Method for searching menu in mobile communication terminal

• US 7,986,305 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 07/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Chan Yong, Lee, Jin Soo, Byun, Yu Chan, Koo, Jun Hyoung, Baek, Yu Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar; Srilakshmi K
• Application Number:
  US11/646,548
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,671 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/169, 455/550.1, 455/566, 715/700, 715/713, 715/717, 715/764, 715/781, 715/784, 715/786
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• 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

The present invention relates to a method for searching a menu in a mobile communication terminal, wherein a plurality of main menus and sub menus of each main menu are simultaneously searched on a single menu screen using various navigational keys.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying at least one item from a first menu simultaneously with displaying a second menu on a display screen of a mobile communication terminal, the display screen including a first menu area and a second menu area, the second menu area distinguishes the second menu area of the display screen from the first menu area of the display screen, the first menu including a plurality of items displayed horizontally in an icon form in the first menu area and the second menu including a plurality of items listed vertically in an icon form or in a text form in the second menu area;

displaying at least one indicator in the first menu area of the display screen to identify existence of at least one non-displayed first menu item and an existing direction of the at least one non-displayed first menu item and displaying a name corresponding to a selected first menu item at an upper portion of the display screen, wherein the at least one indicator is displayed in a right area of the first menu area or in a left area of the first menu area;

displaying a scroll bar in the second menu area of the display screen adjacent the displayed second menu while simultaneously displaying the at least one indicator in the first menu area, the scroll bar identifying existence of non-displayed second menu items, wherein the scroll bar is displayed in a different area of the display screen than the indicator;

selecting one of the items of the second menu displayed in the second menu area; and

displaying a new window on the display screen containing information of the selected one of the items of the second menu, wherein displaying the new window includes displaying a detailed list in the new window corresponding to the selected one of the items of the second menu, and highlighting a region around one item of the detailed list in e new window, and wherein the displayed new window partly covers at least one item from the second menu while at least one item of the first menu is displayed in the first menu area of the display screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one indicator comprises an arrow.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first menu and the second menu are hierarchically structured, and the first menu is higher than the second menu in the hierarchical structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting one of the items of the second menu includes selecting the one of the items of the second menu using a key or a soft key.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the key comprises one of a plurality of navigation keys.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the key comprises a side key located on a side of the mobile communication terminal other than a side of the mobile communication terminal having the display screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first menu comprises a plurality of icons and the second menu comprises a plurality of icons.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the at least one item of the first menu in a manner that is different from color of other items of the first menu.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of items of the first menu are displayed in the first menu area simultaneously with the name corresponding to the selected first menu item.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the name is displayed above the plurality of items of the first menu such that the plurality of items of the first menu are displayed in the first menu area between the name and the displayed second menu.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a check box in the second menu area besides at least one of the items of the second menu.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising highlighting a region around the selected one of the items of the second menu to distinguish the selected second menu item from non-selected second menu items.

13. A method of a mobile communication terminal that includes a display screen having a main menu area and a sub menu area, the method comprising:

displaying at least one item from a first menu at the main menu area of the display screen, the main menu area being at an upper area of the display screen, wherein displaying the at least one item includes displaying a plurality of items from the first menu in an icon form along a horizontal direction;

displaying a second menu at the sub menu area of the display screen while displaying the at least one item from the first menu, the sub menu area being at a lower area of the display screen, the second menu including a plurality of items listed vertically in an icon form or a text form, the sub menu area distinguishes the sub menu area of the display screen from the main menu area of the display screen;

displaying at least one indicator in the main menu area of the display screen identifying that another first menu item exists other than the displayed at least one item and displaying a name corresponding to a selected first menu item at the upper area of the display screen, wherein the at least one indicator further identifies an existing direction of the another first menu item, wherein the at least one indicator is displayed in a right area of the main menu area or in a left area of the main menu area;

