METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING SEARCH ITEM IN PORTABLE TERMINALS

• US 20110022983A1
• Filed: 07/19/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KWAK, Se Jin, KIM, Jin Yong
• Granted Patent: US 8,990,013 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/815
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/367 Details, e.g. road map scale, orientation, zooming, illumination, level of detail, scrolling of road map or positioning of current position marker
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A method and apparatus for displaying a search item in a portable terminal is disclosed. When an item (for example, a particular place, a route to a destination place, particular content, etc.), for which the user requests to search, is searched and displayed, the location information regarding the search item can be displayed, in steps, from a wide range (i.e., upper information) to a narrow range (i.e., lower information), thereby the user can intuitively and easily recognize the location of the search item.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a search item in a portable terminal, comprising:

in response to a request for the search item, identifying location information of the search item and its surrounding information;

sorting the identified location information according to a preset rule; and

displaying the sorted location information in sequence.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the sorted location information in sequence comprises zooming in or out in steps based on a predetermined time interval.

2. The method of clam 1, wherein the response to request for search item comprises one of the following steps:

requesting to search a location of a particular place stored in a map;

requesting to search a traveling route from a current location to a destination; and

requesting to search a location where content is stored.

3. The method of clam 2, wherein displaying the sorted location information in sequence comprises displaying the location information of the particular place in steps by altering a scale of the map.

4. The method of clam 3, further comprising:

identifying a display mode that contains at least one of an address mode, a scale mode and a user mode, wherein the address mode displays maps in steps according to an address identifier, the scale mode displays maps in steps according to scales by preset steps, and the user mode displays maps according to time and distances by preset steps; and

displaying the identified display mode.

5. The method of clam 4, further comprising:

displaying the location information in steps by altering the display mode; and

/or

displaying a map of a previous scale according to an input signal that alters the scale of the map via a traveling menu or a map of a following scale.

6. The method of clam 3, wherein displaying the location information of the particular place in steps by altering a scale comprises:

scaling the map up by zooming out or down by zooming-in in steps.

7. The method of clam 2, wherein displaying the sorted location information in steps comprises:

calculating, if the searched traveling route is displayed, an optimum scale that can display the traveling route in one screen;

displaying the traveling route in the optimum scale; and

sorting the traveling route into a plurality of routes according to a preset rule and displaying the sorted routes in steps.

8. The method of clam 7, further comprising:

displaying a map, where the current location is displayed, in a preset scale.

9. The method of clam 2, wherein displaying the sorted location information in steps comprises:

in steps, displaying, if the location where the particular content is stored is displayed, information regarding a folder path from the highest folder containing the particular content to the lowest folder containing the particular file.

11. An apparatus for displaying a search item in a portable terminal, comprising:

an input unit for receiving a signal for requesting to search an item, where the item contains one of a particular place, a traveling route from a current location to a destination, and a particular content;

a controller for identifying location information of the search item and its surrounding information and sorting the identified location information according to a preset rule; and

a display unit for displaying the sorted location information in sequence.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the controller calculates, if a search for the traveling route is requested, an optimum scale that can display the traveling route in one screen, displays the traveling route in the optimum scale, sorts the traveling route into a plurality of routes according to a preset rule, and displays the sorted routes in steps.

12. The apparatus of clam 11, wherein the controller sorts location information regarding the particular place according to a display mode that contains at least one of an address mode, a scale mode and a user mode, wherein the address mode displays maps in steps according to an address identifier, the scale mode displays maps in steps according to scales by preset steps, and the user mode displays maps according to time and distances by preset steps.

13. The apparatus of clam 12, wherein the controller scales the map up by zooming out or down by zooming-in in steps.

14. The apparatus of clam 12, wherein the display unit comprises:

a mode altering menu for selecting and altering the display mode; and

/or

a traveling menu for moving the map in a previous scale or a following scale.

16. The apparatus of clam 11, wherein the controller searches the location where the particular content is stored, and displays, in steps, information regarding a folder path from the highest folder containing the particular content to the lowest folder containing the particular file.

17. The apparatus of clam 11, wherein the display unit displays the sorted location information by zooming in or out in steps based on a predetermined time interval.