Patent ID: 8856680

Claim:
A method for controlling a background task in a mobile communication terminal, the method comprising: performing a foreground task and the background task in a multitasking environment; displaying a foreground graphical user interface (GUI) that corresponds to the foreground task in a display area of a display of the mobile communication terminal, wherein the foreground GUI is displayed without displaying a background GUI corresponding to the background task; receiving input of a preset physical button, while displaying the foreground GUI, wherein the received input of the preset physical button displays a background control skin; displaying the background control skin on a portion of the display area of the foreground GUI, wherein the background control skin includes at least one control key assigned to control at least one operation of the background task; receiving input for selecting the at least one control key to control the at least one operation of the background task, while maintaining the displaying of the background control skin; executing the at least one operation of the background task according to the received input for selecting the at least one control key, while maintaining the displaying of the background control skin; receiving input from the preset physical button, wherein the received input from the preset physical button terminates the displaying of the background control skin; and displaying the foreground GUI without displaying the background control skin, while performing the background task, in response to the received input from the preset physical button; wherein the background control skin is a GUI different from the background GUI.