JP2010199693A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To display a plurality of folders and icons in an array direction according to preference by an easy operation when listing and displaying the plurality of folders and icons. <P>SOLUTION: A cellular phone 100 lists and displays the plurality of folders and icons in a longitudinal array on a display screen 141 when an upper or lower part of a cross key 162, which is pressed in up/down and left/right directions, is pressed while a standby screen is displayed on a display unit 14, and lists and displays the plurality of folders and icons in a lateral array on the display screen 141 when a right or left part of the cross key 162 is pressed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to display control of an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device capable of displaying a list of folders and icons on a display screen of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or a portable information terminal.

  Electronic devices such as mobile phones have various functions, and when using these functions, icons corresponding to each function are displayed in a list on the display screen so that they can be selected from the list. . Various data are stored in a plurality of folders, and when using these data, each folder is displayed in a list so that it can be selected from the list.

  For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2006-24091) describes a conventional example of an electronic device that can display a list of folders and icons. In the mobile phone described in Patent Document 1, when displaying a list of folders, the arrangement of folders is determined in advance, and it is shown that the folders are arranged and displayed in the vertical direction.

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-24091 (paragraph [0041], FIG. 6)

  However, when displaying a list of folders and icons, some users may find it easier to see the folders and icons arranged in the vertical direction, and some people may find it easier to see the images arranged in the horizontal direction. Yes. For this reason, if the folders and icons are always displayed in a predetermined arrangement as in the conventional electronic device, some users may be dissatisfied with the display method. there were.

  In order to solve such problems, whether to display the list of folders and icons displayed in a list in the horizontal direction or in the vertical direction by operating a predetermined key operation, for example, a specific key It is also conceivable to switch the display direction of the list by performing an operation of selecting. However, in addition to the operation for displaying the list, performing the operation for switching the display direction is troublesome because the key operation takes a plurality of steps.

  As a result of various studies to solve the above problems, the inventor of the present application has determined that a plurality of folders can be obtained simply by pressing an upper part or a lower part of a cross key 162 provided on a mobile phone or the like. The present invention is completed by conceiving that the above problems can be solved if icons are displayed on the display screen 141 in a vertical arrangement or in a horizontal arrangement. It has come.

  That is, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to display a plurality of folders and icons in a list direction according to preference by a simple operation when displaying a list of a plurality of folders and icons. To do.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 1 of the present application is directed to display means for displaying a plurality of images representing various contents (for example, in the following embodiments, it corresponds to the display unit 14), and vertical and horizontal directions. Input means (for example, corresponding to the cross key 162 in the following embodiment), and when the plurality of images are displayed as a list on the display means by the input of the input means, Control means (for example, corresponding to the display direction determining unit 111 in the following embodiment) that controls the plurality of images to be displayed in a list in a vertical array or a horizontal array depending on the directionality is provided.

  The invention according to claim 2 of the present application is the electronic device according to claim 1, wherein when the control unit inputs left and right directions from the input unit, the plurality of images are horizontally displayed on the display unit. A list is displayed in an array, and when the vertical direction is input from the input unit, the display unit displays the plurality of images in a vertical array.

  The electronic device of the present invention has the following effects. That is, for example, when the left and right portions of the cross key, which is an input means that can be inputted with respect to the vertical and horizontal directions when the standby screen is displayed, various contents such as a plurality of folders and icons are displayed on the display means depending on the direction. When the top and bottom parts of the cross key are pressed, the display means is configured to display a list of multiple images in a vertical arrangement. , Folders and icons can be displayed in the arrangement direction according to your preference.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the mobile telephone based on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the operation surface of the mobile telephone which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows the state which displayed the list of folders etc. on the display screen by the mobile telephone which concerns on the Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process for the mobile telephone which concerns on the Example of this invention to display a list of folders etc. on a display screen.

Hereinafter, specific examples of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to examples and drawings. However, the embodiments shown below exemplify a mobile phone for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and are not intended to specify the present invention for this mobile phone. The present invention can be equally applied to electronic devices of other embodiments included in the scope.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 1, the mobile phone 100 includes a communication unit 1, an antenna 2, a baseband unit 3, a first speaker 4, amplification circuits 5, 7, and 9, a microphone 6, a second speaker 8, and a switching unit. 10, a control unit 11, a ROM 12, a RAM 13, a display unit 14, a vibrator 15, an input unit 16, an open / close detection unit 17, and the like.

  The communication unit 1 is connected to the antenna 2, receives radio waves from the base station via the antenna 2, and transmits a signal from the baseband unit 3 to the base station via the antenna 2. The baseband unit 3 is connected to the communication unit 1 and includes a CDMA processing circuit 31 and an audio codec 32.

  Here, the CDMA processing circuit 31 performs code division multiple access, scrambling, error control, and timing detection. The audio codec 32 compresses (encodes) and expands (decodes) the audio, performs analog and digital conversion, and changes the received sound volume and microphone sensitivity by an internal amplifier circuit (not shown). .

