Patent Application
20110267367
The present invention relates generally to a handheld electric apparatus and graphic interface operation method thereof, more particularly, related to the widget displayed and overlaid on the full-screen execution image of application of the handheld electric apparatus.
As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particular significant for handheld portable devices, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device's features, tools, and functions. Some portable communication devices (e.g., mobile telephones, sometimes called mobile phones, cell phones, cellular telephones, and the like) have resorted to adding more pushbuttons, increasing the density of push buttons, overloading the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.
The widget is a popular graphical user interface on handheld electric apparatus, which comprises information display component to make user to view updated information quickly. Because of small size of screen of handheld electric apparatus, the execution image of running application is usually displayed in full screen. When user desires to view the content of widget, he/she must close the running application first and then open the widget, and reopen the application after closing the widget, it causes inconvenience and time cost for user. Accordingly, there is a need for handheld electric apparatus with more transparent and intuitive graphic interface operation flow between widget and application, that is easy to use, configure, and/or adapt. Such graphic interface operation flow increases the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with handheld electric apparatus.
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a handheld electric apparatus and graphic interface operation method thereof, so as to improve the operation convenience of handheld electric apparatus.
The object of the present invention can be achieved by providing a handheld electric apparatus which comprises a display unit, a button unit, a storage unit and a processor. The storage unit stores an application and a widget. The processor is operable to execute the application and display the execution image of the application on the display unit in full screen. When the button unit is triggered, the processor is operable to execute the widget and overlaying the execution image of the widget on the execution image of the application. The processor keeps the execution of the application while the widget is executed.
Preferably, the execution image of the widget is displayed semi-transparently on the displayed unit.
Preferably, the processor continues executing the application after the widget is stopped.
Preferably, the widget comprises an information display component.
Preferably, the information display component is updated while the processor executes the widget.
Preferably, the handheld electric apparatus further comprises a network connecting unit, and the processor receives an update data for the information display component from a network through the network connecting unit.
Preferably, the handheld electric apparatus further comprises a control interface unit which allows user to set the information display component.
The object of the present invention can be achieved by providing a graphic interface operation method applied on a hand held electric apparatus. The graphic interface operation method comprises steps of executing an application on the hand held electric apparatus, and displaying the execution image of the application in full screen on a display unit of the hand held electric apparatus; providing a button unit on the hand held electric apparatus; when the button unit is triggered, executing a widget and overlaying execution image of the widget on the execution image of the application; keeping the execution of the application while the widget is executed.
Preferably, the graphic interface operation method further comprises a step of semi-transparently displaying the execution image of the widget.
Preferably, the graphic interface operation method further comprises a step of continuing executing the application after the widget is stopped.
Preferably, the widget comprises an information display component.
Preferably, the graphic interface operation method further comprises a step of receiving an update data for the information display component through from a network.
Preferably, the widget comprises a return component, and user can trigger this return component to close the widget.
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the invention.
The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which are presented as illustrated examples of the invention defined in the claims. It is expressly understood that the invention as defined by the claims may be broader than the illustrated embodiments described below. It should also be noted that the drawings are in simplified form and are not to precise scale.
In reference to the disclosure herein, for purposes of convenience and clarity only, directional terms, such as, top, bottom, left, right, up, down, over, above, below, beneath, rear, front, distal, and proximal are used with respect to the accompanying drawings. Such directional terms should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention in any manner.
In one preferred aspect of the inventive subject matter, the projection system provides a color visual output, wherein the color vividness and performance of the visual output is enhanced. The contemplated color visual output can include still images and video images.
By executing the operating system 130 accessed from storage unit 13, the processor 14 can control the hardware and soft resource of the handheld electric apparatus 1 through the running operating system 130, so that the basic functionality of handheld electric apparatus 1 can be activated. For example, while user needs a location search function, he/she can control the processor 14 via the control interface unit 16 to execute a corresponding application 131, such as map search application, and the operating system 130 then allocates memory area and in/out port to enable execution of the map search application. The execution image 1311 of the running application 131 is displayed on the display unit 11 in full screen. When the map search application is running and the user desires to check the information of the widget 132, he/she can activate the button unit 12. Upon receipt of the trigger signal 121 from the button unit 12, the processor 14 accesses the widget 132 from the storage unit 13 and executed it. The execution image 1321 of running widget 132 is displayed and overlaid on the execution image 1311. It is noted that the processor 14 still keeps the execution of the application 131 while the widget 132 is executed.
Preferably, the information display component can be updated via data distributed on internet. When invoking the widget, the processor of the smart phone 2 can update information display component at the same time. For example, if user has modified the calendar, date or time of the smart phone 2, the processor can update the schedule data of calendar notice component, or time date of the time information component 28; or the processor can connect with the internet to obtain the real-time weather data which is used to update weather information component 27. User can trigger the return component 30 to close the widget and remove the semi-transparently overlay of the execution image 2321 from the execution image 2311, so that he/she can view the execution image 2311 of the map search application clearly for further operation, as shown in
In
In step 67 the execution image 2321 of the widget is generated, semi-transparently displayed and overlaid on the execution image 2311 of the map search application, as shown in
Thus, specific embodiments and applications of handheld electric apparatus and graphic interface operation method thereof have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalent within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements. The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention. In addition, where the specification and claims refer to at least one of something selected from the group consisting of A, B, C . . . and N, the text should be interpreted as requiring only one element from the group, not A plus N, or B plus N, etc.
