Screen display method for mobile terminal

• US 8,633,900 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Jin, Sang Hoon, Lee, Su Yeul
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZUBAJLO, JENNIFER L
• Application Number:
  US12/070,877
• Publication Number:
  US 20080204424A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,161 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-173, 345/700
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A content display method for a mobile terminal is disclosed. The mobile terminal includes at least two hierarchical structures each having at least two contents at a level. The content display method includes: displaying, in response to selection of a content, a window associated with the selected content; displaying, in response to input of a multi-window display request, windows associated with contents at the same level as the selected content together on a single screen; and rearranging, in response to input of a window movement request, the content windows by window movement to display the rearranged content windows together on a single screen. As a result, same-level contents or application windows in execution can be displayed together on a single screen according to a user request. Hence, the user can readily transition between contents or applications with enhanced user convenience.

Claims

1. A content display method for a mobile terminal using at least one hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of contents included in a first level, the method comprising:

displaying, in response to a selection of one of the plurality of contents included in the first level, a window associated with the selected content, the displayed window comprising a set of sub-contents associated with the selected content at a second level that is below the first level;

displaying, in response to a multi-window display request while the window associated with the selected content is displayed, a plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content concurrently on a single screen, at least one of the plurality of displayed windows other than the window associated with the selected content concurrently displaying the set of sub-contents at the second level; and

rearranging, in response to a window movement request, the plurality of windows according to the window movement request to display the rearranged plurality of windows concurrently on the single screen.

2. The content display method of claim 1, wherein displaying the window associated with the selected content comprises displaying on the window a descriptive listing of the associated sub-contents including at least one of a character, an image, a number, a symbol, and a category for each associated sub-content.

3. The content display method of claim 2, wherein displaying the plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content comprises displaying the plurality of windows in a form of a stack.

4. The content display method of claim 3, wherein displaying the plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content comprises displaying partial descriptive listings on inactive ones of the displayed windows.

5. The content display method of claim 1, wherein displaying the plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content comprises detecting an input of the multi-window display request by recognizing at least one of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

6. The content display method of claim 1, wherein rearranging the plurality of windows according to the window movement request comprises changing an order of the plurality of windows in units of a single window.

7. The content display method of claim 6, wherein changing the order of the plurality of windows comprises detecting input of the window movement request by recognizing at least one of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

8. The content display method of claim 1, further comprising rearranging, in response to a multiple window movement request, the plurality of windows in units of multiple windows to display the rearranged plurality of windows concurrently on a single screen.

9. The content display method of claim 8, wherein rearranging the plurality of windows in units of multiple windows comprises detecting input of the multiple window movement request by recognizing at least one of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

10. The content display method of claim 1, further comprising scrolling, in response to a scrolling request, the plurality of displayed windows.

11. The content display method of claim 10, wherein scrolling the plurality of displayed windows comprises detecting input of a scrolling request by recognizing at least one of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

12. A content display method for a mobile terminal having a motion sensor and touch screen and using at least one hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of contents included in a first level, the method comprising:

detecting, during a display of a window associated with a selected content, a user action through the motion sensor, the displayed window comprising a set of sub-contents associated with the selected content at a second level that is below the first level;

displaying, if the user action is detected, a plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content a plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content concurrently in a form of a stack on a single screen, at least one of the plurality of displayed windows other than the window associated with the selected content concurrently displaying the set of sub-contents at the second level; and

rearranging the plurality of windows by window movement according to a touch gesture on the touch screen to display the rearranged plurality of windows concurrently on the single screen.

13. The content display method of claim 12, wherein displaying the window associated with the selected content comprises displaying a descriptive listing of the associated sub-contents on the window.

14. The content display method of claim 13, wherein displaying the plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content comprises displaying partial descriptive listings on inactive ones of the displayed windows.

15. The content display method of claim 14, wherein detecting a user action comprises detecting an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel.

16. The content display method of claim 14, wherein rearranging the plurality of windows by window movement comprises shifting windows in display forward so that the front window becomes the last window and the second window becomes a new front window.

17. The content display method of claim 14, wherein rearranging the plurality of windows by window movement comprises shifting windows in display backward so that the last window becomes a new front window and the old front window becomes the second window.

18. The content display method of claim 14, wherein rearranging the plurality of content windows by window movement comprises moving windows so that a group of windows in display becomes not displayed and a group of windows not in display becomes displayed.

19. An application display method for a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

activating, in response to a selection of one of a plurality of applications that are in execution, an application window associated with the selected application, activating the application window comprising displaying the activated application window including a portion of an interface for the selected application on a display unit;

displaying, in response to a multi-window display request while the activated application is displayed, a plurality of application windows associated with the plurality of applications that are in execution concurrently on the display unit, at least one of the plurality of displayed application windows other than the application window associated with the selected application concurrently displaying a set of sub-contents at the second level; and

rearranging, in response to a window movement request, the plurality of application windows according to the window movement request to display the rearranged plurality of application windows concurrently on the display unit.

20. The application display method of claim 19, wherein displaying the plurality of application windows concurrently comprises displaying the application windows in a form of a stack.

21. The application display method of claim 20, wherein displaying the plurality of application windows concurrently comprises displaying partial descriptive listings corresponding to the plurality of application windows except the activated application window.

22. The application display method of claim 19, wherein displaying the plurality of application windows concurrently comprises detecting input of the multi-window display request by recognizing at least one of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.

23. The application display method of claim 19, wherein rearranging the plurality of application windows comprises shifting windows in display forward so that the front window becomes the last window and the second window becomes a new front window.

24. The application display method of claim 19, wherein rearranging the plurality of application windows comprises shifting windows in display backward so that the last window becomes a new front window and the old front window becomes the second window.

25. The application display method of claim 19, wherein rearranging the plurality of application windows further comprises detecting a multiple window movement request for moving application windows in units of multiple windows.

26. An information appliance including a display unit and a user input unit and using at least one hierarchical structure comprising a plurality of contents included in a first level, wherein the information appliance is configured to:

display, in response to a selection of one of the plurality of contents included in the first level, a window associated with the selected content, the displayed window comprising a set of sub-contents associated with the selected content at a second level that is below the first level;

display, in response to a multi-window display request while the window associated with the selected content is displayed, a plurality of windows associated with the plurality of contents included in the same level as the selected content concurrently on a single screen of the display unit, at least one of the plurality of displayed windows other than the window associated with the selected content concurrently displaying the set of sub-contents at the second level; and

rearrange, in response to a window movement request, the plurality of windows according to the window movement request to display the rearranged plurality of windows concurrently on the single screen.

27. The information appliance of claim 26, wherein the information appliance is further configured to display the window associated with the selected content by displaying on the window a descriptive listing of the associated sub-contents including at least one of a character, image, number, symbol, category for each associated sub-content.

28. The information appliance of claim 27, wherein the information appliance is further configured to display the plurality of windows associated with the plurality contents included the same level as the selected content by displaying the plurality of windows in a form of a stack.

29. The information appliance claim 28, wherein the information appliance is further configured to display the plurality of windows associated with the plurality contents included in the same level as the selected content by displaying partial descriptive listings on inactive ones of the displayed windows.

30. The information appliance of claim 26, wherein the information appliance is further configured to display the plurality of windows associated with the plurality contents included in the same level as the selected content by detecting an input of the multi-window display request by recognizing at least one of a user action using a motion sensor, a touch using a touch sensor, an amount of wheel turning using a scroll wheel, and a key press of a particular key.