Method arranging user interface objects in touch screen portable terminal and apparatus thereof

• US 9,182,876 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2012
• Issued: 11/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Ji, Dae-Hyun, Kim, Joon-Woo, Kim, Hyung-Gyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Matt
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Hua
• Application Number:
  US13/657,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111384A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 of rearranging a display of at least one icon on a touch screen of a portable electronic device is provided. The method detects if the device has entered a tilted state, and automatically rearranges the display of the at least one icon according to the tilted state. In some implementations, icons are rearranged to be displayed in a lopsided manner when entering the tilted state, thereby facilitating user touch selection of the icons.

Claims

1. A method of rearranging a display of a touch screen of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a tilt of the device;

identifying whether the device is configured for a right-handed user, left-handed user, or ambidextrous user;

when the device is configured for the right-handed user, rearranging icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged on a right side of the touch screen irrespective of a leftward or rightward direction of the tilt relative to a vertical axis;

when the device is configured for the left-handed user, rearranging the icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged on a left side of the touch screen irrespective of the leftward or rightward direction of the tilt; and

when the device is configured for the ambidextrous user, rearranging the icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged to a default side of the touch screen, according to the leftward or rightward direction of the tilt.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the tilt is detected when the tilt exceeds a threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein predefined settings configure the portable electronic device for the right-handed user, the left-handed user, or the ambidextrous user.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to detecting a scrolling command, scrolling a current icon page, in which the icons have been rearranged in response to the tilt, to a different icon page such that the icons are rearranged in the different icon page as the icons were rearranged in the current icon page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein rearranging the icons further comprises at least one of:

decreasing a size of an icon;

overlapping an icon with another icon; and

rearranging an icon to be displayed in a zigzag manner with respect to another icon.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a status indication bar horizontally, the status indication bar indicating an operation status of the device; and

in response to detecting the tilt, rearranging the status indication bar to a vertical orientation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a virtual keypad with keys disposed horizontally; and

in response to detecting the tilt, rearranging the keypad vertically.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting whether the device has reverted to a normal state without tilt; and

when the device has reverted to the normal state without tilt, arranging the icons original positions on the touch screen.

9. A portable electronic device comprising:

a touch screen;

at least one processor to;

detect a tilt of the device;

identify whether the device is configured for a right-handed user, left-handed user, or ambidextrous user;

when the device is configured for the right-handed user, rearrange icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged on a right side of the touch screen irrespective of a leftward or rightward direction of the tilt relative to a vertical axis;

when the device is configured for the left-handed user, rearrange the icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged on a left side of the touch screen irrespective of the leftward or rightward direction of the tilt; and

when the device is configured for the ambidextrous user, rearrange the icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged to a default side of the touch screen, according to the leftward or rightward direction of the tilt.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configure to detect the tilt when the tilt exceeds a threshold.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to read predefined settings in order to identify whether the device is configured for the right-handed user, the left-handed user, or the ambidextrous user.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

detect a scrolling command; and

in response to the scrolling command, scroll a current icon page, in which the icons have been rearranged in response to the tilt, to a different icon page such that the icons are rearranged in the different icon page as the icons were rearranged in the current icon page.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

decrease a size of an icon;

overlap an icon with another icon; and

rearrange an icon to be displayed in a zigzag manner with respect to another icon.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

display a status indication bar horizontally, the status indication bar indicating an operation status of the device; and

in response to detecting the tilt, rearrange the status indication bar to a vertical orientation.

15. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

display a virtual keypad with keys disposed horizontally; and

in response to detecting the tilt, rearrange the keypad vertically.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

detect whether the device has reverted to a normal state without tilt; and

when the device has reverted to the normal state without tilt, arrange the icons to original positions on the touch screen.

17. A method of rearranging a display of a touch screen of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a tilt of the device;

identifying whether the device is configured for a right-handed user, left-handed user, or ambidextrous user;

when the device is configured for the right-handed user, rearranging icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged on a right side of the touch screen when the tilt is in a rightward direction relative to a vertical axis, and maintaining the icons in original positions when the tilt is in a leftward direction relative to the vertical axis;

when the device is configured for the left-handed user, rearranging the icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged on the left side of the touch screen when the tilt is in the leftward direction and maintaining the icons in original positions when the tilt is in the rightward direction; and

when the device is configured for the ambidextrous user, rearranging the icons such that the icons are disproportionally arranged to a default side of the touch screen, according to the leftward or rightward direction of the tilt.