KR20090034661A - Mobile terminal and its menu display method - Google Patents

Abstract

A mobile terminal and a menu display method thereof are provided to display or hide a menu screen on its background screen if necessary. A tag related to a specific menu display is indicated at a portion on a screen(S101-S103). A user touches the tag in a state that the tag is displayed. The user drags the tag in a certain direction(S104). The menu is displayed or hidden according to the direction(S105). The menu is displayed or hidden in a direction that the touch is released(S106, S107).

Description

Mobile terminal and its menu display method {MOBILE TERMINAL AND ITS MENU DISPLAY METHOD}

The present invention relates to a method for allowing a menu screen to be dragged by a touch method to be exposed or hidden on a main screen or a desktop screen, and a portable terminal having the same.

A portable terminal is a portable device that is portable and has one or more functions such as voice and video calling, information input and output, and data storage.

As the functions are diversified, for example, the portable terminal is equipped with complex functions such as taking a picture or a video, playing a music or video file, playing a game, and receiving a broadcast, and is implemented in the form of a comprehensive multimedia player. It is becoming.

Many new attempts are being applied to these multimedia devices in terms of hardware or software to implement complex functions. For example, a user interface environment is provided for a user to search for or select a function easily and conveniently.

In addition, while the portable terminal is regarded as a personal portable product for expressing its individuality, various designs are required. As such a design form, a folder form, a slide form, a bar form or a rotation form design is applied to the portable terminal.

Recently, according to the needs of users who prefer a wide screen while the overall size of the mobile terminal is small, the screen size is increased by providing a touch screen instead of minimizing hardware function buttons. However, there is a problem that the screen size is small and complicated by always outputting various software function buttons on the desktop of the touch screen.

The present invention relates to a user interface method and a portable terminal having the same so that the menu screen is normally hidden and then dragged and exposed only when necessary.

The present invention relates to a user interface method having a menu screen for each characteristic and concealed at a specific position within the screen so as to be exposed when necessary, and a portable terminal having the same.

A mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention for realizing the above object is an output unit for displaying a specific menu and a tag associated with the menu, and displaying a menu associated with the tag as the tag is dragged, and touching and dragging the tag. And a control unit which detects and controls the output unit to expose or hide the menu according to the touch and drag directions.

In addition, the present invention for realizing the object is a step of displaying a tag associated with a particular menu display on one side of the screen, the step of touching the tag and dragging in a predetermined direction, the menu is exposed according to the direction in which the tag is dragged It is made to include or conceal.

According to the present invention, the user can hide or expose the menu screen on the desktop according to the needs of the user, thereby improving user convenience and obtaining an effect that the desktop screen is not complicated and wide.

In addition, the present invention can selectively expose only some of the frequently used or necessary menu items on the desktop screen and hide other menu items on the desktop screen, thereby improving user convenience and making wide use of the desktop screen.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the detailed description of the well-known technology and its configuration which are determined to obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted. In addition, in describing the present invention with reference to the drawings, components that perform the same function will be described with the same reference numerals.

The portable terminal described herein includes a mobile phone, a smart phone, a notebook computer, a navigation, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), and the like.

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

The mobile terminal 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a wireless communication unit 110, an A / V input unit 120, an operation unit 130, a sensing unit 140, an output unit 150, and a storage unit ( 160, an interface unit 170, a controller 180, a power supply unit 190, and the like. It should be noted that when the components are implemented in actual application, two or more components may be combined into one component or one component may be divided into two or more components as necessary.

Hereinafter, the components will be described in turn.

The wireless communication unit 110 may include a broadcast receiving module 111, a mobile communication module 112, a wireless internet module 113, a short range communication module 114, a GPS module 115, and the like.

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management server through a broadcast channel. The broadcast channel may include a satellite channel and a terrestrial channel.

