KR100703808B1 - Apparatus and method for providing intuitive menu on mobile digital device - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus and method are provided for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device. An apparatus for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display unit displaying upper level menus and lower level information of the upper level menus, and a user's action of selecting a particular menu displayed through the display unit. In the form of the input unit receiving the input, the information mapping unit for mapping and storing the lower level information of the selected menu through the input unit and the upper level menu stored in the information mapping unit and the lower level information mapped to the upper level menu in the form of unfolding. It includes a motion processing unit to be expressed together with the display unit.

Mobile digital devices, intuition, menu

Description

Apparatus and method for providing intuitive menu on mobile digital device}

1 is a diagram illustrating a menu of a general mobile communication terminal having a tree structure.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device through the apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

4 is a main menu screen of an apparatus for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5A to 5C are diagrams illustrating that upper and lower information are displayed together by a user's selection on the main menu screen shown in FIG. 4.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating lower level information on an upper level menu according to the process illustrated in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of selecting a specific menu from the screen shown in FIG. 7 and showing lower level information of the corresponding menu.

FIG. 9 is a screen for selecting a specific menu from the screen shown in FIG. 8 and showing lower level information of the corresponding menu.

10A to 10B are diagrams illustrating attribute adjustment of lower level information according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a main menu screen of a device providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device and sub-information of the corresponding menu, according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols on main parts of the drawings>

200: A device that provides an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device

201: input unit

202: information mapping unit

203: motion processing unit

204: display unit

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device, and more particularly, by simultaneously unfolding the upper and lower level menus on a screen of the mobile digital device, the user can easily grasp the upper and lower level menus at a glance. An apparatus and method for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device for enabling the same.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a menu of a general mobile communication terminal having a tree structure. The first stage menu (large classification) 101, the second stage menu (medium classification) 102, the third stage menu (small classification) ( 103).

The tree structure is a form in which submenus exist under one menu and each of the submenus has its own submenu again.

When the first level menu (large classification) 101 is arranged in a line and selects an item in the first level menu (large classification) 101 by using the direction keys, the screen of the current level disappears and the title of the selected item and A second level menu (middle classification) 102 is displayed.

Selecting an item using the arrow keys in the second level menu (Middle) 102 disappears, the screen of the current level disappears, the title of the selected item and the third level menu (subclass) 103 of the menu appear, and the third level menu One item can be selected in (Small Classification) 103 to perform the final operation.

Since only the title of the item selected in the previous menu and the sub-level menu of the menu are displayed on the screen of the mobile terminal, if the user wants to find another sub-level menu of the previous menu, the user can go back to the previous menu. You must select to find the sublevel menu of the selected menu.

This method is a traditional way to understand the menu architecture as a tree structure, the user has a difficulty to understand the upper and lower structure by constructing a virtual tree in the head for each menu level when searching the menu.

The present invention relates to a device and a method for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device, which expands the upper and lower level menus on the screen of the mobile digital device to visually show the movement between the upper and lower level menus. There is a purpose.

Another object of the present invention is to increase the user's intuition through a device and method for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device, thereby naturally connecting the flow of information, thereby increasing the visual effect and the efficiency of using the information.

It is still another object of the present invention to display a large amount of information on a small screen in a limited space such as a mobile digital device through an apparatus and method for providing an intuitive menu in the mobile digital device.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

In order to achieve the above object, an apparatus for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display unit for displaying an upper level menu and lower level information of the upper level menu, and a specific unit displayed through the display unit. An input unit for receiving a user's action of selecting a menu, an information mapping unit for mapping and storing lower level information of the selected menu through the input unit, and an upper level menu stored in the information mapping unit and mapped to the upper level menu It includes a motion processing unit to display the low-level information in the unfolded form on the display unit.

In order to achieve the above object, a method for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown through the display step, the display step of displaying the upper-level menu and lower-level information of the upper-level menu In the input step that receives the user's action of selecting a particular menu, the information mapping step for mapping and storing the lower level information of the selected menu through the input step, and the upper level menu stored in the information mapping step and the corresponding upper level menu. And a motion processing step of delivering the mapped lower step information to the display step.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and the drawings.

Advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but can be implemented in various different forms, and only the embodiments make the disclosure of the present invention complete, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs. It is provided to fully inform the person having the scope of the invention, which is defined only by the scope of the claims. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an apparatus for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The device 200 that provides an intuitive menu in the mobile digital device selects a particular menu shown through the display unit 205 and the display unit 205 on which the upper level menu and the lower level information of the upper level menu are displayed. An input unit 201 that receives a user's action, an information mapping unit 202 for mapping and storing lower level information of a menu selected through the input unit 201, and an upper level menu stored in the information mapping unit 202 and the corresponding upper level The motion processing unit 203 expresses the lower level information mapped to the menu on the display unit 204.

