JP2007141064A - Portable terminal and menu display switching method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To switch not only a data part (such as icons, items) of a menu but display configuration (such as item arrangement, animation in display/non-display of the menu) of the whole menu of a portable terminal. <P>SOLUTION: UI display components 211, 212 of a main menu of the portable terminal are made into plug-in, provided with a common interface part 202 which functions as an interface between a main menu application 200 and a UI display component 201 and the main menu application 200 dynamically accesses the UI display component 201 through the common interface part 202. In addition, download from a Web site or a UI display component 203 from an external storage device can be added to the portable terminal. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a portable terminal device having a menu screen switching function and a menu display switching method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a menu of a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, it is possible to change a menu screen icon, background, and the like as desired by a user (so-called “menu changeover function”). However, the conventional menu dressing function has problems that only the data portion such as the icon, item, and background of the menu screen can be changed, and that the menu item arrangement and the animation when the menu is displayed / hidden cannot be changed. For this reason, it has been impossible to arrange menu items that are easy for the user to use.

  For example, mobile phones have a relatively short cycle of new model launches, and there are users who purchase new models every time a new model is released. You may find it difficult to use the menu operations of later models.

Conventionally, there are several techniques for improving the operability of a user who feels such inconvenience. In addition to the normal main menu on the server or mobile phone, the main menu is classified into a certain category (for example, the menu for each region in the navigation system menu and the season in the air conditioner menu). Menus) are prepared, and a technique is proposed in which the user switches each time, or automatically switches depending on the season and region (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).
JP 2001-282824 A JP-A-7-162975

  However, in these conventional techniques, menus are switched by preparing a whole main menu application and replacing the main menu application. Also, it cannot be added from outside such as download or external storage device.

  The relationship between a conventional main menu application and main menu control (menu display) is shown in FIG. In FIG. 7, a main menu application 400 is a program in charge of key event processing from a user related to the main menu of a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone and a portion linked with another application. The main menu control 402 constitutes a UI (User Interface) display component 401 that displays icons, items, etc. of the main menu application 400 and displays animations.

  Conventionally, the main menu application 400 is statically linked to the main menu control 402 when the software (main menu application 400) is activated. In other words, when you turn on the power, a certain control (menu display) is displayed, you can only switch to the menu prepared in the mobile terminal device, you can not change to a menu that is really easy for the user to use, It was insufficient in terms of improving operability.

  The present invention has been made in view of such points, and not only the data portion (icon, item, etc.) of the menu of the mobile terminal device but also the display configuration of the entire menu (item arrangement, menu display / non-display). The purpose is to be able to switch between animations.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a mobile terminal device of the present invention includes a display unit, a menu application program for realizing a menu function displayed on the display unit, and a plurality of menu screens for displaying a menu screen. A storage unit for storing a user interface module including a menu plug-in, an interface module functioning as an interface for the menu application program and the user interface module, and a user interface module. And a control unit for setting the menu plug-in on the menu screen of the menu.

  According to the above configuration, the module that constitutes the UI display component of the main menu of the mobile terminal device is plugged in, and the interface module functions as an interface between the menu application program and the user interface module. As a result, the menu application program can dynamically use the functions of the UI display component, that is, the user interface module, through the interface module.

  Further, the menu display switching method of the present invention includes a menu application program for realizing a menu function displayed on the display unit, and a user interface including a plurality of menu plug-ins for displaying a menu screen of the menu. A menu display switching method for switching a menu screen of a menu in a mobile terminal device using a module and an interface module functioning as an interface of a menu application program and a user interface module, and the menu application program is activated Then, the first menu screen by the first menu plug-in is displayed on the display unit, and the second menu plug-in is selected from the menu switching items displayed on the first menu screen. Determining whether-in is selected, if a second menu plug-in is selected, the second menu plug-in the selected to set the menu screen of the menu.

  According to the above configuration, the menu application program is activated to display the first menu screen by the first menu plug-in on the display unit, and the menu switching items displayed on the first menu screen are displayed. When the second menu plug-in is selected, the selected second menu plug-in is set in the menu screen of the menu, so that the menu application program is passed through the interface module. It is possible to call a plug-in user interface module and use its functions, and therefore to dynamically switch UI display components, ie user interface modules.

