Abstract:
An apparatus to control playback of multimedia contents comprising a touch screen to display an information scroll controlling bar and a scroll pointer, the information scroll controlling bar and the scroll pointer being included in an information scroll controlling region, and a controller to sense a touch at the scroll pointer on the touch screen, to sense a movement of the touch in a direction to a location outside the information scroll controlling region on the touch screen, to set a moving rate of the scroll pointer based on the sensed location outside the information scroll controlling region to control playback of multimedia contents, and to move the scroll pointer in a moving direction based on the direction of the movement.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/552,350 filed Jul. 18, 2012 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,305,356, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/409,858, filed Mar. 24, 2009 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,253,704, which claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2008-79038, filed Aug. 12, 2008 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of which is incorporated herein by reference. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     Aspects of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus to control contents displayed on a portable terminal, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus to control information scrolling of data on a touch screen of a portable terminal. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Currently, portable terminals including a touch screen (such as personal digital assistants (PDA), portable multimedia players (PMP), MPEG audio layer-3 (MP3), and mobile phones) have been widely used. These portable terminals provide various contents including predetermined images, video signals, and/or audio signals. 
     In order to improve a users&#39; convenience, the portable terminals include a graphical user interface (GUI), which includes a slider or a scroll bar to operate a contents display region. However, a technology to minutely adjust a content display region by using the slider or the scroll bar on a touch screen of the portable terminal is desirable. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Aspects of the present invention provide a method and apparatus of controlling contents scrolling on a touch screen of a portable terminal. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling information scrolling on a touch screen, the method including: displaying an information scroll controlling region on the touch screen; sensing a touch for a scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region and performing a dragging operation at a location of the touch on the touch screen; in response to a dragged location being out of a moving region of the scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region, changing the information scroll controlling region; and adjusting a location to display information in response to the changing of the information scroll controlling region. 
     The information scroll controlling region may be a scroll bar and/or a slider. 
     The sensing of the touch may include: in response to the touch being sensed on the touch screen, determining whether the touched location is in the scroll controlling region; and in response the touched location being in the scroll controlling region, generating a touch starting event. 
     The performing of the dragging operation may include: checking whether the touched location on the touch screen is in a scroll pointer region; in response to the touched location not being in the scroll pointer region, moving the scroll pointer to the touched location; and calculating a dragged direction and/or distance of the touch from the scroll pointer. 
     The performing of the dragging operation may include dragging and moving the scroll pointer simultaneously. 
     The changing of the information scroll controlling region may be performed in response the touched point on the scroll pointer being dragged from the touched location in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the scroll pointer or in a diagonal direction. 
     The changing of the information scroll controlling region may include expanding or reducing the scroll controlling region in proportion to the dragging distance of the touch. 
     The changing of the information scroll controlling region may include expanding a moving region of the scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region to the left and the right. 
     The changing of the information scroll controlling region may include changing a location and numerical values of standard values for the moving region of the scroll pointer in the scroll controlling region. 
     The changing of the information scroll controlling region may include expanding the information scroll controlling region to the left, right, upper and lower sides. 
     The changing of the information scroll controlling region may include setting an expansion region and a reduction region for the scroll controlling region in the upper and lower side of the touch screen, and expanding or reducing the scroll controlling region to a limit value, when the touched point on the scroll pointer is dragged to the expansion region or the reduction region. 
     The method may further include changing a location of the scroll pointer according to a finger performing dragging on the touch screen. 
     The method may further include moving the scroll pointer with an object performing dragging and representing the dragged location with a line on the touch screen. 
     The adjusting of the location for displaying information may include changing a location of information on the screen and/or information numerical value according to the change of the information scroll controlling region. 
     The method may further include returning the expanded or reduced scroll controlling region to an original scale when a termination of the touch is sensed on the touch screen. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for controlling information scrolling, the apparatus including: a touch screen unit to display an information scroll controlling region and a scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region, and to sense a touch thereon; a control unit to detect the touch for the scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region displayed on the touch screen unit, to change the information scroll controlling region in response to the touch being dragged to be out of a moving region of the scroll pointer, and to adjust an information location according to the change of the information scroll controlling region. 
     The touch screen unit may include a graphic user interface to control the information scroll controlling region. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a computer program for executing a method of controlling information scrolling on a touch screen. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of controlling information scrolling on a touch screen, of a computing device, having an information scroll controlling region and a scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region, the method including: sensing a dragging touch in the information scroll controlling region; and in response to a dragged location of the dragging touch being out of a moving region of the scroll pointer in the information scroll controlling region, changing the information scroll controlling region. 
     Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
         FIGS. 1A through 1D  illustrate scroll bars according to embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  respectively illustrate a scroll bar and a slider displayed on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a moving of a scroll pointer on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of controlling information scrolling on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an apparatus to control information scrolling on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate a flowchart of a method of controlling information scrolling on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIGS. 7A through 7D  illustrate an expansion and a reduction of a scroll controlling region according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIGS. 8A and 8B  illustrate a displaying of a scroll pointer and a touched location according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the present embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The embodiments are described below in order to explain the present invention by referring to the figures. 
