Method of implementing an electronic calculator function in a portable terminal

• US 6,754,683 B1
• Filed: 03/06/2000
• Issued: 06/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Chan-Kyu, Park, Joung-Kyou
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Tan V.
• Application Number:
  US09/519,517
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 708/160-169, 708/105-112, 345/773, 345/864
• US Class Current: 708/160
• 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 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

A method of implementing an electronic calculator function in a portable terminal having a display comprises the steps of: setting an electronic calculator mode; displaying separately on the display: a first input window which receives and displays therein numeric information subject to arithmetic operation, a second input window which receives and displays therein operation/control commands, and an output window which displays therein an information input state and a result of the operation; displaying the numeric information in the output window when the corresponding information is inputted through the first input window; performing an operation on the numeric information displayed in the output window when the operation/control commands are inputted through the second input window; and displaying resultant numeric information, resulting from the operation, in the output window. The size of the output window may be increase as needed by reducing the sizes of the first and second input windows.

Claims

1. A method of implementing an electronic calculator function in a portable terminal having a display, comprising the steps of:

setting an electronic calculator mode;

displaying separately on the display;

a first input window which receives and displays therein numeric information subject to arithmetic operation,

a second input window which receives and displays therein operation/control commands, and

an output window which displays therein an information input state and a result of the operation;

displaying the numeric information in the output window when the corresponding information is inputted through the first input window;

performing an operation on the numeric information displayed in the output window when the operation/control commands are inputted through the second input window;

reducing a size of the first and second input windows to allow the output window to increase in size when needed to display additional resultant numeric information; and

displaying resultant numeric information, resulting from the operation, in the output window.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first input window is positioned on one side in a lower portion of the display, the second input window is positioned on an opposing side to the first input window in a lower portion of the display, and the output window is positioned above the first input window and the second input window.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first input window includes icons which have a predetermined shape corresponding to numerals to be operated.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second input window includes icons which correspond to respective operation and control commands.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein portions of the first and second input windows, which are eliminated to provide space to enlarge the output window size, contained icons displayed therein.

6. A method of implementing an electronic calculator function in a portable terminal with a display, comprising:

displaying a first input window which has divided regions corresponding to numeric information and receiving input numeric information;

displaying a second input window which has divided regions corresponding to operation/control commands and receiving input operation/control commands;

displaying an output window for displaying the input numeric information and for subsequently displaying resultant numeric information, resulting from performing an arithmetic operation on the input numeric information according to the received input operation/control commands displayed in the second input window; and

reducing a size of the first and second input windows to allow the output window to increase in size when needed to display additional resultant numeric information.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the divided regions correspond to respective icons displayed therein.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the divided regions of the first input window correspond to numeric icons for numeric input.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the divided regions of the second input window correspond to icons for an-input of four arithmetic operations (+−

*/), a deletion command, a decimal point, and a perform operation command.

10. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein a selected one of the divided regions of the first and second input windows are displayed in an inverted state.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the selected one of the divided regions alternates in response to an input of a direction key.

12. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the input numeric information and the operation/control commands are inputted to and displayed on the first and second input windows, respectively, according to an input of predetermined key buttons.