  According to the present invention, the UI application component, that is, the user interface module can be dynamically switched by the menu application program through the interface module. Therefore, it is possible to switch not only the data portion (icons, items, etc.) of the menu of the portable terminal device but also the display configuration of the entire menu (item arrangement, animation at the time of menu display / non-display, etc.).

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the present embodiment, a menu change function of a mobile phone, which is an example of a mobile terminal device, will be described. Note that the configuration of the mobile phone is an example and is not limited to this example.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a block configuration example according to an embodiment of a mobile terminal device according to the present invention. The mobile terminal device 100 includes an antenna 1 connected to the communication circuit 2, and transmits and receives radio waves via the antenna 1 with a base station (not shown) of the mobile phone network under the control of the control unit 10. The communication circuit 2 modulates and demodulates radio waves exchanged with the base station. When performing communication for communication through the communication circuit 2, the voice data received from the base station is converted from an electrical signal to voice by a speaker (voice output unit) 4 and output. The voice data obtained by converting the picked-up voice into an electric signal is supplied to the communication circuit 2 and transmitted to the base station.

  The mobile terminal device 100 includes an operation unit 6 configured with a jog dial, a keypad, and the like, and a display unit 7 configured with a liquid crystal display (LCD). The operation unit 6 can perform input operations such as telephone numbers and e-mail texts, and various mode setting operations. When the portable terminal device is applied to a display device used in, for example, a car navigation system, the operation unit 6 is a pointing device such as a touch panel or a remote controller.

  The control unit 10 includes an arithmetic control device (processor) such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), for example, and uses a RAM (Random Access Memory) (not shown) as a work area for various processes, and a ROM (Read Only Memory) (not shown). A predetermined process is executed in accordance with each computer program recorded in (1).

  The TV control unit 8 performs predetermined processing such as modulation processing on the video signal included in the television broadcast wave received by the TV antenna 209.

  The camera 12 is an apparatus that includes an optical system such as a lens and an imaging system such as an imaging device, and has a function of capturing a still image or a moving image.

  The memory 205 is a non-volatile memory such as a flash memory, and is a stationary storage device in which various data and programs such as a telephone directory, schedule, mail message, image, music, application software, bookmark, and web page are stored. is there. A menu application program described below and its user interface module and interface module are also stored.

  The external storage device 11 is a removable storage device such as a memory card which is a kind of semiconductor memory.

  The control line 250 is a line (signal line) for flowing a signal for controlling each device connected to the control line 250. Some devices in the mobile terminal device 100 are connected to the control unit 220 through the control line 250, and processing in each device is performed under the control of the control unit 220. The data line 260 is a line (signal line) for transferring data between devices connected thereto.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a module configuration for realizing the present invention. In order to realize the switching of the menu screen according to the present invention, it comprises a main menu application 200, a UI (user interface) display component 201, and a common interface unit 202.

  The main menu application 200 is a program in charge of key event processing from the user related to the main menu of a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, and a linked part with other applications.

  The UI display component 201 is a user interface module composed of a plurality of menu plug-ins 211, 212..., And each menu plug-in displays icons, items, etc. of the main menu application 200. This is a plug-in control unit that displays animation. By switching the menu plug-in, the entire menu display configuration of the menu screen can be replaced. Here, the plug-in means that the program can be linked from the main menu application 200 to the menu plug-in when necessary or unloaded when it is unnecessary when the program is running. is there.

  The menu plug-in 203 shown in FIG. 2 is externally downloaded by a technique such as downloading from a web (Web; World Wide Web) site on the Internet (or communication line network) or acquiring from the outside such as the external storage device 11. This shows that a menu plug-in can be added to the UI display component 201.

  The common interface unit 202 is a module that functions as a software interface that defines rules such as procedures and formats for exchanging data between programs. The common interface unit 202 displays menu plug-ins that are visible from the main menu application 200. It can be used by the main menu application 200 via 202. Such a software interface is also called an API (Application Program Interface).

  The main menu application 200, UI display component 201, and common interface unit 202 are stored in the memory 5.

