APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING POP-UP MENU IN PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20110271229A1
• Filed: 05/02/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: YU, Yong-Ju
• Application Number:
  US13/098,591
• Publication Number:
  US 20110271229A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for touch input in a portable terminal, more specifically, an apparatus and a method for determining a pop-up menu set in a particular menu using a short touch. The apparatus preferably includes a controller for detecting a menu touch input for executing a function; and a pop-up menu guide unit for determining whether or not a pop-up menu is set in the menu detected by the controller and processing information to be output regarding whether or the pop-up menu is set, according to the determination.

Claims

1. An apparatus for determining a pop-up menu in a portable terminal, comprising:

a display unit;

a controller for detecting whether a menu touch input for executing a menu function is received by a touchscreen of the display unit; and

a pop-up menu guide unit in communication with the controller for determining whether a pop-up menu is set in the menu function detected by the controller and processing the menu function to output information regarding whether or not the pop-up menu is set according to the determination made by the pop-up guide unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, after the information regarding whether or not the pop-up menu is set is output, when a pop-up menu determination request is detected, the pop-up menu guide unit outputs the pop-up menu set in the menu function to the display unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, after the information regarding whether or the pop-up menu is set is output, when the pop-up menu determination request is not detected, the pop-up menu guide unit controls a display of the pop-up menu on the display unit to fade a display of the pop-up menu set in the menu function as the information of whether the pop-up menu is set disappears from display on the display unit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the pop-up menu is not set in the menu of the touch input, the pop-up menu guide unit executes the menu function corresponding to the touch input, and

when the pop-up menu is set in the menu function of the touch input, the pop-up menu guide unit outputs the information of whether the pop-up menu is set by outputting an icon for display by the display unit notifying of a presence of the pop-up menu.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pop-up menu guide unit determines a number of times for determining whether the pop-up menu is set with respect to the menu function corresponding to the detected touch input, determines whether the pop-up menu is set when the number of times for determining whether the pop-up menu is set falls below a threshold, and stops determining whether the pop-up menu is set when the number of times for determining whether the pop-up menu is set exceeds the threshold.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the icon displayed on the display unit notifying of the presence of the pop-up menu indicates that the pop-up menu set so that a user request to determine whether the pop-up menu is set comprises at least one of a digital timer, a sandglass, and a progress bar, indicating a time for receiving the request from the user.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pop-up menu indicates an item for selection of an additional function of a particular menu, and comprises at least one of copy, paste, and select.

8. A method for determining a pop-up menu in a portable terminal, comprising:

detecting by a controller a menu touch input on a touchscreen of a display unit for executing a menu function;

determining by a pop-up guide menu unit whether a pop-up menu is set in the menu function of the touch input; and

outputting information by the pop-up guide menu unit for display on a display unit as to whether the pop-up menu is set according to the determining step by the pop-up guide menu unit.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

after the pop-up guide menu unit outputs the information regarding whether or not the pop-up menu is set, when detecting a pop-up menu determination request, outputting the pop-up menu set in the menu function to a display screen for display.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

after the pop-up guide menu unit outputs the information regarding whether the pop-up menu is set, when not detecting the pop-up menu determination request, fading a display of the pop-up menu set in the menu function as the output information regarding the pop-up menu being set disappears from display by the display unit.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the outputting of the information of whether the pop-up menu is set comprises:

executing the menu corresponding to the detected touch input by the controller when the pop-up menu is not set in the menu function of the touch input; and

outputting an icon for display on the display unit which notifies of a presence of the pop-up menu when the pop-up menu is set in the menu function of the touch input.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of whether the pop-up menu is set in the menu of the touch input comprises:

determining by the pop-up menu guide unit the number of times for determining whether the pop-up menu is set with respect to the menu function of the detected touch input;

when the number of times for determining whether the pop-up menu is set falls below a threshold, determining by the pop-up menu guide unit whether the pop-up menu is set; and

when the number of times for determining whether the pop-up menu is set exceeds the threshold, stop determining whether or not the pop-up menu is set.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the icon displayed by the display unit to notify of the presence of the pop-up menu indicates that the pop-up menu set so that a user requests determination of the pop-up menu, and the icon comprises at least one of a digital timer, a sandglass, and a progress bar, indicating a time for receiving the request from the user.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the pop-up menu displayed on the display unit indicates an item for an additional function of a particular menu, and comprises at least one of copy, paste, and select.

15. An apparatus for determining a pop-up menu in a portable terminal, comprising:

an input unit for detecting a menu touch input for executing a function;

a controller for determining whether the detected menu touch input comprises a request for a pop-up menu by determining a touch pattern detected by the input unit, and determining whether a pop-up menu is set in the menu function for execution;

a pop-up menu guide unit for, when the controller determines the pop-up menu in the detected menu function, providing information regarding whether or not the pop-up menu is set; and

a display unit for outputting the information provided from the pop-up guide unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the pop-up menu guide unit defines a threshold per menu for the menu function execution, and then provides the information regarding whether or not the pop-up menu is set for the number of times corresponding to the defined threshold.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein, after providing the information regarding whether or not the pop-up menu is set, the pop-up menu guide unit executes a corresponding menu when a menu function execution request is detected, and activates the pop-up menu after a certain time when there is no detection of a menu function execution request.