  The first speaker 4 converts the electric signal of the baseband unit 3 amplified by the amplifier circuit 5 into sound. The first speaker 4 is applied to the user's ear and used for a call. The microphone 6 is used for a call and converts sound into an electric signal. The electric signal output from the microphone 6 is amplified by the amplifier circuit 7 and output to the baseband unit 3.

  The second speaker 8 converts the electric signal of the baseband unit 3 amplified by the amplifier circuit 9 into sound. The second speaker 8 is a loudspeaker for listening to the surrounding sound of the received sound. The second speaker 8 also rings an incoming call notification.

  The switching unit 10 is connected to the baseband unit 3, and is connected to the first speaker 4, the microphone 6, and the second speaker 8 via the amplifier circuits 5, 7, and 9, respectively. The baseband unit 3 is connected to the amplifier circuit 5 for the first speaker 4 and the amplifier circuit 7 for the microphone 6, or the amplifier circuit 9 for the loudspeaker second speaker 8 and the microphone 6. Switching to the side of the amplifier circuit 7.

  The control unit 11 is a control unit composed of a microprocessor, is connected to the ROM 12 and the RAM 130, and controls each unit based on a system program stored in the ROM 12. The control unit 11 is connected to the communication unit 1, the baseband unit 3, and the switching unit 10, and switching by the switching unit 10 described above is performed under the control of the control unit 11. The control unit 11 controls the audio codec 32 of the baseband unit 3, and the audio codec 32 changes the volume of the first speaker 4 and the second speaker 8 and the sensitivity of the microphone 6.

  The RAM 13 stores setting information for various functions of the mobile phone 100, which is information necessary for the operation of the control unit 11, and registration information such as a telephone book input by the user.

  The display unit 14 is a display unit that includes a liquid crystal panel, an organic EL panel, and the like, and is connected to the control unit 11. The display unit 14 displays various visual information such as a menu list screen, phone book information, and e-mail under the control of the control unit 11. The display unit 14 corresponds to display means of the present invention. The vibrator 15 is connected to the control unit 11, and generates vibration at the time of incoming call based on the control of the control unit 11.

  The input unit 16 is connected to the control unit 11 and includes a numeric keypad 161 for inputting a telephone number and the like, a cross key 162 used for cursor movement, a function key 163 for setting various functions, It has a call key for operating the start of a call, an end key for operating a call end, a decision key, a clear key, and the like. The cross key 162 corresponds to the input means of the present invention.

  As described later, the open / close detection unit 17 includes a first housing (upper housing 201) in which the speaker 4 and the display unit 14 are disposed, and a second housing in which the microphone 6 and the input unit 16 are disposed. The open / close state of the hinge mechanism 202 that is coupled to the (lower housing 202) so as to be freely opened and closed is detected, and the detection result is output to the control unit 11.

  In addition, the control unit 11 of the present embodiment includes a display direction determination unit 111. The display direction determination unit 111 displays folders and icons in a menu list screen that is displayed by shifting from the standby screen according to the direction in which the cross key 162 of the input unit 16 is pressed when the display screen of the display unit 14 is in the standby state. Is determined in the vertical or horizontal direction. The control unit 11 controls the display unit 14 to display folders and icons in the menu list based on the arrangement direction determined by the display direction determination unit 111. The display direction determination unit 111 corresponds to the control unit of the present invention.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an appearance of the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. The cellular phone 10 includes an upper casing 201 and a lower casing 202 that are connected to each other by a hinge mechanism 203 so as to be freely opened and closed. In FIG. 2, the cellular phone 10 shows a state in which two casings are opened during a call or setting operation. Shows the appearance of the phone.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper housing 201 is provided with the speaker 4 and the display unit 14, and a standby screen is displayed on the display screen 141 of the display unit 14. The lower housing 202 is provided with the input unit 16 and the microphone 6. The operation key group forming the input unit 16 includes a numeric key 161, a cross (four direction) key 162, and a function key 163.
The cross key 162 is used to move the cursor on the display screen up, down, left, and right, or to display a list of folders and icons on the display unit 14. It may be a literal cross shape, or it may be circular as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention displays a list of folders and the like on the display screen. When displaying a list of folders and icons on the mobile phone 100, the cross key 162 is operated in the standby state shown in FIG. At this time, if the upward or downward direction of the cross key 162 is pressed, the menu list screen shown in FIG. 3A or 3B is displayed. Also, when the left or right direction of the cross key 162 is pressed, the menu list screen shown in FIG. 3C or 3D is displayed.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the menu list screen 141a includes a menu list including folders such as mail and Web, an antenna bar indicating the electric field strength level of the received radio wave, and a remaining battery level above the menu list. Time information (9:37, Tuesday) is displayed together with the battery icon shown. An icon indicating the operation content assigned to the cross key 162 is displayed below the menu list screen 141a. For example, the left and right keys of the cross key 162 shown in FIG. Indicating that the center key of the cross key 162 is assigned to the selection key for selecting a desired item from the menu list. It is shown that. Each folder is displayed in a list arranged in the vertical direction. At that time, the character string indicating the contents of the folder is written horizontally.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the menu list screen 141b includes a menu list in which each item such as an email and a telephone book is indicated by an icon, and an antenna bar, a battery, and the like above it as in FIG. Icons and time information are displayed. Also, an icon (“Select”, etc.) indicating the operation content assigned to the cross key 162 is displayed below the same as in FIG. Each icon is displayed in a list arranged in the vertical direction. When there are many icons to be displayed, the icons are arranged in order from the top to the bottom of the first column as shown in FIG. 3B. You may make it display continuously on the 2nd column.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3C, the menu list screen 141c includes a menu list including folders such as mail and Web, and an antenna bar, a battery icon, and time information above the same as in FIG. 3A. Is displayed. Also, an icon (“Select”, etc.) indicating the operation content assigned to the cross key 162 is displayed below the same as in FIG. Each folder is displayed in a list arranged in the horizontal direction. At that time, the character string indicating the contents of the folder is written vertically.

