METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING MENU ITEM IN A PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20120011470A1
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Nam-Il, CHOI, In-Yong, OH, Sang-Hoon, JUNG, Seok-Yeong
• Granted Patent: US 9,804,772 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for managing a menu item in a portable terminal are provided. In the method, at least one item is selected from items displayed on a screen according to a user control. An attribute of selected at least one item is determined. A new item is generated by one of dividing and merging the at least one item depending on the determined attribute.

Claims

1. A method for managing a menu item in a portable terminal, the method comprising:

selecting at least one item from items displayed on a screen according to a user control;

determining an attribute of the selected at least one item; and

generating a new item by one of dividing and merging the at least one item depending on the determined attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable terminal stores the items displayed on the screen in a form of a menu tree, and stores an attribute for each step with respect to each item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dividing of the at least one item comprises:

displaying at least one attribute of the at least one item on the screen;

determining a division scheme based on lower step attributes; and

dividing the at least one item according to the division scheme.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dividing of the at least one item comprises dividing the at least one item based on lower step attributes of the at least one item with reference to a division scheme set in advance.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dividing of the at least one item comprises:

determining a number of lower step attributes of the at least one item; and

when the number of lower step attributes is one, informing that the at least one item is not dividable.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one item comprises a plurality of items, and wherein the merging of the at least one item comprises:

determining whether parent items of the plurality of items are the same by comparing higher step attributes of the selected plurality of items; and

when the parent items are the same, generating a new item by merging the plurality of items.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

when the parent items are not the same, determining whether a rule corresponding to the plurality of items exists among merge rules set in advance; and

when the corresponding rule exists, generating a new item by merging the plurality of items according to the corresponding rule.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

when the corresponding rule does not exist, determining whether attributes of a threshold step or more are the same among higher step attributes of the plurality of items; and

when the attributes of the threshold step or more are the same, generating a new item by merging the plurality of items, and when the attributes of the threshold step or more are not the same, informing that the plurality of items are not merged.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the user control is for dividing the selected at least one item or merging the selected at least one item.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the user control comprises at least one of a slide type touch for at least one item, a drag type touch for a plurality of items, and a closed curve-shaped touch for a plurality of items.

11. An apparatus for managing a menu item in a portable terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a user input unit for selecting at least one item from items displayed on a screen according to a user control; and

a menu item controller for determining an attribute of the selected at least one item, and for generating a new item by one of dividing and merging the at least one item depending on the determined attribute.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the menu item controller stores the items displayed on the screen in a form of a menu tree, and stores an attribute for each step with respect to each item.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the menu item controller displays at least one attribute of the at least one item on a screen, determines a division scheme based on lower step attributes, and divides the at least one item according to the division scheme.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the menu item controller divides the at least one item based on lower step attributes of the at least one item with reference to a division scheme set in advance.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the menu item controller determines a number of lower step attributes of the at least one item, and when the number of lower step attributes is one, the menu item controller informs that the at least one item is not dividable.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one item comprises a plurality of items, and wherein the menu item controller determines whether parent items of the plurality of items are the same by comparing higher step attributes of the selected plurality of items, and when the parent items are the same, the menu item controller generates a new item by merging the plurality of items.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein when the parent items are not the same, the menu item controller determines whether a rule corresponding to the plurality of items exists among merge rules set in advance, and when the corresponding rule exists, the menu item controller generates a new item by merging the plurality of items according to the corresponding rule.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein when the corresponding rule does not exist, the menu item controller determines whether attributes of a threshold step or more are the same among higher step attributes of the plurality of items, and when the attributes of the threshold step or more are the same, the menu item controller generates a new item by merging the plurality of items, and when the attributes of the threshold step or more are not the same, the menu item controller informs that the plurality of items are not merged.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user input unit determines whether the user control is for dividing the selected at least one item or merging the selected at least one item.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the user control comprises at least one of a slide type touch for at least one item, a drag type touch for a plurality of items, and a closed-curve shaped touch for a plurality of items.