3 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device through the apparatus shown in FIG. 2.

The user accesses the menu shown through the display unit 204 of the device 200 for providing an intuitive menu in the mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention (S301) and enters the menu through each input unit 201. Action (S302).

Here, the menu access (S301) and the user's action (S302) is made in the input unit 201 through various input means such as a keypad, a touch pad of the mobile digital device.

The menu can be moved up and down by using the left and right buttons on the keypad, and the menu can be moved up and down by using the up and down buttons on the keypad. The touch pad can be used to directly move to a desired menu or item.

The menu selected by the action of the specific user S302 is changed to various attribute values such as the size and color of the selected menu, the transparency, the brightness of the background, and the like so as to be distinguished from other menus that are not selected.

In addition, the menu selected by S302 is mapped to a lower level menu of the corresponding step through the information mapping unit 202 and stored in a predetermined storage (S303), and the motion processing unit 203 displays the menu information of the mapped upper and lower levels stored. The display unit 204 is displayed together in a form unfolded (S304) and output to the screen through the display unit 204 (S305).

4 is a main menu screen of an apparatus for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The mobile digital device is a device having a digital circuit that processes digital data, and is a portable and portable device such as a mobile phone terminal, an MP3 player, a digital camera, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or a portable multimedia player. For example.

Each mobile digital device has its own main functions, but recently, the functions of several mobile digital devices have been included in one mobile digital device.

Therefore, a large amount of information must be shown on a mobile digital device, and a menu display device and method for easily accessing a large amount of information and efficiently using corresponding functions are urgently required.

The main menu screen 400 of the device providing the intuitive menu in the mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention is the main functions of the mobile digital device, for example, listening to music, video viewing, photographing and shooting video view , A collection of the main functions (402) items, a collection of game functions, date and time settings, bedtime settings, power setting functions, etc., a collection function (401) items, radio functions, world time view, alarm settings, etc. It is divided into a first-level menu composed of other items (403).

When the user accesses the menu screen, the main menu screen 400 is briefly displayed on the first screen, and the main function 402 item, which is the most important item on the main menu screen 400, is automatically expanded to show the importance of the main menu. It can reduce the number of times the user selects the corresponding item to use the main functions on the main menu screen.

5A is a diagram showing the contents of the main function 402 items automatically unfolded on the main menu screen 400 shown in FIG. 4.

When the menu is selected, unlike the tree structure described in FIG. 1 in which the menu screen of the current stage disappears and only the title of the item selected in the previous stage menu and the lower level menu of the menu are shown, in FIG. 5A, the main menu screen 400 is displayed. The unselected items 401 and 403 are relatively small on both the left and right sides of the screen, and the main function 402 items widened to the left and right in the center have a menu of the previous step selected and a lower level menu of the menu at a glance. It is marked for identification.

In addition, a display 501 indicating that the user can move to a higher level menu and a display 502 indicating that there is a menu that is not shown on the screen in the current level menu are displayed.

5B to 5C are diagrams illustrating the top and bottom steps of other items being unfolded from side to side by the user's selection on the screen in which the main function items 402 shown in FIG. 5 are spread from side to side. It is a state of moving by using the left and right buttons or the touch pad of the keypad which is the input unit 201.

In order to move from the current step menu to the upper level menu, the input unit 201 is entered in the current step menu without the inconvenience of moving to the upper level menu and selecting the lower level menu from the upper level menu as in the tree structure described with reference to FIG. 1. By using the left and right buttons on the keypad or by touching the display 501 indicating that the user can move to the upper level on the touch pad, the upper and lower levels can be conveniently moved, and the menus of the upper and lower levels can be viewed on the screen at a glance. It can be increased.

6 is a flowchart illustrating a process of providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the flow of FIG. 6 will be described in more detail through embodiments of selecting a particular menu illustrated in FIGS. 7 to 9 and showing lower level information of the corresponding menu.

When the user accesses the menu of the mobile digital device, the main menu screen appears briefly, and the menu of main items expands left and right in the center of the screen.

The user selects one of menus of main items spreading left and right in the center of the screen, or selects items other than the main items by using the left and right buttons or the touchpad of the input unit 201 of the device shown in FIG. One of the menus spread to the left and right of the corresponding item may be selected (S601).

In other words, the user moves to the upper and lower level menus by using the left and right buttons on the keypad, and the upper and lower level menus are spread out to the left and right. You can do it.

Suppose that the user selects the music listening 402b among the menu of the main function 402 items automatically expanded left and right on the main menu screen 400 of FIG. 5A (S601).

