KR100568495B1 - A portable electronic apparatus and a method for controlling the apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a portable electronic device and a method for controlling the portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a portable electronic device for selecting any one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects without using a pointing input device. It relates to a control method.

According to the portable electronic device according to the present invention, one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects included in the link target information output on the display unit of the portable electronic device are displayed by being modified to be distinguished from other objects, By operating a predetermined keypad for a menu or hyperlink, a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object is selected. In addition, the control unit outputs the link target information linked to the selected menu or the selected hyperlink object to the display unit.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a convenient user interface for selecting any one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects with a simple key operation of the user.

Hyperlink Object, Menu, Selection, Handheld Terminal, WAP, Viewer

Description

A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND A METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE APPARATUS

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mobile phone in which an object selection method according to the present invention may be adopted.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a personal digital assistant (PDA) in which an object selection scheme according to the present invention may be adopted.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the portable electronic device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of a control program for controlling the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 3.

5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a browser screen on which link target information including a menu or hyperlink objects is output according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation method for selecting a menu or a hyperlink object according to an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting a menu included in link target information in a personal information terminal according to one embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting a menu in a personal information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting a hyperlink object in a personal information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a diagram illustrating an example of selecting a menu in a mobile phone according to one embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a diagram illustrating an example of selecting a menu in a mobile phone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

12 illustrates an example of selecting a menu or a hyperlink object in a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

13 is a diagram illustrating an example of selecting a menu or a hyperlink object in a mobile phone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

14 is an internal block diagram of a general purpose computer device that may be employed to perform a menu or hyperlink object selection method in accordance with the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

100: portable electronic device 102: microprocessor

104: memory 106: keypad

108: data transmission unit 110: LCD panel

120: object display manager 122: object list manager

124: Object Selection Decision Manager

The present invention relates to a portable electronic device and a method for controlling the portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a portable electronic device for selecting any one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects without using a pointing input device. It relates to a control method.

In particular, the present invention displays on a liquid crystal screen of a portable electronic device (mobile phone, smart phone, PDA, handheld PC, electronic dictionary, portable broadcast receiver, etc.) without using a pointing input device such as a mouse or a touch screen. One of the texts or images (for example, icons, underscores, and backgrounds) (hereinafter referred to as “hyperlink objects”) linked with other link target information on the link target information, which is displayed on a specific hyperlink object or on the LCD screen. The present invention relates to a portable electronic device capable of selecting a specific menu among the above menus and a control method thereof.

Many users today perform a variety of activities such as personal information management (PIMS) through various portable electronic devices, access to the Internet, access to certain information, and e-books. do. The content viewed by the user includes a plurality of hyperlink objects linked to text, images, audio and video data, or a menu for using the contents. Among the contents of the portable electronic device, which is becoming smaller, the desired hyperlink objects Another problem is that it is cumbersome to select a menu. In particular, it is more difficult to select a specific menu or a specific hyperlink in a portable electronic device that does not use a pointing input device or does not have a pointing input device.

In addition, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a method of viewing a linked content (or document) by displaying a simple screen including only text and moving and selecting the text in the form of a scroll bar has been proposed. There is a problem that it is not easy to view the content without using it.

The portable electronic device and the method for controlling the portable electronic device according to the present invention have been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and include a mouse and a touch in an application for viewing link target information including one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects. It is an object of the present invention to be able to select one menu or one hyperlink object without a pointing input device such as a screen.

Further, an object of the present invention is to enable a portable electronic device and a method of controlling the portable electronic device to select a specific object among one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects displayed on a screen using only a limited number of keypads.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a portable electronic device including: a display unit configured to output link target information information including one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects; A key input unit including a keypad for selecting the one or more menus or the one or more hyperlink objects; And sequentially modifying and displaying the menu or the hyperlink object output from the display unit so as to be distinguished from other menus or other hyperlink objects, and when a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object is selected from the key input unit. And a control unit controlling to execute the link target information linked to the selected menu or the selected hyperlink object.

