Mobile terminal for controlling icons displayed on touch screen and method therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10387014-B2
Application number	US-201414770013-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 20, 2014
Priority date	Feb 22, 2013
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

A method and a mobile terminal for controlling the icons of the mobile terminal are provided. The method includes displaying at least one icon on a widget screen corresponding with a function for changing the size of the icon displayed on a touch screen; receiving a selection of an icon to which the function is to be applied; activating an attribute of the selected icon; and adjusting, if a side of the selected icon is dragged on the widget screen, a size of the selected icon according to a direction of the drag.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for controlling icons of a mobile terminal, the method comprising:
receiving a first user input for changing a size of at least one icon corresponding to at least one application, wherein the at least one icon is displayed on a first window;
in response to receiving the first user input, displaying, on the first window, a second window which overlaps the first window and is for changing the size of the at least one icon displayed on the first window, wherein the first window includes a home screen and the second window includes a plurality of display areas divided by a plurality of lines;
displaying the at least one icon in at least one display area among the plurality of display areas included in the second window, wherein a size of the displayed the at least one icon corresponds to a display area of the plurality of display areas divided by the plurality of lines;
receiving a second user input for a selection of an icon to change a size of the selected icon from among the at least one icon displayed on the second window;
receiving a third user input, wherein the third user input includes a drag starting from a side of the selected icon on the second window;
in response to the receiving the third user input, determining whether, when the drag is released, the selected icon is displayable on the second window to at least partially overlap at least one adjacent icon displayed on the second window based on a release point of the drag on the second window and a direction of the drag;
in response to the determining that, when the drag is released, the selected icon is displayable to at least partially overlap the at least one adjacent icon based on the release point of the drag and the direction of the drag, displaying a graphical effect on the at least one adjacent icon;
in response to the drag being released on the release point, adjusting the size of the selected icon on the second window not to at least partially overlap the at least one adjacent icon and to meet at least one boundary of the at least one adjacent icon based on the direction of the drag, on the plurality of display areas divided by the plurality of lines, and on a location of the at least one adjacent icon, while maintaining the location of the at least one adjacent icon and a size of the at least one adjacent icon on the second window; and
displaying the adjusted icon on the first window.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein adjusting the size of the selected icon comprises:
reducing the size of the selected icon according to a distance of the drag in at least one of a vertical and horizontal advancing direction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of display areas have a variable size.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the size of the selected icon is adjusted in real-time according to the drag.

5. A mobile terminal for controlling icons, the mobile terminal comprising:
a touch screen; and
a controller configured to:
receive, through the touch screen, a first user input for changing a size of at least one icon corresponding to at least one application, wherein the at least one icon is displayed on a first window,
in response to the receiving the first user input, display, through the touch screen, on the first window, a second window which overlaps the first window and is for changing the size of the at least one icon displayed on the first window, wherein the first window includes a home screen and the second window includes a plurality of display areas divided by a plurality of lines,
display, through the touchscreen, the at least one icon in at least one display area among the plurality of display areas included in the second window, wherein a size the displayed the at least one icon corresponds to a display area of the plurality of display areas divided by the plurality of lines,
receive, through the touch screen, a second user input for a selection of an icon to change the size of the selected icon from among the at least one icon displayed on the second window,
receive, through the touch screen, a third user input, wherein the third user input includes a drag starting from a side of the selected icon on the second window,
in response to the receiving the third user input, determine whether, when the drag is released, the selected icon is displayable on the second window to at least partially overlap at least one adjacent icon displayed on the second window based on a release point of the drag on the second window and a direction of the drag,
in response to the determining that, when the drag is released, the selected icon is displayable to at least partially overlap the at least one adjacent icon based on the release point of the drag and the direction of the drag, display, through the touchscreen, a graphical effect on the at least one adjacent icon,
in response to the drag being released on the release point, adjust the size of the selected icon on the second window not to at least partially overlap the at least one adjacent icon and to meet at least one boundary of the at least one adjacent icon based on the direction of the drag, on the plurality of display areas divided by the plurality of lines, and on a location of the at least one adjacent icon, while maintaining the location of the at least one adjacent icon and a size of the at least one adjacent icon on the second window, and
display, through the touch screen, the adjusted icon on the first window.

6. The mobile terminal as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the controller is further configured to reduce the size of the selected icon according to a distance of the drag in at least one of a vertical and horizontal advancing direction.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
• Univ Yonsei Iacf

Inventors

• Kim So-Young
• Ji Yong-Gu
• Ahn Sung-Joo
• Hwangbo Hwan
• Kim Hyo-Chang
• Park Jung-Hoon
• Oh Hyung-Jun
• Yoo Hyun-Guk
• Chu Gyeong-Ho

Classifications

• G06F3/0485

  Scrolling or panning · CPC title

• G06F3/04886 Primary

  by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus · CPC title

• G06F3/04842

  Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements (G06F3/0482 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/0482

  Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus · CPC title

• G06F3/04817

  using icons (graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34) · CPC title