The broadcast management server may mean a server that generates and transmits a broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information or a server that receives a previously generated broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information and transmits the same to a terminal. The broadcast related information may mean information related to a broadcast channel, a broadcast program, or a broadcast service provider. The broadcast signal may include not only a TV broadcast signal, a radio broadcast signal, and a data broadcast signal, but also a broadcast signal having a data broadcast signal combined with a TV broadcast signal or a radio broadcast signal.

Meanwhile, the broadcast related information may be provided through a mobile communication network, and in this case, may be received by the mobile communication module 112.

The broadcast related information may exist in various forms. For example, it may exist in the form of Electronic Program Guide (EPG) of Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) or Electronic Service Guide (ESG) of Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H).

The broadcast receiving module 111 receives broadcast signals using various broadcasting systems, and in particular, digital multimedia broadcasting-terrestrial (DMB-T), digital multimedia broadcasting-satellite (DMB-S), and media forward link (MediaFLO). Digital broadcast signals can be received using digital broadcasting systems such as only), digital video broadcast-handheld (DVB-H), integrated services digital broadcast-terrestrial (ISDB-T), and the like. Of course, the broadcast receiving module 111 is configured to be suitable for all broadcast systems providing broadcast signals as well as the digital broadcast system described above.

The broadcast signal and / or broadcast related information received through the broadcast receiving module 111 may be stored in the storage 160.

In addition, the mobile communication module 112 transmits and receives a radio signal with at least one of a base station, an external terminal, and a server on a mobile communication network. The wireless signal may include various types of data according to transmission and reception of a voice call signal, a video call call signal, or a text / multimedia message.

The wireless internet module 113 refers to a module for wireless internet access, and the wireless internet module 113 may be internal or external.

The short range communication module 114 refers to a module for short range communication. As a short range communication technology, Bluetooth, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Infrared Data Association (IrDA), Ultra Wideband (UWB), and ZigBee may be used.

In addition, the Global Position System (GPS) module 115 receives position information from a plurality of satellites.

Meanwhile, the A / V input unit 120 is for inputting an audio signal or a video signal, and may include a camera module 121 and a microphone module 122. The camera module 121 processes image frames such as still images or moving images obtained by an image sensor in a video call mode or a photographing mode. The processed image frame may be displayed on the display module 151.

The image frame processed by the camera module 121 may be stored in the storage 160 or transmitted to the outside through the wireless communication unit 110. Two or more camera modules 121 may be provided according to the configuration of the terminal.

The microphone module 122 receives an external sound signal by a microphone in a call mode, a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, etc., and processes the external sound signal into electrical voice data. The processed voice data may be converted into a form transmittable to the mobile communication base station through the mobile communication module 112 and output in the call mode. The microphone module 122 may implement various noise removing algorithms for removing noise generated in the process of receiving an external sound signal.

The operation unit 130 generates key input data input by the user for controlling the operation of the terminal. The operation unit 130 may be configured of a key pad dome switch, a touch pad (static pressure / capacitance), a jog wheel, a jog switch, and the like. In particular, when the touch pad forms a mutual layer structure with the display module 151 described later, this may be referred to as a touch screen.

The sensing unit 140 detects a current state of the mobile terminal 100 such as an open / closed state of the mobile terminal 100, a position of the mobile terminal 100, presence or absence of a user contact, and controls the operation of the mobile terminal 100. Generate a sensing signal. For example, when the portable terminal 100 is in the form of a slide phone, whether the slide phone is opened or closed may be sensed. In addition, it is responsible for sensing functions related to whether the power supply unit 190 is supplied with power or whether the interface unit 170 is coupled to an external device.

The interface unit 170 serves as an interface with all external devices connected to the mobile terminal 100. For example, wired / wireless headsets, external chargers, wired / wireless data ports, card sockets (e.g. memory card, SIM / UIM / UICC card), audio I / O (Input / Output) terminals , Video I / O (Input / Output) terminals, earphones, etc. The interface unit 170 receives data from an external device or receives power and transmits the data to each component inside the mobile terminal 100 or transmits the data inside the mobile terminal 100 to an external device.

