ITEM DISPLAY METHOD AND APPARATUS

• US 20120060111A1
• Filed: 07/25/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Jin Yong
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

An item display method and apparatus that provides an easier and faster way to locate a desired item on a display. The method and apparatus receive a user gesture on display screen, and display one or both of items of a first category and items of a second category according to the user gesture. Items of the first category and items of the second category are displayed in various ways according to associated user gestures.

Claims

1. An item display method comprising:

displaying items of a first category on a display unit, and displaying a tab associated with the first category and a tab associated with a second category on a screen of the display unit;

receiving by a processor a user gesture on the screen detected by an input unit; and

displaying by the display unit, when the processor determines that the user gesture comprises a selection gesture selecting one of the tab associated with the first category or the tab associated with the second category, wherein the tabs are arranged in a vertical or horizontal direction, along with one or more of items of the first category and items of the second category, and

displaying by the display unit, when the processor determines that the user gesture comprises a scroll gesture in a vertical or horizontal direction relative to a screen of the display unit, items of the second category immediately subsequent to displaying a last item of the first category.

2. The item display method of claim 1, wherein the processor controls displaying items of the second category immediately subsequent to displaying the last item of the first category comprises displaying items of both the first category and the second category.

3. The item display method of claim 1, further comprising when the user gesture is a scroll gesture, selecting a second category on a basis of rankings of individual categories.

4. The item display method of claim 1, further comprising said processor reducing a display size of the tab associated with the first category when items of the second category is displayed.

5. The item display method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining by the processor information regarding items of the first category and information regarding items of the second category; and

adjusting by the processor display sizes of the tabs associated with the first and second categories on the basis of the obtained information.

6. The item display method of claim 5, wherein in adjusting the displayed sizes of the tabs, the processor reducing the displayed size of the tab associated with the second category when the displayed size of the tab associated with the first category is increased.

7. The item display method of claim 5, wherein the information obtained by the processor regarding items of the first category and the second category includes at least one of plurality of items and an amount of data of the items.

8. The item display method of claim 1, further comprising the processor controlling the display unit to indicate on the tab associated with the first category a position of a particular one of the displayed items of the first category relative to other items within the first category.

9. The item display method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving by the processor a second user gesture detected by the input unit for selecting at least one item of the first category; and

displaying information regarding the selected item on the tab associated with the first category.

10. The item display method of claim 9, wherein the information regarding the selected item includes at least one of position information of the selected item within the first category and a thumbnail of the selected item.

11. The item display method of claim 9, wherein the second user gesture begins at a region of the display in which the item of the first category is displayed and ends at a region of the display in which the tab associated with the first category is displayed.

12. The item display method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving by the processor a third user gesture detected by the input unit selecting item information on the tab associated with the first category; and

displaying additional information related to the selected item information.

13. The item display method of claim 9, further comprising displaying, when information elements of multiple items are displayed on the tab associated with the first category, additional information related to one of the multiple items on the basis of a distance between information elements of the multiple elements.

14. An item display apparatus comprising:

a display unit displaying items of a first category, a tab associated with the first category and a tab associated with a second category on a screen of the display unit;

an input unit receiving a user gesture through the display unit displaying items of the first category; and

a processor controlling an operation of displaying, when the user gesture comprises a selection gesture for selecting one of the tab associated with the first category and the tab associated with the second category, and for selecting one of the items of the first category and items of the second category, and displaying, when the user gesture comprises a scroll gesture in a vertical or horizontal direction relative to the screen, items of the second category immediately after displaying the last item of the first category.

15. The item display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor selects, when the user gesture is a scroll gesture, a second category on a basis of rankings of individual categories and displays items of both the first category and items of the second category.

16. The item display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor obtains information regarding items of the first category and information regarding items of the second category, and adjusts display sizes of the tabs associated with the first and second categories on the basis of the obtained information.

17. The item display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor reduces a display size of the tab associated with the second category when a display size of the tab associated with the first category is increased.

18. The item display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor controls the display to indicate, on the tab associated with the first category a position of a particular one of the displayed items of the first category relative to other items within the first category.

19. The item display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor receives a second user gesture received by the input unit for selecting at least one item of the first category and control the display of information regarding the selected item on the tab associated with the first category.

20. A computer readable storage medium that stores a computer program comprises machine readable code that when executed by a processor implements an item display method comprising:

displaying by a display unit items of a first category, a tab associated with the first category and a tab associated with a second category on the screen;

receiving by a processor a user gesture on the screen by an input unit; and

displaying, when the user gesture comprises a selection gesture for selecting one of the tab associated with the first category and the tab associated with the second category, one of items of the first category and items of the second category, and displaying, when the user gesture comprises a scroll gesture in a vertical or horizontal direction, items of the second category immediately after displaying the last item of the first category.