TERMINAL AND METHOD FOR DISPLAYING OPERABILITY OF AN APPLICATION

• US 20140068522A1
• Filed: 08/21/2013
• Published: 03/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Pantech Corporation (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Inventors: LIM, Hea Yeon, Cha, Sung Hun
• Application Number:
  US13/972,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20140068522A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/846
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

Provided is a terminal that displays the operability of an application including: a storage unit storing precondition information of the application relating to usage environment; a determination unit comparing the stored precondition information of the application and the current state information of the terminal, determining whether the application is normally operable; applying a visual effect based on the determination to an icon corresponding to the application; and displaying the visually affected icon. Accordingly, a user can intuitively check the status of the application desired to be executed, whereby the user convenience can be improved.

Claims

1. A terminal that displays the operability of an application, the terminal comprising:

a storage unit configured to store precondition information of the application relating to a usage environment;

a determination unit configured to compare the stored precondition information of the application to a current state information of the terminal, configured to determine whether the application is normally operable, and configured to apply a visual effect based on the determination to an icon corresponding to the application; and

a display unit configured to display the visually affected icon.

2. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the visually affected icon comprises combining an auxiliary icon with the icon for representing the precondition information of the application.

3. The terminal of claim 1, further comprising an environment setting unit configured to change a setting of the usage environment of the terminal in accordance with the precondition information.

4. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation conveying availability of an application update.

5. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation conveying a use frequency of the application.

6. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the precondition information comprises a plurality of preconditions and the visual effect comprises a plurality of representations conveying information about one or more of the plurality of preconditions.

7. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation conveying availability of at least one of a communication network selected from at least one of a 3G network, a 4G network, a WIFI network, a Near Field Communication (NFC) network, and a BLUETOOTH network.

8. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation selected from at least one of availability of a camera, activation of an inflight mode of the terminal, battery capacity, installation of a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) chip, and installation of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) chip.

9. The terminal of claim 1, wherein the visual effect comprises a visual effect comprising at least one of using a dimming, using a monochromatic palette, using a sharpness adjustment, using a transparency adjustment, using a web process, using a mosaic process, and using an auxiliary icon.

10. A method for displaying the operability of an application, the method comprising:

storing precondition information of the application relating to a usage environment;

comparing the stored precondition information of the application to a current state information of the terminal;

determining whether the application is normally operable;

applying a visual effect based on the determination to an icon corresponding to the application; and

displaying the visually affected icon.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the visually affected icon comprises combining an auxiliary icon with the icon for representing the precondition information of the application.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising changing a setting of the usage environment of the terminal in accordance with the precondition information.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation conveying availability of an application update.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation conveying a use frequency of the application.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the precondition information comprises a plurality of preconditions and the visual effect comprises a plurality of representations conveying information about one or more of the plurality of preconditions.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation conveying availability of at least one of a communication network selected from at least one of a 3G network, a 4G network, a WIFI network, a Near Field Communication (NFC) network, and a BLUETOOTH network.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the visual effect comprises a representation selected from at least one of availability of a camera, activation of an inflight mode of the terminal, battery capacity, installation of a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) chip, and installation of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) chip.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the visual effect comprises a visual effect selected from one or more using a dimming, using a monochromatic palette, using a sharpness adjustment, using a transparency adjustment, using a web process, using a mosaic process, and using an auxiliary icon.

19. A computer-implemented method to display the operability of an application, the method comprising:

storing, in a non-transitory storage, an operating environment precondition of the application;

comparing, with a processor, a current operating environment of a terminal with the operating environment precondition to determine the operating environment precondition that is unsatisfied by the current operating environment;

selecting a visual effect to represent the unsatisfied operating environment precondition;

applying the visual effect to an icon corresponding to the application; and

displaying, with processor, the visually affected icon.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the visual effect comprises an auxiliary icon overlaying the icon.