User interface method and apparatus for mobile terminal having touchscreen

Abstract

A user interface method and apparatus for a mobile terminal having a touchscreen are provided. The apparatus and method improve interactivity using a toolbar menu mode screen which allows a user to execute functions and commands with drag and drop behaviors on the touchscreen to graphical objects such as toolbar, icons, and other active objects. An interface apparatus includes a touchscreen unit that displays a screen including a second region for presenting a toolbar having at least one User Interface (UI) element representing a specific function and a first region for activating, when the UI element is dragged from the toolbar and dropped in the first region on the touchscreen, the function represented by the UI element. The interface apparatus also includes a control unit which detects a drag and drop action of the UI element and activates, when the drag and drop action is detected, the function associated with the UI element in the form of an active function object. The interface apparatus of the present invention registers the frequently used functions with the toolbar in the form of icons such that, when an icon is dragged from the toolbar to the main window, the function represented by the icon is activated.