MOBILE COMMUNICATION TERMINAL HAVING TOUCH INTERFACE AND TOUCH INTERFACE METHOD

• US 20110087983A1
• Filed: 06/03/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: SHIM, Sang Hoon
• Application Number:
  US12/793,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087983A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A mobile communication terminal having a touch interface and a touch interface method provide a touch selection process for the purpose of menu selection. The mobile communication terminal includes a touch unit to generate a touch signal in response to a received touch, a touch signal determination unit to receive the touch signal from the touch unit, and to determine whether the touch is maintained or released, and an execution menu processing unit to generate an execution menu list with respect to data corresponding to the touch signal if the touch is determined to be maintained, to sequentially activate respective execution menus of the execution menu list in accordance with a menu change time, and to transmit an execution command with respect to the activated execution menu to execute the activated execution menu to a control unit if the touch is determined to be released.

Claims

1. A mobile communication terminal having a touch interface, the mobile communication terminal comprising:

a touch unit to generate a touch signal in response to a received touch;

a touch signal determination unit to receive the touch signal from the touch unit, and to determine whether the touch is maintained or released; and

an execution menu processing unit to generate an execution menu list with respect to data corresponding to the touch signal if the touch is determined to be maintained, to sequentially activate respective execution menus of the execution menu list in accordance with a menu change time, and to transmit an execution command with respect to the activated execution menu to a control unit to execute the activated execution menu if the touch is determined to be released.

2. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the touch unit includes a pressure change sensing module to measure a pressure intensity of the touch to generate a pressure intensity signal, and the execution menu processing unit calculates the menu change time in accordance with the pressure intensity signal.

3. The mobile communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the execution menu processing unit decreases the menu change time in accordance with a pressure intensity signal greater than or equal to a reference pressure intensity.

4. The mobile communication terminal of claim 2, wherein the pressure change sensing module senses a pressure change adjacent to touch position coordinates of the touch to generate a direction selection signal, and the execution menu processing unit activates execution menus in the execution menu list in accordance with the direction selection signal.

5. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution menu processing unit generates a menu change alarm signal using at least one of a vibration and a sound of the mobile communication terminal when the execution menu is activated.

6. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein:

if a drag signal is generated before the touch is released, the execution menu processing unit performs a command according to the drag signal,

if a region where the drag signal is generated is included in a touch data region where the touch is maintained, the execution menu processing unit determines that the touch is maintained,

if the region where the drag signal is generated is included in a region where data is absent, different from the touch data region, the execution menu processing unit performs a cancel function, and

if the region where the drag signal is generated is included in another data region, the execution menu processing unit generates an execution menu list with respect to corresponding data, and sequentially activates each execution menu.

7. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution menu list comprises at least one of execution menus executed for a period with respect to the data, and a number of execution menus arranged in an order of higher execution frequency.

8. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution menu list is displayed in one of a fan-shape type, a semi-circular type, a horizontal movement type, a vertical movement type, and a semitransparent text type.

9. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution menu list comprises a cancel menu.

10. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the activated execution menu is executed if the touch is released in the activated execution menu of the execution menu list.

11. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution menu processing unit generates execution menu list comprising execution menus according to recently executed execution menus.

12. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution menu processing unit generates execution menu list comprising execution menus according to a user history.

13. The mobile communication terminal of claim 1, wherein the execution menu processing unit repeatedly sequentially activates respective execution menus of the execution menu list if it is determined that the touch is maintained.

14. A touch interface method performed in a mobile communication terminal, the touch interface method comprising:

outputting a data list with respect to a menu provided in the mobile communication terminal;

receiving a touch with respect to any one data from the data list;

determining whether the touch is maintained;

generating an execution menu list with respect to the data if the touch is maintained, and displaying the generated execution menu list;

sequentially activating respective execution menus of the execution menu list in accordance with a menu change time; and

performing the activated execution menu if the touch is released.

15. The touch interface method of claim 14, further comprising:

measuring a pressure intensity of the touch to calculate the menu change time.

16. The touch interface method of claim 15, wherein the menu change time is decreased according to a pressure intensity greater than or equal to a reference pressure intensity.

17. The touch interface method of claim 14, further comprising:

sensing a pressure change adjacent to touch position coordinates of the touch to determine an activated direction of the execution menu in the execution menu list.

18. The touch interface method of claim 14, wherein the sequentially activating respective execution menus generates a menu change alarm signal using at least one of a vibration and a sound of the mobile communication terminal if the execution menu is activated.

19. The touch interface method of claim 14, wherein the performing of the activated execution menu comprises performing the activated execution menu if the touch is released in the activated execution menu of the execution menu list.

20. The touch interface method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating a drag signal before the touch is released; and

performing a command according to the drag signal;

wherein the command comprises;

determining that the touch is maintained if a region where the drag signal is generated is included in a touch data region where the touch is maintained,

performing a cancel function if the region where the drag signal is generated is included in a region where data is absent, different from the touch data region, and

generating an execution menu list with respect to data in another data region if the region where the drag signal is generated is included in the another data region.