Method and apparatus for displaying user interface capable of intuitively editing and browsing folder

• US 9,710,149 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Shim, Jung-hyun, Choi, Won-young
• Primary Examiner(s): TSUI, WILSON W
• Application Number:
  US13/250,243
• Publication Number:
  US 20120124513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,118 Days
• Field of Search: 715211, 715214, 715243, 715252, 715764, 715766, 715769, 715782
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Provided is a method and apparatus for displaying a user interface by displaying a first screen including at least one icon and a second screen including a first region obtained by reducing the size of the first screen 3-Dimensionally depending on an input of a user to edit or browse a folder, and a second region displaying folder content.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a first screen including at least one icon;

in response to receiving a first touch input to modify the first screen, displaying a second screen including a first region and a second region, wherein the first region includes the first screen reduced in size so that the first screen is fully displayed in the first region and the second region is for displaying at least one icon associated with content of a folder displayed in the first region; and

after receiving the first touch to modify the first screen to display the second screen, in response to receiving a second touch input of an icon displayed in the first region, displaying the touched icon in the second region and displaying an icon corresponding to a new folder in the first region,

wherein a size of the second region is automatically changed based on a number of icons displayed in the second region, and

wherein sizes of icons included in the first region are changed based on the number of icons displayed in the second region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region is obtained by reducing a height of the first screen so that the first region is displayed on the second screen in a remaining region excluding the second region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein an upper width of the first region is relatively smaller than a lower width of the first region, and the lower width of the first region is equal to a width of the first screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the size of the second region increases as the number of icons displayed in the second region increases.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one icon displayed on the first screen has a square shape,

wherein the icon displayed in the first region and the first region have trapezoidal shapes, and

wherein an upper width of the first region is smaller than a lower width of the first region.

6. An apparatus for displaying a user interface, the apparatus comprising:

a display device; and

a controller configured to;

control the display device to display a first screen including at least one icon,

in response to receiving a first touch input to modify the first screen, control the display device to display a second screen including a first region and a second region, wherein the first region includes the first screen reduced in size so that the first screen is fully displayed in the first region and the second region is for displaying at least one icon associated with content of a folder displayed in the first region, and

after receiving the first touch to modify the first screen to display the second screen, in response to receiving a second touch input of an icon displayed in the first region, display the touched icon in the second region and display an icon corresponding to a new folder in the first region,

wherein a size of the second region is automatically changed based on a number of icons displayed in the second region, and

wherein sizes of icons included in the first region are changed based on the number of icons displayed in the second region.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first region is obtained by reducing a height of the first screen so that the first region is displayed on the second screen in a remaining region excluding the second region.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein an upper width of the first region is relatively smaller than a lower width of the first region, and the lower width of the first region is equal to a width of the first screen.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the size of the second region increases as the number of icons displayed in the second region increases.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one icon displayed on the first screen has a square shape,

wherein the icon displayed in the first region and the first region have trapezoidal shapes, and

wherein an upper width of the first region is relatively smaller than a lower width of the first region.

11. A non-transitory computer readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for executing the method of displaying a user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a first screen including at least one icon;

in response to receiving a first touch input to modify the first screen, displaying a second screen including a first region and a second region, wherein the first region includes the first screen reduced in size so that the first screen is fully displayed in the first region and the second region is for displaying at least one icon associated with content of a folder displayed in the first region; and

after receiving the first touch to modify the first screen to display the second screen, in response to receiving a second touch input of an icon displayed in the first touch region, displaying the touched icon in the second region and displaying an icon corresponding to a new folder in the first region,

wherein a size of the second region is automatically changed based on a number of icons displayed in the second region, and

wherein sizes of icons included in the first region are changed based on the number of icons displayed in the second region.

12. A method of moving a least one icon from a second region to a first region in a second region, the method comprising:

displaying a first screen including a folder;

receiving a user input to modify the folder;

reducing, in response to the user input, a size of the first screen so that the first screen is fully displayed in the first region of the second screen;

displaying the second screen including the first region and the second region;

displaying contents of the folder in the second region;

moving at least one icon included in the folder from the second region to the first region in response to a dragging input;

deleting the folder from the second region, upon moving a last of the at least one icon from the second region to the first region; and

displaying a modified first region without the folder, wherein the folder is deleted from the second region,

wherein the second region is adjacent to the first region in the second screen and displays contents of the folder,

wherein a size of the second region is automatically changed based on a number of icons that are moved to the second region, and

wherein sizes of icons included in the first region are changed based on a number of icons included in the second region.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the received user input comprises an external input, selecting an icon representing the folder, in the first screen for a predetermined period of time.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein displaying the modified first region without the folder comprises:

deleting the icon representing the folder from the first region.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one moved icon is displayed in the first region of the second screen.

16. An apparatus for moving at least one icon from a second region to a first region in a second screen, the apparatus comprising:

a controller configured to reduce, in response to a received user input, a size of a first screen so that the first screen is fully displayed in the first region of the second screen, so as to modify a folder, to move at least one icon included in the folder from the second region to the first region in response to a dragging input, to delete the folder from the second region, upon moving a last of the at least one icon from the second region to the first region, and to modify the first region to display without the folder, when the folder is deleted from the second region; and

a display device configured to display the first screen and the second screen,

wherein the first screen includes the folder comprising at least one icon,

wherein the second screen displays the second region adjacent to the first region, the second region displaying contents of the folder,

wherein a size of the second region is automatically changed based on a number of icons that are moved to the second region, and

wherein sizes of icons included in the first region are changed based on a number of icons included in the second region.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the received user input comprises an external input, selecting an icon representing the folder, in the first screen for a predetermined period of time.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein when the first region is modified to be displayed without the folder, the controller deletes the icon representing the folder from the first region.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one moved icon is displayed in the first region of the second screen.

20. A method of displaying a user interface in a display device of mobile device, the method comprising:

displaying, in the display device, a first screen including a plurality of icons;

in response to receiving a first touch input to modify the first screen, displaying, in the display device, a second screen including a first region and a second region, wherein the first region includes the first screen reduced in size so that a substantial portion of the plurality of icons are displayed in the first region and the second region is for displaying at least one icon associated with content of a folder displayed in the first region; and

after receiving the first touch to modify the first screen to display the second screen, in response to receiving a second touch input of an icon displayed in the first region, displaying the touched icon in the second region and displaying an icon corresponding to a new folder in the first region,

wherein a size of the second region is automatically changed based on a number of icons displayed in the second region, and

wherein sizes of icons included in the first region are changed based on the number of icons displayed in the second region.