TERMINAL AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20100131880A1
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Sang Hyun, Seo, Jin, LEE, Seong Cheol
• Granted Patent: US 9,112,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a terminal and a method of displaying menu icons thereof are discussed, by which a terminal user is facilitated to input various commands. An embodiment of the present invention includes a touch screen and a control unit configured to control at least one touch-available icon to move between outer and inner areas of an image displayed on the touch screen in a direction of a touch-drag on the touch screen. Accordingly, the electric current for detecting a touch is supplied to the touch screen only if the touch-available icon is displayed on the touch screen. Hence, the present invention minimizes power consumption in using the touch screen.

Claims

1. A terminal comprising:

a touch screen; and

a control unit configured to control at least one touch-available icon to move between outer and inner areas of an image displayed on the touch screen in a direction of a touch-drag on the touch screen.

2. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

a user input unit having a touch screen activating key configured to activate the touch screen,

wherein the control unit controls the at least one touch-available icon to move when the touch screen is activated by the touch screen activating key.

3. The terminal of claim 1, wherein there are more than two touch-available icons to move,

wherein the control unit controls the touch-available icons to be classified into a plurality of groups in accordance of a type of each of the touch-available icons,

wherein the control unit controls the touch-available icons belonging to each of the groups to correspond to at least one of sides of the touch screen, and

wherein the control unit controls the touch-available icons belonging to each of the groups to move between the outer and inner areas by taking each corresponding side as a boundary.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in a prescribed direction on the touch screen, the control unit controls the touch-available icons belonging to the group located in the outer area beyond the side corresponding to the opposite direction, to slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as a boundary.

5. The terminal of claim 4, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in the direction opposite to the prescribed direction on the touch screen, the control unit controls the touch-available icons on the touchscreen to slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

6. The terminal of claim 4, wherein if the touch-available icons belonging to the group are divided into first subgroup touch-available icons and second subgroup touch-available icons and if the touch-drag is carried out in the prescribed direction on the touch screen, the control unit controls the first subgroup touch-available icons to slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

7. The terminal of claim 6, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out on the touch screen one more time, the control unit controls the second subgroup touch-available icons to slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

8. The terminal of claim 7, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in the opposite direction on the touch screen, the control unit controls the second subgroup touch-available icons to slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

9. The terminal of claim 8, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out one more time in the opposite direction on the touch screen, the control unit controls the first subgroup touch-available icons to slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

10. The terminal of claim 4, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in the opposite direction on the touch screen, the control unit controls the touch-available icons on the touch screen to slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary, and also controls the touch-available icons belonging to the group located in the outer area beyond the side corresponding to the prescribed direction, to slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the prescribed direction as a boundary.

11. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the touch-available icons belonging to the group corresponding to the side closest to a start point of the touch-drag to respond to the touch-drag.

12. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising:

an indicator configured to indicate a message receipt,

wherein the message receipt is indicated, the control unit slidably displays a message window on the touch screen according to a direction of a touch-drag.

13. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the message window includes a touch-sensitive area for displaying the message, and at least one touch-sensitive icon for processing the message.

14. A method of displaying menu icons in a terminal, comprising:

performing a touch-drag in a prescribed direction on a touch screen of the terminal; and

moving at least one touch-available icon between outer and inner areas of an image displayed on the touch screen in the direction of the touch-drag.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

selectively activating the touch screen using a touch screen activation key; and

moving the at least one touch-available icon on the touch screen after the touch screen is activated.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein there are more than two touch-available icons to move,

wherein the touch-available icons are classified into a plurality of groups in accordance of a type of each of the touch-available icons,

wherein the touch-available icons belonging to each of the groups corresponds to at least one of sides of the touch screen, and

wherein in the moving step, the touch-available icons belonging to each of the groups are moved between the outer and inner areas by taking each corresponding side as a boundary.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in the prescribed direction on the touch screen, the touch-available icons belonging to the group located in the outer area beyond the side corresponding to the opposite direction slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as a boundary.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in the direction opposite to the prescribed direction on the touch screen, the touch-available icons on the touch screen slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein if the touch-available icons belonging to the group are divided into first subgroup touch-available icons and second subgroup touch-available icons and if the touch-drag is carried out in the prescribed direction on the touch screen, the first subgroup touch-available icons slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out on the touch screen one more time, the second subgroup touch-available icons slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in the opposite direction on the touch screen, the second subgroup touch-available icons slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out one more time in the opposite direction on the touch screen, the first subgroup touch-available icons slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein if the touch-drag is carried out in the opposite direction on the touch screen, the touch-available icons on the touch screen slidably disappear into the outer area from the inner area using the side corresponding to the opposite direction as the boundary, and the touch-available icons belonging to the group located in the outer area beyond the side corresponding to the prescribed direction slidably appear into the inner area using the side corresponding to the prescribed direction as a boundary.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the touch-available icons belonging to the group corresponding to the side closest to a start point of the touch-drag are configured to respond to the touch-drag.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

displaying, on the touch screen, an indicator indicating a message receipt; and

then

slidably displaying, on the touch screen, a message window according to a direction of a touch-drag on the touch screen.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the message window includes a touch-sensitive area for displaying the message, and at least one touch-sensitive icon for processing the message.