Graphical menu interface, implementing method thereof, and operating method thereof

• US 8,966,399 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2008
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chiang, Chi-Pang, Liu, Te-Chuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kujundzic, Dino
• Application Number:
  US12/036,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20080282194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,557 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835, 715/864, 715/775, 715/778, 715/779, 715/781, 715/788, 715/789
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A graphical menu interface, an implementing method thereof, and an operating method thereof are provided. In the implementing method of the graphical menu interface, m function groups are provided first, and each of the function groups has at least one function. Then, an operating frame related to each function group is obtained and used as the menu icon representing a corresponding function group in the graphical menu interface. Finally, there are n function groups displayed on the screen, and the corresponding operating frames are used as the menu icons of these n function groups in the graphical menu interface. As a result, users can infer the position of each function in the graphical menu interface more intuitively, and thus the convenience in operating the graphical menu is improved.

Claims

1. An implementing method of a graphical menu interface used for implementing a graphical menu interface and displaying the graphical menu interface on a screen of a hand-held electronic device, comprising:

providing m function groups, wherein each of the function groups comprises at least one function and m is a positive integer;

obtaining operating frames related to the function groups, wherein the operating frames are captured during operation of respective operating group;

displaying n function groups on the screen by using the operating frames in display respectively corresponding to the n function groups, wherein n is a positive integer smaller than or equal to m, and greater than one, wherein the operating frames are characterized into multiple menu icons, each of the menu icons includes a corresponding one of the operating frames and a function pattern, wherein the operating frames in each of the menu icons are categorized by the function pattern which is in picture fonn and represents a category of the menu icon, wherein each of the menu icons is uniquely represented by the function pattern corresponding to the corresponding one of the operating frames, the function patterns for the menu icons are different to one another, so that each of the function patterns respectively identifies a corresponding one of the menu icons; and

displaying the graphical menu interface on the screen by using each of the operating frames as a background pattern of the menu icon and using the function pattern corresponding to the function group as a foreground pattern of the menu icon, which is added to each of the operating frames.

2. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, before the step of displaying the n function groups on the screen, further comprising:

determining n function groups to be displayed among the m function groups.

3. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 2, wherein the method of determining the n function groups to be displayed comprises selecting n function groups recently performed or most frequently performed.

4. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the operating frame related to the function group comprises:

capturing the operating frame last displayed during operation of the function group.

5. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the operating frame related to the function group comprises:

capturing the operating frame regularly at a set interval during operation of the function group.

6. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 5, wherein the step of using the operating frames respectively corresponding to the n function groups as the menu icons for the n function groups in the graphical menu interface comprises:

using the operating frame last captured as the menu icon for the corresponding function group.

7. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, wherein the step of obtaining the operating frame related to the function group comprises:

capturing one of all the operating frames related to operation of the function group.

8. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, wherein the operating frame comprises either a user interface or a picture related to the function group.

9. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, wherein the operating frame comprises either a sub-menu of the function group or an operating interface of one of the functions in the function group.

10. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, after the step of providing the function groups, further comprising:

recording an operating status of each of the function groups;

generating a corresponding simplified operating interface according to the operating status and combining the simplified operating interface with a sub-menu of the function group to serve as the operating frame of the function group.

11. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the graphical menu interface on the screen further comprises:

partitioning the screen into x blocks, wherein n blocks out of the x blocks display the corresponding operating frame of each of the n function groups, and x is a positive integer larger than or equal to n.

12. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 11, wherein the step of partitioning the screen into x blocks further comprises:

partitioning the screen into x grids.

13. The implementing method of the graphical menu interface of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the graphical menu interface on the screen further comprises either lightening or dimming the operating frames.

