RU2607272C2 - Method and device for providing graphic user interface in mobile terminal - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electronics.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to graphic user interfaces in a mobile terminal. Technical result is achieved by implementation and display in response to the input for selecting one or more symbols in mode "mini", implementation screen in mode "mini" of the second application, which corresponds to the selected icon in mode "mini" in the area of screens of implementation of applications, herewith the implementation screen in mode "mini" contains an implementation screen configured to be partial area of the said area of screens of implementation of applications.

EFFECT: technical result is the possibility of simultaneous operation with multiple applications on a small display device.

18 cl, 16 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) in a mobile terminal. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for providing a GUI that operates when more than one application is running in a mobile terminal.

BACKGROUND

In the usual multitasking functionality, multiple applications run simultaneously. However, due to the fact that applications are running in the background, the user cannot view many applications. Accordingly, when a user accesses one application, the user can display another application in the form of a pop-up window. However, it is difficult to use two applications at the same time, especially on a small display device, such as a mobile phone display device, tablet computer, PDA, etc. In addition, due to the fact that often dependent applications exist, the user cannot access them in all situations.

Additionally, referring to an event related to an application running in the background that occurs during the execution of an application, the functionality of displaying an alarm event in the form of a pop-up window is embodied. However, they do not provide an interface that can work with multiple applications simultaneously. Thus, in the prior art, there is a need for a better method of accessing a display device with multiple applications on a display device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Technical challenge

It is difficult to use two applications at the same time, especially on a small display device, such as a mobile phone display device, tablet computer, PDA, etc. In addition, due to the fact that often dependent applications exist, the user cannot access them in all situations. In addition, an interface is not provided having the ability to simultaneously work with multiple applications.

The solution of the problem

The present invention provides a method for providing a GUI having the ability to implement multiple application execution screens on a single screen, and a device using the aforementioned feature.

In accordance with an exemplary aspect of the present invention, a method for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) in a mobile terminal preferably includes: displaying an area of application execution icons and an area of application execution screens generated by one or more application execution icons; receiving the result of selecting one of one or more application execution icons; and displaying the execution screen in abbreviated mode for the application corresponding to the selected application execution icon in the area of application execution screens.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect of the present invention, a mobile terminal for providing a graphical user interface (GUI) preferably includes: a display device that displays an area of application execution icons and an area of application execution screens formed by one or more application execution icons; a data input unit that receives the result of selecting one of one or more application execution icons; and a controller for controlling the display device for displaying the application execution screen in a reduced mode corresponding to the selected application execution icon in the region of application execution screens.

USEFUL EFFECT OF THE INVENTION

In the present invention, when using the multitasking functionality of a mobile terminal, a user can view multiple application execution screens on one screen and enter a work command for multiple applications on one screen. Since a command, such as execution, completion, hiding the application, converting the application from the “mini” mode to the full mode, is performed through a simple touch operation, user convenience can be improved by using the multitasking functionality.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, together with the accompanying drawings, in which:

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an exemplary method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

figure 3 is an example of a screen copy of a mobile terminal displayed in the procedure of figure 2;

4 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

5 is a view showing a screen configuration of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a view showing an example of a screen copy of a mobile terminal displayed in the procedure of FIG. 4;

7 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a view showing an example of a screen copy of a mobile terminal displayed in the procedure of Fig. 7;

9 is a view showing an example of a screen copy of a mobile terminal displayed after completion of an application according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

figure 10 is a view showing the change in appearance from the execution screen in "mini" to the execution screen in full mode;

11 is a view showing the appearance when the execution screen in the "mini" mode and the execution screen in full mode of the same application are displayed on one screen;

12 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13 is a view showing an example of a screen copy of a mobile terminal displayed in the procedure of FIG. 12;

Fig. 14 is a view showing an example where a plurality of mini-execution screens are displayed in the region of application execution screens; and

15 and 16 are views showing the conversion of the appearance of the execution screen in full mode to the execution screen in "mini" mode, respectively.

MODES FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers that are used throughout the drawings refer to the same or similar parts. Detailed descriptions of known functionalities and structures used may be omitted in order to avoid obscuring the understanding of the subject matter of the present invention by those skilled in the art using detailed descriptions of such known functionalities and structures.

In this paper, the term “application execution icon area” refers to the area in which at least one application execution icon is located. The application runtime icon area is configured to distinguish it from the application runtime screens area. The application runtime icon area may consist of the mini icon runtime region and the full mode runtime region. The execution icon area in mini mode contains the area in which the application execution icon for execution in mini mode is located, and the execution icon area in full mode is the area in which the application execution icon for execution in full mode is located. The area of the execution icons in the “mini” mode and the area of the execution icons in the full mode are displayed in the same place, and they can be changed according to the information entered by the user. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the region in the “mini” mode is relatively smaller than the region in the full mode, as shown, for example, in FIG.

In this paper, the term “indicator area” refers to the area in which at least one function key is located. The indicator area is displayed in the same place where the application execution icon area is located. The indicator area and the application execution icon area can be converted into each other according to user input. The indicator area may include, in whole or in part, the “back” key, the “reset” key, the “list of last executed commands” key, and the “search” key. Additionally, the indicator area may include an image of the "key", and the image of the "key" indicates that the indicator area can be converted to another area.

In this paper, the term “menu bar area” refers to the area in which the application execution icons area and the indicator area are located.

