SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING FUNCTION OF A DEVICE

• US 20100192105A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Yu Ran, KIM, Hee Woon, Hwang, Jae Joon
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,544 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/834
• 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: 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 a system are disclosed for function control using a display unit including a touch area and a non-touch area. The device includes an output area for displaying various types of screen data corresponding to execution applications, a control area for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling a function of the device, and a control unit for detecting execution of a particular application, configuring a screen comprising the output area and the control area in response to the executed application, and controlling a function of the device according to a user interaction occurring through the GUI in the control area.

Claims

1. A function control system of a device comprising:

an output area to display screen data corresponding to an execution application; and

a control area to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) that changes according to the execution application and to control a function of the device by using the GUI.

2. The function control system of claim 1, wherein the output area and the control area are formed in a single display unit, and the control area is at least a half-touch area.

3. The function control system of claim 2, wherein the output area is a non-touch area and the control area is a touch area.

4. The function control system of claim 3, wherein the control area comprises a soft key area and a wheel area, the soft key area and the wheel area configured to receive an input of a user interaction.

5. The function control system of claim 4, wherein the wheel area is hidden when the user interaction is followed by a period of time without another user interaction.

6. The function control system of claim 5, wherein the user interaction comprises at least one of a sweep event, a flick event, or a tap event.

7. The function control system of claim 5, wherein the wheel area is divided into multiple tap points respectively corresponding to multiple execution applications, and each tap point is assigned an option command in accordance with its corresponding execution application.

8. The function control system of claim 5, wherein the wheel area comprises at least one virtual item for function control of the execution application.

9. The function control system of claim 5, wherein the wheel area comprises at least one virtual item to which a quick link function of an execution application is mapped.

10. The function control system of claim 5, wherein a user interaction in the wheel area allows item navigation, item selection, item execution, or control to increase or decrease a value of the screen data provided in the output area.

11. The function control system of claim 5, wherein a pop-up window generated according to function control of the device is provided at an upper portion of the wheel area, the pop-up window to receive the user interaction.

12. The function control system of claim 5, wherein the soft key area is configured to receive an input of a tap event.

13. The function control system of claim 5, wherein the soft key area is divided into multiple tap points respectively corresponding to multiple execution applications, and each tap point is assigned an option command in accordance with its corresponding execution application.

14. The function control system of claim 5, wherein the soft key area comprises at least one check item corresponding to the execution application.

15. The function control system of claim 5, wherein a user interaction in the soft key area comprises item selection, item execution, or option setting in the screen data provided in the output area.

16. The function control system of claim 5, wherein a pop-up window generated according to function control of the device is provided at an upper portion of the soft key area, the pop-up window to receive the user interaction.

17. The function control system of claim 4, wherein the control area allows input of user interactions, the user interactions comprising a sweep event in the wheel area, a tap event in the wheel area, a tap event in the soft key area, or a tap event of a virtual item in the wheel area.

18. The function control system of claim 17, wherein the screen data displayed in the output area or the control area change according to the user interaction.

19. The function control system of claim 1, wherein the output area comprises a first display unit, the control area comprises a second display unit, the first display unit is different from the second display unit, and the second display unit comprises a touch screen.

20. A device comprising:

an output area to display screen data corresponding to an execution application;

a control area to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) to control a function of the device; and

a control unit to detect execution of an execution application, to configure a screen comprising the output area and the control area in response to the executed application, and to control a function of the device in response to a user interaction occurring through the GUI.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein the output area and the control area are formed in a single display unit, and the control area is at least a half-touch area.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the output area is a non-touch area, and the control area is a touch area.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein the GUI comprises a virtual item and the GUI changes according to the executed application.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein the control area comprises a soft key area and a wheel area, and the soft key area and the wheel area are configured to receive an input of a user interaction.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the wheel area is hidden when the user interaction is followed by a period of time without another user interaction.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein the control area is configured to receive input of user interactions, the user interactions comprising a sweep event in the wheel area, a tap event in the wheel area, a tap event in the soft key area, or a tap event of a virtual item in the wheel area.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the control unit controls corresponding functions of the device in response to the user interaction occurring in the control area.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein the control unit displays screen data in the output area and the control area, the screen data changes according to the user interaction.

29. The device of claim 20, wherein the output area comprises a first display unit, the control area comprises a second display unit, the first display unit is different from the second display unit, and the second display unit comprises a touch screen.

30. A method of controlling a function of a device, the method comprising:

detecting execution of an application;

displaying screen data corresponding to the executed application in an output area;

displaying a graphical user interface (GUI) corresponding to the executed application in a control area;

processing a function in response to a user interaction with the GUI; and

changing the displayed screen data and the displayed GUI in response to the processing of the function.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising:

determining a type of the application; and

configuring a display unit according to the type of the detected application, the display unit comprising the output area and the control area.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the output area and the control area are formed in a single display unit, the output area is a non-touch area, and the control area is at least a half-touch area.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein processing a function in response to a user interaction with the GUI comprises:

detecting the user interaction in the control area; and

processing a function according to the control area in which the user interaction occurs and the type of the user interaction.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein processing a function in response to a user interaction with the GUI further comprises:

when the user interaction is a sweep event in a wheel area of the control area, processing navigation corresponding to the sweep event;

when the user interaction is a tap event in the wheel area of the control area, processing an option command corresponding to the tap event;

when the user interaction is a tap event in a soft key area of the control area, processing a function of a particular item corresponding to the tap event; and

when the user interaction is a tap event of a virtual item in the wheel area of the control area, executing an application mapped to the virtual item corresponding to the tap event.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising hiding the control area after processing the function in response to the user interaction followed by a period of time without another user interaction.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein processing a function in response to a user interaction with the GUI further comprises hiding the wheel area while displaying the soft key area after processing the function in response to the user interaction and after a period of time without another user interaction.