PORTABLE TERMINAL REFLECTING USER'S ENVIRONMENT AND METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SAME

• US 20110035675A1
• Filed: 08/06/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Kyoung Taek, KIM, Hyang Ah, UM, Tae Won, KIM, Kyung Hwa, SHIN, Dong Jun
• Granted Patent: US 9,032,315 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/745
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/60 Business processes related to postal services shipping G06Q10/083; franking apparatus G07B17/00

Abstract

A portable terminal reflecting a user'"'"'s environment and a method for operating the same are disclosed. The method includes: generating usage pattern information that contains pattern environment information of the portable terminal and function information corresponding to the pattern environment information; collecting current environment information of the portable terminal; searching for pattern environment information that substantially identical to the collected current environment information; extracting function information corresponding to the searched pattern environment information; and configuring a graphic user interface (GUI) based on the extracted function information.

Claims

1. A method for providing a user interface reflecting a user'"'"'s environment in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

generating usage pattern information that contains pattern environment information of the portable terminal and function information corresponding to the pattern environment information;

collecting current environment information of the portable terminal;

searching for pattern environment information that is classified as belonging to the same environment as the collected current environment information;

extracting function information corresponding to the searched pattern environment information; and

configuring a graphic user interface (GUI) based on the extracted function information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating usage pattern information comprises:

executing at least one function provided to the portable terminal;

collecting environment information when the at least one function is executed;

storing the collected environment information, matching with function information; and

generating pattern environment information based on the stored environment information and generating usage pattern information by combining the pattern environment information with the function information corresponding to the pattern environment information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the environment information comprises at least one of:

time information, and location information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the environment information further comprises:

information regarding means which is used by the portable terminal when communicating with an external portable terminal.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the environment information further comprises information regarding the time to execute a function.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the environment information further comprises information regarding devices near the portable terminal.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein, if the function is a content playback function, the storing the collected environment information comprises storing the collected environment information with matching the collected environment information to the played back content.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein, if the function is a communication function, the storing the collected environment information comprises storing the collected environment information with matching the collected environment information to external portable terminals performing the communication function.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the configured GUI.

10. A portable terminal reflecting a user'"'"'s environment, comprising:

an environment information collecting module for collecting environment information;

a storage unit for storing the environment information collected by the environment information collecting module, and usage pattern information that is comprised of pattern environment information and function information; and

a controller for controlling the portable terminal by;

controlling the environment information collecting module,

searching for pattern environment information that is classified as belonging to the same environment as the collected current environment information from the storage unit,

extracting function information corresponding to the searched pattern environment information from the storage unit, and

configuring a graphic user interface (GUI) based on the extracted function information.

11. The portable terminal of claim 10, wherein the controller:

collects environment information when a function provided to the portable terminal is executed,

stores the collected environment information in the storage unit that matches with function information, and

generates usage pattern information based on the stored environment information and function information.

12. The portable terminal of claim 10, wherein the environment information collecting module comprises at least one of a location measurement module for measuring location information of the portable terminal, an RF communication unit for performing communication with an external portable terminal, and a short-range communication module.

13. The portable terminal of claim 10, wherein the environment information comprises:

at least one of time information and location information of the portable terminal.

14. The portable terminal of claim 10, further comprising:

a displaying unit for displaying the configured GUI.

15. A portable device comprising:

an input device,

a display device; and

a controller comprising;

a processor in communication with a memory, the memory including code, which when accessed by the processor causes the processor to;

collect current environment information of the portable terminal;

search for pattern environment information that is classified as belonging to the same environment as the collected current environment information;

extract function information corresponding to the searched pattern environment information; and

configure a graphic user interface (GUI) based on the extracted function information, wherein the pattern information contains pattern environment information of the portable terminal and function information corresponding to the pattern environment information.

16. The portable device of claim 15, further comprising at least one of:

an RF communication unit, a location measurement module, an infrared communication module, a near field communication module and a sensor unit.

17. The portable device of claim 15, wherein the graphic user interface comprising at least one function icon associated with the extracted function information.

18. The portable device of claim 15, wherein

responsive to an input from the input device, the processor accesses code to select between a general mode and an intelligent mode of the GUI.