Method and apparatus for controlling display of item

• US 9,323,451 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2012
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yook, Hyung Min, Hwang, Jae Joon, Lee, Bong Won
• Primary Examiner(s): Sajous, Wesner
• Application Number:
  US13/468,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20120287154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/581, 345619-625, 345629-630, 345/636, 345/642, 345/650, 345/156, 345173-174, 345/179, 345/520, 715/200, 715/209, 715/273, 715/700, 715761-763, 715/764, 715/765, 715/810, 715818-820, 715828-829, 715/769, 715/864, 715/965, 715/961, 715/967, 715/835, 715/702
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

Provided is a method of controlling display of an item. In the method, a plurality of individual items is displayed. A touch input is detected from at least two of the displayed individual items. An outline of a folder item to be generated is displayed around a plurality of the at least two touched individual items. Upon receiving a touch release input, the folder item is generated and displayed within the outline to arrange the individual items that receive touch inputs therein.

Claims

1. A method, operable in a processor of a computing device, for controlling a display of a plurality of individual items, the method comprising:

displaying the plurality of individual items;

in response to receiving a touch input simultaneously selecting at least two individual items of the plurality of individual items, displaying a preview outline enclosing the at least two individual items; and

in response to a release of the touch input, generating a folder item with a size according to the preview outline and a number of the individual items for which the touch input is received, and storing the at least two individual items in the folder item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the generated folder item has an area larger than an area of the at least two individual items.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the displaying of the outline further comprises:

determining a location of the folder item to be generated such that at least one of the individual items from which touch inputs are received is included.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the displaying of the preview outline further comprises:

generating the preview outline in which the individual items from which touch inputs are received are combined for display.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the preview outline further comprises:

determining the number of the individual items from which touch inputs are received;

determining a location of the folder item such that at least one of the individual items from which the touch inputs were received is included therein; and

displaying the preview outline of the folder item to be generated on the determined location.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the touch input comprises:

detecting an input of a touch position moving motion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the generated folder item comprises:

receiving a touch release input;

displaying a transition effect in which images of the individual items from which touch inputs are received are integrated into one image; and

configuring the generated folder item to have an image of one of the individual items from which touch inputs are received and displaying the image of the generated folder item.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, when a predefined key input is received, a change folder item image menu;

displaying, when the change folder item image menu is selected, a list of the individual items arranged therein; and

receiving a selection of one of the individual items from the list of the individual items and configuring the folder item to have an image of the selected one of the individual items.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the determining of the location of the folder item comprises:

determining whether the individual items from which touch inputs are received are adjacent to each other;

determining, when the individual items from which touch inputs are received are determined to be adjacent to each other, the location of the folder item such that all of the individual items from which touch inputs are received are included;

when at least one individual item is determined to be spaced apart, arranging all of the individual items from which touch inputs are received into groups based on proximity indicated by adjacentness between each of the individual items; and

determining the location of the folder item such that a group having a largest number of the individual items is included.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the displaying of the generated folder item comprises:

determining whether there exists an individual item from which a touch input was received and is located outside of the outline; and

moving the individual item from which a touch input was received and is located outside of the outline such that the individual item is located within the outline to be displayed.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the displaying of the generated folder item comprises:

determining whether there exists an individual item from which a touch input was not received and is located within the outline;

moving the individual item that does not receive the touch input and is located within the outline such that the individual item from which a touch input was not received is located outside of the outline to be displayed; and

displaying the generated folder item within the preview outline.

12. A method, operable in a processor, for controlling a display of a plurality of items on a display unit, the method comprising:

in response to receiving a touch input, a touch position moving motion, and a touch release input on at least two of displayed individual items of the plurality of items;

displaying a delete icon on one of the at least two individual items and another individual item located on a moving path of the touch position moving motion, and displaying a preview outline enclosing at least the another individual item; and

in response to receiving a confirmation input, generating and displaying a folder item according to the preview outline, and storing the at least two displayed individual items and the another individual item in the generated folder item.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

removing any particular individual item from inclusion in the generated folder item when the delete icon for the particular individual item is selected; and

moving the outline in response to a touch gesture selecting and dragging the outline.

14. A display apparatus comprising:

a display unit configured to display a plurality of individual items;

a touch sensor unit configured to detect a multi-touch input causing simultaneous selection of at least two individual items of the plurality of individual items; and

a controller configured to;

in response to the touch sensor unit detecting the touch input, determine a location of a folder item to be generated upon release of the touch input, the location based on at least one of the individual items, and display a preview outline enclosing the at least one of the individual items for which the location is based,

in response to the release of the touch input, generate and display the folder item on the display with a size according to the preview outline and a number of the individual items for which touch inputs is received, and store the at least two individual items in the generated folder item.

15. The display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to control such that the generated folder item has an image of one of the individual items that receive the touch inputs and the image of the folder item is displayed by the display unit.

16. A terminal comprising:

a display unit;

an input unit; and

a processor in communication with a memory, the memory containing code, which when accessed by the processor causes the processor to;

display a plurality of individual items on the display unit;

receive at least two inputs from the input unit, the received at least two inputs causing simultaneous selection of at least two individual items of the plurality of individual items;

in response to receiving the at least two inputs, display a preview outline area enclosing the at least two individual items and establish a location based on the outline area; and

in response to a release of the received at least two inputs, remove the at least two individual items from the display unit, generate a new folder item according to the preview outline area at the established location, and store the at least two individual items in the generated new folder item,

wherein the location of the preview outline area is determined at an intermediate point of the at least two inputs.

17. The terminal of claim 16, wherein the code further causes the processor to:

identify the preview outline area by one of the individual items contained within the preview outline area.

18. The terminal of claim 16, wherein the code further causes the processor to:

remove from within the preview outline area individual items on which the at least two inputs were not received.

19. The terminal of claim 16, wherein said preview outline area is formed around a maximum number of adjacent individual items on which the at least two inputs were received.