Apparatus and method for providing preview of menu object

• US 8,615,722 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Issued: 12/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ko, Hye-kyung, Shin, Min-ho, Choi, Sun-il
• Primary Examiner(s): ABDUL-ALI, OMAR R
• Application Number:
  US11/871,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20080195975A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,265 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/860, 715/821, 715/822
• US Class Current: 715/860
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

Provided are an apparatus and method for providing a preview of a menu object in a technique of displaying a menu object. The apparatus includes an input unit that receives an event from a user, an event processing unit that highlights objects, from among objects displayed on a screen, to which a user input can be applied according to the received event, and a display unit that displays the highlighted objects.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a preview of a menu object, the apparatus comprising:

an input unit which receives an event from a user while displaying available menu items of a current menu;

an event processing unit which highlights at least one object, from among a plurality of registered objects, operable to receive a user input, when the received event is a menu preview event in which the available menu items of the current menu are highlighted; and

a display unit which displays the highlighted object,

wherein the event processing unit determines whether the received event is the menu preview event, and highlights all objects which are operable to receive the user input among the plurality of registered objects when the received event is determined to be the menu preview event,

wherein the current menu is a menu of a downloaded broadcast application.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an object setting unit which determines user interface (UI) objects from among the plurality of registered objects; and

a visible object determining unit which determines visible objects from among the determined UI objects in response to a request from the event processing unit, the visible objects being visually displayed on a screen currently reproduced by the display unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a storage unit which separately stores only the determined UI objects.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the visible object determining unit checks an object from among the determined UI objects separately stored in the storage unit, and determines whether the checked object is visually displayed on the currently reproduced screen.

5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the event processing unit determines the determined visible objects as all the objects which are operable to receive the user input.

6. A method of providing a preview of a menu object in a display unit, the method comprising:

receiving an event from a user while displaying available menu items of a current menu;

highlighting at least one object, from among a plurality of registered objects, operable to receive a user input, when the received event is a menu preview event in which the available menu items of the current menu are highlighted; and

displaying the highlighted object,

wherein the highlighting the at least one object comprises determining whether the received event is the menu preview event, and highlighting all objects which are operable to receive the user input among the plurality of registered objects when the received event is determined to be the menu preview event,

wherein the current menu is a menu of a downloaded broadcast application.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining user interface (UI) objects from among the plurality of registered objects.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising determining visible objects from among the determined UI objects, the visible objects being visually displayed on a screen currently reproduced.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the determined UI objects are separately stored.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the highlighting of the objects comprises:

checking a UI object from among stored UI objects operable to receive a key event; and

determining whether the checked UI object is currently visible on a screen.