MENU USER INTERFACE PROVIDING DEVICE AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20090183100A1
• Filed: 02/29/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation For Corporate Collaboration (SungKyunKwan University)
• Original Assignee: Sungkyunkwan University Foundation For Corporate Collaboration (SungKyunKwan University)
• Inventors: Cho, Hyunjin, Kim, Taehyoung, Jung, Yongwoo, Kim, Younwoo, Zhen, Zhao, Gyeong, Gyehyeon, Jang, Hyunsu, Choi, Hyunwoo, EOM, Young Ik, Choi, Jung Hwan, Ko, Kwang Sun
• Granted Patent: US 8,578,294 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A menu user interface providing device and a method thereof are disclosed. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the method of providing a menu user interface by a portable apparatus, including determining whether a main menu icon displayed on a touch screen is selected; determining whether a menu mode is an activation mode or an inactivation mode if the main menu icon is selected; and changing the menu mode into the activation mode if the menu mode is determined as the inactivation mode and forming an expanded menu by radically arranging a submenu of n hierarchies, n being a natural number, corresponding to the main menu icon and displaying the formed expanded menu through a touch screen. Accordingly, with the present invention, a user interface capable of inputting various data with easy manipulation and minimized multi-points can be provided.

Claims

1. A method of providing a menu user interface by a portable apparatus, the method comprising:

determining whether a main menu icon displayed on a touch screen is selected;

determining whether a menu mode is an activation mode or an inactivation mode if the main menu icon is selected; and

changing the menu mode into the activation mode if the menu mode is determined as the inactivation mode and forming an expanded menu by radically arranging submenus of n hierarchies, n being a natural number, corresponding to the main menu icon and outputting the formed expanded menu through a touch screen.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

changing the menu mode into the inactivation mode if the menu mode is determined as the activation mode and displaying the main menu icon through the touch screen by unexpanding the expanded menu.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of forming the expanded menu comprises:

arranging the main menu icon at a position; and

arranging the submenus of the n hierarchies radically about the main menu icon outside the main menu icon.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a submenu icon of submenus of the n hierarchies is selected or dragged; and

performing a function or a command predetermined corresponding to the submenu icon if it is determined that the submenu icon is selected.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of determining whether the submenu icon of submenus of the n hierarchies is selected or dragged comprises:

receiving touch position information and touch-released position information from the touch screen and determining that the submenu icon is dragged if a difference between the touch position information and the touch-released position information that are inputted within a predetermined period of time is the same as or larger than a predetermined threshold; and

determining that the submenu icon is selected if the difference between the touch position information and the touch-released position information that are inputted within the predetermined period of time is smaller than the predetermined threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

generating rotation information per each hierarchy by using predetermined position information of the main menu icon and the inputted touch-released position information if it is determined that the submenu icon is dragged; and

moving and arranging positions of submenu icons of a hierarchy included in the dragged submenu icon and a lower hierarchy by using the generated rotation information per hierarchy.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the rotation information comprises at least one of moving direction information and moving distance information.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of generating rotation information per each hierarchy by using predetermined position information of the main menu icon and the inputted touch-released position information comprises:

in the case of a menu hierarchy including the dragged menu icon, generating rotation information of the menu hierarchy by using the touch position information and the touch-released position information.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the step of generating rotation information per each hierarchy by using the predetermined position information of the main menu icon and the inputted touch-released position information comprises:

in the case of a submenu hierarchy that is directly subordinate to the dragged menu icon,

generating rotation fiducial line by using the predetermined position information of the main menu icon and the touch-released position information; and

generating rotation formation of the submenu hierarchy to allow a first submenu icon of the submenu hierarchy to be place on the rotation fiducial line.

10. A portable apparatus, comprising:

a touch screen;

a processing unit, analyzing a menu mode if a main menu icon displayed through a touch screen is selected, changing the menu mode into an activation mode if the menu mode is an inactivation mode and generating and outputting a menu activating command; and

an UI forming unit, forming an expanded menu by radically arranging submenus of n hierarchies, n being a natural number, corresponding to the main menu icon according to the menu activating command, whereas the expanded menu is displayed through the touch screen.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein if the menu mode is the activation mode, the processing unit changes the menu mode into the inactivation mode and generates and outputs a menu inactivating command, and

the UI forming unit forms a basic menu in which the main menu icon is arranged according to the inactivating command and displays the formed basic menu through the touch screen.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the UI forming unit arranges the main menu icon at a position and forms the expanded menu by radically arranging the submenu icons of the n menu hierarchies about the arranged main menu icon outside the main menu icon.

13. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processing unit determines whether a menu icon is selected or dragged by using position information inputted through the touch screen and, if it is determined that the menu icon is selected, controls to perform a function or a command predetermined corresponding to the selected menu icon.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the position information comprises touch position information related to a position touched on the touch screen and touch-released position information related to a position in which a touch is released.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing unit determines that the menu icon is selected, if a difference between the touch position information and the touch-released position information that are inputted within a predetermined period of time is smaller than a predetermined threshold, and

determines that the menu icon is dragged, if the difference is the same as or larger than the predetermined threshold.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein if it is determined that the menu icon is dragged, the processing unit generates a rotation command including the inputted position information and outputs the generated rotation command to the UI forming unit, and

the UI forming unit generates rotation information per menu hierarchy by using predetermined position information of the main menu icon and the inputted position information, rotates the menu icons of each menu hierarchy according to the generated position information per menu hierarchy and displays the rotated menu icons through the touch screen.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the rotation information per menu hierarchy comprises rotation direction information and moving distance information.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the UI forming unit generates rotation information of a menu hierarchy including the dragged menu icon by using the touch position information and the touch-released position information and moves and arranges menu icons included in the menu hierarchy.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the UI forming unit generates rotation fiducial line by using the predetermined position information of the main menu icon and the touch-released position information and moves and arranges submenu icons included in the submenu hierarchy to allow a first submenu icon of a sub menu that is directly subordinate to the dragged menu icon to be placed on the rotation fiducial line.