WO2001080533A2

WO2001080533A2 - Device and method for the presentation of a multi-layered menu system

Info

Publication number: WO2001080533A2
Application number: PCT/DE2001/001462
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jörg-Michael Hasemann
Original assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
Priority date: 2000-04-13
Filing date: 2001-04-12
Publication date: 2001-10-25
Also published as: WO2001080533A3; DE10018299A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a device and method for the presentation of the menu system of a mobile telephone. After selection of a menu point (36), represented in the display field, at least one point from the corresponding sub-menu (41) (where available) is represented in place of the above point. By means of a suitable operating element (42, 43) the points (41) of the sub-menu can be scrolled. Selecting a point (41) from the sub-menu, either carries the corresponding action out, or puts the sub-menu on the display in the original style of representation (30).

Description

description

Device and method for presenting a multi-level menu system

Technical field

The invention relates to a method for presenting a multi-level menu system, wherein a limited number of menu items is shown simultaneously in a display field and a displayed menu item can be marked and / or activated. The invention further relates to a device for presenting a multi-level menu system, comprising a display field in which a limited number of menu items can be displayed simultaneously, input devices for moving a marker over the menu items of the current menu level, input devices for activating a menu item, and a display control for Display of menu items in the display field according to the user's input.

State of the art

Menu systems are often used to control and configure electronic devices. A menu system makes it possible to organize a very large number of actions or states that can be carried out in such a way that a user can achieve an action or a state through a small number of selections from menu items, the menu items being displayed in a limited number on a display panel ,

A typical application for a menu system is the so-called man-machine interface (MMI) of a mobile phone. On the one hand, mobile phones are subject to a trend towards miniaturization, which is reflected in a display panel of limited size, and on the other hand, the selectable functions and configuration options are becoming increasingly plex. Due to the numerous and often rarely required setting options that a mobile phone offers, it is uncomfortable for a user if he has to select a special setting, for example using a digit code. In this case, he must have the relevant digit code in mind or have to look it up in a manual. This cumbersome procedure can be avoided by using a menu system, in which the setting options are thematically grouped under a generic term in small groups. The generic terms can then be shown to the user in a display field so that, based on this information, he can first find the appropriate generic term and then the desired setting option from the group belonging to it. With a large number of setting options, the number of groups formed from these with generic terms is still relatively large, so that these generic terms can be combined again into groups under superordinate generic terms. This process can basically be continued recursively, creating the structure of a hierarchical tree, at the lowest level of which are the actions or setting options. The tree structure reflects the menu structure, the subnodes originating from a common node, the higher-level menu item, forming the items of a submenu.

For navigation through a multi-level menu system of the type described above, it is known in mobile telephones that the user can mark and, if necessary, activate menu items shown on the display panel by means of corresponding input keys. If a menu item is activated, the associated setting is made or action is carried out if the menu item was an end point of the menu tree. If, on the other hand, the menu item has a submenu, activating this submenu calls this submenu and displays it in the display field. The problem with such a menu system that it can take on a large number of settings may long and very tedious for the user until it is _the desired setting has been found through the menu system. Since the assignment of a setting option to a generic term is often ambiguous and subject to a certain arbitrariness, it sometimes happens that the user searches for the desired setting under a wrong generic term, that is, in an incorrect branch of the menu tree. If he has no precise idea of where the desired setting is located, he may have to search the entire menu tree for it. Another complicating factor is that, due to the small size of the available display area, the generic terms or menu items that can be presented there often have to be so brief that they are difficult to understand.

Presentation of the invention, task, solution, advantages

Against this background, it was the object of the present invention to provide a method and a device for presenting a multi-level menu system with which the user can find a desired setting more quickly.

This object is achieved by a method in which in each case a limited number of menu items is shown simultaneously in a display field and a menu item shown can be marked and / or activated. The method is characterized in that at least one item from the submenu associated with the menu item is shown in the display area of a menu item if the named menu item is selected and has a submenu. The display area of the menu item is the part of the display area in which the corresponding menu item is shown.