The output unit 150 is for outputting an audio signal, a video signal, or an alarm signal. The output unit 150 may include a display module 151, a sound output module 152, an alarm output module 153, and the like.

The display module 151 displays and outputs information processed by the mobile terminal 100. For example, when the mobile terminal is in a call mode, a user interface (UI) or a graphic user interface (GUI) related to a call is displayed. When the mobile terminal 100 is in a video call mode or a photographing mode, the mobile terminal 100 displays a photographed and / or received image, a UI, or a GUI.

Meanwhile, as described above, when the display module 13 and the touch pad form a mutual layer structure to form a touch screen, the display module 151 may be used as an input device in addition to the output device.

The display module 151 may be a liquid crystal display, a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode, a flexible display, or a three-dimensional display. 3D display).

In addition, two or more display modules 151 may exist according to the implementation form of the mobile terminal 100. For example, the external display module (not shown) and the internal display module (not shown) may be simultaneously provided in the portable terminal 100.

The sound output module 152 outputs audio data received from the wireless communication unit 110 or stored in the storage unit 160 in a call signal reception, a call mode or a recording mode, a voice recognition mode, a broadcast reception mode, and the like.

In addition, the sound output module 152 outputs a sound signal related to a function (eg, a call signal reception sound, a message reception sound, etc.) performed in the mobile terminal 100. The sound output module 152 may include a speaker, a buzzer, and the like.

The alarm output module 153 outputs a signal for notifying occurrence of an event of the portable terminal 100. Examples of events occurring in the mobile terminal include call signal reception, message reception, and key signal input. The alarm output module 153 outputs a signal for notifying occurrence of an event in a form other than an audio signal or a video signal.

For example, the signal may be output in the form of vibration. When a call signal is received or a message is received, the alarm output module 153 may output a vibration to notify this. Alternatively, when a key signal is input, the alarm output module 153 may output a vibration in response to the key signal input. Through the vibration output as described above, the user can recognize the occurrence of the event. Of course, the signal for notification of event occurrence may be output through the display module 151 or the sound output module 152.

The storage unit 160 may store a program for processing and control of the controller 180, and a function for temporarily storing input / output data (for example, a phone book, a message, a still image, a video, etc.). You can also do

The storage unit 160 may include a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro type, a card type memory (eg, SD or XD memory), It may include a storage medium of at least one type of RAM and ROM. In addition, the mobile terminal 100 may operate a web storage that performs a storage function of the storage unit 150 on the Internet.

The controller 180 typically controls the overall operation of the mobile terminal. For example, perform related control and processing for voice calls, data communications, video calls, and the like. In addition, the controller 180 may include a multimedia playback module 181 for multimedia playback. The multimedia playback module 181 may be configured in hardware in the controller 180 or may be configured in software separately from the controller 180.

The power supply unit 190 receives an external power source and an internal power source under the control of the controller 180 to supply power for operation of each component.

In the above, the portable terminal related to the present invention has been described in terms of components according to functions. Hereinafter, referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the portable terminal related to the present invention will be further described in terms of components according to appearance.

In the following description, a slider-type portable terminal is described as an example among various types of portable terminals such as a folder type, a bar type, a swing type, a slider type, and the like for clarity of explanation. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the slider type portable terminal, but can be applied to all types of portable terminals including the aforementioned type.

2 is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal related to the present invention; The slide-type portable terminal of the present invention includes a first body (100A) and a second body (100B) configured to be slidable in at least one direction on the first body (100A).

A state in which the first body 100A is disposed to overlap with the second body 100B may be referred to as a closed configuration, and as shown in the drawing, the first body 100A is referred to as the second body 100B. The exposed state of at least a portion of the may be referred to as an open configuration (open configuration). The portable terminal operates mainly in the standby mode in a closed state, but the standby mode may be released by a user's operation. In addition, although the portable terminal operates mainly in a call mode or the like in an open state, the portable terminal may be switched to a standby mode by a user's operation or a lapse of a predetermined time.

