direction command; and

a specific location, wherein the launched indicator or the non-launched indicator moved to the specific location is a selectable indicator, and then the executed program or the non-executed program indicated by the selectable indicator can be called or operated.

2. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the launched indicator and the non-launched indicator are displayed on a touch panel of the electronic apparatus.

3. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the launched indicator is a frame captured from an image displayed when the executed program indicated by the launched indicator is executed.

4. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the non-launched indicator is an icon.

5. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a specific function icon at an inner location surrounded by the loop path, wherein the specific function icon indicates a specific operation against at least one of the executed program and the non-executed program.

6. The user interface as claimed in claim 5, wherein when one launched indicator is dragged to the location of the specific function icon with a dragging command, a close function carries out to close the executed program indicated by the dragged launched indicator and the dragged launched indicator transforms into another non-launched indicator.

7. The user interface as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the specific function icon is selected by a selection command, a close function carries out to close the executed program indicated by the launched indicator and the launched indicator transforms into another the non-launched indicator.

8. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein locations of the launched indicator and the non-launched indicator are arranged according to the frequency to be selected of the launched indicator and the frequency to be selected of the non-launched indicator.

9. The user interface as claimed in claim 8, wherein the launched indicator has the highest frequency to be selected is arranged at a centre of the lower half part of the loop path.

10. The user interface as claimed in claim 8, wherein the non-launched indicator has the highest frequency to be selected is arranged at a centre of the upper half part of the loop path.

11. The user interface as claimed in claim 1, wherein the executed program related information is displayed around the launched indicator indicating the executed program.

12. A method for generating a user interface, implemented on an electronic apparatus, comprising:

providing at least one non-launched indicator for indicating a non-executed program;

providing at least one launched indicator for indicating an executed program;

arranging the non-launched indicator and the launched indicator to form a loop path;

when a direction command is received, making the non-launched indicator and the launched indicator have a revolution around a centre of the loop path according to the received direction command; and

defining the executed program or the non-executed program indicated by the launched indicator or non-launched indicator moved to a specific location as an operable program.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the launched indicator is provided by capturing from an image displayed when the executed program indicated by the launched indicator is executed.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the non-launched indicator is provided by providing an icon.

15. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising providing a specific function icon at a inner location surrounded by the loop path, wherein the specific function icon indicates a specific operation against at least one of the executed program and the non-executed program.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising when one launched indicator is dragged to the location of the specific function icon with a dragging command, carrying out a close function to close the executed program indicated by the launched indicator and transforming the launched indicator into another non-launched indicator.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15, further comprising when the specific function icon is selected by a selection command, carrying out a close function to close the executed program indicated by the launched indicator and transforming the launched indicator into another the non-launched indicator.

18. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the step of arranging the non-launched indicator and the launched indicator to form the loop path further comprises arranging location of the launched indicator and the non-launched indicator according to the frequency to be selected of the launched indicator and the frequency to be selected of the non-launched indicator.

19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein the launched indicator has the highest frequency to be selected is arranged at a centre of the lower half part of the loop path.

20. The method as claimed in claim 12, further comprising displaying the executed program related information around the launched indicator indicating the executed program.