In contrast to the known methods, not only the menu items of the current menu level are shown in the display field. Much more If one of the menu items has been marked, the display of this menu item is canceled and at least one menu item from its submenu is displayed in its place. The remaining menu items of the current menu level, which is still active, remain displayed and visible to the user. In this way, a user can find out about the sub-menu items belonging to a menu item without having to leave the current menu entirely. If he does not find the desired information or setting in the submenu of the selected menu item, he can continue working in the current menu without further ado. Furthermore, the method has the advantage that when the marker is moved over the menu items of the current menu, more information is transmitted to the user than usual, without the user having to carry out additional actions for this. The fact that the marked menu item is overwritten with a point from its submenu gives the user an insight into the submenus while scrolling and can therefore get a better picture of the meaning of the respective menu items or possibly find the setting they are looking for directly ,

Whether only one or more items from the associated submenu of a selected menu item are displayed in the display area of this menu item depends on the size of the display area. Since the items from the submenu generally need as much space for their display as the associated menu item, only one item of the submenu can generally be displayed.

In a development of the method, the item shown in the display area of the marked menu item can be scrolled through from the associated submenu in accordance with the sequence in this submenu. This means that the appropriate entries by the user can be used to display the items in the submenu in the display area of the higher-level menu item. In this way It is possible for the user to check the content of a submenu without leaving the current menu level.

According to another development of the method, the item shown in the display area of the marked menu item can be activated from the associated submenu, whereupon an associated action is carried out if the item is an end point of the menu tree, or the submenu mentioned is then shown in the display field if there is another submenu for the activated item. If so desired, the user can jump to the corresponding submenu or execute a point from this submenu immediately if this is possible. In contrast to conventional methods, he does not have to make this jump to the submenu "blindly", that is, without knowing the options offered by the submenu.

In order to make it easier for the user to navigate through the menu system, the name of the current menu level is preferably also shown in the display field. If the submenu of a marked menu item is shown in the display area of this menu item in the manner according to the invention, the name of the marked menu item can be displayed in the display field accordingly.

The invention further relates to a device for presenting a multi-level menu system, comprising a display field in which a limited number of menu items can be displayed simultaneously, input devices for moving a marker over the menu items of the current menu level, input devices for activating a menu item, and a display control for Display of menu items in the display field according to the user's input. The device is characterized in that the display control is designed in such a way that it displays at least one item from the submenu of a marked menu item in the display area of this menu item. With the device, a method of the above can thus be achieved perform the described way of presenting a menu system. Accordingly, when browsing through the menu system, a user receives information about the menu items from the submenus, which allows him to find a desired end point of the menu tree more quickly.

The device can contain input devices for scrolling through the items of the submenu belonging to the marked menu item. With these devices, the user can scroll through a submenu which is displayed in the display area of the higher-level menu item. The user can thus get an overview of the complete submenu without leaving the current higher menu level.

In the device, the input devices and the display panel are preferably designed entirely or partially as a so-called touchscreen. Suitable sensors are used to determine whether and where the user has touched the display panel with a finger or an object. Touching the display field at a certain point is interpreted as marking or activating the menu item shown at this point and expands accordingly.

The device according to the invention is preferably arranged in a mobile phone. In such a mobile phone, the advantages of the invention are particularly apparent due to the small size of the available display field and, on the other hand, the constantly increasing number of setting options that have to be presented by a menu system.

Brief description of the drawings

In the following the invention is explained by way of example with the aid of the figures. Show it:

1 shows the tree structure of a menu system; 2 shows the tree structure of a menu system according to FIG. 1 with marked partial areas which can be displayed in a display field;

Fig. 3 display panels according to the present invention;

4 possible transitions between exemplary display fields;

Fig. 5 shows schematically the arrangement of controls on a mobile phone.

