Method for switching user interface, electronic device and recording medium using the same

• US 9,128,597 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2012
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Bamford, Drew, Shotel, Micah
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin
• Application Number:
  US13/437,873
• Publication Number:
  US 20120192095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,254 Days
• Field of Search: 715762-765, 715/778, 715/840, 715/779, 715/716, 715/863, 715/784, 715/854, 715/740
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A user interface switching method, and an electronic device and a recording medium using the same are provided. First, a plurality of user interfaces are provided, and one of the user interfaces is displayed in a touch screen of the portable electronic device. A representative icon bar and a hot key bar are displayed in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces and the hot key bar comprises one or more hot keys corresponding to the user interface currently displayed in the touch screen. When the touch screen detects a touch signal which falls within the representative icon bar and is moved therein, the representative icon bar is moved correspondingly, and the displayed user interface and hot keys are also switched according to the representative icon on which the touch signal is terminated.

Claims

1. A user interface switching method, for use in a portable handheld electronic device having a touch screen, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of user interfaces, and displaying one of the user interfaces in the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device;

displaying a representative icon bar and a hot key bar in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces, and the hot key bar comprises at least one hot key corresponding to the currently displayed user interface;

detecting a touch signal in response to a touch from a user by the touch screen; and

in response to the touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar, move within the representative icon bar and terminated on a representative icon, switching the user interface and correspondingly switching the hot key according to the representative icon on which the touch signal is terminated.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

highlighting the representative icon to which the touch signal is moved in the representative icon bar.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

highlighting the representative icon corresponding to the displayed user interface in the representative icon bar.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining the representative icon to which the touch signal is moved; and

displaying a user interface preview text description corresponding to the representative icon to which the touch signal is moved.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the user interfaces is corresponding to a function or a sub-function of a function.

6. A user interface switching method, for use in a portable handheld electronic device having a touch screen, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of user interfaces, and displaying one of the user interfaces in the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device;

displaying a representative icon bar in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces, and displaying a bar comprising at least one hot key corresponding to the currently displayed user interface;

detecting a first touch signal in response to a touch from a user by the touch screen; and

moving the representative icon bar according to the displacement of the detected first touch signal in response to the first touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar; and

detecting a second touch signal in response to a touch signal from a user by the touch screen; and

switching the user interface and correspondingly switching the hot key according to the representative icon on which the second touch signal is detected in response to the second touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon and terminated in the representative icon in the representative icon bar.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein each of the user interfaces is corresponding to a function or a sub-function of a function.

8. A user interface switching method, for use in a smart phone having a touch screen and comprising contacts, messages, e-mail, camera, music player, browser, weather, and setting functions, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of user interfaces, and displaying one of the user interfaces in the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device;

displaying a representative icon bar in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces and each representative icon display a pattern related to the function of the user interface corresponding to the representative icon;

detecting a first touch signal in response to a touch from a user by the touch screen; and

moving the representative icon bar according to the displacement of the detected first touch signal in response to the first touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar;

displaying a bar comprising at least one hot key corresponding to the currently displayed user interface; and

detecting a second touch signal in response to a touch from a user by the touch screen; and

switching the user interface and correspondingly switching the hot key according to the representative icon on which the second touch signal is detected in response to the second touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon in the representative icon bar.

9. A portable handheld electronic device adapted to switch a user interface thereof, comprising:

a touch screen, for detecting a touch signal in response to a touch input from a user on the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device;

a user interface display module, for displaying one of a plurality of user interfaces in the touch screen;

a representative icon bar display module, for displaying a representative icon bar in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces;

a hot key bar display module, for displaying a hot key bar in the touch screen, wherein the hot key bar comprises at least one hot key corresponding to the currently displayed user interface; and

a switch module, for switching the user interface and correspondingly switching the hot key according to the touch signal detected by the touch screen, wherein

in response to the touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar move within the representative icon bar, and terminated on a representative icon, the displayed user interface and the hot key are switched according to the representative icon on which the touch signal is terminated.

10. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the representative icon bar display module further comprises highlighting the representative icon to which the touch signal is moved in the representative icon bar.

11. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the representative icon bar display module further comprises highlighting the representative icon corresponding to the displayed user interface in the representative icon bar.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the switch module further comprises determining the representative icon to which the touch signal is moved and displaying a user interface preview text corresponding to the representative icon to which the touch signal is moved.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 9, wherein each of the user interfaces is corresponding to a function or a sub-function of a function.

