U.S. patent application number 09/940265 was filed with the patent office on 2003-02-27 for graphical user interface features of a browser in a hand-held wireless communication device.
Invention is credited to Smethers, Paul A..
Application Number | 20030040340 09/940265 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25474525 |
Filed Date | 2003-02-27 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030040340 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Smethers, Paul A. |
February 27, 2003 |
Graphical user interface features of a browser in a hand-held
wireless communication device
Abstract
A microbrowser in a mobile telephone or other hand-held mobile
device generates a Graphical User Interface (GUI) having features
that make the device more user-friendly. In one mode, the GUI
includes a softkey indicator indicating a corresponding softkey
action and an input field for receiving a user-input character
string, such as a telephone number. In response to typing in the
input field, a softkey action previously associated with the input
field, such as a dial action, is automatically selected, and the
softkey indicator is automatically changed to indicate the selected
action. In another mode, the GUI displays an input field and a menu
listing performable actions. In response to a user input
representing a single action by the user and designating one of the
performable actions, the designated action is selected and the
input field is activated, enabling the user to input characters
associated with the designated action.
Inventors: |
Smethers, Paul A.; (Seattle,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BLAKELY SOKOLOFF TAYLOR & ZAFMAN/PDC
12400 WILSHIRE BOULEVARD
SEVENTH FLOOR
LOS ANGELES
CA
90025
US
|
Family ID: |
25474525 |
Appl. No.: |
09/940265 |
Filed: |
August 27, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/566 ;
379/433.07 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M 1/72469 20210101;
H04M 1/72466 20210101; H04M 1/72445 20210101; H04M 1/27475
20200101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/566 ; 455/90;
379/433.07 |
International
Class: |
H04B 001/38; H04M
001/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method of operating a hand-held mobile device, the method
comprising: displaying a softkey indicator on a display of the
hand-held mobile device, the softkey indicator indicating a
corresponding softkey action; displaying an input field on the
display while displaying the softkey indicator, the input field for
receiving characters input by a user using an input device of the
hand-held mobile device; detecting activation of the input field;
and in response to activation of the input field, automatically
selecting a softkey action previously associated with the input
field and automatically changing the softkey indicator to indicate
the selected softkey action.
2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein activation of the input
field comprises inputting one or more characters in the input
field.
3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein activation of the input
field comprises inputting one or more characters according to a
predefined format in the input field.
4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein activation of the input
field comprises selecting the input field.
5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is included
in a method of executing a browser in the hand-held mobile device,
the browser enabling a user of the hand-held mobile device to
navigate hyperlinked content on a data network.
6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the input field is a
recipient identifier field for receiving an identifier of a
recipient of a communication to be initiated from the hand-held
mobile device, and wherein the softkey action is initiation of the
communication.
7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the communication is a
telephone call, and wherein the recipient field is a telephone
number input field for receiving a telephone number of party to be
called.
8. A method of operating a browser in a hand-held mobile device,
the method comprising: displaying a telephone number input field on
a display of the hand-held mobile device, the telephone number
input field for receiving a telephone number input by a user using
an input device of the hand-held mobile device; providing a
softkey, including displaying a softkey indicator on the display
while displaying the telephone number input field, the softkey
indicator indicating a corresponding softkey action of a plurality
of softkey actions of the browser; detecting activation of the
telephone number input field; and in response to activation of the
telephone number input field, automatically selecting a dial action
to correspond to the softkey indicator and automatically changing
the softkey indicator to indicate the dial action, such that the
user can initiate a telephone call from the hand-held mobile device
by entering the telephone number in the telephone number input
field and activating the softkey, without additional input being
required from the user to initiate the telephone call.
9. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the browser is for
enabling a user of the mobile telephone to navigate hyperlinked
content on a data network.
10. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein activation of the
telephone number input field comprises inputting one or more
characters in the input field.
11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein activation of the
telephone number input field comprises inputting one or more
characters according to a predefined format in the telephone number
input field.
12. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein activation of the input
field comprises selecting the telephone number input field.
13. A method as recited in claim 8, wherein the method is included
in a method of executing a browser in the hand-held mobile device,
the browser enabling a user of the hand-held mobile device to
navigate hyperlinked content on a data network.
14. A method of operating a mobile telephone, the method
comprising: executing a browser in the mobile telephone, the
browser enabling a user of the mobile telephone to navigate
hyperlinked content on a data network, wherein executing the
browser includes displaying a telephone number input field on a
display of the mobile telephone, the telephone number input field
for receiving a telephone number input by a user using an input
device of the mobile telephone, providing a softkey, including
displaying a softkey indicator on the display while displaying the
telephone number input field, the softkey indicator indicating a
currently assigned one of a plurality of softkey actions of the
browser, detecting activation of the telephone number input field,
and in response to activation of the telephone number input field,
automatically assigning a dial action to the softkey and
automatically changing the softkey indicator to indicate the dial
action; and receiving a user input activating the softkey while the
dial action is assigned to the softkey and a telephone number is
entered in the telephone number input field and, in response
thereto, initiating a telephone call without requiring additional
input from the user.