In this paper, the term “area of application execution screens” refers to the area in which the application execution screen, the home screen, and the menu screen are displayed. The area of application runtime screens is different from the area of application runtime icons. Application execution screens in mini and full mode are displayed in the application execution screens area.

In this paper, the term “full-screen execution screen” of an application refers to the execution screen generated by the entire area of application execution screens as one example of application execution screens. If the user touches or selects, using another means, for example, a key, stylus or voice, an application execution icon that includes a home screen or a menu screen, the application execution screen is displayed in full mode.

In this paper, the term “mini screen” or “short screen” refers to a screen formed by a portion of the application screen area as another appearance of the application screen. The progress screen in the “mini” mode is formed smaller than the progress screen in the full mode, and the progress screen in the “mini” mode and the progress screen in the full mode for the same application can be generated using various graphical user interfaces. If the user touches or selects using the other means, for example, with the help of a key, stylus or voice, the application execution icon, which includes the mini-icon execution area, then the application execution screen in the mini mode is displayed.

A mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be a communication information device and a multimedia device, such as a portable multimedia player (PMP), personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet computer or MP3 player.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The mobile terminal 100 of the present invention preferably includes a radio frequency (RF) communication unit 110, a storage device 120, a touch screen 130, a key input unit 140, and a controller 150.

The RF communication unit 110 implements the functionality of wireless transmission and reception of corresponding data for RF communication in the mobile terminal 100. The RF communication unit 110 may include a transmitter (not shown) that upconverts the transmitted signal and amplifies this signal, the receiver (not shown), which performs amplification with a low level of intrinsic noise of the received signal and converts this signal with decreasing frequency. Additionally, the RF communication unit 110 receives data through the RF channel and outputs the received data to the controller 150. The RF communication unit 110 may transmit the output data from the controller 150 via the RF channel.

The storage device 120 is a non-temporary machine-readable medium having structural elements for storing programs and data used by the mobile terminal 100, and it can store data, such as applications, images, audio and video information.

The touch screen 130 preferably includes a touch sensor 131 and a display device 132. A sensor 131 is a structural element for sensing user information inputted via touch input. The sensor 131 may comprise a capacitive overlapping sensor or a resistive overlapping sensor, just to name two possible non-limiting examples. In addition to the above sensors, various types of sensor devices that are capable of sensing contacts with objects can form a sensor sensor 131 of the present invention. The touch sensor senses user data inputted via touch input and generates and transmits the sensed signal to the controller 150. The sensed signal includes coordinate data of the place where the user enters a touch. When the user enters the operation of moving the place of touch, the sensor 131 generates and transmits to the controller 150 a sensed signal including the coordinate data of the trajectory of movement of the place of touch.

The display device 132 may preferably be formed using a liquid crystal display device (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device or an active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) display device, or another type of thin film technology. The display device 132 explicitly provides the user with data stored on the mobile terminal 100 or input data. The display device 132 of the present invention displays an application execution icon area and an application execution screen area formed by at least one application execution icon. When one application execution icon is selected and entered, the application execution screen in the “mini” mode corresponding to the selected application execution icon is displayed in the area of the application execution screens.

The key input unit 140 is a data input device formed in a different area than the touch screen 130 on the mobile terminal, and it generates and transmits an input signal to the controller 150, as in the touch sensor 131. The key input unit 140 can be generated by a keyboard that includes numeric keys and cursor keys, or using separate keys. The key input unit 140 may be formed using buttons or a touch sensor. In an embodiment of the present invention, the key input keypad 140 may not be used in a mobile terminal having the ability to perform various operations using only the touch screen 130. The keypad configuration may be of any known type, which includes a QWERTY, DVORAK, telephone keypad with 12 keys , alphanumeric keyboard, etc., but in no way limited to them.

The controller 150 is a structural element for controlling the entire operation of the mobile terminal 100.

A controller 150, which may comprise a processor or microprocessor, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention controls the display device 132 to display an application execution icon area and an application execution screen area formed by at least one application execution icon. If the controller 150 receives the result of selecting any application execution icon from the user through the touch sensor 131, then the controller controls the display device 132 to display the application execution screen in a mini mode corresponding to the selected application execution icon in the application execution screen area.

The controller 150 of the present invention controls a display device 132 for displaying an indicator area with at least one function key and an area of application execution screens. If the operation of moving the touch point to the area of the application execution screens is received by the sensor (s) after touching the indicator area from the user via the sensor 131, then the controller 150 can control the display device 132 to replace the indicator area with the application execution icon area formed at least with using a single application execution icon, and displaying the replaced application execution icon area. Then, if the user selects one application execution icon, then the controller 150 may display a “mini” execution screen corresponding to the selected application execution icon in the area of application execution screens.

If the controller 150 receives from the touch sensor the operation of moving the touch place towards the indicator area after touching the run screen in the mini mode through the touch sensor 131, while the indicator area and the application execution screen in the mini mode are displayed, then the controller controls a display device 132 for moving and displaying the execution screen in the “mini” mode according to the operation of moving the touch place.

The controller 150 also preferably controls the display device 132 to move and display the progress screen in the mini mode, and to determine whether or not the center of the progress screen in the mini mode passes through the indicator area.

