Apparatus and method for configuring idle screen

• US 9,565,291 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Issued: 02/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Heo, Dong-Kyu, Shin, Dae-Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): Ell, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US12/328,017
• Publication Number:
  US 20090158168A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,987 Days
• Field of Search: 715/867
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72457 according to geographic location
• 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 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion telephones including GPS signal receivers H04M2250/10

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for configuring an idle screen, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for analyzing functions of a terminal according to a user'"'"'s environmental state, and configuring an idle screen in accordance with the analysis. According to the apparatus and method, when a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing the selected terminal function, the terminal determines an environmental state information item corresponding to a changed environmental state, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item. When there is a request for displaying an idle screen, the terminal determines a current environmental state item corresponding to the currently environmental state, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted terminal functions.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a sensor for sensing an environmental state;

a display unit;

a memory; and

a controller configured to;

control the memory to store environmental state information corresponding to the sensed environmental state,

update a use number of apparatus functions based on the environmental state information,

determine current environmental state information in response to a request for displaying an idle screen on the display unit,

select at least one of the apparatus functions based on the use number and the current environmental state information, and

display an icon for executing the selected at least one of the apparatus functions on the display unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environmental state information includes at least one of weather information, temperature information, time information, day information, and position information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller determines whether there is an apparatus function that is identical to the selected at least one of the apparatus functions among the apparatus functions included in an apparatus function item when updating the selected at least one of the apparatus functions, and increases a number of uses of the identical apparatus function when there is an apparatus function that is identical to the selected at least one of the apparatus functions.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller adds the selected at least one of the apparatus functions to an apparatus function item if there is no apparatus function that is identical to the selected at least one of the apparatus functions among the apparatus functions included in the apparatus function item.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when configuring an idle screen using the apparatus functions, the controller generates shortcut icons of the apparatus functions and configures the idle screen using the generated shortcut icons.

6. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein, when the at least one of the apparatus functions is selected, the controller determines an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the current environmental state information, and performs an operation for the selected at least one of the apparatus functions while updating the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in the apparatus function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the sensor senses user state information;

the memory stores each of the plurality of environmental state information items and at least one apparatus function item so that they are associated with one of a plurality of user state information items each including at least one user state information; and

when there is a change in a current user state while performing the selected at least one of the apparatus functions, the controller determines a user state information item and a current environmental state item corresponding to the changed user state and the current environmental state information, and updates the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in an apparatus function item corresponding to the determined user state item and current environmental state item, and when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, the controller determines a user state information item and an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to a current user state and the current environmental state information, extracts apparatus functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted apparatus function.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the user state information includes at least one of a temperature and a body condition of the user.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, when the at least one of the apparatus functions is selected, the controller determines an environmental state information item and a user state information item corresponding to the current environmental state information and the current user state, and performs an operation for the selected at least one of the apparatus functions while updating the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in the apparatus function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item and the determined user state information item.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein, when a change in the current user state is sensed, the controller determines a user state information item and an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information, and updates the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in the apparatus function item corresponding to the determined user state information item and the determined environmental state information item, and when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, the controller determines a user state item and an environmental state item from the memory corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information, extracts apparatus functions corresponding to the determined user state item and the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted apparatus function.

11. A method for configuring an idle screen in an apparatus, the method comprising the steps of:

storing environmental state information corresponding to a sensed environmental state;

updating a use number of apparatus functions based on the environmental state information;

determining current environmental state information in response to a request for displaying an idle screen on a display unit;

selecting at least one of the apparatus functions based on the use number and the current environmental state information; and

displaying an icon for executing the selected at least one of the apparatus functions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein updating the use number comprises:

determining whether there is an apparatus function that is identical to the selected at least one of the apparatus functions among the apparatus functions included in an apparatus function item; and

when there is a apparatus function that is identical to the selected at least one of the apparatus functions, increasing a number of uses of the identical apparatus function and storing a result.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

when there is no apparatus function that is identical to the selected at least one of the apparatus functions among the apparatus functions included in the apparatus function item, adding the selected at least one of the apparatus functions to the apparatus function item, and storing the result.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

when the at least one of the apparatus functions is selected, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state; and

performing an operation for the selected at least one of the apparatus functions while updating the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in an apparatus function item corresponding to the determined current environmental state information item.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein storing the environmental state information comprises:

storing a plurality of environmental state information items and a plurality of apparatus function items each comprising apparatus functions so that each of the plurality of apparatus function items and each of the plurality of environmental state information items are associated with one of a plurality of the user state information items including at least one user state information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein determining the current environmental state information comprises:

when a change in a current user state is sensed while displaying the selected at least one of the apparatus functions, determining a user state information item and a current environmental state item corresponding to the changed user state and the current environmental state information.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein updating the use number comprises:

updating the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in an apparatus function item corresponding to the determined user state item and the current environmental state item.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining the current environmental state information comprises:

when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, determining a user state information item and an environmental state information item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

extracting the apparatus functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and environmental state information item.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

when the at least one of the apparatus functions is selected, determining an environmental state information item and a user state information item corresponding to the current environmental state information and the current user state; and

performing an operation for the selected at least one of the apparatus functions while updating the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in an apparatus function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item and the determined user state information item.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected at least one of the apparatus functions, determining the user state information item and the environmental state information item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information; and

extracting the apparatus functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and the determined environmental state information item, generating shortcut icons of the extracted apparatus functions, and configuring the idle screen using the shortcut icons.

22. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

when a change in the current user state is sensed, determining a user state information item and an environmental state information item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information;

updating the selected at least one of the apparatus functions in an apparatus function item corresponding to the determined user state information item and the determined environmental state information item;

when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, determining a user state item and an environmental state item corresponding to the current user state and the current environmental state information;

extracting the apparatus functions corresponding to the determined user state item and the determined environmental state information item; and

configuring the idle screen using the extracted apparatus functions.