METHOD FOR PROVIDING GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE (GUI), AND MULTIMEDIA APPARATUS APPLYING THE SAME

• US 20090199119A1
• Filed: 07/16/2008
• Published: 08/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Mi-kyoung, PARK, Chan-ho, HWANGBO, Kyoung-nyo
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) to receive a user command on a touch screen, and a multimedia apparatus using the same. The method for providing a GUI includes determining whether an enlargement command for a GUI item is received, and enlarging the GUI item. Therefore, it is possible to enable a user to operate the GUI item more correctly, and to provide the superior visual effect when the GUI item is operated.

Claims

1. A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising:

determining whether an enlargement command for a GUI item is received through a touch screen; and

enlarging and displaying the GUI item, if it is determined that the enlargement command is received,

wherein the GUI item enables a selection of one position from among a plurality of successive positions displayed in the GUI item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the GUI item comprises a progress bar, a scroll bar, a status control bar, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining operation comprises, if one of the positions on the GUI item is touched for at least a predetermined period of time, determining that the enlargement command is received; and

the enlarging and displaying operation comprises enlarging a portion of the GUI item corresponding to a predetermined interval range centered about the touched position, and displaying the enlarged GUI item with the center being the touched position.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining operation comprises, if one of the positions on the GUI item is touched more than once, determining that the enlargement command is received; and

the enlarging and displaying operation comprises enlarging a portion of the GUI item corresponding to a predetermined interval range centered about the touched position, and displaying the enlarged GUI item with the center being the touched position.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining operation comprises, if a first position on the GUI item is touched and the touched first position is dragged to a second position on the GUI item, determining that the enlargement command is received; and

wherein the displaying operation comprises enlarging a portion of the GUI item between the first position and the second position, and displaying the enlarged GUI item.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining operation comprises, if a first position and a second position on the GUI item are touched simultaneously or are touched separately within a predetermined period of time, determining that the enlargement command is received; and

the enlarging and displaying operation comprises enlarging a portion of the GUI item between the first position and the second position, and displaying the enlarged GUI item.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the determining operation comprises, if the GUI item is touched with a circular motion so that a circle is drawn passing through a first position and a second position on the GUI item, determining that the enlargement command is received; and

the enlarging and displaying operation comprises enlarging a portion of the GUI item between the first position and the second position, and displaying the enlarged GUI item.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the enlarging and displaying operation further comprises highlighting a position on the GUI item to which the enlargement command is to be applied.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the enlarging and displaying operation further comprises outputting audio information and/or video information to notify that the enlargement command has been received.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a reduction command for the enlarged GUI item is received through the touch screen; and

reducing the enlarged GUI item and displaying the reduced GUI item, if it is determined that the reduction command is received.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying operation comprises displaying the enlarged GUI item together with content that has been displayed at a position prior to a position at which the enlargement command is received.

23. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing the method of claim 1 using one or more processors.

12. A multimedia apparatus comprising:

a touch screen to receive an enlargement command for a graphical user interface (GUI) item which enables a selection of one position from among a plurality of successive positions displayed in the GUI item; and

a control unit to control the GUI item to be enlarged and displayed on the touch screen, if it is determined that the enlargement command is received through the touch screen.

13. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein the GUI item comprises a progress bar, a scroll bar, a status control bar, or combinations thereof.

14. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if one of a plurality of positions on the GUI item is touched for a predetermined period of time or more, the control unit determines that the enlargement command is received, and controls a portion of the GUI item to be enlarged corresponding to a predetermined interval range centered about the touched position, so that the enlarged GUI item is displayed on the touch screen.

15. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if one of the positions on the GUI item is touched more than once, the control unit determines that the enlargement command is received, and controls a portion of the GUI item to be enlarged corresponding to a predetermined interval range centered about the touched position, so that the enlarged GUI item is displayed on the touch screen.

16. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if a first position on the GUI item is touched and the touched first position is dragged to a second position on the GUI item, the control unit determines that the enlargement command is received, and controls a portion of the GUI item to be enlarged between the first position and the second position so that the enlarged GUI item is displayed on the touch screen.

17. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if a first position and a second position on the GUI item are touched simultaneously or are touched separately within a predetermined period of time, the control unit determines that the enlargement command is received, and controls a portion of the GUI item to be enlarged between the first position and the second position so that the enlarged GUI item is displayed on the touch screen.

18. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if the GUI item is touched with a circular motion so that a circle is drawn passing through a first position and a second position on the GUI item, the control unit determines that the enlargement command is received, and controls a portion of the GUI item to be enlarged between the first position and the second position so that the enlarged GUI item is displayed on the touch screen.

19. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if it is determined that the enlargement command is received, the control unit further highlights a position on the GUI item to which the enlargement command is to be applied.

20. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein, if it is determined that the enlargement command is received, the control unit further outputs audio information and/or video information to notify that the enlargement command has been received.

21. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control unit determines whether a reduction command for the enlarged GUI item is received through the touch screen, and controls the enlarged GUI item to be reduced so that the reduced GUI item is displayed, if it is determined that the reduction command is received.

22. The multimedia apparatus of claim 12, wherein the control unit controls the enlarged GUI item to be displayed together with content that has been displayed prior to reception of the enlargement command.

24. A method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI), the method comprising:

receiving a size-change command for a displayed GUI item through a touch screen on which the GUI item is displayed, the GUI item comprising multiple positions corresponding to different settings for a property of contents being recorded and/or reproduced using the touch screen; and

changing a size of the displayed GUI item from a first size to a second size according to the received size-change command to produce a changed GUI item, the changed GUI item allowing a selection of one position from among the positions displayed in the changed GUI item to adjust the content.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

receiving an indication of a selection of one of the positions within the changed GUI item; and

adjusting the property according to the setting associated with the selected position.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the GUI item comprises location information of the contents, and the positions comprise different locations within the contents selectable by a user.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein the GUI item comprises volume information of the contents, and the positions comprise different volume levels within the contents selectable by a user.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising displaying at least one image relating to the contents with the displayed GUI item, wherein the changing the size of the displayed GUI item comprises changing the size of the displayed GUI item without changing a size of the displayed image.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the receiving the size-change command operation comprises determining that one of the positions on the displayed GUI item is touched for at least a predetermined period of time; and

the changing the size of the displayed GUI item comprises changing between the first and second sizes such that the changed GUI item is bounded by a predetermined range of the positions centered about the touched position.

30. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the receiving the size-change command operation comprises determining that one of the positions on the GUI item is repeatedly touched; and

the changing the size of the displayed GUI item comprises changing between the first and second sizes such that the changed GUI item is bounded by a predetermined range of the positions centered about the repeatedly touched position.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein:

the receiving the size-change command operation comprises determining that a plurality of the positions on the GUI item are touched within a predetermined time; and

the changing the size of the displayed GUI item comprises changing between the first and second sizes such that the changed GUI item is bounded by the positions touched within the predetermined time.

32. A computer readable medium encoded with processing instructions for implementing the method of claim 24 using one or more processors.

33. A multimedia apparatus comprising:

a graphical user interface (GUI) unit which controls a display of a GUI item on a touch screen, the GUI item enabling a selection of one position from among a plurality of positions displayed in the GUI item with each position corresponding to different settings for a property of contents being recorded and/or reproduced using the touch screen; and

a control unit to receive a size-change command for the displayed GUI item through the touch screen on which the GUI item is displayed, to control the GUI unit to change a size of the displayed GUI item according to the size-change command to produce a changed GUI item so as to allow a selection of one position from among the positions displayed in the changed GUI item to adjust the content, and to adjust the content according to a selected one of the positions displayed in the changed GUI item.

34. The multimedia apparatus of claim 33, wherein the GUI item comprises location information of the contents, the positions comprise different locations within the contents selectable by a user, and the control unit adjusts the content by changing from a current location within the contents to another position within the contents according to the selected position.

35. The multimedia apparatus of claim 33, wherein the GUI item comprises volume information of the contents, the positions comprise different volume levels within the contents selectable by a user, and the control unit adjusts the content by changing a volume of sound being reproduced from a current volume level to another volume level according to the selected position.

36. The multimedia apparatus of claim 33, wherein the control unit further controls a display on the touch screen of at least one image relating to the contents with the displayed GUI item, and changes the size of the displayed GUI item without changing a size of the displayed image.

37. The multimedia apparatus of claim 33, wherein the control unit:

receives the size-change command operation by determining that one of the positions on the displayed GUI item is touched for at least a predetermined period of time, and

controls the GUI unit to change the size of the displayed GUI item to be bounded by a predetermined range of the positions centered about the touched position.

38. The multimedia apparatus of claim 33, wherein the control unit:

receives the size-change command operation by determining that one of the positions on the GUI item is repeatedly touched; and

controls the GUI unit to change the size of the displayed GUI item to be bounded by a predetermined range of the positions centered about the repeatedly touched position.

39. The multimedia apparatus of claim 33, wherein the control unit:

receives the size-change command operation by determining that a plurality of the positions on the GUI item are touched within a predetermined time; and

controls the GUI unit to change the size of the displayed GUI item such that the changed GUI item is bounded by the positions touched within the predetermined time.