TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING USER INTERFACE LINKED TO TERMINAL POSTURE

• US 20120194421A1
• Filed: 02/01/2012
• Published: 08/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ahn, Sung-Joo, Jung, Jin-He, SON, Tae-Hwan
• Application Number:
  US13/363,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20120194421A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/236 including keys on side or rear faces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A terminal and method for providing user interfaces linked to postures of a terminal, whereby a key input signal is received from any one of function keys located at both sides of the terminal, a posture of the terminal is determined in response to the received key input signal, a user interface screen corresponding to the determined posture of the terminal is provided, and settings of the terminal are changed according to the determined posture of the terminal, thereby increasing convenience of a user interface without use of a complicated sensor system.

Claims

1. A terminal for providing user interfaces linked to postures of the terminal, comprising:

a key input unit having at least two function keys located at left and right sides of the terminal, respectively; and

a controller for determining, when a key input signal is received from any one of the at least two function keys, a posture of the terminal in response to the received key input signal, providing a user interface screen corresponding to the determined posture of the terminal, and changing settings of the terminal according to the determined posture of the terminal.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the at least two function keys comprise a first function key and a second function key that perform a same function.

3. The terminal of claim 2, further comprising a memory unit for storing a first table regarding a posture of the terminal corresponding to inputs of the at least two function keys and a second table regarding terminal settings corresponding to the posture of the terminal.

4. The terminal of claim 3, wherein the terminal settings comprise key function settings, a user interface screen and display screen direction, camera and microphone settings, and settings of a touch screen configuration.

5. The terminal of claim 4, wherein, with reference to the first table, the controller determines that the posture of the terminal corresponds to a normal direction when the key input signal is received from the first function key and determines that the posture of the terminal corresponds to a reverse direction of the normal direction when the key input signal is received from the second function key.

6. The terminal of claim 5, wherein, with reference to the second table, the controller provides a default user interface screen and display screen direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction and provides the user interface screen and display screen direction by rotating the default user interface screen and display screen direction by 180°

when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction.

7. The terminal of claim 5, wherein, with reference to the second table, the controller performs a terminal setup according to the normal direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction and performs a terminal setup according to the reverse direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction.

8. The terminal of claim 7, wherein, with reference to the second table, the controller provides default key functions to the first function key and the second function key when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction and provides key functions corresponding to the reverse direction to the first function key and the second function key when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction.

9. The terminal of claim 7, wherein, with reference to the second table, the controller provides default microphone and speaker settings when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction and provides microphone and speaker settings corresponding to the reverse direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction.

10. A method of providing user interfaces linked to postures of a terminal, comprising:

receiving a key input signal from any one of at least two function keys located at left and right sides of the terminal, respectively;

determining a posture of the terminal in response to the received key input signal;

providing a user interface screen corresponding to the determined posture of the terminal; and

changing settings of the terminal according to the determined posture of the terminal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the at least two function keys comprise a first function key and a second function key that perform a same function.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising storing a first table regarding a posture of the terminal corresponding to inputs of the at least two function keys and a second table regarding terminal settings corresponding to the posture of the terminal.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the terminal settings comprise key function settings, a user interface screen and display screen direction, camera and microphone settings, and settings of a touch screen configuration.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining the posture of the terminal comprises:

determining that the posture of the terminal corresponds to a normal direction when the key input signal is received from the first function key; and

determining that the posture of the terminal corresponds to a reverse direction of the normal direction when the key input signal is received from the second function key, with reference to the first table.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the user interface screen comprises:

providing a default user interface screen and display screen direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction; and

providing the user interface screen and display screen direction by rotating the default user interface screen and display screen direction by 180°

when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction, with reference to the second table.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein changing the settings of the terminal comprises:

performing a terminal setup according to the normal direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction; and

performing a terminal setup according to the reverse direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction, with reference to the second table.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the terminal setup according to the normal direction comprises:

providing default key functions to the first function key and the second function key when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction; and

providing key functions corresponding to the reverse direction to the first function key and the second function key when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction, with reference to the second table.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein performing the terminal setup according to the reverse direction comprises:

providing default microphone and speaker settings when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the normal direction; and

providing microphone and speaker settings corresponding to the reverse direction when the posture of the terminal corresponds to the reverse direction, with reference to the second table.