In addition, the method for controlling a portable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: outputting the one or more menus or the one or more hyperlink objects to a display unit of the portable electronic device; Maintaining list information including position information on the output menu or hyperlink object, or index information of link target information connected to the menu or hyperlink object, in a predetermined memory means; Reading position information of a first menu or a first hyperlink object at a first position among the at least one menu or the at least one hyperlink object from the list information; Modifying and displaying the first menu or the first hyperlink object so as to be distinguished from another menu or another hyperlink object; And controlling to drive the link target information associated with the index information corresponding to the first menu or the first hyperlink object when the first menu or the first hyperlink object that is modified and displayed is selected. It is characterized by including.

Here, the link target information refers to information including one or more of an application connected to the menu or a predetermined function executing means or text, image, audio, or video data connected to the hyperlink object, and is a menu or hyperlink object. Refers to any one of a text, an image, a background, or an underline mark corresponding to the linked link target information.

In addition, a portable electronic device used in the present specification is a predetermined micro, such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld PC, an electronic dictionary, a portable broadcast receiver, or an e-book viewer device. It is a concept to collectively refer to a terminal having a predetermined computing power by mounting a processor.

Hereinafter, a portable electronic device and a control method thereof according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 and 2 illustrate examples of a mobile phone and a personal digital assistant (PDA), which are examples of portable electronic devices in which an object selection method according to the present invention may be adopted.

Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile phone 10 includes a display unit 12 for displaying link target information including one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects, and a keypad 14 having one or more keys. Can be configured.

The display unit 12 sequentially transforms and displays one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects according to a selected method, thereby allowing a user to select a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object with a simple key input. The modification of a menu or hyperlink object means displaying one or more of one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects output from the display unit 12 so as to be distinguished from other menus or other hyperlink objects. Examples of such modifications will be described later in the description of FIG. 4 below.

The keypad 14 includes key input means (for example, a selection key, etc.) for selecting a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object when the menu or the hyperlink objects are sequentially modified and displayed. The user can select a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object by pressing a key input means corresponding to the menu or the hyperlink object. One or more key input means may be provided, and the menu or the hyperlink object may be grouped to correspond to each of one or more key input means located on the same keypad.

The personal information terminal 20 illustrated in FIG. 2 may be configured to include a display unit 22 and a keypad 24, and to select a menu or hyperlink object output to the mobile phone 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. It can be implemented to perform the same function.

3 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the portable electronic device illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 illustrates a configuration of a portable electronic device (including the mobile phone or the personal information terminal of FIG. 1 or 2), and for convenience of description, a case where the portable electronic device is a mobile phone will be described in detail as an example. .

Referring to FIG. 3, the mobile phone 100 may include a microprocessor 102, a keypad 106, an LCD panel 110, a memory 104, and a data transceiver 108.

The keypad 106 has key input means (not shown) for selecting a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object among one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects.

The LCD panel 110 is for displaying link target information including one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects. In addition, under the control of the microprocessor 102, the menu or the hyperlink object is sequentially modified and displayed to distinguish it from other objects. In this case, when the menu or the hyperlink object is deformed to be distinguished from other menus or other hyperlink objects, and the predetermined time elapses, the menu or the hyperlink object is in a previous state. It returns to the state it was in before, and the next menu or hyperlink object is transformed and displayed. The object to be transformed may be a menu for executing or reading a specific application or specific link target information, or a hyperlink object for linking to specific link target information, and the menu or the hyperlink object may be text, an icon, or an underscore. Can be displayed in various ways. In addition, when the menu or hyperlink object that is currently modified and displayed by pressing the key input means is selected, link target information corresponding to the selected menu or the selected hyperlink object is displayed on the LCD panel 110.