  Drawing of icons, items, and the like of the main menu application 400 shown in FIG. 7 is performed by the main menu control 402 which is a user interface display portion. In order to replace the drawing of main menu icons and items in a batch, it is only necessary that the main menu control 402, which is a user interface display portion, can be dynamically switched while the main menu application 400 is activated. . However, the configuration shown in FIG. 7 cannot be replaced dynamically.

  Therefore, the main menu control 200 is plugged in, and as shown in FIG. 2, the menu plug-in 211, 212... Through the unit 202, a framework (operating environment) is provided that allows each menu plug-in 211, 212 to be dynamically accessed (connected). Although the entire menu display configuration is switched, the main menu application 200 does not change, so the function as the main menu does not change.

  By not limiting the storage destination of the menu plug-ins 211, 212,..., For example, the external storage device 11 such as a memory card, the addition of menu plug-ins 211, 212. Is possible. Then, after adding the menu plug-ins 211, 212..., The menu plug-ins that can be switched by the user can be switched by reloading the menu plug-ins 211, 212. And the user can select more menus.

  Next, the operation of the mobile terminal device having the configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

  FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing menu switching processing. First, the power button of the portable terminal device is pressed to activate the portable terminal device, and all of the menu plug-ins 211, 212... Are loaded in the RAM in advance (step S201). Thereafter, the standby screen (of the mobile phone) is activated (step S2). When the menu key is sensed (step S3), a main menu as shown in FIG. 5A is displayed on the display unit 7 (step S4).

  The menu screen 300 before switching of the main menu shown in FIG. 5A is an entertainment 301, mail 302, i-mode (registered trademark) 303, i-appli (registered trademark) 304, telephone 305, The calculator 306 has icons of My Menu 307, Camera 308, Movie Shooting 309, and Memory Card 310 displayed on the right half of the screen. Currently, entertainment 301 is selected and a cursor 311 is displayed. A switching key 312, a menu close key 313, a cursor key, and the like are displayed at the bottom of the screen.

  The control unit 10 of the mobile terminal device monitors whether or not the switching key 312 is pressed on the menu screen 300 of the main menu application 200 (step S5). A pull-down menu 380 listing menu switching items as shown in FIG. 6 is displayed (step S6). The user selects an item (menu) to be switched from among the items. Each menu switching item displayed in the pull-down menu 380 indicates menu plug-ins 211, 212,... Constituting the UI display component 201.

  In the menu switching item display example shown in FIG. 6, three items 381, 382, and 383 of “MainMenu_Ver.PTX807”, “NewMainMenu_Ver.1”, and “NewMainMenu_Ver.2” are displayed as the pull-down menu 380. A pull-down menu 380 is closed with a close key 384.

  Whether or not a menu switching item is selected in the pull-down menu 380 is monitored (step S7). If any menu switching item is selected, the control unit 10 ends the main menu and returns to the standby screen (step S8). ).

  Then, when the main menu is activated again from the standby screen, the menu item selected previously is displayed as the menu screen of the main menu (see FIG. 5B), and the switching of the menu screen is completed (step S9).

  Note that the above-described main menu exit and restart processing may be performed later without being performed on the spot. In that case, of course, the completion of the switching of the menu screen is after the end of the main menu and the restarting process.

  FIG. 5B is an example of the menu screen after switching the menu screen of the main menu shown in FIG. 5A. A menu screen 350 after switching the main menu shown in FIG. 5B is used as a control (operation display) for entertainment 351, e-mail 352, i-mode (registered trademark) 353, i-appli (registered trademark) 354, telephone 355, The calculator 356 displays icons of a My Menu 357, a camera 358, and a moving image shooting 359 in the vertical direction of the screen. Currently, entertainment 301 is selected, and the characters “entertainment” are displayed in the cursor 361. In the lower part of the screen, a switching key 362, a menu close key 363, a cursor key, and the like are displayed.