Best way to carry out the invention

The following examples relate to menu systems in mobile telephones, but the invention is not restricted to this area of application. State of the art cell phones include menu systems as part of the man-machine interface (MMI). In their structure, menus are mathematical trees of the type shown in FIG. 1, the tree having exactly one root 0. Under this root, menu items 1, ... k n are arranged in a first level. Each of these menu items (nodes) branches further, with menu items k.1, ... k.r, ... k.n of the associated submenu being assigned to menu item k in the level below. Finally, on the lowest level of the tree, the leaves are k.r.j. arranged, which represent the actions that a user can perform on the mobile phone. An action can be, for example, entering a number in the phone book or activating call forwarding.

Because of the large number of setting options krj on the one hand and the very limited display area on the other hand, only a small number of menu items can be displayed in the display field of a mobile phone at any given time. This situation is illustrated in FIG. 2 by frames shown in broken lines. For example, only the group 21 of neighboring menu items can be shown from the first level of the menu tree. These menu items with only a part of the so-called selection list, i.e. the items of the current menu level from which the user can select and / or activate menu items. In Figure 2, the selected menu item k is highlighted by a full circle. The marking of the menu item generally has no further effect in conventional menu systems, except that this menu item may be shown in the display field and when an activation button is pressed the corresponding action is carried out or the associated submenu is called up.

Since the group 21 of menu items shown in the display field is usually only part of the entire selection list, a possibility is offered for so-called scrolling of the selection list, which corresponds to a horizontal shifting of the frame 21 (double arrow) in the menu tree. By scrolling, menu items that are not currently displayed come into the display field, while others drop out of the display field.

In conventional systems, the next lower level of the menu tree can be reached by activating a menu item k. After it has been activated, a corresponding group 22 of menu items from the associated submenu is shown in the display field, again with the option of scrolling. There is also an additional enter key with which an upward movement in the menu system, i.e. to the higher menu level, is possible.

With the described navigation in a menu tree according to FIGS. 1 and 2, the problem arises that the user often has to search and scroll very long until he has found the desired entry. One reason for this is that the generic terms to be used to organize the menu tree are often not clear or are not meaningful due to the shortness of the available display area. For example, the action "Network Password" can be found on a mobile phone the menu item "Security", while on the other hand there is also a menu item "Network Services" under which this action would equally fit.

The present invention specifies a method with which more information can be transmitted via the limited display field and with which the user can navigate faster through the menu tree. This goal is essentially achieved in that when a menu item k is marked (cf. FIG. 2), at least part 22 of the associated submenu is also shown. Since, as a rule, the display field has already been exhausted by the display of group 21 of the higher-level menu items, the marked menu item k is preferably overwritten to display group 22 of the submenu. This saves space the size of a menu item, so that the group 22 of menu items of the submenu shown there usually comprises one menu item. The remaining items in the submenu can then be displayed by scrolling. The invention accordingly uses extended menu lists in which not only a number of menu items from one level of the menu tree are available, but also a number of associated submenu entries.

FIG. 3 illustrates two possible display types 30, 30 'for displaying the extended menu lists mentioned on the display of a mobile telephone. There are six display areas 32-37 in the case shown, each of which is filled with a menu item from one level of the menu tree. These fields can at the same time be control elements (buttons) that can be clicked with a pointing device (mouse, manually via touchscreen, etc.) or activated via assigned keys. In addition, there are two control elements 39, 40 for scrolling up and down in the selection list of the current menu level. Another control element 31 ("Up") enables the user to go back to the next higher menu level. These operating elements 31, 39, 40 can also be clicked on with a pointing device or activated by assigned keys. In addition, there is a text field 38 which cannot be activated and which preferably shows the name of the current menu.