The microprocessor 102 is a control unit for controlling the operation of the mobile phone 100 to select a menu or a hyperlink object according to the present invention. The microprocessor 102 includes one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects that are output to the LCD panel 110. Control to display them sequentially from other objects. In addition, when a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object is selected by using the keypad 106, the control unit 110 displays the target information corresponding to the selected menu or the selected hyperlink object on the LCD panel 110. A detailed control operation of the microprocessor 102 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 6.

The memory 104 is for storing a predetermined control program that records a series of control methods performed by the microprocessor 102, and corresponds to location information on a menu or hyperlink object, or corresponding to the menu or hyperlink object. The list information including the link target information information may be stored together.

The data transceiver 108 is located between the antenna and the microprocessor 102 to perform predetermined data communication and interfacing therefor.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a software configuration of a control program for controlling the portable electronic device shown in FIG. 3. The block diagram shown in FIG. 4 shows a configuration of a control program executed in the microprocessor 102, and the memory 104 of the portable electronic device or the internal memory (not shown) of the microprocessor 102 according to the present invention. It may be stored.

Referring to FIG. 4, the control program may include an object display manager 120, an object list manager 122, and an object selection determination manager 124.

When the link target information is loaded, the object list manager 122 generates location information of one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects or index information of the link target information linked to the menu or hyperlink object when the link target information is loaded. And store it in memory. At this time, the order of the index information may be prioritized by setting the menu or hyperlink object located at the top of the link target information, and left to right when one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects exist on the same line to be displayed. The order of the index information may be determined in the order of. In addition, when the size of the link target information is larger than the screen size that can be displayed on one display unit on the display unit of the portable electronic device 100, the menu or hyperlink object existing in the portion currently output on the display unit is sequentially targeted. It can be displayed differently from other menus and hyperlink objects. Of course, it is obvious that the menu or the hyperlink object for the entire link target information may be displayed in a sequential manner while the entire link target information is scrolled up and down.

According to the present invention, the following method may be used as a method of modifying and displaying the one or more menus or the one or more hyperlink objects so as to be distinguished from other objects.

(1) It is possible to display the menu or hyperlink object so as to distinguish it from other objects.

(2) By changing the color of the menu or hyperlink object, it is possible to display it differently from other objects.

(3) The font of the menu or hyperlink object can be displayed to be distinguished from other objects by changing the method of rotation, inversion, partial enlargement, or reduction.

(4) It is possible to display differently from other objects by setting different sounds for the menu or hyperlink object.

(5) By using a hybrid method combining one or more of the above-mentioned methods (1) to (4), it is possible to display them so as to distinguish them from other objects.

The list information managed by the object list manager 122 is the location information of a menu or hyperlink object to be modified and displayed so as to be currently distinguished, the image deformation information related to the deformation method of the object, and the order of the objects sequentially displayed. It may further include information. The object display manager 120 includes an image component for transforming a menu or hyperlink object, and position information of the menu or hyperlink object to be transformed and displayed to be distinguished from the object list manager and image information of the display object. Receive and display the transformed menu or hyperlink object to be classified in the above-described manner. In addition to displaying only the text for that menu or hyperlink object differently, for menus or hyperlink objects with underlined properties, you can display different variations of the image, such as text, icons, backgrounds, or underlining. And the information about this is transmitted to the object list manager 122, the object list manager 122, as described above, the object display manager 120 can be operated to modify and display the corresponding menu or hyperlink object accordingly. have.

The object selection determination manager 124 measures the display time of the menu or hyperlink object that is currently displayed differently, and if it is determined that the predetermined time has elapsed, the object selection manager 122 notifies the object list manager 122, and The notified object list manager 122 sends the position information and link target information information about the next menu or hyperlink object to the object display manager 120 so that the next menu or hyperlink object can be transformed and displayed. do. In addition, the object selection determination manager 124 detects a user's selection input from a key input means within a time when the objects are deformed and displayed, and detects the selected input menu or hyperlink object in the object list manager 122. Send information about the name of the menu or hyperlink.

