Scrolling method and mobile communication terminal using the same

• US 7,515,142 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Eunyoung
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh; Duc Q
• Application Number:
  US11/853,677
• Publication Number:
  US 20080062207A1
• Time in Patent Office: 574 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345173-181, 341/22, 382181-189
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A scrolling method, which includes displaying at least one scroll icon on a screen of a touch device, sensing an operation in which one of the displayed scroll icons is touched and dragged, and scrolling the screen displayed on the touch device in a direction in which the touched scroll icon is dragged when the sensing step senses the scroll icon is touched and dragged.

Claims

1. A scrolling method, comprising:

displaying at least one scroll icon indicating a scrolling direction on a screen of a touch device along the scrolling direction;

sensing an operation in which one of the displayed scroll icon is touched and dragged; and

scrolling the screen displayed on the touch device in a direction in which the touched scroll icon is dragged when the sensing step senses the scroll icon is touched and dragged; and

storing a scroll unit corresponding to an amount of the displayed screen to be scrolled,

wherein the scrolling step scrolls the screen displayed on the touch device according to the stored scroll unit,

wherein the scroll unit is a line or page unit to respectively scroll the displayed screen on a line by line basis or a page by page basis, and

wherein the scroll unit is arbitrarily set by a user drawing on the scroll unit on the touch device.

2. The scrolling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touched and dragged scroll icon is returned to its original position after the dragging of the scroll icon is finished.

3. The scrolling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one scroll icon is displayed as a transparent scroll icon on the touch device.

4. The scrolling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one scroll icon is displayed on upper and lower sides, or left and right sides of the touch device.

5. The scrolling method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch device comprises an electrostatic touch device.

6. A mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a touch device having a display for displaying at least one scroll icon indicating a scrolling direction on a screen displayed thereon along the scrolling direction;

a controller configured to sense an operation in which one of the displayed scroll icon is touched and dragged, and to scroll the displayed screen in a direction in which the scroll icon is touched and dragged; and

a memory unit configured to store a scroll unit corresponding to an amount of the displayed screen to be scrolled,

wherein the controller is further configured to scroll the screen displayed on the touch device according to the stored scroll unit,

wherein the scroll unit is a line or page unit to respectively scroll the displayed screen on a line by line basis or a page by page basis, and

wherein the scroll unit is arbitrarily set by a user drawing on the scroll unit on the touch device.

7. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to return the touched and scrolled scroll icon to its original position after the scrolling of the scroll icon is finished.

8. The mobile communication terminal as claimed in claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to display the at least one scroll icon as a transparent scroll icon.