METHOD FOR CONTROLLING ICON POSITION AND PORTABLE TERMINAL ADAPTED THERETO

• US 20100293508A1
• Filed: 05/11/2010
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Moon Heui, HWANG, Soon Shik
• Application Number:
  US12/777,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20100293508A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/846
• 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

An icon position movement controlling method and a portable terminal adapted to the method are disclosed. When icons are displayed on the display unit of the portable terminal, if a position movement locking function is set, the position of the icon can be locked so that they are not moved by a touch event that has occurred on the display unit or a screen of the display unit. A position movement releasing function can release the locked icons. Therefore, the icons can be prevented from moving due to unintentional touch events.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the position movement of icons on a portable terminal, the method comprising:

displaying at least one icon on a display unit;

generating at least one of a preset touch event and a preset input signal in at least one of an area of the display unit and an area displaying a selected one of the at least one icon; and

setting a position movement locking function for the selected icon, according to the at least one of preset touch event and preset input signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the at least one icon comprises:

displaying a screen according to the activation of a user function on the display unit; and

overlaying at least one icon on the screen.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, if the screen, on which at least one icon is arranged, is larger than the size of the display unit so part of the icons in the screen are displayed on the display unit, the method further comprises:

arranging the remaining icons, included in the screen, in an additional screen area that does not appear on the display unit.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

checking a number of icons set in a position movement locking function and arranged on a screen displayed on the display unit, from among the icons arranged on the screen; and

displaying the number of icons set in a position movement locking function and arranged on the display unit.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

checking the number of icons, set in a position movement locking function, from among all of the icons arranged on the screen containing the additional screen area; and

displaying the number of icons that are set in a position movement locking function and arranged on the entire screen.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a locking function comprises

setting a position movement locking function for all of the icons being displayed on the display unit if the at least one of preset touch event and preset input signal is generated in an area of the display unit.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

displaying a lock icon on a particular area, where the lock icon indicates that all the icons displayed on the display unit are set in a position movement locking function.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating at least one of a preset touch event and a preset input signal to release a locking function in a certain area of the display unit; and

releasing the locking function with respect to all the icons set in the position movement locking function.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, if a lock icon according to the setting of the position movement locking function is being displayed on the display unit, the method further comprises:

removing, if the locking function is released, the lock icon from the display unit.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein setting a locking function comprises

setting a position movement locking function to a corresponding icon if a touch event occurs in an area where the icon is displayed.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a lock icon for notifying a user of a locking function setting for an icon set with the position movement locking function.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating at least one of a preset touch event and a preset input signal to release a locking function in a certain area where the icon is displayed; and

releasing the locking function with respect to the icon set in the position movement locking function.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, if a lock icon according to the setting of the position movement locking function is displayed on the corresponding icon, the method further comprises:

removing, if the locking function is released, the lock icon from the corresponding icon.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, if a particular user function is activated, an icon related to a corresponding user function on the display unit.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the user function is at least one of a call servicing, a message servicing, a data transferring, and a file transferring.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

checking, if a position movement locking function is set to the related icon, the number of icons, set in a locking function, from among the icons displayed on the display unit; and

displaying the number of icons that are set in the locking function, displayed on the display unit, where the number of icons contains the related icon.

17. A portable terminal serving to control icon position movement comprising:

a display unit for displaying at least one icon;

a touch sensor for generating a touch event, according to user input, in at least one of a certain area of the display unit and an area where the icon is displayed; and

a controller for setting a position movement locking function to at least one icon, according to the touch event.

18. The portable terminal of claim 17, wherein the controller:

sets a position movement locking function to all the icons being displayed on the display unit if the at least one preset touch event and preset input signal is generated in an area of the display unit;

sets a position movement locking function to a corresponding icon if a touch event occurs in an area where the icon is displayed; and

displays a lock icon in an certain area of one of the display unit and a certain area of the corresponding icon, where the lock icon indicates a state that the icon is set in a position movement locking function.

19. The portable terminal of claim 18, wherein, if the preset touch event has occurred in at least one of a certain area of the display unit and in the corresponding icon, the controller releases a locking function with respect to at least one of all the icons and the corresponding icon, to which the position movement locking function is set.

20. The portable terminal of claim 19, wherein, if a lock icon is displayed according to the setting of the position movement locking function, the controller removes the lock icon when the locking function is released.