15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein activation of the
telephone number input field comprises inputting one or more
characters in the input field.
16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein activation of the
telephone number input field comprises inputting one or more
characters according to a predefined format in the telephone number
input field.
17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein activation of the
input field comprises selecting the telephone number input
field.
18. A hand-held mobile device comprising: a processor; a display;
an input device; and a storage device storing a browser executable
by the processor, the browser including a process which includes
displaying a telephone number input field on the display, the
telephone number input field for receiving a telephone number input
by a user using the input device; providing a softkey, including
displaying a softkey indicator on the display while displaying the
telephone number input field, the softkey indicator indicating a
corresponding softkey action of a plurality of softkey actions of
the browser; detecting activation of the telephone number input
field; and in response to activation of the telephone number input
field, automatically selecting a dial action to correspond to the
softkey indicator and automatically changing the softkey indicator
to indicate the dial action, such that the user can initiate a
telephone call from the hand-held mobile device by entering the
telephone number in the telephone number input field and activating
the softkey, without additional input being required from the user
to initiate the telephone call.
19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the hand-held mobile
device is a mobile telephone configured to operate on a wireless
network.
20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the browser is for
enabling a user of the mobile telephone to navigate hyperlinked
content on a data network.
21. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein activation of the
telephone number input field comprises inputting one or more
characters in the input field.
22. A method as recited in claim 21, wherein activation of the
telephone number input field comprises inputting one or more
characters according to a predefined format in the telephone number
input field.
23. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein activation of the
input field comprises selecting the telephone number input
field.
24. A machine readable program storage medium having stored therein
a browser usable by a hand-held mobile device, the browser enabling
a user of the hand-held mobile device to navigate hyperlinked
content on a data network, wherein the browser, when executed on
the hand-held mobile device, performs a method comprising:
displaying a telephone number input field on a display of the
hand-held mobile device, the telephone number input field for
receiving a telephone number input by a user using an input device
of the hand-held mobile device; providing a softkey, including
displaying a softkey indicator on the display while displaying the
telephone number input field, the softkey indicator indicating a
corresponding softkey action of a plurality of softkey actions of
the browser; detecting activation of the telephone number input
field; and in response to activation of the telephone number input
field, automatically selecting a dial action to correspond to the
softkey indicator and automatically changing the softkey indicator
to indicate the dial action, such that the user can initiate a
telephone call from the hand-held mobile device by entering the
telephone number in the telephone number input field and activating
the softkey, without additional input being required from the user
to initiate the telephone call.
25. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
24, wherein the hand-held mobile device is a mobile telephone
configured to operate on a wireless network.
26. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
25, wherein the browser is for enabling a user of the mobile
telephone to navigate hyperlinked content on a data network.
27. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
24, wherein activation of the telephone number input field
comprises inputting one or more characters in the input field.
28. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
27, wherein activation of the telephone number input field
comprises inputting one or more characters according to a
predefined format in the telephone number input field.
29. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
24, wherein activation of the input field comprises selecting the
telephone number input field.
30. A hand-held mobile device comprising: a display; an input
device; means for displaying a softkey indicator on the display,
the softkey indicator indicating a corresponding softkey action;
means for displaying an input field on the display while displaying
the softkey indicator, the input field for receiving characters
input by a user using the input device; means for detecting
activation of the input field; and means for responding to
activation of the input field by automatically selecting a softkey
action previously associated with the input field and automatically
changing the softkey indicator to indicate the selected softkey
action.
31. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 30, wherein
activation of the input field comprises inputting one or more
characters in the input field.
32. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 31, wherein
activation of the input field comprises inputting one or more
characters according to a predefined format in the input field.
33. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 30, wherein
activation of the input field comprises selecting the input
field.
34. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 30, wherein the
input field is a recipient identifier field for receiving an
identifier of a recipient of a communication to be initiated from
the hand-held mobile device, and wherein the softkey action is
initiation of the communication.
35. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 34, wherein the
hand-held mobile device comprises a mobile telephone, wherein the
communication is a telephone call, and wherein the recipient field
is a telephone number input field for receiving a telephone number
of party to be called using the mobile telephone.
36. A method of operating a hand-held mobile device, the method
comprising: communicating with a remote processing system over a
wireless network; acquiring information associated with a current
location of the hand-held mobile device; and displaying a hyperlink
on a display of the hand-held mobile device based on the acquired
information, the hyperlink indicating a location of the hand-held
mobile device to a user of the hand-held mobile device.
