Apparatus and method for displaying variable-sized, grouped display information on touch screen

• US 8,321,809 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Issued: 11/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Eom, Ju-il
• Primary Examiner(s): Nunez, Jordany
• Application Number:
  US11/763,461
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• Field of Search: 715788-799, 345/671, 345/173
• US Class Current: 715/792
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for displaying grouped display information by variable sizevariable-sized, grouped display information on a touch screen are provided. The apparatus includes an input unit that receives input from a user on a touch screen on which several pieces of display information are grouped and displayed in a predetermined number of groups, a determination unit that determines which group was input by calculating a location on the touch screen with respect to the user'"'"'s input, and a display unit that displays the several pieces of display information in groups, and changes a size of the group region input as a result of the determination and the size of the other groups corresponding to the input group region size.

Claims

1. An apparatus for displaying variable-sized, grouped display information on a touch screen, the apparatus comprising:

an input unit that receives an input from a user on a touch screen on which several pieces of display information are grouped and displayed in a plurality of groups;

a determination unit that determines which of the plurality of groups was input by calculating a location on the touch screen corresponding to the user input and determines if the input is within a group-size modification area of the group which was input; and

a display unit that displays the several pieces of display information in groups, and changes a size of a region of the group which was input if the determination unit determines that the input was within the group-size modification area of the group which was input while a size of a region of at least one other of the plurality of groups changes corresponding to the size of the region of the group which was input,

wherein each group region is divided into an execution area which controls execution of multimedia content and the group-size-modification area and wherein the execution area is within the group-size modification area, and the input within the execution area is of a same type as the input within the group-size modification area,

wherein the display unit decreases the size of the region of the at least one other of the plurality of groups which is lamest among the other of the plurality of groups to the next smaller size.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the touch screen is divided into a plurality of lattices, and the grouped display information is respectively displayed in one or more of the plurality of lattices.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the touch screen is divided at regular intervals.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the size of the input group region larger, and the region of the at least one other of the plurality of groups smaller.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the display unit does not change the size of each group region when the size of the input group region is maximum.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit changes the size of the display information included in each group region when the size of each group region is changed.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit changes a number of pieces of information included in each group region when the size of each group region is changed.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus executes a function corresponding to an execution control if the determination unit determines that the location on the touch screen corresponding to the user input corresponds to the execution area, and the size of the input group region is changed if the determination unit determines that the location on the touch screen corresponding to the user input corresponds to the group-size-modification area.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each group region has an execution area which controls execution and the group-size-modification area at a certain position in the group region for modifying sizes of the group regions, the function corresponding to the execution area is executed if the determination unit determines that the location on the touch screen corresponding to the user input corresponds to the execution area, and the size of the input group region is changed if the determination unit determines that the location on the touch screen corresponding to the user input corresponds to the group-size-modification area.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each group region has an execution area which controls execution, a function corresponding to an execution area is executed if the determination unit determines that the location on the touch screen corresponding to the user input corresponds to the execution area, and the size of the input group region is changed if the determination unit determines that the user input comprises selecting the group-size modification area and dragging it.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the groups in one of a plurality of preset sizes, and the display unit increases the size of a region of the group which was input to the next larger size among the plurality of preset sizes and decreases the size of the region of the at least one other of the plurality of groups to the next smaller size among the plurality of preset sizes.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the display unit displays the groups in a non-overlapping form in one of at least three different preset sizes.

13. A method of displaying variable-sized, grouped display information on a touch screen, the method comprising:

grouping several pieces of display information and dividing them into a plurality of group regions on the touch screen;

receiving an input corresponding to one group region selected among the plurality of group regions on the touch screen;

determining if the input is within a group-size-modification area of the group region which was input; and

changing a size of the one group region if it is determined that the input is within the group-size modification area of the one group region which was input while a size of at least one other of the plurality of group regions changes corresponding to the changing of the size of the one group region,

wherein each group region is divided into an execution area which controls execution of multimedia content and the group-size-modification area wherein the execution area is within the group-size modification area, and the input within the execution area is of a same type as the input within the group-size modification area

wherein the decreasing of the size of the at least one other of the plurality of group regions comprises decreasing the size of the at least one other of the plurality of group regions which is lamest among the other of the plurality of group regions.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the touch screen is divided into a plurality of lattices, and the grouped display information is respectively displayed on one or more of the plurality of lattices.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the touch screen is divided at regular intervals.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein changing the size comprises displaying the size of the input group region larger and the at least one other of the plurality of groups smaller on the touch screen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the size of each group is not changed when the size of the input group region is maximum during the changing.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the size of the display information included in each group region is changed when the size of each group region is changed.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein a number of pieces of information included in each group region is changed when the size of each group region is changed.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the changing of the size comprises changing the size of the one group region to one of a plurality of preset sizes, and increasing the size of the one group region to the next larger size among the plurality of preset sizes and decreasing the size of the at least one other of the plurality of group regions to the next smaller size among the plurality of present sizes.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the group regions are displayed in a non-overlapping form in one of at least three different preset sizes.

22. A method of displaying variable-sized, grouped display information on a touch screen, the method comprising:

grouping several pieces of display information and dividing them into a plurality of group regions on the touch screen;

receiving information on at least one of execution control or a change of a group region size of at least one of the plurality of group regions based on a location of an input on the touch screen; and

performing a function corresponding to the execution control if the receiving information comprises receiving the input within an execution area for controlling execution, or changing the group region size of the at least one of the plurality of group regions if the receiving information comprises receiving the input within a group-size modification area, wherein each group region is divided into an execution area which controls execution of multimedia content and the group-size-modification area,

wherein the execution area is within the group-size modification area, and wherein the input within the execution area is of a same type as the input within the group-size modification area,

wherein the decreasing of the size of the at least one other of the plurality of group regions comprises decreasing the size of the at least one other of the plurality of group regions which is lamest among the other of the plurality of group regions.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each group region is divided into the execution area and the group-size-modification area comprising the rest of the group region.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the function corresponding to the execution control is executed if information is received on the execution area, and wherein the size of the at least one of the plurality of group regions is changed if the information received comprises a user selecting the execution area and dragging the execution area along the touch screen.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the touch screen is divided into a plurality of lattices, and the grouped display information is respectively displayed in one or more of the plurality of lattices.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the touch screen is divided at regular intervals.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein if the receiving information comprises receiving information on the change of the group region size of at least one of the plurality of group regions, the size of the at least one of the group regions is displayed larger and sizes of the other group regions are displayed smaller.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the size of each group region is not changed when the size of the group region on which information is received is maximum.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the size of display information included in each group is changed when the size of each group region is changed.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein a number of pieces of display information included in each group is changed when the size of each group is changed.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the function corresponding to the execution control is executed when the user selects the execution area and drags it in a predetermined direction;

and

wherein the at least one of the plurality of group regions is changed if the information received comprises the user selecting the execution area and dragging it along the touch screen in a direction that is different from the predetermined direction.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein the changing of the group region size comprises changing the size of the at least one of the group regions to one of a plurality of preset sizes, and increasing the size of the at least one group region to the next larger size among the plurality of preset sizes and decreasing the size of at least one other of the plurality of group regions to the next smaller size among the plurality of preset sizes.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the group regions are displayed in a non-overlapping form in one of at least three different preset sizes.