USER INTERFACE METHOD FOR MOBILE DEVICE AND MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20090307631A1
• Filed: 09/04/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Joo Min, Shin, Dong Soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,271,907 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/830
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A display device including a touch screen, and a corresponding user interface method including displaying a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen; detecting a first touch over one of the displayed menu elements, including detecting a corresponding first touch characteristic; and displaying, within the menu and in response to the first touch characteristic, a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element. Also, a method including displaying a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen; detecting a first touch over one of the displayed menu elements, including detecting a corresponding first touch characteristic; and determining a user interface mode to be one of a shortcut create mode and a normal selection mode based on the first touch characteristic.

Claims

1-28. -28. (canceled)

29. A user interface method for a display device including a touch screen, comprising:

displaying a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen;

detecting a touch over one of the displayed plurality of menu elements, including detecting a corresponding touch characteristic; and

displaying, within a corresponding touched menu element area and in response to the touch characteristic, a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element.

30. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein

the touch characteristic is one of a plurality of touch characteristics,

the sub menu icon is one of a plurality of sub menu icons associated with the touched menu element, and

the step of displaying a sub menu icon includes selecting the sub menu icon from the plurality of sub menu icons based on the touch characteristic.

31. The user interface method of claim 29, further comprising:

detecting an additional touch over the sub menu icon, including detecting an additional touch characteristic; and

displaying, within the touched menu element area and in response to the additional touch characteristic, a second sub menu icon, the second sub menu icon being associated with the touched sub menu icon.

32. The user interface method of claim 31, wherein the additional touch characteristic and the touch characteristic are common touch characteristics.

33. The user interface method of claim 31, wherein the additional touch characteristic is different from the touch characteristic.

34. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein

the touch characteristic is a flicking motion, and

the step of displaying a sub menu icon includes scrolling the touched menu element and the sub menu icon in a direction of the flicking motion such that a portion of the touched menu element and a portion of the sub menu icon are displayed in the corresponding menu element area while the menu element is scrolled.

35. The user interface method of claim 34, further comprising:

detecting an additional touch over the sub menu icon, including detecting an additional touch characteristic; and

one of

displaying, within the menu and in response to the additional touch characteristic, a second sub menu icon, the second sub menu icon being associated with the additional touched sub menu icon, and

executing a function associated with the additional touched sub menu icon.

36. The user interface method of claim 34, the step of scrolling comprising:

scrolling with a speed correlated to a detected speed of the flicking motion.

37. The user interface method of claim 29, the step of displaying a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element comprising:

replacing the touched menu element within the displayed menu with the sub menu icon.

38. The user interface method of claim 29, the step of displaying a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element comprising:

displaying the sub menu icon in an area substantially adjacent to the touched menu element within the displayed menu.

39. The user interface method of claim 29, the step of displaying a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element comprising:

superimposing the sub menu icon over at least a portion of the touched menu element.

40. The user interface method of claim 29, the step of displaying a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element comprising:

displaying the sub menu icon without displaying a sub menu corresponding to the touched menu element.

41. The user interface method of claim 29, further comprising:

displaying the sub menu icon without activating or executing the touched menu element.

42. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein the menu is a home menu.

43. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein the sub menu icon is one of an executable sub menu icon and a non executable sub menu icon.

44. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein the sub menu icon is an executable sub menu icon, the method further comprising:

detecting an additional touch over the sub menu icon; and

automatically executing an application associated with the touched sub menu icon.

45. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein the sub menu icon represents a sub menu element that was previously selected by the user in association with the touched menu element.

46. The user interface method of claim 45, wherein the sub menu icon represents a sub menu element that was most frequently selected by the user.

47. The user interface method of claim 45, wherein the sub menu icon represents a sub menu element that was most recently selected by the user.

48. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein the sub menu icon represents a sub menu element that was previously selected as a favorite sub menu element in association with the touched menu element.

49. The user interface method of claim 29, further comprising:

detecting an additional touch over the sub menu icon, including detecting a corresponding additional touch characteristic; and

determining a user interface mode to be one of a shortcut create mode and a normal selection mode based on the additional touch characteristic.

50. The user interface method of claim 49, wherein

the step of detecting an additional touch characteristic comprises detecting a double tap on the touched sub menu icon,

the step of determining a user interface mode comprises determining the user interface mode to be the shortcut create mode, and

the method further comprises replacing the displayed menu with a sub menu, including a plurality of sub menu elements, associated with the additional touched menu element.

51. The user interface method of claim 49, wherein

the step of detecting an additional touch characteristic comprises detecting a single tap on the touched sub menu icon,

the step of determining a user interface mode comprises detecting the user interface mode to be the normal selection mode, and

the method further comprises executing a function associated with the additional touched sub menu icon.

57. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein the step of displaying the sub menu comprises:

expanding the menu element area.

58. The user interface method of claim 29, wherein the step of displaying the sub menu comprises:

displaying only one sub menu.

52. A user interface method for a display device including a touch screen, comprising:

displaying a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen;

detecting a touch over one of the displayed plurality of menu elements, including detecting a corresponding touch characteristic; and

determining a user interface mode to be one of a shortcut create mode and a normal selection mode based on the touch characteristic.

53. The user interface method of claim 52, wherein

the step of detecting a touch characteristic comprises detecting a double tap on the touched menu element,

the step of determining a user interface mode comprises determining the user interface mode to be the shortcut create mode, and

the method further comprises replacing the displayed menu with a sub menu, including a plurality of sub menu elements, associated with the touched menu element.

54. The user interface method of claim 52, wherein

the step of detecting a touch characteristic comprises detecting a single tap on the touched menu element,

the step of determining a user interface mode comprises determining the user interface mode to be the normal selection mode, and

the method further comprises executing a function associated with the touched menu element.

55. An apparatus, comprising:

a display device adapted to display a graphical user interface;

a touch screen positioned over the display device and configured to detect touches and corresponding touch characteristics; and

a processor configured to

display a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen;

detect a touch over one of the displayed plurality of menu elements, including detecting a corresponding touch characteristic; and

display, within a corresponding touched menu element area and in response to the touch characteristic, a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element.

56. An apparatus, comprising:

a display device adapted to display a graphical user interface;

a touch screen positioned over the display device and configured to detect touches and corresponding touch characteristics; and

a processor configured to

display a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen;

detect a touch over one of the displayed plurality of menu elements, including detecting a corresponding touch characteristic; and

determine a user interface mode to be one of a shortcut create mode and a normal selection mode based on the touch characteristic.

59. A user interface method for a display device including a touch screen, comprising:

displaying a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen;

detecting a touch over one of the displayed plurality of menu elements, including detecting a corresponding touch characteristic; and

replacing, in response to the touch characteristic, the touched menu element with a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element.

60. An apparatus, comprising:

a display device adapted to display a graphical user interface;

a touch screen positioned over the display device and configured to detect touches and corresponding touch characteristics; and

a processor configured to

display a menu, including a plurality of menu elements, on the touch screen;

detect a touch over one of the displayed plurality of menu elements, including detecting a corresponding touch characteristic; and

replace, in response to the touch characteristic, the touched menu element with a sub menu icon associated with the touched menu element.