The object list manager 122 determines whether or not the corresponding menu or the corresponding hyperlinked object includes a sub-classification, and displays the menu and the hyperlink object of the sub-classification separately. If there is a submenu or sub hyperlink object to be transformed and displayed, the object list manager 122 displays the position information and image transformation information on the sub menu or sub hyperlink object to be transformed and displayed separately. Send to 120 for quick display. On the contrary, if there is no submenu or sub hyperlink object to be transformed and displayed, the link target information driver 126 transmits the link target information corresponding to the selected menu or hyperlink object to the corresponding menu or hyperlink object. To execute the link target information corresponding to. The link target information driver 126 may receive the index information of the menu or hyperlink object from the object list manager 122 and perform a specific function corresponding to the menu to read the link target information, or A specific application that can read the link target information is driven. The specific function corresponding to the menu may include a specific function that can be executed simultaneously with the menu selection, such as a bell / vibration selection function or a mobile phone camera photographing function.

In addition, the link target information (data such as text, image, video, etc.) connected to the hyperlink object may be driven and provided to the user. A specific application for driving and providing the link target information to the user may be provided as a WAP. It may include a browser, a mobile explorer (ME), a wireless platform for interoperability (WIPI), or an e-book viewer program. All applications 126 that can provide to the user can load and control the corresponding link target information. The program or application may vary depending on the type of portable communication device and the communication service used by the user.

5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a browser screen on which link target information including a menu or hyperlink objects is output according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A illustrates an example of a screen 130 displaying a hyperlink object in a mobile phone, and FIG. 5B illustrates an example of a screen 150 displaying a hyperlink object in a personal digital assistant (PDA).

Referring to FIG. 5A, the display screen 130 of the mobile phone represents a browser including a swap browser, a mobile explorer, etc., wherein the browser includes one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects 132 to 140. One hyperlink object 132 may include text 132b or an image (icon, underline, background, etc.) 132a, 132c. A menu or hyperlink object that is transformed and displayed to distinguish it from other menus or other hyperlink objects may be text 132b, icon 132a, or the corresponding underlined mark 132c of the menu or the hyperlink object. Can be.

Referring to FIG. 5B, the display screen 150 of the personal information terminal may include one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects 152 to 160, and similarly to the menu or the menu shown in FIG. 5A. The hyperlink object can be displayed by transforming it from other objects.

6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an operation method for selecting a menu or a hyperlink object according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method shown in FIG. 6 is performed by a control program processed by the microprocessor 102 of FIG. 3, which may be stored in a memory means of a portable electronic device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6, in step S200, the microprocessor controls to load link target information including one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects. In operation S202, index information including location information of the one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects included in the link target information loaded in the link target information and the link target information corresponding to the position information is generated and stored in the memory means.

In step S204, the position information of the first menu or the first hyperlink object of the link target information loaded from the list information is read, and the menu or hyperlink object corresponding to the position information read in step S206 is changed. Modified and distinguished from objects. In operation S206, the method of modifying the menu or the corresponding hyperlink object to be distinguished from other objects may be used in the five methods described above with reference to FIG. 4, and may be distinguished from other objects in addition to the aforementioned method. Any method can be used.

In step S208, the microprocessor determines whether the corresponding menu or the hyperlink object that is modified and displayed is selected by the user of the portable electronic device according to the present invention. For selection, a method of pressing a predetermined key input means assigned to the menu or the hyperlink object when the menu or the hyperlink object is modified and displayed may be used. If it is determined in step S208 that the corresponding menu or the corresponding hyperlink object is selected, the process proceeds to step S210 in which the corresponding link target information linked to the selected menu and the hyperlink object is read out from the list information to obtain link target information. Control to drive. As described above, when the corresponding object selected is a menu, driving of the link target information may mean execution of a predetermined application or execution of a specific function corresponding to the menu, and when the selected object is a hyperlink object, It may refer to display of predetermined content information corresponding to the hyperlink object.