When a menu item 32-37 is selected in the display field 30, the associated action can be carried out if the corresponding menu item is an end point of the menu tree. On the other hand, if the menu item has a submenu because it is a node of the menu tree, then when this menu item is selected or marked, a change to a second display type 30 'takes place according to the invention. This is shown in FIG. 3 using the example of the selection of menu item 36. The second type of display 30 'corresponds to the first type of display except for the following differences: the control elements 39 and 40 for scrolling disappear to make room on the display panel 30'. Furthermore, the display area 36 is replaced by the display area 41 of an expanded menu list. This shows (at least) one item 41 from the submenu, which belongs to the marked or selected menu item 36. In addition to this menu item 41, two operating elements 42 and 43 are displayed, the actuation of which makes it possible to scroll in the associated submenu. This means that by pressing these buttons, the items in the corresponding submenu can be displayed in sequence at point 41. During the activity of the second display type 30 ', the text field 38 is filled with the name of the submenu shown in the display area 41, so that after overwriting the menu item 36 the user still knows in which submenu he is currently moving.

The scrolling via the control elements 42 and 43, like the scrolling via the control elements 39 and 40, can be carried out cyclically, the points of the selection list being arranged in a ring, or running from the beginning to the end of the selection list and stopping there. The control element 31 takes the user back from the extended display type 30 'to the display type 30, in which only items of the higher-level menu are shown.

The following state transitions are possible with the two display types of the menu shown in FIG. 3:

1. From the display 30, the menu system is exited when one of the control elements 32 to 37 has been actuated, to which an action belongs, which is then carried out. However, it is also conceivable that after the selected action has ended, the previous state, that is to say the representation 30, is restored and the user thus remains in the menu system.

2. After operating the control element 31 ("Up"), the menu system and the display 30 are exited if the current menu level was the top menu level.

3. Actuation of the control elements 39 and 40 for the scrolling results in a corresponding scrolling over the menu entries, the display type 30 being retained.

4. By actuating the control element 31, the display 30 moves to the next higher menu level, which is then displayed if the current menu level was not the top menu level.

5. By actuating the control element 31 in the display type 30 ', a change to the display type _^ 30 takes place, the extended menu entry 41 being deleted and replaced by the associated menu item 36.

6. By actuating one of the control elements or menu items 32 to 37, one arrives from the representation 30 into the representation 30 ', the actuated menu point 36 by the Item 41, which is in the first position of the associated submenu, is replaced and the control elements 42 and 43 are additionally added for scrolling.

7. By actuating submenu item 41 in display type 30 ', a change is made to the associated submenu, which is then displayed in display type 30 if there is a further submenu for submenu item 41.

8. Operating the control elements 42 or 43 for the scrolling causes the submenu entries in the text field 41 to be scrolled accordingly.

9. Actuation of the control element 41 in the representation 30 'causes the associated action to be carried out if one is hidden behind the entry 41. After the action has ended, either the menu system can be left completely or the user can be returned to the previous state with the representation 30 ', possibly also with the representation 30.

10. If one of the menu items 32-35 or 37 still displayed is activated in representation 30 ^* , the extended text field 41 disappears and is overwritten with the text field of the associated menu field 36, while the selected menu item (for example 35) is replaced by an expanded one Text field corresponding to field 41 is replaced. The system therefore basically remains in display type 30 '.

FIG. 4 shows, by way of example, the transitions between different types of display for the menu system of a mobile telephone. The three left display fields 51, 52 and 53 correspond to the type of representation 30 from FIG. 3 and differ from one another in that the 39 and 40 (arrow up, arrow down) keys were used to scroll through the entries in the current menu. The scrolling takes place cyclically, which means that the display field at the lower end The menu item allows this to be reached again by scrolling further at the upper end. By pressing key 31 ("UP"), the menu system is exited in step 50, since in the example it should be the top level of the menu tree.