14. An operating method of a graphical menu interface used for operating a graphical menu interface displayed on a screen of a hand-held electronic device, comprising:

displaying the graphical menu interface on the screen by;

providing m function groups, wherein each of the function groups comprises at least one function and m is a positive integer;

obtaining operating frames related to the function groups, wherein the operating frames are captured during operation of respective operating group;

displaying n function groups on the screen by using the operating frames in display respectively corresponding to the n function groups, wherein n is a positive integer smaller than or equal to in, and greater than one, wherein the operating frames are characterized into multiple menu icons, each of the menu icons includes a corresponding one of the operating frames and a function pattern, wherein the operating frames in each of the menu icons are categorized by the function pattern which is in picture form and represents a category of the menu icon, wherein each of the menu icons is uniquely represented by the function pattern corresponding to the corresponding one of the operating frames, the function patterns for the menu icons are different to one another, so that each of the function patterns respectively identifies a corresponding one of the menu icons; and

displaying the graphical menu interface on the screen by using each of the operating frames as a background pattern of the menu icon and using the function pattern corresponding to the function group as a foreground pattern of the menu icon, which is added to each of the operating frames;

receiving a selection instruction to select one of the menu icons; and

opening the operating frame in the selected menu icon.

15. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 14, wherein the step of opening the operating frame in the selected menu icon further comprises:

enlarging the displayed operating frame or displaying the operating frame in full screen on the screen.

16. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 14, wherein the operating frame comprises either a user interface or a picture related to the function group.

17. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 14, wherein the operating frame comprises either a sub-menu of the function group or an operating interface of one of the functions in the function group.

18. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 17, after the step of opening the operating frame of the selected menu icon, further comprising:

receiving a selection instruction to select a sub-option of the sub-menu in the operating frame and displaying the operating frame corresponding to the sub-option.

19. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 17, after the step of opening the operating frame in the selected menu icon, further comprising:

receiving an operating instruction to perform the corresponding function in the operating interface.

20. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 19, wherein the step of performing the corresponding function in the operating interface further comprises:

capturing the operating frame regularly; and

recording an operating status of the operating frame.

21. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 20, after the step of capturing the operating frame regularly, further comprising:

receiving a return instruction; and

displaying the graphical menu interface using the operating frame last captured to update the corresponding menu icon in the graphical menu interface.

22. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 14, after the step of opening the operating frame in the selected menu icon, further comprising:

receiving a return instruction;

capturing the operating frame last displayed;

recording an operating status of the operating frame; and

displaying the graphical menu interface using the captured operating frame to update the corresponding menu icon in the graphical menu interface.

23. The operating method of the graphical menu interface of claim 14, wherein the screen comprises a touch screen, and the step of receiving the selection instruction to select one of the menu icons comprises:

receiving the selection instruction through the touch screen.

24. A hand-held electronic device comprising a graphical menu interface for operating the hand-held electronic device, and the hand-held electronic device is configured for:

providing m function groups, wherein each of the function groups comprises at least one function and m is a positive integer;

obtaining operating frames related to the function groups, wherein the operating frames are captured during operation of respective operating group;

displaying n function groups on the screen by using the operating frames in display respectively corresponding to the n function groups, wherein n is a positive integer smaller than or equal to m, and greater than one, wherein the operating frames are characterized into multiple menu icons, each of the menu icons includes a corresponding one of the operating frames and a function pattern, wherein the operating frames in each of the menu icons are categorized by the function pattern which is in picture form and represents a category of the menu icon, wherein each of the menu icons is uniquely represented by the function pattern corresponding to the corresponding one of the operating frames, the function patterns for the menu icons are different to one another, so that each of the function patterns respectively identifies a corresponding one of the menu icons; and

displaying the graphical menu interface on the screen by using each of the operating frames as a background pattern of the menu icon and using the function pattern corresponding to the function group as a foreground pattern of the menu icon, which is added to each of the operating frames.

25. The graphical menu interface of claim 24, wherein each of the menu icons further comprises:

a selection region used for receiving a selection instruction to select the corresponding menu icon, wherein the selection region comprises a region displaying the function pattern.

26. The graphical menu interface of claim 24, wherein the operating frame comprises a frame last displayed during operation of the function group.

27. The graphical menu interface of claim 24, wherein the operating frame comprises a last captured frame among the frames regularly captured at a set interval during operation of the function group.

28. The graphical menu interface of claim 24, wherein the operating frame comprises either a user interface or a picture related to the function group.

29. The graphical menu interface of claim 24, wherein the operating frame comprises either a sub-menu of the function group or an operating interface of one of the functions in the function group.