As shown in FIG. 7, the previous upper level menu is arranged separately on the left side of the screen, and the music listening icon 701 selected in the previous upper level menu is relatively larger than the icon of other menus not selected, The selected album listening function 703 is also significantly larger than the menu of the other unselected current step (S602).

In addition, the transparency of the icon and the brightness of the menu background can be used to enable the user to effectively recognize the currently selected and unselected menus. You can easily identify the menus that are not.

At the same time as S602, the previous upper level menu and the lower level of the upper level menu (mainly displayed on the current screen, so the menu is selected by the user, becomes the current level, hereinafter the current level), the menu is displayed in the form of being expanded together on the screen. When (S603) is focused on the first menu 702 existing in the current step menu by default (Focusing), and the desired up and down buttons or touch pad of the keypad which is the input unit 201 of the device shown in FIG. If the current step menu is selected and the number of current step menus is not displayed on the screen, an indication 705 indicating that there are more current step menus is displayed.

Accordingly, the user may view and select a current step menu that is not displayed on the screen by using the up and down buttons or the touch pad of the keypad which is the input unit 201.

After the step S604, when the album listening function 703 is selected among the current step menus in the screen illustrated in FIG. 7 (S604), the sub step information may be present depending on whether or not the sub step menu exists in the menu of the selected current step (S605). As in the screen illustrated in FIG. 8, the process of S602 is repeated, and if there is no S605 result sub-step information, a function desired by the user is finally executed as in the screen illustrated in FIG. 9 (S606).

10A to 10B are diagrams illustrating a screen for managing attributes of corresponding information on a screen on which a function desired by a user is finally executed, illustrated in FIG. 9.

FIG. 10A is a screen for managing attributes of final information to be executed, such as viewing information of a currently executed music file, adjusting playback speed, and adjusting sound quality, and as a specific button of a keypad which is an input unit 201 of the device shown in FIG. You can also manage it using the touchpad.

FIG. 10B is a screen for adjusting the volume of the currently executed music. When playing a music file, the volume may be adjusted by using the up and down buttons or the touch pad of the keypad which is the input unit 201 of FIG. 2.

11A to 11C illustrate a main menu screen of a device for providing an intuitive menu in a mobile digital device and a lower level menu of a specific item according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11A illustrates another embodiment of the present invention in which the movement and screen switching of the upper and lower level menus can be consistently expressed in the form of the up and down buttons and the up and down buttons rather than the left and right buttons.

11B to 11C are consistently expressed in a form in which the movement and screen switching of the upper and lower level menus are unfolded from the left and right buttons as shown in the embodiment of the present invention, but the method of arranging each menu is in various embodiments such as a circle shape or an oblique shape. Another embodiment of the invention which may be expressed.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains may implement the present invention in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. I can understand that. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive.

According to the apparatus and method for providing an intuitive menu in the mobile digital device of the present invention as described above, there are one or more of the following effects.

First, by unfolding the upper and lower level menus together on the screen of the mobile digital device, there is an advantage of increasing the user's intuition by visually showing the movement between the upper and lower level menus.

Second, the devices and methods that provide intuitive menus on mobile digital devices enhance the user's intuition and provide consistency in the movement and transition of the upper and lower level menus. It also has the advantage of increasing efficiency.

Third, there is also an advantage in that a large amount of information can be displayed on a small screen in a limited space such as a mobile digital device through an apparatus and method for providing an intuitive menu in the mobile digital device.

Claims (4)

A display unit displaying upper level menus and lower level information of the upper level menus; An input unit configured to receive a user's action of selecting a specific menu displayed through the display unit; An information mapping unit for mapping and storing lower level information of the menu selected through the input unit; And And a motion processing unit for displaying the upper level menu stored in the information mapping unit and the lower level information mapped to the upper level menu in a unfolded form on the display unit. A display step of displaying a higher level menu and lower level information of the upper level menu; An input step of receiving a user's action of selecting a specific menu shown through the display step; An information mapping step of mapping and storing lower level information of the menu selected through the input step; And And a motion processing step of transmitting the upper level menu stored in the information mapping step and the lower level information mapped to the upper level menu to the display step. The method of claim 2 The motion processing step is to provide an intuitive menu in the mobile digital device to increase the user's intuition by expressing together the upper level menu and the lower level information mapped to the upper level menu in an unfolded operation form. The method of claim 3 The motion processing step may be intuitive in a mobile digital device having a consistency in which a moving direction between menu steps input by the user through the input step and a direction in which lower level information mapped to upper level menus and corresponding upper level menus are unfolded match. How to present a menu.

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