METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR OPERATING GRAPHIC MENU BAR AND RECORDING MEDIUM USING THE SAME

• US 20090265657A1
• Filed: 03/10/2009
• Published: 10/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Bamford, Drew, Shotel, Micah
• Application Number:
  US12/400,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265657A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/786
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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

A method and an apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar and a recording medium using the same, suitable for a portable electronic device having a touch screen, are provided. First, a graphic menu bar is provided, which includes M graphic items arranged in sequence, where M is a positive integer. Next, the touch screen is divided into N display blocks along a coordinate axis direction for displaying N connected graphic items in graphic menu bar, where N is a positive integer smaller than M. When the touch screen detects a touch signal in display blocks and the touch signal is moved toward the coordinate axis direction for a first displacement, the graphic menu bar displayed on the touch screen is moved toward a direction opposite to the coordinate axis direction for a second displacement, and the second displacement is equal to the product of the first displacement and M/N.

Claims

1. A method for operating a graphic menu bar, suitable for a portable electronic device having a touch screen, comprising:

providing a graphic menu bar, which comprises M graphic items arranged in sequence, wherein M is a positive integer;

dividing the touch screen into N display blocks along a coordinate axis direction, for displaying N connected graphic items in the graphic menu bar, wherein N is a positive integer smaller than M; and

when the touch screen detects a touch signal in the display blocks and the touch signal is moved toward the coordinate axis direction for a first displacement, moving the graphic menu bar displayed on the touch screen along a direction opposite to the coordinate axis direction for a second displacement, wherein the second displacement is equal to the product of the first displacement and M/N.

2. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 1, wherein when the touch screen detects the touch signal in the display blocks, the method further comprises:

enlarged displaying the graphic item where the touch signal is located.

3. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 1, wherein when the touch screen detects the touch signal in the display blocks, the method further comprises:

displaying a user interface corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar.

4. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 1, wherein when the touch screen detects the touch signal in the display blocks, the method further comprises:

displaying an icon corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar.

5. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 4, wherein when the touch screen detects the touch signal in the display blocks, the method further comprises:

displaying a text description corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar.

6. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 4, wherein when the touch screen detects the touch signal in the display blocks, the method further comprises:

displaying a user interface corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar when the touch signal is terminated.

7. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 1, further comprising:

executing a function corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located when the touch signal is terminated.

8. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 1, wherein the coordinate axis direction comprises one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

9. The method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device comprises one of a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a PDA phone, a navigation device, a car PC, a UMPC, a tablet PC, and a notebook.

20. A recording medium, suitable for recording a computer program, wherein the computer program comprises a plurality of program codes, which is loaded into a portable electronic device so that the portable electronic device executes the method for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 1.

10. An apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar, comprising:

a touch screen, for detecting a touch signal;

a graphic menu bar generating module, for generating a graphic menu bar, wherein the graphic menu bar comprises M graphic items arranged in sequence, and wherein M is a positive integer; and

a graphic menu bar displaying module, for dividing the touch screen into N display blocks along a coordinate axis direction, displaying N connected graphic items in the graphic menu bar, and moving the graphic menu bar according to the touch signal detected by the touch screen, wherein N is a positive integer smaller than M; and

wherein

when the touch screen detects the touch signal in the display blocks and the touch signal is moved toward the coordinate axis direction for a first displacement, the graphic menu bar displayed on the touch screen is moved toward a direction opposite to the coordinate axis direction for a second displacement, wherein the second displacement is equal to the product of the first displacement and M/N.

11. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 10, wherein the graphic menu bar displaying module further enlarged displays a graphic item where the touch signal is located.

12. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 10, further comprising a user interface displaying module, which is used for displaying a user interface corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar.

13. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 10, further comprising a user interface displaying module, which is used for displaying an icon corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar.

14. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 13, wherein the user interface displaying module further displaying a text description corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar.

15. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 13, wherein the user interface displaying module displays a user interface corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located above the graphic menu bar when the touch signal is terminated.

16. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 10, further comprising a function executing module, which is used for executing a function corresponding to the graphic item where the touch signal is located when the touch signal is terminated.

17. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 10, wherein the coordinate axis direction comprises one of a horizontal direction and a vertical direction.

18. The apparatus for operating a graphic menu bar according to claim 10, wherein the portable electronic device comprises one of a mobile phone, a PDA, a PDA phone, a navigation device, a car PC, a UMPC, a tablet PC, and a notebook.

19. A recording medium, suitable for recording a computer program, wherein the computer program comprises a plurality of program codes, which is loaded into a portable electronic device so that the portable electronic device executes a method for operating a graphic menu bar, and the method comprises:

providing a graphic menu bar, which comprises M graphic items arranged in sequence, wherein M is a positive integer;

dividing a touch screen of the portable electronic device into N display blocks along a coordinate axis direction, for displaying N connected graphic items in the graphic menu bar, wherein N is a positive integer smaller than M; and

when the touch screen detects a touch signal in the display blocks and the touch signal is moved toward the coordinate axis direction for a first displacement, moving the graphic menu bar displayed on the touch screen toward a direction opposite to the coordinate axis direction for a second displacement, wherein the second displacement is equal to the product of the first displacement and M/N.