If the controller determines that the center of the progress screen in “mini” mode passes through the indicator area, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace and display the indicator area with the application execution icon area. If it is determined that the center of the progress screen in the “mini” mode does not pass through the indicator area, then the controller 150 supports the display of the indicator area. The controller 150 determines through the touch sensor 131 whether or not the movement of the touch point reaches the application execution icon area. If it is determined that the movement of the touch point reaches the application execution icon area, then the controller 150 terminates the application of the execution screen in “mini” mode. If it is determined that the movement of the touch point does not reach the application execution icon area, then the controller 150 maintains the execution state of the application of the execution screen in the mini mode.

The controller 150 of the present invention also preferably controls the display device 132 for displaying in an active state the progress screen in the “mini” mode and the progress screen in the full mode, and determines whether or not an event occurs in the application displayed on the progress screen in the full mode. If the controller determines that an event is occurring, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display a pop-up window including a “Yes” key and a “Cancel” key. If the controller determines through the touch sensor 131 that the "Yes" key is selected, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to move the active state and display in the active state the execution screen in full mode. If the controller determines that the Cancel key is selected, then the controller 150 maintains the active state of the progress screen in mini mode.

The above exemplary embodiment shows the configuration of the mobile terminal 100 according to the present invention. Hereinafter, a method for providing a GUI supporting multitasking functionality in the mobile terminal 100 will be described.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

In step (201), the controller 150 preferably controls the display device 132 to display the application execution icon area formed by the at least one application execution icon and the application execution screen area. For example, the controller 150 may control the display device 132 to display the application execution icon area on the lower edge of the panel display device 132 and the application execution screen area at the top of the application execution icon area. In this case, at least one application execution icon is located in the left and right directions in the application execution icon area.

According to an exemplary aspect of the present invention, an area of application execution screens may include a start screen formed by an icon or a menu widget, a menu screen formed by a menu icon, or an application complete screen in full mode. The controller 150 preferably controls the display device 132 in an inactive state to display a home screen or a menu screen in the area of the application execution screens. The controller 150 also preferably controls the display device 132 in the execution state of the application to display the execution screen in full mode of the corresponding application.

In step (201), the controller 150 receives the result of selecting one application execution icon through the touch sensor 131. When the application execution screen is fully displayed in the application execution area area, the touch screen senses that the user has touched the application execution icon to multitask for another application , and the controller 150 recognizes the execution icon of the application that the user touched through the touch sensor 131.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if the user preferably selects the application execution icon using touch selection and then enters the operation of moving the touch place to the area of the application execution screens, then the controller 150 may determine whether or not the application execution icon has been selected by the user via the sensor 131, and recognize the result of the selection as a command to execute the corresponding application. In this particular case, it is preferable that the input operation of moving the place of touch is a drag-and-drop operation, which is perceived when the user touches the application execution icon, moves it to the area of application execution screens and then stops touching.

Then, in step (203), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display the application execution screen in the “mini” mode corresponding to the application execution icon selected by the user on the application execution screen. The controller 150 executes the application corresponding to the application execution icon selected by the user, configures and displays the execution screen in a mini mode on the display device 132. The runtime screen in the “mini” mode preferably comprises a runtime screen formed by a part of the region of the application runtime screens, and it is displayed on the home screen, menu screen, or over the application runtime screen in full mode. In the case where the application is displayed on the progress screen in the “mini” mode in the present invention, the progress screen in the “mini” mode and the progress screen in the full mode can be generated using various graphical user interfaces.

FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of a screen of a mobile terminal displayed in the procedure of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 shows a display of an area 31 of the application execution screen, an area 32 of application execution icons, and a mini screen 33. The runtime screen in full mode of the “calculator” application is displayed in the area of 31 application runtime screens. The execution screen 33 in the “mini” mode is the world time application execution screen, and it is displayed in the foreground of the calculator application execution screen. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the mini-mode execution screen 33 includes a full mode replacement key 34 and a completion key 35. To replace the world time application with full mode, the user touches the replacement key 34 with full mode. To end the world time application, a completion key 35 is entered.

The application execution icon area 32 includes a plurality of application execution icons 321 to 327. The list of application execution icons, which includes the application execution icon area 32, can be reset by the user, and the user can create the application execution icon area 32 using frequently used application execution icons. Figure 3 shows the result when the user touches the icon 323 corresponding to the execution icon of the application "world time". The application execution icon area 32 may include an end button for the application execution icon area to replace the application execution icon area 32 with another area. In the present invention, the application execution icon area 32 can be replaced by an indicator area formed by function keys.

4 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows an exemplary embodiment in which the application execution icon area and the indicator area can be replaced with each other. In this case, the user enters and changes the state of the completion key of the application execution icon area.

At step (401), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display the indicator area and the application execution screen, including at least one function key. In the present invention, the indicator area may include a set of keys, such as a back key, a reset key, a list of recently executed commands, and a search key. As shown in FIG. 3, in the area of the application execution screens, the initial screen, the menu screen, and the application execution screen in full mode can be displayed.

At step (402), the touch sensor senses the information inputted via touch input and notifies the controller 150 of the input operation of moving the touch place to the area of the application execution screens after touching the indicator area. Preferably, the input of the operation of moving the place of touch at step 402 is the operation of "scrolling", containing the immediate termination of the touch after performing the touch operation at a speed higher than the preset speed.

At step (403), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the indicator area with the application execution icon area formed by at least one application execution icon and display it. In this case, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the indicator area with the application execution icon area, displaying a visual image of the rotating panel.

At step (404), the controller 150 receives the result of selecting one application execution icon through the touch sensor 131.

Then, in step (405), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 for displaying the application execution screen in a “mini” mode corresponding to the selected application execution icon in the area of the application execution screens.