If it is determined in step S208 that the menu or the corresponding hyperlink object has not been selected, the process proceeds to step S212 in which the menu or the corresponding hyperlink is deformed and the displayed time has exceeded the predetermined time. Determine whether or not.

The predetermined time may be implemented so that a user may set arbitrarily in an environment setting item of the corresponding portable electronic device.

If it is determined in step S208 that the displayed time does not exceed the predetermined time, the flow advances to step S206 to continuously modify and display the menu or hyperlink object that is currently modified and displayed. In addition, when it is determined that the displayed time has passed the predetermined time, the process proceeds to step S214, in which the next menu or hyperlink object is transformed and displayed separately from other objects. The positional information of the menu or hyperlink object is read from the list information. Using the location information read in step S214, the process of step S206 is continued for the corresponding menu or hyperlink object.

In this case, the microprocessor may modify and display a menu or a hyperlink object included in the link target information from the one located at the top of the link target information. When the selected time has elapsed, the menu or hyperlink object in the following location may be transformed and displayed. If more than one menu or hyperlink object is located on the same line, the menu or hyperlink object may be displayed in order from left to right. Can be. This display order may also be implemented so that a user may arbitrarily set in the configuration item of the portable electronic device according to the present invention.

When a user presses a key input means (selection key) of a portable electronic device when a menu or hyperlink object in a specific position is displayed in a deformed manner, the specific menu or specific hyperlink that was deformed and displayed when the user presses the key input means. The object is selected, and the link target information linked to the specific menu or the specific hyperlink object is loaded into the portable electronic device and executed.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting a menu included in link target information in a personal data terminal (PDA) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 7, Han Young Dictionary 4.0, Hangman, MINICELL (more than 71), OffView, Othello, Matching (more than 72), Photo Album, PUZZLE, Subway PLUS (more than 73), Smart Web, fingerprint recognition (more than 7) There are three buttons 75, 76, and 77 that display a menu and have arrows. In this figure, the menu 74 of the fourth row is illustrated as being deformed. Unlike the menu of the upper row, the letter color is different and gray bands are surrounded by the background. The user can select the 'smart web' by pressing the leftmost button 75 and select the 'fingerprint recognition' by pressing the middle button 76. As such, the menu to be modified may not be limited to one, and the user may select it through a keypad provided.

8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for selecting a menu in a personal digital assistant (PDA) according to an embodiment of the present invention. There are eleven menus illustrated in this drawing by way of example. Korean-English dictionary (801), smart web (810), fingerprint recognition (811) link target information is designated by Y key (813), hangman (802), MINICELL (803), photo album (807), subway PLUS 809 is designated by the R key 812, and OffView 804, Othello 805, mating 806, and PUZZLE 808 are designated by the B 814 key. The selection key corresponding to the one or more menus, when one or more of the corresponding menus are deformed and displayed, selects the hyperlink object by pressing the selection key and executes an application corresponding to the menu or the corresponding menu. The link target information corresponding to can be browsed.

For example, when the menus 802, 803, 807, and 809 corresponding to the R key 812 are deformed and displayed, the color of a specific menu turns red, and the menu 804 corresponding to the B key 814 is displayed. 805, 806, and 808 are deformed and displayed, the color of a particular menu turns blue, and when the Y-key 813 and the corresponding menus 801, 810, and 811 are deformed and displayed, the color of a particular menu is changed. It can be implemented to turn yellow. When the user changes the color of the menu of the fingerprint recognition 811 menu to yellow, the user can easily select the fingerprint recognition 811 by pressing the Y key 813. Similarly, when the menu of the photo album 807 is transformed and displayed in red, by pressing the R key 812, link target information such as an application linked to the photo album 807 menu can be loaded and viewed. When the menu of the mating 806 is displayed in blue, the B key 814 may be pressed to load and view the link target information linked to the mating menu. As described above, the portable electronic device according to the present invention includes at least one key input means (selection key) distinguished by a predetermined color, and the menu or hyperlink object displayed on the screen of the portable electronic device is grouped to the key input means. The corresponding menu or the corresponding hyperlink may be modified to display corresponding to the color of the key input means.

