Method and apparatus for providing touch screen user interface, and electronic devices including the same

• US 7,761,810 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Joon-ah, Lee, Hyun-jeong, Yang, Gyung-hye, Shim, Jung-hyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hassan; Rashedul
• Application Number:
  US11/435,988
• Publication Number:
  US 20070013672A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 715/827, 715/716, 715/762, 715/763, 715/810, 715/811, 715/815, 715/825, 715/826, 715/847, 715/858, 715/864, 715/866, 345/173
• US Class Current: 715/827
• 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 and an apparatus for providing a touch-screen user interface, and an electronic device using the method. The method includes receiving a touch-screen position of a hotkey for executing a specific function, which is input via a user'"'"'s touch, and creating the hotkey at the specified position.

Claims

1. A method of providing a touch screen user interface, the method comprising:

(a) providing a touch-sensitive user interface for creation of a hotkey for executing a specific function, on a touch screen of an image capture device;

(b) receiving a position on the touch screen for the hotkey to be created, the position being input via a user'"'"'s touch;

(c) displaying a created hotkey at the input position; and

(d) repositioning other elements of the user interface on the touch screen according to the displayed position of the created hotkey,

wherein the repositioning of other elements comprises changing physical size of a display region which displays a captured image or an image to be captured on the touch screen according to the displayed position of the created hotkey.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein operation (a) comprises:

detecting a position of the user'"'"'s touch on the touch screen; and

computing coordinates of the touched position.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein operation (a) comprises automatically providing a user interface suggesting creation of the hotkey, when the frequency of use of the specific function exceeds a predetermined value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing position information of elements of the user interface including the created hotkey on the screen.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after displaying the hotkey, customizing the created hotkey.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the customizing the created hotkey comprises:

selecting the created hotkey via a user'"'"'s touch;

receiving a new position to which the created hotkey is to be moved, the new position being input via a user'"'"'s touch; and

moving the created hotkey to the new position.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the customizing the created hotkey comprises:

selecting, via a user'"'"'s touch, a first hotkey;

selecting, via the user'"'"'s touch, a second hotkey; and

transposing positions of the first hotkey and the second hotkey.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the customizing the created hotkey comprises:

receiving a selection of the created hotkey selected via a user'"'"'s touch; and

deleting the selected hotkey.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising enlarging the created hotkey when the frequency of use of the hotkey increases.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising repositioning the user interface on the touch screen which includes the created hotkey, according to whether the orientation of the apparatus has changed.

11. An apparatus for providing a touch screen user interface, the apparatus comprising:

a touch screen of an image capture device;

a control section providing, on the touch screen, a user interface for creation of a hotkey for a specific function;

a touch sensing section receiving, via a user'"'"'s touch, an input position of the hotkey on the touch screen; and

a display control section to control display of a created hotkey at the input position on the touch screen,

wherein the control section repositions other elements of the user interface on the touch screen according to the displayed position of the created hotkey, and

wherein the control section changes physical size of a display region which displays a captured image or an image to be captured on the touch screen according to the displayed position of the created hotkey.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the touch sensing section comprises:

a touch sensing unit detecting the user'"'"'s touch on the touch screen; and

a touch coordinates computing unit computing coordinates of the touched position.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control section automatically provides a user interface suggesting creation of the hotkey when the frequency of use of the specific function exceeds a predetermined value.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising a storage section storing touch-screen position information of elements of the user interface including the created hotkey on the touch screen.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control section changes the created hotkey.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control section enlarges the created hotkey when the frequency use of the created hotkey increases.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an orientation sensing section repositioning the user interface on the touch screen which includes the created hotkey, according to whether an orientation of the apparatus has changed.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the orientation sensing section comprises:

an orientation sensing unit detecting a change in an orientation of the apparatus; and

an orientation computing unit computing a new orientation of the user interface on the touch screen based on a detected change.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the orientation computing unit computes the new orientation of the user interface on the touch screen according to changes in acceleration or angular velocity detected by the orientation sensing unit.

20. An electronic device providing a touch screen user interface, the device comprising:

a touch screen of an image capture device;

a control unit providing a user interface for creation, on the touch screen, of a hotkey for executing a specific function; and

a touch sensing section receiving a touch-screen position of the hotkey, which is input via a user'"'"'s touch,

wherein the control unit creates the hotkey for display at the input position,

wherein the control unit repositions other elements of the user interface on the touch screen according to the touch-screen position of the created hotkey, and

wherein the control unit changes physical size of a display region which displays a captured image or an image to be captured on the touch screen according to the touch-screen position of the created hotkey.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising a frequency storage unit storing a frequency of use of each menu provided by the electronic device,

wherein, when the electronic device is shared among multiple users, the frequency storage unit stores the use frequency of each user so as to provide a user interface for each user based on the user'"'"'s use history, and

wherein the control section automatically provides a user interface suggesting creation of the hotkey when a user'"'"'s use history meets specified criteria.

22. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with processing instructions for causing a processor to execute a method of providing a touch screen user interface, the method comprising:

(a) providing a touch-sensitive user interface for creation of a hotkey for executing a specific function, on a touch screen of an image capture device;

(b) receiving a position on the touch screen for the hotkey to be created, the position being input via a user'"'"'s touch;

(c) displaying a created hotkey at the input position; and

d) repositioning other elements of a user interface on the touch screen according to the displayed position of the created hotkey,

wherein the repositioning of other elements comprises changing physical size of a display region which displays a captured image or an image to be captured on the touch screen according to the displayed position of the created hotkey.