The case (casing, housing, cover, etc.) forming the exterior of the first body 100A is formed by the first front case 100A-1 and the first rear case 100A-2. Various electronic components are embedded in the space formed by the first front case 100A-1 and the first rear case 100A-2. At least one intermediate case may be further disposed between the first front case 100A-1 and the first rear case 100A-2.

The cases may be formed by injecting a synthetic resin or may be formed of a metal material, for example, a metal material such as stainless steel (STS) or titanium (Ti).

In the first body 100A, specifically, the first front case 100A-1, the display module 151, the first sound output module 152-1, the first camera module 121-1, or the first manipulation unit ( 130-1) may be disposed.

The display module 151 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), organic light emitting diodes (OLED), and the like, which visually express information.

In addition, since the touch pad is superimposed on the display module 151 in a layer structure, the display module 151 may operate as a touch screen to enable input of information by a user's touch.

The first sound output module 152-1 may be implemented in the form of a receiver or a speaker.

The first camera module 121-1 may be implemented to be suitable for capturing an image or a video of a user.

The first manipulation unit 130-1 receives a command for recording or capturing a call image of the present invention.

Like the first body 100A, the case forming the external appearance of the second body 100B is formed by the second front case 100B-1 and the second rear case 100B-2.

The second manipulation unit 130-2 may be disposed on the front surface of the second body 100B, specifically, the second front case 100B-1.

The third manipulation unit 130-3, the microphone module 122, and the interface unit 170 may be disposed on at least one of the second front case 100B-1 or the second rear case 100B-2.

The first to third manipulation units 130-1, 130-2, and 130-3 may be collectively referred to as a manipulating portion 130, and may be manipulated while giving a tactile feeling to the user. May be employed in any manner. For example, the operation unit may be implemented as a dome switch or a touch pad that may receive a command or information by a user's push or touch operation, or may be operated by a wheel or jog method that rotates a key or a joystick. Can be implemented.

In functional terms, the first operation unit 130-1 is for inputting a command such as start, end, scrolling, etc., and the second operation unit 130-2 is for inputting numbers, letters, symbols, and the like. will be.

In addition, the third operation unit 130-3 may operate as a hot-key for activating a special function in the mobile terminal.

The microphone module 122 may be implemented in a form suitable for receiving a user's voice, other sounds, and the like.

The interface unit 170 serves as a passage for allowing the portable terminal according to the present invention to exchange data with an external device. For example, the interface unit 170 is wired or wirelessly, a connection terminal for connecting with an earphone, a port for short-range communication (for example, an infrared port (IrDA port), a Bluetooth port, a wireless LAN) Port (wireless Lan port, etc.), or at least one of power supply terminals for supplying power to each of the components.

Since the interface unit 170 has already been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the side of the second rear case 100B-2, a power supply unit 190 for supplying power to the portable terminal is mounted. The power supply unit 190 may be detachably coupled for charging, for example, as a rechargeable battery.

3 is a rear perspective view of the portable terminal shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 3, a second camera module 121-2 may be additionally mounted on the rear surface of the second rear case 100B-2 of the second body 100B. The second camera module 121-2 may have a photographing direction substantially opposite to that of the first camera module 121-1 (see FIG. 1), and may have different pixels from the first camera module.

For example, the first camera module 121-1 has a low pixel enough to take a picture of a user's face and transmit it to a counterpart in a video call or the like, and the second camera module 121-2 It is desirable to have a high pixel because a normal subject is often photographed and not immediately transmitted.

The flash 121-3 and the mirror 121-4 may be further disposed adjacent to the second camera module 121-2. The flash 121-3 illuminates the light toward the subject when the subject is photographed by the second camera module 121-2. The mirror 121-4 allows the user to see his / her face or the like when the user wants to photograph himself (self-photographing) using the second camera module 121-2.

The second sound output module 152-2 may be further disposed on the second rear case 100B-2.