9 illustrates an example of a screen for selecting a hyperlink object in a personal digital assistant (PDA) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 9, the controller may modify and display one or more hyperlink objects from left to right and top to bottom. FIG. 9 shows seven hyperlink objects of Hanmailnet 910, news 920, stocks, movies, English learning, weather and fortune telling. First, in FIG. 9A, it can be seen that Hanmailnet 910 located at the left side of the top line, that is, the first order, is modified from other menus. In addition, in FIG. 9B, the news 920 located in the second adjacent order in the first mailnet 910 after the selected time elapses is distinguished from other menus and is modified.

10 is a diagram illustrating an example of selecting a menu in a mobile phone according to one embodiment of the present invention. 10a selects the My Mobile Phone 1010 menu, 10b selects the Magic N1020 menu, 10c selects the phone book 1030, 10d selects the basic functions 1040, 10e bookmarks / messages 1050, and 10f represents entertainment. Is a diagram illustrating a screen in the case of selecting. In addition, the arrows indicate the passage of time to indicate that the menus are displayed in a sequential order. As shown in the figure, each menu is deformed to be distinguished from other menus. Referring to FIG. 10C, the menu name of '2: Phonebook' is displayed on the upper right side, and when the previous menus 1010 and 1020 are modified and displayed, the upper picture is different and the background color at the bottom is clearly different. Can be. In addition, it can be seen that an icon representing the menu of the phone book 1030 is displayed within a rectangular border unlike an icon of another menu. When a screen such as 10c is shown, the user can select a phone book by pressing a predetermined key and select other menus in the same manner.

11 is a diagram illustrating an example of selecting a menu in a mobile phone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

11A and 11B can easily select a menu belonging to the major category on the mobile phone menu of 'sound setting', and as shown in FIG. 11B, any one or more of the sub categories belonging to the major category can be selected. In FIG. 11B, the 'ring tone setting' menu is displayed to be distinguished from other menus among the 'sound setting' menu, and the user may select the 'ring tone setting' menu by pressing a predetermined key.

11C and 11D illustrate examples when a menu of a 'camera' is selected. As shown in FIG. 11D, the 'camera' of FIG. 11C belongs to a large category on the mobile phone menu, as in the 'sound setting' of FIG. 11A. Have As shown in FIG. 11C, the user may enter a sub-category of 'camera' and select a desired menu. In the case of FIG. 11D, it is understood that a menu called “photo” is transformed and displayed unlike other menus. The user can select a 'photo' by pressing a predetermined selection key.

12 illustrates an example of selecting a menu or a hyperlink object in a mobile phone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile phone provided by the present invention may further include a shortcut input module and a shortcut setting module in addition to the object display manager 120, the object selection manager 124, and the object list manager 122 described above. Using the shortcut input module, a user can input a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object into a mobile phone so that the user can access the menu without a separate procedure. The shortcut input module can be added directly by the user pressing a predetermined selection key defined in the mobile phone, and the shortcut setting module receives a list of menus or hyperlinks that the user wants to access using the shortcut from the input module. The list manager 122 stores the result. The user can use the shortcut function to register a general-purpose resource locator (URL) of a favorite menu or a relatively frequently accessed web site more conveniently.

In FIG. 12, such a shortcut function is implemented under the name of 'favorite'. The user selects "Favorites" (see FIG. 12A) instead of making a stepwise selection when using the mobile phone to access shortcut menus and hyperlink objects previously entered by the user. A music box, a reception message, a Daum messenger, a Naver connection, a clairvoyant connection, a phone book, and a shortcut previously input by Nate of FIG. 12B may be referred to. The user may select and access a desired menu or hyperlink object among them, and in the case of FIG. 12B, if a predetermined selection key is pressed, the user may move directly to the 'Naver connection' menu.

