Portable device and method for controlling user interface in portable device

• US 9,110,566 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Jihwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Riegler, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yu, Jian
• Application Number:
  US13/785,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A portable device and a method for controlling a user interface (UI) of the same are disclosed. The portable device includes a display unit including a touchscreen configured to display icons of a plurality of icon groups, a sensing unit for sensing a gesture input by a user, and a controller, if the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command, configured to output the icon rearrangement command to the display unit in a manner that positions of icons of at least two icon groups of the plurality of icon groups move downward such that the icons are rearranged on the touchscreen.

Claims

1. A portable device comprising:

a display unit including a touchscreen configured to display icons of a plurality of icon groups;

a sensing unit configured to sense a gesture input by a user; and

a controller, if the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command, configured to control the display unit to change a part of the touchscreen into a folded shape and move positions of icons of at least two icon groups of the plurality of icon groups downward, thereby rearranging the icons on the touchscreen,

wherein the touchscreen, where the icons of the at least two icon groups are rearranged, is classified into a first region and a second region,

wherein a size of each icon contained in the first region is smaller than a size of each icon contained in the second region,

wherein the number of icons displayed on the touchscreen before the icon rearrangement is identical to the number of icons displayed on the touchscreen after the icon rearrangement, and

wherein, when one of icons displayed on the touchscreen after the icons rearrangement is selected by the user and a function associated with the selected icon is performed, the controller controls the display unit to restore the folded touchscreen and the moved icons to their original states.

2. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit provides a user interface for enabling the touchscreen to be folded at a position between the at least two icon groups, and moves positions of icons of two or more icon groups among the plurality of icon groups downward in response to a folded touchscreen shape, thereby rearranging the icons on the touchscreen.

3. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein a movement distance of the icons of the at least two or more icon groups is changed in proportion to at least one of a reduced length caused by a folded state of the touchscreen and a folded angle of the touchscreen.

4. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein the first region includes a folded region of the touchscreen, and the second region includes an unfolded region of the touchscreen.

5. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the controller measures a variation in height of the user finger that has been used for the gesture such that the controller determines whether the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command.

6. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the controller, if the user finger that has been used for the gesture exceeds a predetermined reference line on the touchscreen, finally determines the sensed gesture to be a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command.

7. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the controller measures a variation in shape of the user finger that has been used for the gesture such that the controller determines whether the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command.

8. The portable device according to claim 7, wherein the controller, if the user finger that has been used for the gesture exceeds a predetermined reference line on the touchscreen, finally determines the sensed gesture to be a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command.

9. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein:

if the user grasping the portable device with one hand inputs a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command using a finger of the hand, the controller finally determines the sensed gesture to be a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command.

10. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein:

if the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement release command, the controller controls the display unit to restore the folded touchscreen and the rearranged icons to their original states.

11. The portable device according to claim 2, wherein:

if a gesture sensed at the folded touchscreen is a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command, the controller controls the display unit to provide a user interface (UI) for enabling the touchscreen to be folded at a position between two different icon groups among the plurality of ion groups, and to move positions of icons of two or more icon groups among the plurality of icon groups downward in response to a folded touchscreen shape, thereby rearranging the icons on the touchscreen.

12. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the display unit provides a user interface for allowing the at least one icon group to be faded away from the touchscreen, moves positions of icons of one or more icon groups among the plurality of icon groups downward in response to a faded touchscreen shape, thereby rearranging the icons on the touchscreen.

13. The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the icons displayed at one row of the touchscreen are grouped into one icon group.

14. A method for controlling a user interface of a portable device to rearrange a position of at least one icon on a touchscreen displaying icons of a plurality of icon groups, the method comprising:

sensing a gesture input by a user; and

if the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command, changing a part of the touchscreen into a folded shape and moving positions of icons of at least two icon groups among the plurality of icon groups downward, and rearranging the icons on the touchscreen,

wherein the touchscreen, where the icons of the at least two icon groups are rearranged, is classified into a first region and a second region,

wherein a size of each icon contained in the first region is smaller than a size of each icon contained in the second region,

wherein the number of icons displayed on the touchscreen before the icon rearrangement is identical to the number of icons displayed on the touchscreen after the icon rearrangement, and

wherein, when one of icons displayed on the touchscreen after the icons rearrangement is selected by the user and a function associated with the selected icon is performed, the controller controls the display unit to restore the folded touchscreen and the moved icons to their original states.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

providing a user interface for enabling the touchscreen to be folded at a position between the at least two icon groups; and

moving positions of icons of two or more icon groups among the plurality of icon groups downward in response to a folded touchscreen shape, thereby rearranging the icons on the touchscreen.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

enabling a movement distance of the icons of the at least two or more icon groups to be changed in proportion to at least one of a reduced length caused by a folded state of the touchscreen and a folded angle of the touchscreen.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the first region includes a folded region of the touchscreen, and the second region includes an unfolded region of the touchscreen.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

measuring a variation in height of a user finger that has been used for the gesture, thereby determining whether the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

determining whether the user finger that has been used for the gesture exceeds a predetermined reference line on the touchscreen; and

if the user finger exceeds the reference line, finally determining the sensed gesture to be a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command.

20. The method according to claim 14, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

measuring a variation in shape of a user finger that has been used for the gesture, thereby determining whether the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

determining whether the user finger that has been used for the gesture exceeds a predetermined reference line on the touchscreen; and

if the user finger exceeds the reference line, finally determining the sensed gesture to be a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command.

22. The method according to claim 14, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

determining if the user grasping the portable device with one hand inputs a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command using a finger of the hand; and

if the user grasping the portable device with one hand inputs a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command with a finger of the hand, finally determining the sensed gesture to be a gesture corresponding to the icon rearrangement command.

23. The method according to claim 15, wherein the arranging of the icons includes:

if the sensed gesture is a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement release command, restoring the folded touchscreen and the rearranged icons to their original states.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

if a gesture sensed at the folded touchscreen is a gesture corresponding to an icon rearrangement command, providing a user interface (UI) for enabling the touchscreen to be folded at a position between two different icon groups among the plurality of ion groups; and

allowing positions of icons of two or more icon groups among the plurality of icon groups to move downward in response to a folded touchscreen shape, thereby rearranging the icons on the touchscreen.

25. The method according to claim 14, wherein the rearranging of the icons includes:

providing a user interface for enabling the at least one icon group to be faded away from the touchscreen; and

moving positions of icons of one or more icon groups among the plurality of icon groups downward in response to a faded touchscreen shape, thereby rearranging the icons on the touchscreen.

26. The method according to claim 14, wherein the icons displayed at one row of the touchscreen are grouped into one icon group.