  As shown in FIG. 3 (d), the menu list screen 141d includes a menu list in which each item such as a mail and a telephone book is indicated by an icon, and an antenna bar, battery, and the like above it as in FIG. 3 (a). Icons and time information are displayed. Also, an icon (“Select”, etc.) indicating the operation content assigned to the cross key 162 is displayed below the same as in FIG. Each icon is displayed in a list arranged in the horizontal direction. When there are a large number of icons to be displayed, as shown in FIG. 3D, the icons are arranged in order from left to right (or right to left) of the first row, and the first row is full. If it becomes, you may make it display continuously on the 2nd line under it.

  Next, the display operation of the mobile phone according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing processing for displaying a list of folders and the like on the display screen by the mobile phone according to the embodiment of the present invention. This process is realized by the control unit 11 executing a system program stored in the ROM.

  First, when the user opens the folded cellular phone case (upper case and lower case), a standby screen as shown in FIG. 2 is displayed on the display unit 14 in response to a detection signal from the open / close detection unit 17. The In step S41, the control unit 11 determines whether or not the cross key 162 is pressed while the standby screen is displayed. If the cross key 162 is pressed, the process proceeds to step S42. When the cross key 162 is not pressed, the standby state is maintained.

  Next, in step S42, the display direction determination unit 111 of the control unit 11 determines whether the up / down direction of the cross key 162 has been pressed or the left / right direction has been pressed. If the cross key in the up / down direction is pressed, the process proceeds to step S43. If the cross key in the left / right direction is pressed, the process proceeds to step S44.

  In step S43, folders and icons are arranged in the vertical direction on the display screen 141 and displayed as a list (FIG. 4 (a) or FIG. 4 (b)), and the process ends. On the other hand, in step S44, folders and icons are arranged in the horizontal direction on the display screen 141 and displayed in a list (FIG. 4C or FIG. 4D), and the process ends.

  As described above, according to the mobile phone of the present invention, a plurality of folders and icons can be displayed only by pressing the upper and lower parts or the left and right parts of the cross key 162 while the standby screen is displayed. The screen 141 can be displayed by selecting whether the list is displayed in a vertical arrangement or in a horizontal arrangement.

  In the above-described embodiment, the foldable mobile phone in which two casings are coupled by a hinge mechanism has been described as the mobile phone. However, the mobile phone is not limited to this and is applicable to other forms of mobile phones. It is also possible. For example, the present invention can be similarly applied to a slide-type mobile phone and a straight-type mobile phone.

  In the above embodiment, the present invention has been described in the case where the present invention is applied to a mobile phone. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a PDA (including a cross key equivalent operation unit that can specify the vertical direction and the horizontal direction) is provided. Other communication devices such as Personal Digital Assistant (PND) and PND (Portable Navigation Device) may also be used, and other electronic devices that generally do not have communication functions, such as portable music players and portable game machines. Good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 ... Mobile phone 1 ... Communication part 2 ... Antenna 3 ... Baseband part 31 ... CDMA processing circuit 32 ... Voice codec 4 ... First Speakers 5, 7, 9... Amplifying circuit 6... Microphone 8... Second speaker 10. .... ROM
13 ... RAM
14. Display unit 141 ... Display screen 15 ... Vibrator 16 ... Input unit 161 ... Ten key 162 ... Cross key 163 ... Function key 17 ... ..Opening / closing detection unit 201... Upper housing 202... Lower housing 203.

Claims (2)

Display means for displaying a plurality of images representing various contents;
Input means that can input the direction of the top, bottom, left and right,
Control for controlling the plurality of images to be displayed in a list in a vertical arrangement or a horizontal arrangement according to the direction inputted by the input means when the plurality of images are displayed in a list on the display means by the input of the input means. And an electronic device.   The control means causes the display means to display a list of the plurality of images in a horizontal arrangement when input from the input means with respect to the left and right directionality, and when input from the input means regarding the vertical directionality, 2. The electronic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of images are displayed in a list in a vertical arrangement on a display unit.

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