The middle three display fields 54, 55 and 56 correspond to the type of representation 30 'from FIG. 3. The display field 56 is reached from the display field 53 by actuating the menu item "Msg setup" (corresponding to 33). After selecting this menu item, the first menu item ("Send msg.") Of the associated submenu is displayed in its place. To the right and left of this submenu item are control elements for scrolling to the "right" and "left" through the selection list of the submenu. Furthermore, the selected menu item ("MSG SETUP") is shown in text field 38 at the bottom of the display.

By actuating the scroll keys (corresponding to 42, 43), the user can cycle through the three items of the submenu, as a result of which the displays 56, 55 and 54 alternate cyclically.

Furthermore, the user can return from each of the displays 54, 55 or 56 to the display field 53 of the display type 30 by actuating the control element 31 (“UP”).

Furthermore, a display field 57 is shown on the right in FIG. 4, which corresponds to the display type 30 'and in which a different menu item ("CALL TIMERS") was selected compared to the display fields 54, 55 and 56. This selection can be made both from the display fields 51, 52 or 53 shown on the left and directly from the display fields 54, 55 or 56 shown in the middle.

FIG. 5 shows schematically the implementation of the menu system according to the invention in a mobile telephone 60. The menu system requires the presence of corresponding operating elements. This can be done by a touchscreen or other pointing device can be realized. According to FIG. 5, they are implemented by so-called two-way rocker switches with middle keying. Two-way rocker switches with middle keying are basically three keys in one, which means that they can be pressed left or top, in the middle and right or bottom, each triggering a different action.

In the case of the six keys 62 shown to the side of the display in FIG. 5, there is in each case an assigned text field or an expanded text field in the menu system according to the invention. In the display mode 30 '(FIG. 3), the extended text field can be scrolled to the left and right using the keys 62 and the menu entry can be selected. If the text field is not an extended text field with the possibility of scrolling to the right or left, the corresponding text field can be selected by pressing key 62 (right, left or center).

A display with a resolution of 150 (horizontal) by 70 (vertical) pixels is preferably used to accommodate the necessary information. The key 61 enables the jump to the higher-level menu and the key 63 allows scrolling through the current menu in the display mode 30 (FIG. 3).

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMBERS

root

Group / frame

Group / part

Display field, 30 'display types

Control element / button -37 display areas / menu items

Text field, 40 controls / buttons

Display area / item / position / menu item / submenu item / text field / control element / entry / field, 43 control elements

Step, 52.53 display fields, 55, 56 display fields

display

mobile phone

Keys

button

Claims

claims

1. A method for the presentation of a multi-level menu system, wherein a limited number of menu items (32-37) is simultaneously displayed in a display field (30, 51-57) and a menu item (36) shown can be marked and / or activated, thereby characterized in that in the display area of a menu item (36) at least one item (41) from the associated submenu is shown if the menu item (36) has been marked and there is a submenu for this.

A method according to claim 1, characterized in that the item (41) shown in the display area of the marked menu item (36) can be scrolled from the associated submenu according to the order in the submenu.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the item (41) shown in the display area of the marked menu item (36) can be activated from the associated submenu, whereupon an associated action is carried out or said submenu in the display panel ( 30) is shown if there is another submenu for the activated item (41).

Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the name (38) of the current menu level is shown in the display field (30, 30 ').

5. Device for presenting a multi-level menu system, comprising a display field (30, 51-57) in which a limited number of menu items (32-37) can be displayed simultaneously, input devices (39, 40, 61, 63) for moving one Marking via the menu items of the current menu level, input devices (32 - 37, 62) for activating a menu item (36), as well as a display control for displaying menu items (32 - 37) in the display field according to the inputs of the user, characterized in that the display control is designed so that it displays at least one item (41) from the submenu of a marked menu item (36) in the display area of this menu item (36).

6. The device according to claim 5, characterized in that it contains input devices (42, 43, 62) for scrolling through the items (41) of the submenu belonging to the marked menu item (36).

Apparatus according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the input devices

(42, 43, 62) and the display panel (30, 51 - 57) are designed as a touchscreen. Device according to at least one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that it is arranged in a mobile phone (60).