The second sound output module 152-2 may implement a stereo function together with the first sound output module 152-1 (see FIG. 2), and may be used for a call in a speaker phone mode.

In addition, an antenna 111-1 for receiving a broadcast signal may be disposed on one side of the second rear case 100B-2 in addition to an antenna for a call. The antenna 111-1 may be installed to be pulled out of the second body 100B.

A portion of the slide module 100C for slidably coupling the first body 100A and the second body 100B is disposed on the first rear case 100A-2 side of the first body 100A.

The other part of the slide module 100C may be disposed on the side of the second front case 100B-1 of the second body 100B and may not be exposed to the outside as shown in the drawing.

In the above description, the second camera module 121-2 is disposed on the second body 100B, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

For example, at least one of the elements 111-1, 121-2 to 121-3, and 152-2 described as being disposed on the second rear case 100B-2, like the second camera module 121-2. It is also possible for one or more to be mounted on the first body 100A, mainly the first rear case 100A-2. In such a case, there is an advantage that the configuration (s) disposed in the first rear case 100A-2 in the closed state are protected by the second body 100B. Furthermore, even if the second camera module 121-2 is not separately provided, the first camera module 121-1 is formed to be rotatable so that shooting can be performed up to the shooting direction of the second camera module 121-2. May be

4 is an exemplary view showing a background screen of a mobile terminal according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, the mobile terminal of the present invention does not display any menu items on the desktop 310 in the standby mode or simply displays a few menu items 321 to 323. Instead, the tag 330 related to the menu display is displayed, and the user can display the remaining menu items that are hidden by touching the tag and dragging the tag in a predetermined direction.

Hereinafter, a screen displaying menu items exposed or hidden on the desktop screen 310 is referred to as a menu screen 320.

The tag 330 is displayed in a shape representing a direction in which a menu screen is exposed or a direction in which the tag can be dragged. For example, it may include a triangle or arrow shape. Accordingly, the tag 330 may display the tag by changing the direction of the tag depending on whether the menu screen is exposed or hidden.

The menu item displayed on the desktop screen 310 may include an icon for executing a program. In addition, the menu item may include a 'group menu item' for calling up a menu item of another group and displaying it on the desktop. As shown in FIG. 7C, the 'group menu item' is displayed in a shape that can be distinguished from a menu item for executing the program. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the shape shown in FIG. 7C.

The menu screen 320 refers to a screen composed of the plurality of menu items and is not only distinguished from the desktop screen, but may be transparent so that the desktop screen can be seen even when the menu screen is exposed. In addition, an environment setting menu may be provided to change the degree of transparency of the menu screen.

In addition, the menu screen 320 may expose only a part of the menu item in response to the distance to which the tag 330 is dragged, and keep other items hidden.

In addition, the controller 180 combines any one of the number of touches of the tag 330 and time, speed, direction, pressure, and area of the touch release, or two or more pieces of information, so that the user can read the tag. The touch type when touch is determined. The touch type may include pushing up or down like flicking a tag. Even if the menu screen is not dragged according to the touch type, the entire menu screen may be automatically exposed or hidden as if the entire menu screen was unfolded.

In this case, each menu item displayed on the menu screen 320 may include an icon or image having a specific shape, and may be arranged in any form by combining rows and columns. It may be.

The starting point at which the menu screen 320 is exposed or hidden may include at least one portion of a side, a corner, or an inner area of the touch screen, and may display the location using the tag 330.

Hereinafter, a process of exposing or hiding the menu screen on the touch screen as described above will be described with reference to the accompanying flowchart.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a menu display process of a mobile terminal related to the present invention, and will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings of FIGS. 6A to 8.

Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that no menu item is displayed on the background screen of the portable terminal.

As shown in Fig. 6A, when nothing related to the menu item is displayed on the desktop 310, the user can touch the desktop to display the tag 410 related to the menu screen to display the menu screen. have. That is, the controller 180 displays tags related to the menu screen when a touch is input while nothing is displayed on the desktop screen (S101 to S103).

