METHOD FOR PROVIDING TOUCH SCREEN-BASED USER INTERFACE AND PORTABLE TERMINAL ADAPTED TO THE METHOD

• US 20110096087A1
• Filed: 09/09/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHUN, Jin Wook
• Granted Patent: US 9,395,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/592
• 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 for providing touch screen-based user interface and a portable terminal adapted to the method are provided. The method includes setting types and display order of icons to be displayed on a touch screen, sensing a touch input to the touch screen, measuring a time that the touch input is retained on the touch screen, and displaying at least one icon, in an order, according to the measured touch input retaining time and the set types and display order of icons. The touch screen-based user interface providing method can allow a user to easily search for and operate a corresponding function, via a relatively small number of touch inputting actions, thereby enhancing the user'"'"'s experience while the user is using the portable terminal.

Claims

1. A method for providing touch screen-based user interface of a portable terminal, the method comprising:

setting types and display order of icons to be displayed on a touch screen;

sensing a touch input to the touch screen;

measuring a time that the touch input is retained on the touch screen; and

displaying at least one icon, in an order, according to the measured touch input retaining time and the set types and display order of icons.

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

locating each of the at least one icon at a same distance from a position where the input touch is detected.

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

arranging the icons according to information regarding icon arrangement that is set corresponding to the measured touch input retaining time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing a touch release;

detecting a number of at least one displayed icon; and

re-arranging at least one displayed icon according to information regarding icon arrangement that is set corresponding to the detected number of the at least one displayed icon.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the icons correspond to menu icons corresponding to menus of the portable terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the setting of the types and the display order of icons to be displayed comprises:

setting the priority order of menus in a list according to a use frequency; and

setting the types and the display order of icons to be displayed on the touch screen according to the set priority order of menus.

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

displaying a transparency of the icons according to the set display order.

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

changing the displayed color of the icons according to the set display order.

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

changing the displayed size of the icons according to the set display order.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the icons correspond to icons of main menus, each of which, containing at least one submenu.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the setting of the types and the display order of icons to be displayed comprises:

setting the types and the display order of submenu icons and main menu icons, which will be displayed on the touch screen, respectively.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

sensing a touch release;

sensing a touch applied to one of the displayed icons;

measuring a touch input retaining time for the touched icon; and

creating and displaying at least one submenu icon contained in the menu of the touched icon, according to the touch input retaining time, measured for the touched icon, and the types and the display order of icons for the set submenus.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sensing a touch release;

sensing a re-touch applied to a position where the touch released has occurred;

measuring a re-touch input retaining time that the re-touch is being applied to a position where the touch released has occurred; and

removing at least one icon, in a reverse order of the displaying of the icons, according to the measured re-touch input retaining time.

14. A portable terminal that provides User Interface (UI), the terminal comprising:

a touch screen for sensing a user'"'"'s input touch and displaying at least one icon; and

a controller for setting types and display order of icons to be displayed on the touch screen, controlling the touch screen to sense the user'"'"'s input touch, measuring a period of time that the user'"'"'s input touch is being retained on the touch screen, and controlling the touch screen to display at least one icon, in an order, according to the touch input retaining time and the set types and display order of icons.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller sets information regarding icon arrangement, corresponding to at least one of the number of icons to be displayed on the touch screen and the measured touch input retaining time, and controls the touch screen to arrange and display at least one icon according to the set icon arrangement information.

16. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller sets the priority order of menus in a list according to a use frequency, and types and display order of icons to be displayed on the touch screen according to the set priority order of menus.

17. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller, when controlling the touch screen to display the at least one icon, controls the touch screen to display each of the at least one icon at a same distance from a position where the input touch is sensed.

18. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller further controls to sense a touch release, controls to detect a number of at least one displayed icon, and controls to re-arrange at least one displayed icon according to information regarding icon arrangement that is set corresponding to the detected number of the at least one displayed icon.

19. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller, when controlling the touch screen to display the at least one icon, controls to the touch screen to display at least one of a transparency, a color, and a size of the icons according to the set display order.

20. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the controller further controls to sense a touch release, controls to sense a re-touch applied to a position where the touch released has occurred, measures a re-touch input retaining time that the re-touch is being applied to a position where the touch released has occurred, and controls to remove at least one icon, in a reverse order of the displaying of the icons, according to the measured re-touch input retaining time.