13 is a diagram illustrating an example of selecting a menu or a hyperlink object in a mobile phone according to another embodiment of the present invention.

This figure implements a shortcut function in a mobile phone, and a user can select a desired menu or hyperlink object directly without going through a series of processes. In this figure, it can be seen that a menu or a hyperlink object of an incoming message, an address book, a Nate connection, a vibration / bell conversion, a tetris, a ringtone selection, an MSN messenger, a dark saver, and a background change is grouped arbitrarily by a user. In this figure, the top row of incoming messages, the address book, the menu of the Nate connection, or the hyperlink object are displayed together in one small group (1440), and the vibration / bell conversion, tetris, and ringtone selection of the second row are in one small group. (1450), the third line of MSN Messenger, Darksaver, and Background Change are shown in another small group. Each of the small groups is modified and displayed together, and the user can press desired selection keys 1410, 1420, and 1430 to view desired link target information. In this figure, since the second line menu or hyperlink object is deformed and displayed, the user selects the vibration / bell conversion menu by pressing the * button 1410 to change the user's mobile phone from the vibration state to the ring mode without changing the display. Alternatively, you can change the ring mode. In addition, the Tetris can be executed by pressing the 0 button 1420 and the ringtone can be selected by the user by pressing the # button 1430. Such a shortcut function may facilitate change of a user's menu or hyperlink object.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to easily select a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object regardless of the presence of a pointing input device.

In addition, the menu or hyperlink object selection method according to the present invention can be used in the portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, smart phones, PDAs, handheld PCs, portable broadcast receivers, electronic dictionaries, mobile browsers, mobile explorers, Wi-Fi and e-book viewers. Applications such as programs, as well as a method for menu selection in the operating system (Operating System) of the portable electronic device can be applied.

Embodiments of the invention include a computer readable medium containing program instructions for performing various computer-implemented operations. The computer readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, etc. alone or in combination. Program instructions recorded on the media may be those specially designed and constructed for the purposes of the present invention, or they may be of the kind well-known and available to those having skill in the computer software arts. Examples of computer-readable recording media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tape, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, and magnetic disks, such as floppy disks. Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. The medium may be a transmission medium such as an optical or metal wire, a waveguide, or the like including a carrier wave for transmitting a signal specifying a program command, a data structure, or the like. Examples of program instructions include not only machine code generated by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

14 is an internal block diagram of a general purpose computer device that may be employed to perform a menu or hyperlink object selection method in accordance with the present invention.

Computer device 1400 includes one or more processors 1410 coupled with a main memory device including random access memory (RAM) 1320 and read only memory (ROM) 1430. The processor 1410 is also called a central processing unit (CPU). As is well known in the art, the ROM 1430 serves to transfer data and instructions to the CPU unidirectionally, and the RAM 1420 typically transfers data and instructions bidirectionally. Used to. RAM 1420 and ROM 1430 may include any suitable form of computer readable media. Mass storage 1440 is bidirectionally coupled to processor 1440 to provide additional data storage capabilities, and may be any of the computer readable recording media described above. The mass storage device 1440 is used to store programs, data, and the like, and is a secondary memory device such as a hard disk which is generally slower than the main memory device. Certain mass storage devices such as CD ROM 1460 may be used. The processor 1410 may include one or more input / output interfaces, such as a video monitor, trackball, mouse, keyboard, microphone, touchscreen display, card reader, magnetic or paper tape reader, voice or handwriting reader, joystick, or other known computer input / output device. (1460). Finally, the processor 1410 may be connected to a wired or wireless communication network through the network interface 1470. Through this network connection, the procedure of the method described above can be performed. The apparatus and tools described above are well known to those skilled in the computer hardware and software arts.

The hardware device described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention.

As described above, the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, which can be variously modified and modified by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Modifications are possible. Accordingly, the spirit of the present invention should be understood only by the claims set forth below, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will belong to the scope of the present invention.