As illustrated in FIG. 6B, at least one tag 411 to 416 may be displayed, and the tag may be displayed on any one side, a corner, or an inner area of the touch screen. If the tag related to the menu display is already displayed on the desktop, the tag call process as described above may be omitted.

When the user touches and drags the tag in the state where the tag is displayed as described above (S104), as illustrated in FIGS. 7A to 7C, the controller 180 displays the hidden menu screen in the direction in which the tag is dragged. Expose Similarly, dragging the tag in a different direction can hide the exposed menu screen (S105).

The menu item displayed on the menu screen may include a group menu item 430 for displaying a menu item included in another menu group, and may be displayed separately from the menu item 420 for executing a program.

If the dragging of the tag is stopped before the entire menu screen is exposed, that is, the touch of the dragging tag is released, the menu screen maintains the current exposed state.

On the other hand, if the user wants to quickly expose or hide the entire menu screen, the tag may be touched at least twice consecutively, or the tag may be pushed up or vice versa as shown in FIG. 8 (S106, S107).

The controller 180 may combine any one information or a combination of two or more of time, speed, direction, pressure, and area at which the touch is released to determine the touch input format as described above. .

In the above, preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims should not be construed as being limited to the common or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical spirit of the present invention.

Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention, and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, which can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be various equivalents and variations.

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

Figure 2 is a front perspective view of an example of a mobile terminal related to the present invention.

3 is a rear perspective view of the mobile terminal shown in FIG. 2;

Figure 4 is an exemplary view showing a desktop screen of the mobile terminal according to the present invention.

5 is a flowchart illustrating a menu display process of a mobile terminal according to the present invention;

6A is an exemplary view illustrating a method of calling a tag related to a menu in FIG. 5.

6B is an exemplary view showing various positions of a tag called in FIG. 6A.

FIG. 7A is a first exemplary diagram of displaying a menu screen by dragging a tag in FIG. 6B;

FIG. 7B is a second exemplary view of displaying a menu screen by dragging a tag in FIG. 6B; FIG.

FIG. 7C is a third exemplary view of displaying a menu screen by dragging a tag in FIG. 6B; FIG.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary view for explaining a method of displaying a menu screen according to a touch type of a tag in FIG. 6B; FIG.

Claims (10)

Displaying a tag related to a specific menu display on one side of the screen; Touching and dragging the tag in a predetermined direction; And exposing or hiding the menu according to a direction in which the tag is dragged. The method of claim 1, wherein the tag, The menu display method of the mobile terminal, characterized in that the display is displayed in a shape indicating the direction in which the menu, or the direction in which the tag is dragged. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is The menu display method of the mobile terminal, characterized in that the menu is made to be exposed or hidden corresponding to the distance the tag is dragged. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is Determining a touch type (flick) by combining any one of the number of touches of the tag and the time and speed at which the touch is released, direction, pressure, area, or two or more information; Automatically exposing or hiding the entire menu according to the determined touch type; menu display method of a mobile terminal further comprising. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is The menu display method of the mobile terminal, characterized in that the transparent display so that the background screen is visible when exposed. The method of claim 1, wherein the menu is And a menu list in which a plurality of menus formed of icons or images of a specific shape are arranged in an arbitrary format. The method of claim 1, wherein the one side of the screen is A method of displaying a menu of a mobile terminal, comprising at least one portion of a side, a corner, or an inner region of a touch screen, and the menu is exposed or hidden from the portion. An output unit which displays a specific menu and a tag related to the menu, and displays a menu related to the tag as the tag is dragged; And a controller configured to detect a touch type and a drag of the tag and control the output unit to expose or hide the menu according to the touch type and the drag direction of the tag. The method of claim 8, wherein the output unit, A mobile terminal comprising a touch screen. The method of claim 8, wherein the control unit, And controlling to expose or hide a menu in response to the drag speed and distance.

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