Bidirectional slide-type mobile communication terminal and method of providing graphic user interface thereof

• US 8,160,650 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Nam-Kyu, Kim, Nam-Mi, Hwang, Chang-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US12/050,530
• Publication Number:
  US 20080287169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,491 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/550.1, 455/566, 455/575.1, 455/575.4, 455/128, 455/347, 455/348, 455/364, 379/433.12, 379/428.03, 379/433.04, 345/619, 345/629, 345/633, 345/636, 345/649
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• 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 bidirectional slide-type mobile communication terminal for providing a user interface that changes in real time according to input includes a sensor-equipped lower body and an upper body that slides with respect to the lower body. A method of providing such a graphic user interface includes sensing a sliding movement of the upper body, switching the terminal to an operation mode corresponding to the direction of the sliding movement, displaying the graphic user interface corresponding to the operation mode to which the terminal is switched, receiving input from a sensor, and changing the displayed graphic user interface in real time corresponding to the received input.

Claims

1. A method of providing a graphic user interface in a bidirectional slide-type mobile communication terminal comprising a touch band equipped lower body and an upper body that slides with respect to the lower body, the method comprising:

detecting a sliding movement of the upper body;

switching the terminal to an operation mode according to a direction of the detected sliding movement;

displaying a graphic user interface (GUI) according to the operation mode to which the terminal is switched;

receiving input from the touch band; and

changing the displayed GUI in real time corresponding to the received input,

wherein the touch band is disposed on a surface of the lower body exposed by the sliding movement of the upper body,

wherein the GUI comprises a guide band, the guide band comprising an image of the touch band,

wherein changing the displayed GUI comprises graphically simulating a physical response to input on the touch band.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch band comprises a sensor to sense a user input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch band has an arcuate shape, and the GUI comprises an arch-shaped guide band that substantially forms a circular band with the arcuate touch band when the upper body slides.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the guide band graphically rotates or is graphically pressed corresponding to the received input.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining if the received input is continuously input from any one point of the touch band to the any other point of the touch band; and

graphically changing the guide band in real time according to a moving direction from the any one point of the touch band to the any other point of the touch band.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the guide band graphically rotates clockwise, when the moving direction of the received input is clockwise.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the guide band graphically rotates counterclockwise when the moving direction of the received input is counterclockwise.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining if an average speed of the received input is equal to or greater than a threshold value when the received input is continuously input from any one point of the touch band to the any other point of the touch band; and

graphically rotating the guide band at a rotational speed corresponding to the determined average speed of the received input.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining if the received input is input by pressing a point of the touch band;

graphically pressing a point of the guide band corresponding to the point of the touch band; and

performing an instruction corresponding to the graphically pressed point of the guide band.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch band and the guide band displayed in the GUI each have a form of a straight strip, the touch band and the guide band in combination form a pair of parallel straight strips when the upper body slides, and the guide band graphically moves up and down or is graphically pressed according to the received input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch band and the guide band displayed in the GUI have a wedge form of “

<

” and

a wedge form of “

>

”

respectively, the touch band and the guide band in combination form a shape of “

<

>

”

when the upper body slides, and the guide band graphically rotates or is graphically pressed according to the received input.

12. A bidirectional slide-type mobile communication terminal comprising:

a lower body and an upper body that slides with respect to the lower body;

a touch band to receive an input, the touch band being located on the lower body and having an arcuate shape;

a display to display a graphic user interface (GUI) comprising a guide band that substantially forms a circle with the touch band when the upper body slides; and

a controller to control the display to graphically change the guide band in real time corresponding to the received input.

13. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the touch band comprises a sensor to sense the input.

14. The terminal of claim 12, further comprising a detector to detect a direction of a sliding movement of the upper body, wherein the controller switches the terminal to an operation mode corresponding to the detected direction of the sliding movement, and displays the GUI corresponding to the operation mode to which the terminal is switched.

15. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the sensor receives input that is continuously entered from any one point of the touch band to any other point of the touch band, and

the controller determines a moving direction of the continuously entered input and graphically changes the guide band in real time corresponding to the moving direction.

16. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the controller graphically rotates the guide band clockwise when the moving direction is clockwise, and graphically rotates the guide band counterclockwise when the moving direction is counterclockwise.

17. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the touch band receives input entered by pressing any one point of the touch band, and

the controller graphically presses a point of the guide band corresponding to the pressed point of the touch band, and performs a user instruction corresponding to the pressed point of the guide band.

18. The terminal of claim 12, further comprising a speaker to output voice data, wherein the speaker is located in the lower body and surrounds the arcuate sensor.

19. A bidirectional slide-type mobile communication terminal, comprising:

a lower body and an upper body that slides with respect to the lower body;

a sensor to receive an input, the sensor being located on the lower body;

a display to display a graphic user interface (GUI) comprising a guide band; and

a controller to control the display to graphically change the guide band in real time corresponding to the input received by the sensor,

wherein the sensor and the guide band have the same shape,

wherein the guide band comprises an image of the sensor,

wherein the controller controls the display to graphically change the guide band by simulating a physical response to input on the sensor.

20. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the sensor and the guide band have either a semi-circular shape, a straight bar shape, or a chevron shape.