14. A portable handheld electronic device adapted to switch a user interface thereof, comprising:

a touch screen, for detecting a touch signal in response to a touch input from a user on the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device;

a user interface display module, for displaying one of a plurality of user interfaces in the touch screen;

a representative icon bar display module, for displaying a representative icon bar in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces;

a hot key display module, for displaying at least one hot key in a bar in the touch screen, wherein the displayed hot key corresponding to the currently displayed user interface; and

a switch module, for switching the user interface and the hot key according to the touch signal detected by the touch screen, wherein

in response to a first touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar and move within the representative icon bar, the representative icon bar is moved correspondingly to the detected first touch signal, and

in response to a second touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar, the displayed user interface and the at least on hot key are switched according to the representative icon on which the second touch signal is detected.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 14, wherein each of the user interfaces is corresponding to a function or a sub-function of a function.

16. A portable handheld electronic device adapted to switch a user interface thereof, wherein the portable handheld electronic device comprises contacts, messages, e-mail, camera, music player, browser, weather, and setting functions and has a touch screen for detecting a touch signal in response to a touch input from a user on the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device, wherein the touch screen further displays:

one of a plurality of user interfaces;

a representative icon bar comprising a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces and each representative icon display a pattern related to the function of the user interface corresponding to the representative icon, wherein in response to a first touch signal being detected to fall falls in the representative icon bar and move within the representative icon bar, the representative icon bar is moved correspondingly to the detected first touch signal; and

at least on hot key in a bar corresponding to the currently displayed user interface, wherein in response to a second touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar, the displayed user interface and the hot key are switched according to the representative icon on which the second touch signal is detected.

17. A user interface switching method, for use in a portable handheld electronic device having a touch screen, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of user interfaces, and displaying one of the user interfaces in the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device;

displaying a representative icon bar in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces, and displaying a bar comprising at least one hot key corresponding to the currently displayed user interface;

detecting a first touch signal in response to a touch signal from a user by the touch screen;

in response to the first touch signal being detected to fall in a representative icon in the representative icon bar, switching the user interface and correspondingly switching the hot key according to the representative icon on which the second touch signal is detected;

detecting a second touch signal in response to a touch signal from a user by the touch screen; and

in response to the second touch signal being detected to fall in the displayed user interface and moved in a sliding manner within the displayed user interface and a displacement of sliding of the second touch signal exceeds a predetermined value, switching the displayed user interface to a next one user interface or to a previous one user interface according to the moving direction of the second touch signal, and switching the hot key corresponding to the switched user interface.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising:

in response to the second touch signal being detected to fall in the displayed user interface and moved in a sliding manner within the displayed user interface and the displacement of sliding of the second touch signal exceeds the predetermined value, moving the representative icon bar corresponding to the switched user interface.

19. A portable handheld electronic device adapted to switch a user interface thereof, comprising:

a touch screen, for detecting a touch signal in response to a touch input from a user on the touch screen of the portable handheld electronic device;

a user interface display module, for displaying one of a plurality of user interfaces in the touch screen;

a representative icon bar display module, for displaying a representative icon bar in the touch screen, wherein the representative icon bar comprises a plurality of representative icons respectively corresponding to the user interfaces;

a hot key display module, for displaying at least one hot key in a bar in the touch screen, wherein the displayed hot key corresponding to the currently displayed user interface; and

a switch module, for switching the user interface and the hot key according to the touch signal detected by the touch screen, wherein

in response to a first touch signal being detected to fall in the representative icon bar, the displayed user interface and the at least on hot key are switched according to the representative icon on which the first touch signal is detected, and

in response to a second touch signal being detected to fall in the displayed user interface and moved in a sliding manner within displayed the user interface and a displacement of sliding of the second touch signal exceeds a predetermined value, the displayed user interface are switched to a next one user interface or to a previous one user interface according to the moving direction of the second touch signal, and the hot key are switched corresponding to the switched user interface.

20. The portable electronic device according to claim 19, wherein

in response to the second touch signal being detected to fall in the displayed user interface and moved in a sliding manner within displayed the user interface and the displacement of sliding of the second touch signal exceeds the predetermined value, the representative icon bar is moved corresponding to the switched user interface.