       FIGS. 1A through 1D  illustrate scroll bars according to embodiments of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 1A , the scroll bar includes a scroll pointer  110  (which is also referred to as a thumb, a knob, or a scroll box) and a moving region  120  for the scroll pointer  110 .  FIG. 1B  illustrates a scroll bar that has a different form from the scroll bar illustrated in  FIG. 1A . Specifically, the scroll bar of  FIG. 1B  includes a base line  130  through which the scroll pointer  110  is moved. A scroll bar illustrated in  FIG. 1C  includes a left and right moving region. Thus, the scroll pointer  110  of  FIG. 1C  moves in a left or a right direction. Conversely, a scroll bar illustrated in  FIG. 1C  includes an upward and downward moving region. Thus, the scroll pointer  110  of  FIG. 1D  moves upward or downward. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  respectively illustrate a scroll bar and a slider displayed on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 2A , the scroll bar generally scrolls locations on a screen. Referring to  FIG. 2B , the slider changes a numerical information value. Thus, as illustrated in  FIG. 2A , a view port region exists on a touch screen displaying the scroll bar and. Also, as illustrated in  FIG. 2B , a numerical value displaying region representing the numerical value corresponding to the slider exists on a touch screen displaying the slider. 
       FIG. 3  illustrates a moving of a scroll pointer  310  on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the scroll pointer  310  is touched by a finger (or a device such as a touch screen pen) on the touch screen and the scroll pointer  310  moves from left to right. 
       FIG. 4  is a conceptual diagram illustrating a method of controlling information scrolling on a touch screen  400  according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the current embodiment, a zoom-in operation is embedded in the scroll bar. Referring to  FIG. 4 , when a scroll controlling menu is activated in a terminal, an information scroll controlling region  410  is displayed on the touch screen  400  in the form of a scroll bar and/or a slider. The scroll bar including a scroll pointer  420  may be displayed on an upper portion, a lower portion, or a center of the touch screen  400 . 
     While the scroll pointer  420  is touched by a finger (or a touch screen pen), a touched point on the touch screen  400  is dragged in a direction  430  perpendicular to the moving direction of the existing scroll pointer or in a diagonal direction. When the location of the scroll pointer  420  being dragged is out of the moving direction (or moving region) of the existing scroll bar and/or slider, a scroll controlling region is expanded or reduced. In this case, dragging upward and dragging left and right can be simultaneously performed. It is understood that the expansion of the scroll controlling region  410  is not limited to an upward dragging, and may be realized in various other ways according to other aspects of the present invention. For example, the expansion of the scroll controlling region  410  may be realized by a dragging in any moving direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the scroll controlling region  410  (i.e., if the moving direction of the scroll controlling region  410  is upward and downward, then a dragging in a left and/or a right moving direction will expand the scroll controlling region  410 ). 
     Thus, according to aspects of the present invention, a scale of scrolling is expanded or reduced by one touch on the touch screen  400 . Thus, information display locations on the touch screen  400  may be precisely adjusted. 
       FIG. 5  is a block diagram of an apparatus to control information scrolling on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 5 , the apparatus to control information scrolling includes a touch screen unit  510 , a memory unit  520 , an output unit  530 , and a control unit  540 . 
     The touch screen unit  510  displays image information and senses a touching and/or a dragging performed by a user via sensors that react to a pressure applied to a surface of the touch screen unit  510 . A method of sensing a touch on the touch screen unit  510  is well known and may be a pressure type method or a capacitance type method. Also, the touch screen unit  510  includes a graphic user interface (GUI) to control an information scroll controlling region. 
     The memory unit  520  stores multimedia contents and a predetermined form of GUI information for scroll controlling. The output unit  530  reproduces the multimedia contents using a screen and a speaker, and/or outputs the multimedia contents to one or more external devices. 
     The control unit  540  performs touching and dragging operations according to a touch and a drag sensed by the touch screen unit  510 , displays an information scroll controlling region having a predetermined form on the touch screen unit  510 , senses the touch on a scroll pointer of the information scroll controlling region, and performs a dragging operation at the location being touched. Also, when the location being dragged is outside of the moving direction of the existing scroll pointer in the touch screen unit  510 , the control unit  540  expands or reduces the information scroll controlling region and adjusts corresponding content, parameters, and/or information (for example, information location and numerical values) in response to the change to the information scroll controlling region. As described above, the information scroll controlling region may be expanded or reduced in various ways according to aspects of the present invention. 
       FIGS. 6A and 6B  illustrate a flowchart of a method of controlling information scrolling on a touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIGS. 6A and 6B , when a scroll controlling menu is activated, the information scroll controlling region is displayed on the touch screen in the form of a scroll bar and/or a slider in operation  605 . The information scroll controlling region may include the scroll pointer representing a current location on the screen and a scroll moving region. For example, assuming that a displayed content is a moving picture file, if the scroll pointer is located at a beginning of the information scroll controlling region, the start of the moving picture file is displayed on the viewport region. Conversely, if the scroll pointer is located at an end of the information scroll controlling region, the completion of the moving picture file is displayed on the viewport region. 
