Method and mobile communication terminal for changing the mode of the terminal

• US 8,056,016 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Gee-Hong, Kim, Joon-Suh, Kim, Dong-Kyun
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US12/099,391
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256472A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769, 715/772, 715/779, 715/860, 715/861, 715/864, 715/792, 715/810, 715/817, 715/833, 715/834
• US Class Current: 715/833
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

Disclosed is a mobile communication terminal and a method for changing modes of the terminal, which changes a mode of the mobile communication terminal according to a location of a changed menu bar if a menu bar displayed on a touch screen is dragged and dropped.

Claims

1. A method of changing modes in a mobile communication terminal equipped with a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a menu bar at a first region of the touch screen, the menu bar comprising a first user interface to control a first mode executed by the mobile communication terminal;

determining a location of the menu bar, if the menu bar has been dragged and dropped; and

changing the menu bar and executing a second mode, such that the menu bar displays a second user interface to control an operation of the executed second mode, if the location of the menu bar is determined to be a second region of the touch screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode comprises any one of a moving picture mode, a call mode, and an internet mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu bar is moved up or down on the touch screen by the dragging and dropping.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second user interface comprises at least two icons corresponding to the second mode.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region is disposed at an upper portion of the display, and the second region is disposed at a lower portion of the display.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the menu bar is fixed and displayed at one of an uppermost portion and a lowermost portion of the touch screen that correspond to the upper region and the lower region, respectively.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising changing the menu bar, such that the menu bar displays a third user interface to control a third mode of the terminal, if the location of the menu bar is determined to be a third region of the display.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the first region is disposed at the center of the display;

the second region is disposed at the bottom of the display; and

the third region is disposed at the top of the display.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region is disposed at the center of the touch screen as a default.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising fixing the location of the menu bar and maintaining the second mode in response to selection of a hold function.

11. A mobile communication terminal for changing modes, comprising:

a memory to store user interfaces that control respective modes of the mobile communication terminal and to store a range of coordinates corresponding to each of the modes;

a touch screen divided into regions, to display a menu bar that selectively comprises one of the user interfaces, and to receive a drag and drop input for the menu bar; and

a controller to calculate the coordinates of a location of the menu bar, to select the user interface of the menu bar, according to the region in which the coordinates are located, such that the menu bar displays a different one of the user interfaces when located in each of the regions.

12. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the modes comprise at least one of a moving picture mode, a call mode, and an internet mode.

13. The terminal of claim 11, wherein:

the regions comprise an upper region and a lower region of the touch screen;

if coordinates of the menu bar are determined to be in the upper region, the controller positions the menu bar at the upper edge of the touch screen; and

if coordinates of the menu bar are determined to be in the lower region, the controller positions the menu bar at the lower edge of the touch screen.

14. The terminal of claim 11, wherein:

the regions comprise an upper region, a middle region, and a lower region of the touch screen;

if coordinates of the menu bar are determined to be in the lower region, the controller positions the menu bar at the lower edge of the touch screen;

if coordinates of the menu bar are determined to be in the upper region, the controller positions the menu bar at the upper edge of the touch screen; and

if coordinates of the menu bar are determined to be in the middle region, the controller positions the menu bar at the center of the touch screen.

15. The terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller executes a different one of the modes, when the menu bar is located in each of the regions.

16. The terminal of claim 11, wherein:

if a touch strength applied to the touch screen through the drag and drop is greater than a threshold value, the controller moves the menu bar toward a direction of the drag and drop and displays the menu bar; and

if the touch strength applied to the touch screen through the drag and drop is less than the threshold value, the controller does not move the menu bar.

17. The terminal of claim 11, wherein if a hold function is selected and the menu bar is subsequently moved, the controller maintains the user interface displayed at the previous position.

18. The terminal of claim 11, wherein if a hold function is selected and the menu bar is subsequently moved, the controller maintains the user interface displayed at the previous position and continues to execute the mode corresponding to the displayed user interface.

19. A method of changing modes in a mobile communication terminal equipped with a touch screen, the method comprising:

displaying a menu bar in a first region of the touch screen, the menu bar comprising a user interface to control a first mode of the mobile communication terminal;

determining the location of the menu bar, if the menu bar is moved out of the first region of the touch screen; and

changing the menu bar, such that the menu bar displays a second user interface to control to a second mode of the mobile communication terminal, if the location of the menu bar is determined to be in a corresponding second region of the touch screen; and

changing the menu bar, such that the menu bar displays a third user interface to control a third mode of the mobile communication terminal, if the location of the menu bar is determined to be in a corresponding third region of the touch screen.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the menu bar is moved from the first region to the second region by being dragged and dropped.