The replacement key for replacing with the application execution icon area may include an indicator area according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. If the user touches the replace key, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the indicator area with the application execution icon area and to display the application execution icon area.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the end key of an application execution icon area may include an application execution icon area. If the user touches this key, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the application execution icon area with the indicator area.

In the state where the application execution icon area is displayed, when the touch screen senses that the user is touching the application execution icon area and enters the operation of moving the touch place downward (in a direction opposite to the direction of the application execution screen area), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the display of the application execution icon area with the indicator area. In this case, it is preferable that the input operation of moving the place of touch is the operation of "scrolling".

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the display of the indicator area with the application execution icon area, starts a timer, and determines whether or not the preset time T has expired. The controller determines that the preset time T has expired, and the controller 150 may control the display device 132 to replace the display of the application execution icon area with the display of the indicator area.

In the present invention, the application execution icon area may preferably include a mini mode execution area and a full mode execution area. Three areas, for example, the indicator area, the execution icon area in the “mini” mode, and the execution icon area in the full mode, can be successively replaced at the bottom of the displayed area of the application execution screens. The area of the execution icons in the “mini” mode and the area of the execution icons in the full mode are formed using at least one application execution icon. If an icon is selected that includes the mini-icon execution area, the controller 150 creates and displays on the display device 132 a mini-screen of the corresponding application. If an icon is selected that includes the full execution mode icon area, then the controller 150 creates and displays on the display device 132 a full mode execution screen of the corresponding application.

5 is a perspective view showing a screen configuration of a mobile terminal 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Turning now to FIG. 5, an area 51 of application execution screens and a menu panel area 52 are shown. The area 52 of the menu bar has a menu bar in the form of a three-dimensional bar, and the menu bar is formed using three surfaces. The menu panel includes an indicator area 521, an area 522 icons execution in the "mini" and the area 523 icons execution in full mode. The menu bar rotates up or down according to user input. The area 52 of the menu bar is replaced with one of the area 522 execution icons in the "mini" or area 523 of the execution icons in full mode, and display the replaced area.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an example of a screen copy of a mobile terminal 100 displayed in accordance with the procedure of FIG. 4.

6 [a] shows the application "reproduction of moving images" and the indicator area formed by the execution screen in full mode. The indicator area preferably includes, for example, a key 61 “previous”, key 62 “reset”, key 63 “list of last executed commands” and key 64 “search”. The indicator area includes a “key” to indicate replacement with another area and current time. 6 [a] shows the appearance when the user touches the indicator area and then introduces the operation of moving the touch place to the area of the application execution screens.

FIG. 6 [b] shows a screen display that changed when a user touched the indicator area in FIG. 6 [a] and then introduced an operation of moving a touch place to an area of application execution screens. In FIG. 6 [b], the indicator area has been replaced with an application execution icon area, and the replaced application execution icon area is displayed.

The application execution icon area of FIG. 6 [b] is a mini icon execution area area. Additionally, FIG. 6 [b] shows an appearance when a user selects a world time application execution icon 323.

FIG. 6 [c] shows a screen display that changed when the user selected the world time application execution icon 323 in FIG. 6 [b]. 6 [c] shows the appearance when the runtime screen in the “mini” mode of the “world time” application is displayed on top of the runtime screen in the full mode of the “moving image” application. In order to again replace the application execution icon area with the indicator area, the user selects the 328 completion key for the application execution icon area.

FIG. 6 [d] shows a screen display that changed when a user selects the end key 328 of the application execution icon area in FIG. 6 [c], which shows the application execution icon area to which the application execution icon area has been replaced.

7 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to a further exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 7 is an exemplary embodiment of an application termination routine executed in a mini mode.

Turning now to FIG. 7, in step (701), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display the indicator area and the application execution screen in the “mini” mode. Step 701 shows a display state when the application execution icon area is again replaced with an indicator area after step 203 or step 405 of FIG. 4.

At step 702, in response to the sensing of the touch by the sensor 131 on the mini screen, the controller 150 controls the reception of the entered operation of moving the place of touch in the direction of the indicator area. Touching the user can complete the current application running in mini mode by tapping the run screen in mini mode, and then by entering the operation of moving the place of touch in the direction of the indicator area, which is perceived using the touch screen.

At step (703), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 for moving and displaying the screen in mini mode according to the perceived operation of moving the touch place.

At step 704, the controller 150 determines whether or not the center of the progress screen in mini mode passes / occupies through the indicator area. If the user touches and moves the progress screen in the mini mode down, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to move and display the progress screen in the mini mode. If the bottom of the progress screen in the mini mode passes through the indicator area, the progress screen in the mini mode is displayed on the bottom layer of the indicator area. Then, the controller 150 determines whether or not the center of the execution screen reaches in the “mini” indicator area. In this case, the controller 150 may determine whether or not the center line reaches the indicator line between the upper edge and the lower edge of the mini screen.

At step 704, if it is determined that the center of the progress screen in the mini mode does not occupy the indicator area, then at step 705, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to maintain the display state of the indicator area.

When the center of the execution screen in the mini mode passes through the indicator area, then at step (706), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the indicator area with the application execution icon area and display the replaced application execution icon area. In this case, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display in an active state the application execution icon corresponding to the application running in the mini mode.

At step (707), the controller 150 determines through the touch sensor 131 whether or not the movement of the touch point passes through the application execution icon area. The user moves the touch to the application execution icon area to complete the application and then stops the touch.

