APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONFIGURING IDLE SCREEN

• US 20090158168A1
• Filed: 12/04/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• 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
• Granted Patent: US 9,565,291 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/747
• 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 for configuring an idle screen in a terminal, the apparatus comprising:

a state sensor for sensing an environmental state;

a memory for storing a plurality of environmental state information items each including at least one environmental state information, and a plurality of terminal function items each associated with a corresponding environmental state information item and comprising at least one terminal function; and

a controller for determining an environmental state information item corresponding to a changed environmental state when a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing a selected terminal function, updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, determining an environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state from the memory when there is a request for displaying an idle screen, extracting one or more terminal functions of a terminal function item corresponding to the environmental state information item, and configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the environmental state information comprises information indicating a surrounding environmental state, and 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 a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function among the at least one terminal function included in the terminal function item when updating the selected function, and increases a number of uses of the identical terminal function when there is a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function.

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

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

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

7. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein, when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected terminal function, the controller determines an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the current environmental state, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein, when a change in the current environmental state is sensed, the controller determines an environmental state information item from the memory corresponding to the currently sensed environmental state, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and when there is a request for displaying the idle screen, the controller determines an environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state from the memory, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configures the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the state sensor senses user state information;

the memory stores each of the plurality of environmental state information items and each of the plurality of terminal function items 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 a selected terminal function, 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, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined user state item and current environmental state item, and when there is a request for displaying an 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, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and environmental state information item, and configures an idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the user state information includes at least one of a mood, a temperature and a body condition of the user.

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

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein, when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected terminal function, 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, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the checked user state information item and environmental state information item, and then configures an idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, 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, and updates the selected terminal function in a terminal 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 an 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, extracts one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state item and the determined environmental state information item, and configures an idle screen using the extracted terminal functions.

14. A method for configuring an idle screen in a terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a plurality of environmental state information items each including at least one environmental state information, and a plurality of terminal function items each associated with a corresponding environmental state information item and each including at least one terminal function;

performing a selected terminal function;

when a change in a current environmental state is sensed while performing the selected terminal function, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to a changed environmental state, and updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item; and

when there is a request for displaying an idle screen, determining a current environmental state item corresponding to the currently environmental state, extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configuring the idle screen using the extracted terminal functions.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the updating comprises:

determining whether there is a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function among the at least one terminal function included in the terminal function item; and

when there is a terminal function that is identical to the selected terminal function, increasing a number of uses of the identical terminal function and storing a result.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

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

17. The method of claim 14, wherein configuring the idle screen comprises:

configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing comprises:

when the terminal function is selected, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state; and

performing an operation for the selected terminal function while updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined current environmental state information item.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

when there is a request for displaying the idle screen while performing the selected terminal function, determining an environmental state information item corresponding to the current environmental state; and

extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item, and configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

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

updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item;

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

extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined environmental state information item; and

configuring the idle screen using the extracted one or more terminal functions.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the storing comprises:

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

22. The method of claim 21, wherein checking an environmental state information item corresponding to the changed environmental state comprises:

when a change in the current user state is sensed while performing the selected terminal function, determining a user state information item and a current environmental state item corresponding to the changed user state and the current environmental state.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the updating comprises:

updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined user state item and current environmental state item

24. The method of claim 23, wherein determining a current environmental state item corresponding to the current environmental state 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.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the extracting comprises:

extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state information item and environmental state information item.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the performing comprises:

when the selected terminal function is selected, determining an environmental state information item and a user state information item corresponding to the current environmental state and the current user state; and

performing an operation for the selected terminal function while updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined environmental state information item and the determined user state information item.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

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

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

28. The method of claim 24, 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;

updating the selected terminal function in a terminal function item corresponding to the determined user state information item and the determined environmental state information item;

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

extracting one or more terminal functions corresponding to the determined user state item and the determined environmental state information item; and

configuring the idle screen using the extracted terminal functions.