displaying a scroll bar in the sub menu area of the display screen adjacent the displayed second menu while simultaneously displaying the at least one indicator in the main menu area of the display screen, the displayed scroll bar to identify existence of non-displayed sub menu items, wherein the at least one indicator is displayed in a different area of the display screen than the scroll bar;

selecting one item from the second menu displayed in the sub menu area; and

displaying a new window on the display screen containing information of the selected one of the items of the second menu, wherein displaying the new window includes displaying a detailed list in the new window corresponding to the selected one of the items of the second menu while displaying at least one item from the first menu, and highlighting a region around one item of the detailed list in the new window, and wherein the displayed new window partly covers at least one item from the second menu while the display screen displays at least one item from the second menu.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one indicator displayed in the main menu area of the display screen identifies a non-displayed item from the first menu.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first menu and the second menu are hierarchically structured, and the first menu is higher than the second menu in the hierarchical structure.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein selecting one item from the displayed second menu includes selecting the one item from the second menu using a key or a soft key.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the key comprises one of a plurality of navigation keys.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the key comprises a side key located on a side of the mobile communication terminal other than a side having the display screen.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying the at least one item from the first menu in a manner that is different from color of other items of the first menu.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of items from the first menu are displayed simultaneously in the main menu area with the name corresponding to the selected first menu item.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the name is displayed above the plurality of items from the first menu such that the plurality of items from the first menu are displayed between the name and the displayed second menu.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising displaying a check box in the sub menu area beside at least one item of the second menu.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising highlighting a region around the selected one of the items of the second menu to distinguish the selected second menu item from non-selected second menu items.

24. A mobile communication terminal comprising:

a display screen that includes a first menu area and a second menu area, the second menu area distinguishes the second menu area of the display screen from the first menu area of the display screen; and

a plurality of keys, the display screen to display at least one item from a first menu displayed in the first menu area simultaneously with displaying a second menu on the second menu area of the display screen, wherein the display screen displays a plurality of items from the first menu in an icon type form along a horizontal direction of the first menu area, the second menu including a plurality of items in an icon form or in a text form listed vertically in the second menu area, and the display screen further displays at least one indicator in the first menu area of the display screen to identify existence of a non-displayed first menu item and an existing direction of the non-displayed first menu item, wherein the at least one indicator is displayed in a right area of the first menu area or in a left area of the first menu area, and the display screen to display a name corresponding to a selected first menu item at an upper portion of the display screen,

wherein the display screen further displays a scroll bar in the second menu area of the display screen adjacent the displayed second menu while simultaneously displaying the at least one indicator in the first menu area of the display screen, the scroll bar identifying existence of non-displayed second menu items, wherein the at least one indicator is displayed in a different area of the display screen than the scroll bar, wherein a user selects an item from the second menu displayed in the second menu area using one of the keys, and the display screen displays a new window on the display screen containing information of the selected item from the second menu, the displayed new window partly covering at least one item from the second menu while at least one item from the first menu is displayed in the first menu area and at least one item from the second menu is displayed in the second menu area, and wherein the new window includes a detailed list corresponding to the selected item from the second menu, and a region around one item of the detailed list is highlighted.

25. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the at least one indicator comprises an arrow.

26. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the first menu and the second menu are provided in a hierarchical structure in which the first menu is higher than the second menu.

27. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the one key comprises a side key located on a side of the mobile communication terminal other than a side of the mobile communication terminal having the display screen.

28. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the display screen displays the at least one item from the first menu in a shaded manner.

29. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the display screen displays the name simultaneously with the display of the plurality of items from the first menu.

30. The mobile communication terminal of claim 29, wherein the display screen displays the name above the plurality of items from the first menu such that the plurality of items from the first menu are displayed in the first menu area between the name and the displayed second menu.

31. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the display screen displays a check box in the second menu area beside at least one of the items from the second menu.

32. The mobile communication terminal of claim 24, wherein the display screen highlights a region of the selected item from the second menu to distinguish the selected second menu item from non-selected second menu items.