Portable television with recognizably different low/high hierarchy displays

• US 5,856,827 A
• Filed: 02/24/1997
• Issued: 01/05/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sudo, Fukuharu
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, BA
• Application Number:
  US08/805,364
• Time in Patent Office: 680 Days
• Field of Search: 345/348, 345/352, 345/353, 345/157, 345/184
• US Class Current: 715/841
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2019/146 Roller type actuators
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4126 The peripheral being portable, e.g. PDAs or mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A portable communication apparatus provides a display on which the user is able to easily find out the object item at the time of displaying a list of the plural items. In the case where the functional items are separated into some groups and formed into hierarchical structure, the display layout is changed for each hierarchy at the time of displaying the list of the items. Therefore, by viewing the differences among the display layouts, the user can know which hierarchy is currently being displayed and can easily find out the object item.

Claims

1. A portable communication terminal comprising:

a display for displaying a desired item selected out of a plurality of selection items which are hierarchically arranged;

a pointer for indicating said desired item out of said plurality of selection items displayed on said display, said pointer includes a rotatable disc-like member which partly sticks out from a main body of the portable communication terminal;

an instruction switch for causing an item of low hierarchy corresponding to an item indicated by said pointer to be displayed on said display; and

a data processor for changing a display layout at a time of switching by said pointer and switch to change from a display listing selection items of high hierarchy in a first format to a display listing selection items of low hierarchy in a second format, said first and second formats being recognizably different.

2. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said data processor includes means, at the time of switching by said pointer and switch from the display of the selection items of the high hierarchy to the display of the selection items of the low hierarchy, for simultaneously displaying information indicating the high hierarchy which is linked with said low hierarchy.

3. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said data processor includes means, at the time of switching by said pointer and switch from the display for the selection items of the high hierarchy to the display for the items of the low hierarchy, for displaying the character display beginning position of items displayed in said low hierarchy so as to be different from the character display beginning position of selection items which are in said high hierarchy.

4. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said data processor includes means for scrolling the selection items of the high hierarchy displayed on said display for every page in accordance with operations of said pointer and for scrolling plural items of the low hierarchy displayed on said display line by line.

5. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said data processor includes means for causing said display to display a selection item of the high hierarchy on said display together with items of the low hierarchy which are linked with said displayed selection item.

6. The portable communication terminal according to claim 5,

wherein said data processor includes means, in the case of displaying a first selection item and a second selection item which are in the high hierarchy at the same time on the display by said pointer, for displaying an indication showing a boundary of said first selection item and said second selection item.

7. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said data processor includes means, at the time of switching by said pointer and switch from the display for selection items of the high hierarchy to the display for items of the low hierarchy. for changing a color of the display for items of the low hierarchy relative to a color of the display for selection items of the high hierarchy.

8. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said data processor includes means, at the time of switching by said pointer and switch from the display for selection items of the high hierarchy to the display for items of the low hierarchy, for changing a size of a font for displaying items of the low hierarchy relative to a size a font for displaying selection items of the high hierarchy.

9. The portable communication terminal according to claim 1,

wherein said data processor includes means, at the time of switching by said pointer and switch from the display for selection items of the high hierarchy to the display for items of the low hierarchy, for changing a shape of a font for displaying items of the low hierarchy relative to a shape of a font for displaying selection items of the high hierarchy.

10. A portable communication terminal comprising:

a display for displaying a desired item selected out of a plurality of selection items which are hierarchically arranged;

a pointer for indicating said desired item out of said plurality of selection items displayed on said display;

an instruction switch for causing an item of low hierarchy corresponding to an item indicated by said pointer to be displayed on said display; and

a data processor for changing a display layout at a time of switching by said pointer and switch to change from a display of selection items of high hierarchy to a display of selection items of low hierarchy, wherein

said pointer for indicating a desired item out of said plurality of selection items displayed on said display includes a rotatable disc-like member which partly sticks out from a main body of the portable communication terminal.

11. A portable communication terminal comprising:

a display for displaying a desired item selected out of a plurality of selection items which are hierarchically arranged;

a pointer for indicating said desired item out of said plurality of selection items displayed on said display;

an instruction switch for causing an item of low hierarchy corresponding to an item indicated by said pointer to be displayed on said display; and

a data processor for changing a display layout at a time of switching by said pointer and switch to change from a display of selection items of high hierarchy to a display of selection items of low hierarchy, wherein

said pointer for indicating a desired item out of said plurality of selection items displayed on said display includes a rotatable disc-like member which partly sticks out from a main body of the portable communication terminal, and said instruction switch for is operated by pushing the disc-like member, which partly sticks out from the main body of the portable communication terminal, in a direction of the main body of portable communication terminal.