Device and method for organizing a menu in a mobile communication terminal

• US 7,346,373 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2003
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Jae-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Duc M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Phuong; Dai
• Application Number:
  US10/649,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20040048607A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/566, 455/425, 455/170.1, 455/186.1, 455/186.2, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/567, 345/157, 345/653, 345/649, 348/14.03
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

Abstract

A device for organizing a menu in a mobile communication terminal. The device comprises a control unit for dynamically generating and deleting a plurality of menu planes according to a user'"'"'s setting, each plane including at least one menu item; a control unit for providing a mechanism of multi-dimensional navigation between the generated menu planes; and a display unit for receiving the menu planes from the control unit and displaying the received menu planes under control of the control unit.

Claims

1. A device for organizing a menu in a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a control unit for dynamically generating and deleting a plurality of menu planes according to a user'"'"'s setting, each plane including at least one menu item;

a control unit for enabling multi-dimensional navigation between the generated menu planes wherein when there is an empty menu registration slot in the new menu plane, the control unit enables the empty menu item slot to inherit a menu item of a menu registration slot in a previous menu plane, the menu registration slot of the previous menu plane corresponding to the empty menu item slot, and the control unit enables the display unit to display the inherited menu item on the empty menu item slot; and

a display unit for receiving the menu planes from the control unit and displaying the received menu planes under control of the control unit,

wherein when a user registers a menu, the control unit generates a plurality of menu planes including at least one user menu registration slot connected to the registered menu, and, if a menu selection cursor moves from at least one user menu registration slot in a first menu plane of the plurality of menu planes so as to exit the first menu plane, the control unit moves the menu selection cursor to a second menu plane of the plurality of menu planes.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein a user can add at least one menu item.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein a user can delete said at least one menu item.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein if the number of menu items on one of the plurality of menu planes exceeds a maximum allowable number of menu items, the control unit generates a new menu plane.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein each menu registration slot in the plurality of menu planes is spatially continuous with and connected to a menu registration slot in its neighboring menu plane.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein when the menu selection cursor positioned in one of the menu registration slot is moved by the user, the control unit moves the menu selection cursor to a menu registration slot in a menu plane adjacent to the menu registration slot.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein selecting a key once moves the menu selection cursor positioned in said at least one user menu registration slot connected to the registered menu in the plurality of menu planes to another menu plane of the plurality of menu planes.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein when the menu selection cursor moves to the second menu plane, the control unit causes the display unit to display a moving three-dimensional image such that a polyhedron including the first and second menu planes is rotated to change its front view from one menu plane to another menu plane.

9. A method for organizing a menu in a mobile communication terminal, comprising:

generating dynamically and deleting a plurality of menu planes according to a user'"'"'s setting, each plane including at least one menu item;

generating a first menu plane of a polyhedron including at least one menu registration slot associated with a registered menu when a menu is registered by a user; and

registering a menu item to a menu registration slot of the generated menu plane of the polyhedron;

displaying a second menu plane of a plurality of menu planes if a menu selection cursor moves from said at least one menu registration slot so as to exit the first menu plane of the plurality of menu planes; and

enabling an empty menu item slot to inherit the menu item of the menu registration slot in the first menu plane corresponding to the empty menu slot if there is an empty menu item slot in the second plane, displaying the inherited menu item on the empty menu slot.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of generating a second menu plane including at least one menu registration slot when a menu is additionally registered by the user.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

displaying a moving three-dimensional image on a display unit such that a polyhedron including the first and second menu planes is rotated to change its front view from one menu plane to another menu plane, when the menu selection cursor moves to the second menu plane.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the menu selection cursor positioned in said at least one user menu registration slot connected to a registered menu in the plurality of menu planes can move to another menu plane of the plurality of menu planes by selecting a key once.