If, at step 707, the controller determines that the touch move location does not pass through the application execution icon area, then at step (708), the controller 150 maintains the execution state of the application.

When it is determined that the movement of the touch point passes through the application execution area, then at step (709), the controller 150 terminates the corresponding application.

When the application is completed, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display a visual effect image in which the mini screen is reduced and converges towards the corresponding application execution icon.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the mini screen may include an application termination key. If the user touches the application termination key, then controller 150 may terminate the execution of the corresponding application. Additionally, when the user touches the back button, which includes the indicator area, the controller 150 may complete the execution state of the current application running in mini mode.

Fig. 8 is a view showing an example of a screen of a mobile terminal displayed when performing the procedure of Fig. 7.

Fig. 8 [a] shows a “moving image reproduction” application generated by the full-screen execution screen, a world time application generated by the “mini” mode progress screen, and an indicator area in the form when the user touches the screen execution in the "mini" mode and then introduces the operation of moving the place of touch in the direction of the indicator area. In Fig. 8, [a] “a” indicates the distance between the upper edge and the lower edge of the run screen in the “mini” mode.

Fig. 8 [b] shows a changed screen when the user touches the execution screen in the “mini” mode and enters the operation of moving the place of touch in the direction of the indicator area by a predetermined distance. The execution screen in the mini mode of FIG. 8 [b] is omitted compared to the screen of FIG. 8 [a]. Part of the execution screen in “mini” mode is displayed in the application execution screens area, and the rest of it is hidden under the application execution icons area. The indicator area in Fig. 8 [a] is replaced by the application execution icon area, and the replaced application execution icon area is displayed. The controller 150 determines whether or not the length b of the currently displayed execution screen in mini mode is equal to half (1/2 * a) of the full length of the execution screen in mini mode. When the “b” is 8B less than 1/2 * a, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the indicator area with the application execution icon area and to display the replaced application execution icon area. Fig. 8 [b] shows an appearance in which the execution icon of the current “world time” application running in the “mini” mode is displayed in the active state. Then, the user continuously moves the place of touch to the application execution icon area.

Fig. 8 [c] shows a replaced screen when a user moves a touch place to an application execution icon area. The runtime screen in the “mini” mode of the “world time” application disappears from Fig. 8 [c], and only the runtime screen in the full mode of the “moving image playback” application is displayed in the area of the application runtime screens.

Fig. 8 [c] shows the appearance in which the world clock application is deleted along with the active state that appears during the execution of the current mini mode, since the execution of the world clock application is completed compared to Fig. 8 [b ].

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if a user enters a termination key that includes a progress screen in mini mode, or enters a back key 82, which includes the indicator area in FIG. 8 [a], controller 150 may complete the application running in the mini mode and control the display device 132 to delete the execution screen in the mini mode and to display the remaining part, as shown in Fig. 8 [c].

In the present invention, when the application running in the mini mode is terminated, the controller 150 can control the display device 132 to display a visual effect image in which the mini screen is reduced and converges to the execution icon of the corresponding application. Further, when the user enters the result of selecting the application execution icon, the controller 150 can control the display of the visual effect image of such a form that the application execution screen in the mini mode corresponding to the selected application execution icon is enlarged from the application execution icon.

9 is a view showing an example of a screen on a mobile terminal 100 displayed when an application is completed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig.9 shows the appearance in which the execution screen in the "mini" mode of the application "world time" is reduced in the direction of the execution icon of the application "world time".

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the mini-mode progress screen may include a full mode replace key. If the user selects the replace key to full mode, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the progress screen in the "mini" mode with the progress screen in full mode and to display the replaced progress screen in full mode.

Figure 10 is a view showing the appearance of replacing the execution screen in the "mini" mode on the execution screen in full mode.

10 [a] the calculator application is displayed on the progress screen in the mini mode, and the progress screen in the mini mode includes a replacement key 10 for the full mode. To use the "calculator" application in full mode, the user enters 10 replacement key for full mode.

FIG. 10 [b] shows a replaced screen when a user enters a full mode replacement key 10 in FIG. 10 [a]. The area of the application execution screens in Fig. 10 [b] is formed by the execution screen in the full mode of the “calculator” application.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a mini-mode execution screen and a full-mode execution screen for the same application can be displayed on one screen. If the user selects a run icon for the same application from the application run icon area, executing the specific application in full mode, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display the run screen in a mini mode over the run screen in full mode.

11 is a view showing a format in which the progress screen in the mini mode and the progress screen in full mode in the same application are displayed on one screen. The area of the application execution screens in FIG. 11 includes a full-screen execution screen and a mini-application execution screen of the “calculator” application. The active state can be changed between the run screen in full mode and the run screen in "mini" mode. The user can move the active state to selectively use the run screen in full mode and the run screen in "mini" mode. In other words, in FIG. 11, for the user, the “calculator” application on the run screen in the “mini” mode and the “calculator” application on the run screen in the full mode are various applications.

12 is a flowchart showing an example operation of a method for providing a GUI in a mobile terminal according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 12 shows an exemplary embodiment of a processing procedure when an event occurs in an application running in full mode, when the execution screen in “mini” mode and the execution screen in full mode are displayed.

Turning now to FIG. 12, in step (1201), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display the active execution screen in “mini” mode and the execution screen in full mode. The controller 150 controls the display device 132 for displaying the execution screen in full mode of the first application and displaying the execution screen in “mini” mode of the second application on the execution screen in full mode according to the user directive. In this case, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display the active state of the progress screen in a mini mode.

At step (1202), the controller 150 determines whether or not an event occurs in the application displayed on the progress screen in full mode. When an application displayed on the progress screen in full mode is an application, an event related to time or schedules may be a signal. When the application displayed on the progress screen in full mode is a call application, the event may be a call event of the destination. When the application displayed on the progress screen in full mode is a messaging application, the event may be a reception signal.

When it is determined that an event is occurring, in step (1203), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to display a pop-up window including a “Yes” key and a “Cancel” key. In the present invention, the “Yes” key is a key for entering a confirmation command, such as “Yes”, “Confirm”, “Completed” or “Delete”. In this case, a pop-up window is displayed on top of the runtime screen in “mini” mode.

At step (1204), the controller 150 determines whether or not the Yes key is input via the touch sensor 131 or via the data input key unit 140.

When the controller determines that the "Yes" key has been entered, then in step (1205), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to move and display in an active state the execution screen in full mode. The selection of the “Yes” key by the user can be recognized as an acknowledgment or event selection command, and the controller 150 puts the application of the execution screen in full mode, which generates this event, into the active state.

If the “Yes” key is not selected at step 1204, then at step (1206), the controller 150 determines whether or not the “Cancel” key is entered through the touch sensor 131 or via the key input unit 140.

If the controller determines that the Cancel key has been entered, then in step (1207), the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to keep the progress screen in the “mini” mode active. The user’s selection of the Cancel key may be taken as a command to acknowledge the latest event and currently use the currently active mini-mode active screen, and controller 150 controls the display device 132 to continuously maintain the mini-screen's active screen.

Fig. 13 is a view showing an example of a screen copy of a mobile terminal, for example, displayed in the procedure of Fig. 12.

Fig. 13 [a] shows a progress screen in full mode of the world time application, a progress screen in mini mode of the calculator application, a popup window and an indicator area. Fig. 13 [a] shows a display state in which the mini-screen of the current application “calculator” is displayed in the active state, and a pop-up window indicating a signal event occurring in the “world time” application is displayed in the foreground of the screen run in mini mode. The popup window includes a Yes key and a Cancel key.

FIG. 13 [b] shows a changed screen when the touch screen senses that the user enters a “Yes” key in FIG. 13 [a]. The active state is moved and the world time application execution screen is displayed in full mode. Fig. 13 [c] shows a changed screen when the user enters the Cancel button in Fig. 13 [a] and the active state on the execution screen in the mini mode of the calculator application is continuously maintained.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the controller 150 may control the display device 132 to display a plurality of mini screens in the application screens area. Many of the mini-progress screens can be displayed differently according to the respective levels, and the progress screen in the mini-mode located at the upper level can be in the active state. When the user enters the execution command of another application in the display state of the execution screen in the mini mode, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to position the application execution screen in the mini mode for the entered execution command at the upper level and to display the active screen.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, when a user enters an execution command of another application in a display state in which the execution screen is displayed in the “mini” mode, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to remove the currently displayed execution screen in the “mini” mode and replace and displaying the execution screen in mini mode in which the execution command is entered.

Fig. 14 is a view showing a format when a plurality of mini-execution screens are displayed in the region of application execution screens. On Fig, the execution screen in the mini mode of the world time application is displayed at the upper level, the execution screen in the mini mode of another application is located at the lower level of the runtime screen in the mini mode of the world time application. The user can enter a command to replace the active state of the execution screen in the "mini" mode through the operation of "scrolling" in the left and right directions or the operation of "touching" the progress screen in the "mini" mode.

14, if the touch screen senses a touch when the user enters a drag operation after touching the run screen in the mini mode, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to move and display the entire displayed run screen in the mini mode according to the movement of the touch place.

When the user enters the “scrolling” operation in the left direction in FIG. 14, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to activate and display the execution screen in the mini mode located on the right side of the execution screen in the mini mode of the world application time". Additionally, when the user touches the runtime screen in “mini” mode located on the right side of the runtime screen in “mini” mode of the “world time” application, the controller 150 may control the display device 132 to switch to the active state and display the runtime screen in the “mini” mode "Touched.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the controller 150 can determine, through the touch sensor 131, whether or not to enter the operation of moving the place of touch in the direction of the indicator area after touching two points on the execution screen in mini mode. In this case, the input operation of moving the place of touch is preferably the operation of "scrolling", which immediately stops touching after the user touched two points and moved the place of contact with a speed higher than the preset speed. If the touch screen perceives the touch input, which is defined by the controller as a “scrolling” operation when two points are touched, the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to delete all the mini screens, which includes the area of the application screens, and to display the rest . In this case, the controller 150 continuously maintains the execution state of the application in the mini mode and only provides the functionality to hide the execution screen in the mini mode.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the controller 150 may determine, through the touch sensor 131, whether or not the operation of moving the touch point to the indicator area is directed after touching one point on the execution screen in mini mode. When the controller determines that a touch-position move operation has been entered, the controller 150 may terminate the application corresponding to the execution screen in the “mini” mode that the user has touched.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the full mode execution screen may include a mini-mode change key. If the input of the replacement key for the mini mode is recognized through the touch sensor 131, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the full-screen execution screen with the mini-execution screen and display the replaced execution screen in the mini mode. Additionally, the progress screen in full mode may include an application termination key. In this case, the controller 150 determines whether or not the application termination key is entered longer than the preset time. If it is determined that the application termination key is entered longer than the preset time, then the controller 150 controls the display device 132 to replace the full-screen run screen with the mini-run screen and display the replaced run screen in the mini mode. If the application end key is inputted less than the preset time through the touch sensor 131, then the controller 150 terminates the application and controls the display device 132 to delete the execution screen in full mode.

If the user enters a replacement key for the “mini” mode, which includes the progress screen in full mode, in a state where both the progress screen in full mode and the progress screen in “mini” are displayed, the controller 150 controls the display device to replace the screen run in full mode to the run screen in mini mode and to remove the display of the currently displayed run screen in mini mode, or position and display it at the lower level of the newly created run screen in mini mode.

FIGS. 15 and 16 are views showing the conversion of various external display views from the execution screen in full mode to the execution screen in “mini” mode, respectively.

Fig. 15 [a] shows a runtime screen in full mode of a calendar application and an appearance in which a touch of a replacement key for a mini mode is entered. FIG. 15 [b] is a screen changed from FIG. 15 [a], and it shows an appearance in which, for a calendar application, the progress screen in full mode is replaced with the progress screen in “mini” mode.

Fig. 16 [a] shows a runtime screen in full mode of a calendar application and a runtime screen in mini mode of a music playback application, and an appearance in which a user enters a touch to end the application for a time that is longer than a preset time . FIG. 16 [b] is a screen changed from FIG. 16 [a], and it shows an appearance in which, for the calendar application, the progress screen in full mode has been replaced by the progress screen in “mini” mode, and the screen run in the mini mode of the calendar application is located on top of the run screen in the mini mode of the music playback application.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, using the multitasking functionality of a mobile terminal, a user can view the execution screens of multiple applications and enter operational commands for multiple applications on a single screen.

In the present invention, when using the multitasking functionality of a mobile terminal, a user can view multiple application execution screens on one screen and enter operational commands for multiple applications on one screen. Since a command such as executing, terminating, hiding the application, converting the application from the “mini” mode to the full mode occurs through a simple touch operation, user convenience can be improved by using the multitasking functionality.

In another example of the present invention, the mini-mode tray is called up by “scrolling” up the area of the “key” sign in the indicator area. After N seconds, the “mini” mode tray automatically closes, and to close it, “short press” the end button. After completion and completion, a volumetric visual effect is applied in which the bar rotates.

Call the application in mini mode

The application in the mini mode can be called up by performing a “short press” or by dragging and dropping the icons of the corresponding application in the tray.

Completion of the application in mini mode

The application in “mini” mode can be dragged and dropped in the tray area or perform a “short press” on the end button in the header area to end the application in “mini” mode.

Visual effect when switching

The application in “mini” mode is executed in such a way that a visual effect is applied in which the tray is enlarged during completion.

Running one application at a time

One application in mini mode is called at one time. When another application in “mini” mode is executed while a certain application in “mini” mode is being used, the previously used application in “mini” mode is closed and a new application in “mini” mode is executed.

Full mode communication

Way to move

Short press and move the title bar in mini mode

- The content of the input field is the first content in full mode

Since the full mode is more suitable for performing data input, the full mode is regarded as intended for data input, and the data input field is first applied in full mode.

- Operation according to the selection of a soft key when a pop-up window appears

When a pop-up window appears in the background application when using the application in “mini” mode, if the confirmation command is selected (yes, confirmation, done, delete ...), the active state is moved to the background application. When the cancel command is selected (cancel, no ...), they maintain the active state for the application in mini mode.

- Play sound in the background

The icon is displayed in the indicator area on the lower edge in the situation of sound reproduction in the background (music, call), and a “short press” of the icon is performed to execute the application in the “mini” mode.

- Incoming call

If a signal occurs during the generation of a call in the indicator area and the call is received, the “mini” mode is executed. When the user uses another application in “mini” mode, the application in use is closed and the call application is executed in “mini” mode.

The effect of the present invention

The present invention enables the user to use the multitasking functionality, similar to using a PC (personal computer), in a mobile use environment.

The above methods according to the present invention may be embodied in hardware, firmware, or as software or machine code that may be stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM (compact disc), OP (random access memory), floppy disk, hard disk a disk or a magneto-optical disk, or as machine code downloaded on a network, originally stored on a remote recording medium or not a temporary machine-readable medium, and stored on a local recording medium, so that the described methods can be processed in such software that is stored on the recording medium using a universal computer or a specialized processor or in programmable or specialized hardware, such as LIS (specialized integrated circuits) or PPVM (user programmable gate arrays). As is clear from the prior art, a computer, processor, microprocessor controller, or programmable hardware includes components such as memory devices, for example, OP (random access memory), ROM (read-only memory), flash drives, etc., which can store or receive software or machine code that, when accessed and executed by a computer, processor or hardware, embodies the described processing methods. In addition, it should be recognized that when a general-purpose computer accesses code to implement the shown processing, code execution converts the universal computer into a specialized computer to perform the shown processing.

Although exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described in detail above, it should be clearly understood that many variations and modifications of the disclosed basic concepts of the invention that can be found by those skilled in the art will still fall within the scope and form of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (46)

1. A method of providing a graphical user interface in a mobile terminal, the method comprising the steps of: execute and display the execution screen in full mode of the first application in the area of application execution screens; displaying, on the basis of the control signal, the region of the execution icons in the mini mode with the region of the application runtime screens, the region of the execution icons in the mini mode including one or more execution icons in the mini mode; and execute and display, in response to input to select one of the one or more execution icons in the “mini” mode, the execution screen in the “mini” mode of the second application corresponding to the selected execution icon in the “mini” mode in the region of the application execution screens, the progress screen in the "mini" mode contains a progress screen configured to be a partial area of the said area of the application progress screens, moreover, both the first application and the second application are executed in the area of the application execution screens and at the same time access the execution screen in the full mode and the execution screen in the "mini" mode displayed in the area of the application execution screens, and moreover, the execution screen in the "mini" mode includes a replacement key for the full mode and the end key. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application and the second application provide different displays of the same application on the execution screen in full mode and the execution screen in "mini" mode, respectively. 3. The method according to claim 1, in which the active state between the execution screen in the "mini" mode and the execution screen in full mode is changed based on user control. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the steps of replacing the display of the progress screen in “mini” mode with the progress screen in full mode based on user control, or replacing the display of the progress screen in full mode with the progress screen in mini mode based on different user controls. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein replacing the display of the progress screen in the “mini” mode with the progress screen in the full mode based on user control further comprises the steps of: displaying the replace key for full mode on the run screen in mini mode; accept the selection of the replacement key to full mode; and replace the run screen in “mini” mode with the run screen in full mode and display the replaced run screen in full mode. 6. The method of claim 4, wherein replacing the display of the progress screen in full mode with the progress screen in “mini” mode based on user control further comprises the steps of: displaying the replacement key for the “mini” mode on the progress screen in full mode; accept the selection of the replacement key to "mini" and replace the run screen in full mode with the run screen in mini mode and display the replaced run screen in mini mode. 7. The method according to claim 1, wherein before displaying the first application, the execution icon area in full mode is displayed and the first application displayed on the execution screen in full mode is executed based on the selection of the corresponding icon included in the execution icon area in full mode. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a menu area, the menu area based on user management displaying one of the execution icon area in full mode, the execution icon area in “mini” mode, or an indicator area containing at least one function key. 9. The method according to p. 1, further comprising stages in which: determine whether or not the movement of the touch point from the touch on the execution screen in the "mini" mode to the area of the application execution screens passes; and complete the execution of the second application of the execution screen in the “mini” mode, which was touched when the movement of the place of touch passes over the area of the application execution screens. 10. The method according to claim 9, in which the completion of the second application of the execution screen in the “mini” mode, which has been touched, contains a display image in which the execution screen in the “mini” mode is reduced in size and converges into the corresponding application execution icon. 11. The method according to p. 1, further comprising stages in which: put into active state and display the execution screen in the "mini" mode; determine whether or not an event occurs in the first application of the execution screen in full mode; displaying a popup window including a confirmation key and a cancel key on top of the run screen in “mini” mode when an event occurs in the first application of the run screen in full mode; move and display in the active state the execution screen in full mode when the confirmation key is entered; and keep the runtime screen active in mini mode when the cancel key is entered. 12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising stages in which: accepting an additional selection of another execution icon in "mini" mode from the area of execution icons in "mini" mode; and displaying the runtime screen in the “mini” mode of the third application corresponding to the additionally selected runtime icon in the “mini” mode, on top of the currently displayed runtime screen in the “mini” mode. 13. The method according to claim 1, in which the execution screen in the "mini" mode, in which the touch is made, is selected using the "scrolling" operation. 14. A mobile terminal for providing a graphical user interface (GUI), the terminal comprising: a display device that displays an area of application execution screens; an input unit that receives input from a user; and a controller configured to: execute the execution screen in full mode of the first application and control the display of the execution screen in full mode of the first application in the area of application execution screens; control the display, based on the control signal, of the execution icon area in the “mini” mode with the area of the application runtime screens, wherein the execution icon area in the “mini” mode includes one or more execution icons in the “mini” mode; and in response to input to select one of the one or more execution icons in the “mini” mode, execute the execution screen in the “mini” mode of the second application and control the display of the execution screen in the “mini” mode of the second application corresponding to the selected execution icon in the “ mini ”in the area of application execution screens, wherein the“ mini ”execution screen contains an execution screen configured to be a partial region of said area of application execution screens, while performed the first application, moreover, both the first application and the second application are executed in the area of the application execution screens and at the same time access the execution screen in the full mode and the execution screen in the "mini" mode displayed in the area of the application execution screens, and moreover, the execution screen in the "mini" mode includes a replacement key for the full mode and the end key. 15. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, in which the controller is configured to control the display device so that it displays the area of the application execution screens, including simultaneously displaying the first application and the second application, to accept the operation of moving the touch place to the area of the application execution screens after touching input block and control the display device so that it replaces the display of the application execution icon area. 16. The mobile terminal of claim 14, wherein the display device comprises a touch screen and the selection is sensed using a touch sensor. 17. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, in which the input unit is configured to accept the selection of at least one of the one or more execution icons in the “mini” mode, and in which the controller is configured to control replacing the display of the execution screen in the “ mini ”to the runtime screen in full mode based on user control or replacing the display of the runtime screen in full mode to the runtime screen in“ mini ”mode based on another user control, and in which Neno to display a screen performance in the "small" application corresponding to the selected execution icon in the application execution screen applications. 18. The mobile terminal according to claim 14, wherein the progress screen in the “mini” mode and the progress screen in the full mode provide different displays of the same application, respectively.

Images