     When an object (such as at least one finger and a touch screen pen) contacts a specific region of the touch screen, the touch is sensed via a touch sensor in operation  610 . Accordingly, when the touch on the touch screen is sensed, x and y coordinates of the touched point are calculated and the location of the touched point is detected in operation  615 . Whether the touched location is in the scroll controlling region displayed on the touch screen is determined in operation  620 . 
     When the touched location is determined to be in the scroll controlling region (operation  620 ), a touch starting event is generated in operation  625 . Furthermore, when the touched location is determined to be in the scroll controlling region (operation  620 ), whether the touched location is the scroll pointer in the scroll controlling region is determined in operation  620 . When the touched location is determined to not be the scroll pointer (operation  630 ), the scroll pointer is moved to the touched location and a location moving event is generated in operation  635 . 
     Then, whether the location of the scroll pointer in the scroll controlling region is changed is determined in operation  640 . When the location of the scroll pointer is determined to not be changed (operation  640 ), whether the touch is completed (for example, the finger or touch screen pen is removed from the touch screen) is determined in operation  645 . As a result, when termination of the touch on the touch screen is sensed (operation  645 ), a touch completion event is generated. In this case, the scroll controlling region that is expanded or reduced at the time when the finger is lifted returns to an original scale (or magnification). 
     However, when the location of the scroll pointer is determined to be changed (operation  640 ), a dragging operation performed using the touch object is performed while the scroll pointer is being touched in operation  655 . Specifically, a direction and/or a distance of the location being dragged from the location of the scroll pointer is calculated. Whether the location of the dragged touched point is out of a scroll moving region is determined in operation  660 . For example, whether the touched location is dragged in a direction perpendicular to the existing scroll moving direction (90 degrees) or in a diagonal direction is sensed. 
     When the dragged location is determined to be out of the scroll moving region of the scroll pointer (operation  660 ), the scroll controlling region is expanded or reduced in proportion to the distance being dragged. Here, in the scroll bar, dragging upward dragging left and right can be simultaneously performed. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , assuming that a moving picture is being reproduced on the touch screen, the left side of the scroll controlling region is set to be the start of scrolling, the right side of the scroll controlling region is set to be the end of scrolling, and the dragging upward from the scroll controlling region is set to expand the scroll controlling region, when the touched point is dragged to the upper right side of the touch screen while the scroll pointer is touched by an object on the touch screen, the scroll controlling region is expanded and the playback position of the moving picture moves forward. 
     Also, according to aspects of the present invention, when the touched point is moved to both ends of the scroll controlling region in the expanded scroll controlling region, the location of the scroll pointer may not be moved while the scroll controlling region that is not displayed on the touch screen may be moved. Thus, the location of the content relating to the scroll controlling region is moved according to the scroll controlling region. As described above, the scroll controlling region may be expanded or reduced in various ways. 
     A location moving operation is performed in response to the change of the information scroll controlling region in operation  670 . For example, the location of displayed information on the screen or numerical information values are adjusted according to the change of the expanded or reduced information scroll controlling region. 
       FIGS. 7A through 7D  illustrate an expansion and a reduction of the scroll controlling region. Referring to  FIG. 7A , a moving region of the scroll pointer is expanded to the left and to the right so that the scroll controlling region is expanded. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7B , while the moving region of the scroll pointer is expanded to the left and to the right, the location and numerical values of standard values for the moving region of the scroll pointer are changed so that the scroll controlling region is expanded. For example, gaps between the location and numerical values of the standard values are expanded. The standard values may be expressed in a character string. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7C , the scroll controlling region is expanded by increasing the left, right, upper, and lower sides of the scroll controlling region. Also, the region of the scroll pointer is expanded. However, it is understood that aspects of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, according to other aspects, the scroll controlling region is only expanded along one side, two sides, or three sides. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7D , an expansion region  710  and a reduction region  720  for the scroll controlling region are set in the upper and lower side of the touch screen. When the touched point is dragged to the pre-set expansion region  710  or the reduction region  720 , the scroll controlling region is expanded or reduced, respectively, to a limit value. Thus, when the object (for example, a finger or a touch screen pen) touches the added expansion region  710  or the added reduction region  720 , the scroll controlling region is expanded or reduced, respectively. 
       FIGS. 8A and 8B  illustrate a displaying of a scroll pointer  820  and  830  and a touched location  810  according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 8A , the location of the scroll pointer  820  and the touched location  810  that is being dragged are displayed on the touch screen. Referring to  FIG. 8B , the scroll pointer  830  moves along with the object (for example, a finger) performing the dragging. The dragged location of the scroll pointer  830  is represented by a line  840  on the touch screen. Thus, a user may visually indentify the dragged location on the touch screen. 
     Aspects of the present invention can also be embodied as computer-readable codes on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium is any data storage device that can store data which can be thereafter read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROMs, magnetic tapes, floppy disks, and optical data storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion. Aspects of the present invention may also be realized as a data signal embodied in a carrier wave and comprising a program readable by a computer and transmittable over the Internet. 
     Although a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in this embodiment without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents.