Patent Abstract:
A method and apparatus are disclosed for displaying a menu item selected by a user from a menu list that corresponds to various functions of a portable terminal, such as a wait screen image, so that the user can rapidly and easily access frequently used menus.

Full Description:
PRIORITY  
       [0001]     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119(a) of Korean Patent Application No. 2005-101413, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Oct. 26, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention:  
         [0003]     The present invention relates to a portable terminal. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for establishing and displaying a wait screen image in a portable terminal.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art:  
         [0005]     With the increase in the number of portable terminals possessed by individuals, portable terminals have been developed to enable users to configure the terminals according to users&#39; tastes. In particular, users can establish the portable terminal so as to enable easy access to functions that are frequently-used by setting up a hot key or the like for a given function. However, even when the user accesses a menu through a set hot key, the user must adjust the keys several times in order to display information or contents desired by the user. Moreover, although the conventional portable terminal has various functions, a wait screen image for the portable terminal is limited to an image set by the user and/or to an image of a calendar. Therefore, the user must adjust a key in a wait-screen state in order to access a menu, which causes inconvenience to the user.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0006]     The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for establishing a wait screen image of a portable terminal using a menu selected by the user.  
         [0007]     To accomplish this object, in accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method and apparatus for establishing and displaying a wait screen image in a portable terminal where menu items corresponding to various functions of the portable terminal are displayed, at least one of the displayed menu items is selected, and the wait screen image is displayed using a selected menu item and a sub-item of the selected menu item. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     The above and other objects, exemplary features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:  
         [0009]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating construction of a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0010]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating formation of a home screen procedure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;  
         [0011]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating display of a home screen procedure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and  
         [0012]      FIGS. 4A  to  4 C are views for illustrating screens displayed when formation of a home screen procedure is performed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
       [0013]     Throughout the drawings, like reference numbers should be understood to refer to like elements, features, and structures.  
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS  
       [0014]     Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The matters exemplified in this description are provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of various exemplary embodiments of the present invention disclosed with reference to the accompanying figures. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the exemplary embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. Descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.  
         [0015]     In the following exemplary embodiment, a home screen comprises a wait screen image.  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating construction of a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In reference to  FIG. 1 , the controller  100  directs the entire operation of the portable terminal. When sensing the input of a signal for displaying a menu list corresponding to various functions of the portable terminal, the controller  100  directs the menu list to display on display unit  115 . While the menu list is displayed, when sensing the input of a key signal for establishing the home screen, the controller  100  receives the selection of a menu item from among the menu list and directs a sub-menu of the selected menu item to be displayed as the home screen.  
         [0017]     A memory  105  comprises program memory and data memory. The program memory stores programs for controlling normal operation of the portable terminal; data memory stores various data received from the user or externally supplied. Memory  105  can store data for at least one menu item selected by the user from a menu list corresponding to the various functions of the portable terminal. When a menu item comprising data is established as the home screen, memory  105  outputs the stored home screen data to the controller  100  to enable the controller  100  to display the data on display unit  115 . That is, when a message menu item or memo menu item is established as the home screen, memory  105  reads data pre-stored for each menu item to enable the controller  100  to output the read data to the display unit  1   15 .  
         [0018]     An MPEG-Audio Layer-3 (MP3) module  110  processes MP3-coded audio file stored in memory  105  by the user, and sends the processed MP3 audio data to the controller  100 . Then, the MP3 audio data is output through a speaker or earphone via data processing unit  140  and audio processing unit  145 , thereby providing high-quality of music to the user.  
         [0019]     The display unit  115  displays processing and operation states as well as a current state based on key input signals received from a key input unit  120 . Display unit  115  also displays an image state output from an image processing unit  125 , and displays a user interface to indicate the operation of a photography function. Display unit  115  can utilize a liquid crystal display (LCD). When using an LCD display, the display unit  115  can comprise an LCD controller, a memory for storing image data, and an LCD display element. When the LCD employs a touch screen scheme, the key input unit  120  and the LCD can be integrated to form one input unit. The display unit  115  comprises an image data display unit for displaying image data. When the controller  100  senses a predetermined key input signal generated by the user&#39;s selection, the display unit  115  displays a menu list corresponding to various functions of the portable terminal based on the generated key input signal. The display unit  115  displays various messages to enable the user to select a menu item from the displayed menu list. When a key signal for executing the home screen establishment function is generated by the user&#39;s appropriate selection, and a menu item is established as the home screen, the display unit  115  displays a sub-menu of the established menu item as the home screen.  
         [0020]     A key input unit  120  comprises keys for inputting numeric and character information and function keys for setting various functions. The key input unit  120  receives input for displaying a menu list corresponding to various functions of the portable terminal on the display unit  115 . In addition, the key input unit  120  receives the selection of a menu item from the displayed menu list and then executes a sub-menu of the selected menu item, and receives a signal for establishing a menu item as the home screen. When a menu item established as the home screen is displayed on the display unit  115 , the key input unit  120  is used to receive a signal for executing a sub-menu of the menu item established as the home screen.  
         [0021]     A camera unit  130  obtains image data by photographing an image, and comprises a camera sensor, which converts an optical signal obtained by photography into an electric signal. Herein, the camera sensor can comprise a charge-coupled device (CCD) sensor. The image processing unit  125  functions to generate screen data for displaying an image signal. The image processing unit  125  transmits a received image signal according to the size of a display unit  115  under the control of controller  100 , and compresses or decompresses the image data. The camera unit  130  and the image processing unit  125  are integrated as a camera module. In addition, the camera unit  130  enables the user to photograph a still image or moving image to be displayed on the wait screen of the portable terminal. A still image or moving image photographed by the camera unit  130  is stored in the memory  105 .  
         [0022]     A radio frequency (RF) processing unit  135  performs the transmission and reception function of the portable terminal. The RF processing unit  135  comprises an RF transmitter and an RF receiver. The RF transmitter up-converts the frequency of a signal to be transmitted and amplifies the up-converted signal. The RF receiver provides low-noise amplification of a received signal and down-converts the frequency of the received signal. In addition, the RF processing unit  135  functions to receive an image or contents which can be displayed on the wait screen.  
         [0023]     A data processing unit (MODEM)  140  comprises a transmitter for encoding and modulating the signal to be transmitted, and a receiver for decoding and demodulating the received signal.  
         [0024]     An audio processing unit  145  can be configured with a COder/DECoder (CODEC), which contains a data CODEC for processing packet data and an audio CODEC for processing audio signals, such as voice. The audio processing unit  145  reproduces a digital audio signal received from the data processing unit  140  by converting the digital audio signal into an analog audio signal through the audio CODEC. Also, the audio processing unit  145  converts an analog audio signal for transmission, which has been generated from an audio device such as a microphone, into a digital audio signal through the audio CODEC, and transmits the converted digital audio signal to the data processing unit  140 . The CODEC can be either separately constructed or included in the controller  100 . In addition, the audio processing unit  145  outputs various alarm sounds or sound effects through a speaker connected to the audio processing unit  145 , which are based on home screen establishment information established by the user.  
         [0025]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for forming a home screen in a portable terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.  FIGS. 4A  to  4 C are views for illustrating screens displayed when a procedure for forming a home screen is performed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The controller  100  of the portable terminal is in a wait mode in step  200 . When sensing a predetermined key input signal while in the wait mode, the controller  100  determines if the input key signal is an input signal of a menu key for checking or establishing various functions of the portable terminal (step  205 ). When it is determined in step  205  that the input key signal is not an input signal of a menu key, the controller  100  performs a function corresponding to the input key signal in step  210 . In contrast, when it is determined in step  205  that the input key signal is the input signal of a menu key, the controller  100  directs the various menu items of the portable terminal based on the input signal of the menu key to be displayed as a screen, as illustrated in  FIG. 4A . The screen illustrated in  FIG. 4A  shows a screen, which displays message, memo, and messenger menu items from among various menu items of the portable terminal.  
         [0026]     When a predetermined key input signal is generated in a state during which the menu items are displayed, the controller  100  determines if the generated key input signal is a key signal preset for executing a home screen establishment procedure (step  220 ). When it is determined in step  220  that the input key signal is a key signal that has been set to receive the selection of a menu item of the displayed menu list and to establish the sub-menu of the selected menu item as a home screen, the controller  100  performs step  225  in which the controller  100  operates in a menu selection mode for home screen establishment. That is, the controller  100  directs a mark for selecting a menu item to be established as a home screen to be displayed in the displayed menu list as a screen, as illustrated in  FIG. 4B . In the screen illustrated in  FIG. 4B , the mark is expressed as an arrow and the title of the menu item indicated by the arrow is displayed on the screen.  
         [0027]     While operating in the home screen establishment mode, when the controller  100  senses an input signal comprising a direction key in step  230 , the controller  100  moves the arrow that indicates a menu item along the displayed menu list, based on the sensed direction key (step  235 ). Thereafter, when sensing the input of a selection key while in a state in which the arrow indicates a menu item through movement of the arrow (step  240 ), the controller  100  establishes the menu item indicated by the arrow as a home screen in step  245 .  
         [0028]     In contrast, if it is determined in step  220  that the key signal input, upon display of the menu list in step  215 , is not a key signal for executing a home screen establishment mode, the controller  100  performs step  250  in which the controller  100  determines if the input key signal is a direction key signal. When it is determined in step  250  that the input key signal is a direction key signal, the controller  100  highlights a menu item, whose selection is based on the input direction key signal as a screen, as illustrated in  FIG. 4C  (step  255 ). The screen illustrated in  FIG. 4C  shows the case in which the highlighted menu item is a messenger menu item.  
         [0029]     While a menu item is highlighted based on the input direction key signal, the controller  100  checks whether the signal of the selection key is input in step  260 . When the selection key signal is input in order to select a highlighted menu item, the controller  100  performs the function of the selected menu item in step  265 . When a menu is selected in step  260  and is executed in step  265 , only the function of the menu is performed, and a home screen establishment function is not performed.  
         [0030]      FIG. 3  is a flowchart illustrating a home screen display procedure according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. This exemplary embodiment will be described in the context of a case in which at least one of a message, memo, and messenger menu items can be established as the home screen. Also, in this exemplary embodiment, it is assumed that the sub-menu of the message menu comprises a received message list, the sub-menu of the memo menu comprises a stored memo list, and the sub-menu of the messenger menu comprises an initial screen for messenger access. First, the controller  100  operates in a wait mode in step  300 . Herein, the wait mode refers to a state in which the display unit  115  is powered off.  
         [0031]     In the wait mode, the controller  100  checks whether the display unit  115  is powered on due to the opening of the folder of the portable terminal or a key input signal (step  305 ). When it is determined in step  305  that the display unit  115  is powered on, the controller  100  checks home screen establishment information, which has been established to display the home screen on the display unit  115  in the wait mode (step  310 ).  
         [0032]     The controller  100  determines if the menu item to be displayed as a home screen is the message menu item, based on the home screen establishment information checked in step  310  (step  315 ). When it is determined in step  315  that the menu item to be displayed as a home screen is the message menu item, the controller  100  directs the received message list, which is the sub-menu of the message menu, to be displayed (step  320 ).  
         [0033]     When it is determined in step  315  that the menu item established as a home screen is not the message menu item, the controller  100  determines if the menu item established as a home screen is the memo menu item (step  325 ). When it is determined in step  325  that the menu item established as a home screen is a memo menu item, the controller  100  directs a memo list, which has been input by the user and stored in memory  105  based on the memo menu, to be displayed on the display unit  115  (step  330 ).  
         [0034]     The controller  100  determines if the input of a direction key signal or predetermined key signal, which instruct to select an item from the received message list displayed in step  320  or to select an item from the memo list displayed in step  330 , is sensed (step  335 ). Thereafter, the controller  100  either receives the selection of an item of the displayed list through the input of a direction key and then displays the contents of the selected item (step  345 ), or displays the list corresponding to the relevant menu item (step  340 ).  
         [0035]     When it is determined in step  325  that the menu item established as a home screen is not a memo menu item, the controller  100  determines if the menu item that has been established to be displayed as a home screen is a messenger menu item (step  350 ). When it is determined in step  350  that the menu item established to be displayed as a home screen is the messenger menu item, the controller  100  performs step  355  in which the controller  100  displays the initial screen for messenger access as a home screen, which is the sub-menu of the messenger menu. Thereafter, the controller  100  determines if a selection key signal is input by the user in the initial screen for messenger access displayed as a home screen in the wait mode (step  360 ). Based on a result of the determination in step  360 , the controller  100  accesses a wireless Internet to execute Internet messenger (step  365 ).  
         [0036]     When it is determined in step  350  that the menu item established as a home screen is not the messenger menu item, the controller  100  displays the home-screen establishment screen image through default. Although the present invention is described with respect to an example in which a menu list according to home screen establishment is displayed as a wait screen image, an image or calendar established by the user can similarly be displayed as a wait screen image.  
         [0037]     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. That is, although aspects of the present invention have been described with respect to an example in which a received message list is displayed when a message menu is formed as a wait screen image, any one of various sub-menu items of the message menu as well as the received message list can be displayed based on the establishment of the user, and it can shift into an input mode for a message or memo. Also, aspects of the present invention have been described with respect to an example in which the menu items are limited to the message, memo, and messenger menus, and the sub-menu of a selected menu item is formed as a wait screen image. In addition to the above-described menu items, other menu items, which correspond to various functions of the portable terminal, can be formed as a wait screen image so that the sub-menu of a selected menu item can be displayed as a wait screen image. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should not to be limited by the above exemplary embodiments but, rather, defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7