  In addition, a chameleon 370 is displayed in the background on the menu screen of FIG. 5B. This is because the menu item is selected from the chameleon menu 380, and the chameleon is set to be displayed. Comparing FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the display configuration of the entire screen, such as the arrangement of icons and the background design, has been changed, but the functions are the same without changing.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing menu / plug-in addition processing. First, the mobile terminal device is connected to the website, the external storage device 11 and the like (step S11). Then, a switching menu item on the website or a switching menu item stored externally such as the external storage device 11 is selected (step S12). If loaded, the menu plug-in corresponding to the selected switching item menu is taken into the portable terminal device and stored in the memory 5 (step S13). Next, when the menu plug-in is reloaded into the main menu application 200 (step S14), the switching menu item is added to the pull-down menu 380 (see FIG. 6) for selecting the switching menu item (step S15). .

  By the above processing, the switching menu items that can be switched or selected by the user can be increased.

  According to the configuration described above, the main menu application of the portable terminal device is plugged in and the common interface unit is provided so that the main menu application can dynamically access the UI display component through the interface. Since the configuration is adopted, the user can switch the menu screen of the main menu of the portable terminal device as desired.

  In addition, the data section such as the icon and background of the menu screen of the main menu, the item arrangement, the animation when the menu is displayed / hidden, and the like can be switched at once.

  In addition, the user can easily switch to a familiar menu screen (menu operation), and can eliminate the irritation caused by the difference in menu operation when changing the model. For example, the introduction of mobile phone number portability is planned in a few years. Number portability is a system and system in which an original number can be used as it is even when a mobile phone subscriber switches a contract to another carrier (carrier). When transferring from such other carriers (carriers), use the present invention to import the menu plug-in used in the previous mobile phone to the current mobile phone and easily change Since it is possible to switch to the previous menu (menu operation), the user-friendliness is greatly improved.

  In addition, the user can freely add UI display components (menu plug-ins) of the main menu by downloading from a website or from the outside such as an external storage device, and the user can easily add a desired menu screen. Can do.

  In addition, if the development environment of the mobile terminal device is prepared, the user can create a UI display component (menu plug-in) for the main menu by himself / herself.

  It should be noted that the present invention can be applied to menu display switching of various portable terminal devices such as switching menu display of a portable audio player and switching menu display of a car navigation system.

  Further, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

It is a figure which shows the block structural example which concerns on one Embodiment of the portable terminal device by this invention. It is the schematic which shows the module structure which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the menu switching process which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the menu and plug-in addition process which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the example of a display before and behind the menu switching which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is an example of a display of the menu switching item which concerns on one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure where it uses for description of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Antenna, 2 ... Communication circuit, 5 ... Memory (memory | storage part), 7 ... Display part, 10 ... Control part, 11 ... External storage device, 100 ... Portable terminal device, 200 ... Main menu application, 201 ... UI display Parts (user interface module), 202 ... common interface unit (interface module), 203, 211, 212 ... menu plug-in,
300 ... Menu screen before switching, 312 ... Switching button, 350 ... Menu screen after switching, 362 ... Switching button, 380 ... Pull-down menu

Claims (5)

A display unit;
A menu application program for realizing a menu function displayed on the display unit;
A user interface module including a plurality of menu plug-ins for displaying a menu screen of the menu;
A storage unit for storing the menu application program and an interface module functioning as an interface of the user interface module;
And a control unit that sets a menu plug-in selected from the user interface module on the menu screen of the menu. When the second menu plug-in is selected while executing the menu application program with the first menu plug-in stored in the storage unit activated, the control unit The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the selected second menu plug-in is set on a menu screen of the menu. The portable terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the menu plug-in is acquired through a communication network or from an external storage device and added to the user interface module of the storage unit. The mobile terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the menu plug-in includes information defining an item arrangement and an animation when the menu is displayed / hidden in addition to each data portion of the menu screen. . A menu application program for realizing a menu function to be displayed on the display unit; a user interface module including a plurality of menu plug-ins for displaying a menu screen of the menu; the menu application program; A menu display switching method for switching a menu screen of the menu in a mobile terminal device by an interface module functioning as an interface of the user interface module,
Activating the menu application program to display a first menu screen by a first menu plug-in on the display unit;
Determining whether a second menu plug-in has been selected from the menu switching items displayed on the first menu screen;
And a step of setting the selected second menu plug-in in the menu screen of the menu when the second menu plug-in is selected.

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