As described above, the portable electronic device of the present invention sequentially modifies and displays menu or hyperlink objects in link target information including a plurality of menus or hyperlink objects, and selects a modified menu or hyperlink object. By loading the link target information linked to the selected menu or hyperlink object, a user interface for selecting a menu or hyperlink object with a simple key input is provided.

In particular, the present invention is suitable for selecting a menu or hyperlink object in a portable electronic device with or without a mouse, stylus pen or other pointing input device.

Claims (15)

In a portable electronic device, A display unit for outputting link target information including one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects; A key input unit including a keypad for selecting the one or more menus or the one or more hyperlink objects; And, The menu or the hyperlink object outputted to the display is sequentially modified to be distinguished from other menus or other hyperlink objects, and the selected menu or the specific hyperlink object is selected from the key input unit. Control unit controlling to execute a menu or link target information associated with the selected hyperlink object Portable electronic device comprising a. The method of claim 1, The portable electronic device is any one of a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld PC, an electronic dictionary, a portable broadcast receiver, and an e-book viewer device. delete The method of claim 1, The menu or the hyperlink object is any one of a text, an image, a background, or an underline display corresponding to the linked link target information. The method according to claim 1 or 4, And the link target information is an application connected to the menu or a predetermined function execution means. The method according to claim 1 or 4, The link target information includes one or more of text, image, audio, or video data connected to the hyperlink object. The method of claim 1, And the controller controls to display the menu or the hyperlink object by changing the display from left to right and top to bottom. The method of claim 1, The control unit controls to display a modified menu or hyperlink object existing in the first position among the menu or the hyperlink object, and when a predetermined time elapses, the menu or hyper existing in the second position. A portable electronic device, characterized in that for controlling the display to transform the link object. The method of claim 1, And a memory storing a control program for driving the controller. The method of claim 9, The control program stored in the memory, Storing object list information in the memory including location information of the one or more menus or the one or more hyperlink objects or index information of the link target information connected to the menu or the hyperlink object. Object list manager for; An object display manager configured to receive position information of a first menu or a first hyperlink object from the object list manager and display the first menu or the first hyperlink object by transforming the first menu or the first hyperlink object; And The deformation display time of the first menu or the first hyperlink object is measured using a predetermined timer means, and when the deformation display time reaches a predetermined time, it is sent to the object list manager. Notify the object list manager to transmit the position information of the second menu or the second hyperlink object to the object display manager, and if the user receives a predetermined input from the user before reaching the predetermined time, the selection input. Object selection manager to notify the object list manager Including, And the object list manager controls to drive the link target information connected to the selected menu or the hyperlink object by receiving the selection input. The method of claim 10, The object list information may further include order information sorted in order of top to bottom or left to right with respect to the one or more menus or the one or more hypertext objects. A control method of a portable electronic device for selecting a specific menu or a specific hyperlink object among one or more menus or one or more hyperlink objects, Outputting the one or more menus or the one or more hyperlink objects to a display of the portable electronic device; Maintaining list information including position information on the output menu or hyperlink object, or index information of link target information connected to the menu or hyperlink object, in a predetermined memory means; Reading position information of a first menu or a first hyperlink object at a first position among the at least one menu or the at least one hyperlink object from the list information; Modifying and displaying the first menu or the first hyperlink object so as to be distinguished from another menu or another hyperlink object; And Controlling to drive the link target information associated with the index information corresponding to the first menu or the first hyperlink object when the first menu or the first hyperlink object that is modified and displayed is selected. Control method of a portable electronic device comprising a. The method of claim 12, And wherein the link target information is an application connected to the menu or a predetermined function executing means. The method of claim 12, The link target information includes one or more of text, image, audio, or video data associated with the hyperlink object. A computer-readable recording medium for recording a program for executing the method for controlling the portable electronic device according to any one of claims 12 to 14.

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