METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING PROGRAMS OR ICONS

• US 20140195972A1
• Filed: 01/06/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: LEE, Seung-Hwan, LEE, Junho
• Application Number:
  US14/148,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195972A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/811
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/62 Uninstallation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A terminal is provided. The terminal includes a memory, and a processor for managing icons of programs installed in the memory. The processor determines a criterion for icon arrangement, arranges the icons according to the criterion for icon arrangement, and displays all or some of the arranged icons on a screen. The criterion for icon arrangement comprises at least one of most recently/frequently used, time, place, pattern of program use, and category.

Claims

1. A method for managing icons of programs installed in a terminal, the method comprising:

determining a criterion for icon arrangement;

arranging the icons according to the criterion for icon arrangement; and

displaying all or some of the arranged icons on a screen,

wherein the criterion for icon arrangement comprises at least one of most recently/frequently used, time, place, pattern of program use, and category.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

the arranging comprises:

when arranging the icons by most frequently used, calculating how frequently each program is used based on usage statistics of the programs used for a statistical period; and

arranging the icons in order of most frequently used programs.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein

the arranging comprises:

when arranging the icons by time, determining whether a current time is within a first time range;

if so, calculating how frequently each program is used based on usage statistics of the programs used within the first time range for a statistical period; and

arranging the icons in order of most frequently used programs.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein

the arranging comprises:

when arranging the icons by time, determining whether a current day is a first day;

if so, calculating how frequently each program is used based on usage statistics of the programs used on first days for a statistical period; and

arranging the icons in order of most frequently used programs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein

the arranging comprises:

when arranging the icons by time, determining whether a current date is a first date;

if so, calculating how frequently each program is used based on usage statistics of the programs used on first dates for a statistical period; and

arranging the icons in order of most frequently used programs.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein

the arranging comprises:

when arranging the icons by place, determining whether a current location is a first place;

if so, calculating how frequently each program is used based on usage statistics of the programs used at the first place for a statistical period; and

arranging the icons in order of most frequently used programs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein

the arranging comprises:

when arranging the icons according to the pattern of program use, determining whether a first program is currently running;

if so, calculating how frequently each program is used based on usage statistics of programs running after the first program is run, for a statistical period; and

arranging the icons in order of most frequently used programs.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein

the arranging comprises:

when arranging the icons by category, identifying category values for the programs; and

arranging the icons by categories corresponding to the program category values.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before the determining, changing the criterion for icon arrangement to a first arrangement criterion of a plurality of arrangement criteria,

wherein the first arrangement criterion comprises at least one of the above-described criteria, which are most recently/frequently used, time, place, pattern of program use, and category.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

the changing comprises:

displaying a first icon corresponding to a first program for changing the criterion for icon arrangement, on the screen;

when there is user input on the first icon, running the first program and displaying the plurality of arrangement criteria on the screen; and

when there is user input on the first arrangement criterion, changing the criterion for icon arrangement to the first arrangement criterion.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein

the changing comprises:

when there is user input of sliding the screen from a first point to a second point on the screen, displaying a first page for changing the criterion for icon arrangement on the screen; and

when there is user input of sliding a first screen from a third point to a fourth point on the first screen displaying the first page, changing the criterion for icon arrangement to the first arrangement criterion.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein

the changing comprises:

determining whether at least either one of the current time and the current location corresponds to change settings information; and

if so, changing the criterion for icon arrangement to the first arrangement criterion according to the change settings information.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein

the displaying comprises:

allocating a first portion of the screen as a space for displaying the arranged icons; and

displaying all or some of the icons arranged in the first portion.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising, when there is user input of sliding a second screen from a fifth point to a sixth point, with the second screen displaying all or some of the icons arranged according to the first arrangement criterion, changing the criterion for icon arrangement to a second arrangement criterion of the plurality of arrangement criteria.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein

the first point is above or below the second point,

the third point is on the left or right side of the fourth point, and

the fifth point is on the left or right side of the sixth point.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein

the first point is above or below the second point,

the third point is above or below the fourth point, and

the fifth point is above or below the sixth point

17. A terminal comprising:

a memory; and

a processor for managing icons of programs installed in the memory,

wherein the processor determines a criterion for icon arrangement, arranges the icons according to the criterion for icon arrangement, and displays all or some of the arranged icons on a screen, and

the criterion for icon arrangement comprises at least one of most recently/frequently used, time, place, pattern of program use, and category.

18. A terminal comprising:

a memory; and

a processor for managing icons of programs installed in the memory,

wherein the processor determines whether there is a first program that have been used less than a threshold for a statistical period among the programs.

19. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the processor determines whether the first program is deletable based on delete settings information set by the user, and if so, deletes the first program.

20. The terminal of claim 18, wherein the processor stores a first icon corresponding to the first program in a temporary storage box, and deletes the first program when no instruction to delete the first icon from the temporary storage box is input from the user for a threshold period of time.