37. A method as recited in claim 36, further comprising: receiving
a user input activating the hyperlink; and in response to the user
input, accessing and displaying on the display content specific to
the location of the hand-held mobile device.
38. A method as recited in claim 36, further comprising: receiving
a user input activating the hyperlink; and in response to the user
input, accessing and displaying on the display a plurality of menu
items, wherein each of the menu items is associated with content of
a different type, specific to the location of the hand-held mobile
device.
39. A method as recited in claim 36, wherein the hyperlink, as
displayed, comprises a name of a geographic location or area.
40. A method as recited in claim 36, wherein the hyperlink, as
displayed, comprises a name of a point of interest.
41. A method as recited in claim 36, wherein said acquiring
information associated with a current location of the hand-held
mobile device comprises receiving the information from a location
device within the hand-held mobile device.
42. A method as recited in claim 36, wherein said acquiring
information associated with a current location of the hand-held
mobile device comprises receiving the information from the remote
processing system over the wireless network.
43. A machine readable program storage medium having stored therein
a browser usable by a hand-held mobile device, the browser enabling
a user of the hand-held mobile device to navigate hyperlinked
content on a data network, wherein the browser, when executed on
the hand-held mobile device, performs a method comprising:
communicating with a remote processing system over a wireless
network; acquiring information associated with a current location
of the hand-held mobile device; and displaying a hyperlink on a
display of the hand-held mobile device based on the acquired
information, the hyperlink indicating a location of the hand-held
mobile device to a user of the hand-held mobile device.
44. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
43, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a user input
activating the hyperlink; and in response to the user input,
accessing and displaying on the display content specific to the
location of the hand-held mobile device.
45. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
43, wherein the method further comprises: receiving a user input
activating the hyperlink; and in response to the user input,
accessing and displaying on the display a plurality of menu items,
wherein each of the menu items is associated with content of a
different type, specific to the location of the hand-held mobile
device.
46. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
43, wherein the hyperlink, as displayed, comprises a name of a
geographic location or area.
47. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
43, wherein the hyperlink, as displayed, comprises a name of a
point of interest.
48. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
43, wherein said acquiring information associated with a current
location of the hand-held mobile device comprises receiving the
information associated with a current location of the hand-held
mobile device from a location device within the hand-held mobile
device.
49. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
43, wherein said acquiring information associated with a current
location of the hand-held mobile device comprises receiving the
information associated with a current location of the hand-held
mobile device from the remote processing system over the wireless
network.
50. A hand-held mobile device comprising: means for communicating
with a remote processing system over a wireless network; means for
acquiring information associated with a current location of the
hand-held mobile device; and means for displaying a hyperlink on a
display of the hand-held mobile device based on the acquired
information, the hyperlink indicating a location of the hand-held
mobile device to a user of the hand-held mobile device.
51. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 50, further
comprising: means for receiving a user input activating the
hyperlink; and means for accessing and displaying on the display
content specific to the location of the hand-held mobile device in
response to the user input.
52. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 50, further
comprising: means for receiving a user input activating the
hyperlink; and means for accessing and displaying on the display a
plurality of menu items in response to the user input, wherein each
of the menu items is associated with content of a different type,
specific to the location of the hand-held mobile device.
53. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 50, wherein the
hyperlink, as displayed, comprises a name of a geographic location
or area.
54. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 50, wherein the
hyperlink, as displayed, comprises a name of a point of
interest.
55. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 50, wherein said
means for acquiring information associated with a current location
of the hand-held mobile device comprises a location device within
the hand-held mobile device.
56. A hand-held mobile device as recited in claim 50, wherein said
means for acquiring information associated with a current location
of the hand-held mobile device comprises means for receiving the
information associated with a current location of the hand-held
mobile device from the remote processing system over the wireless
network.
57. A mobile telephone comprising: a processor; a display; voice
circuitry to process telephony signals; an input device; and a
storage device storing a browser which, when executed by the
processor, performs a process which includes enabling a user of the
mobile telephone to navigate hypermedia content; acquiring
information associated with a current location of the mobile
telephone; and displaying a hyperlink on a display of the mobile
telephone based on the acquired information, the hyperlink
indicating a location of the mobile telephone to the user.
58. A mobile telephone as recited in claim 57, wherein said process
further comprises: receiving a user input activating the hyperlink;
and in response to the user input, accessing and displaying on the
display content specific to the location of the mobile
telephone.
59. A mobile telephone as recited in claim 57, wherein said process
further comprises: receiving a user input activating the hyperlink;
and in response to the user input, accessing and displaying on the
display a plurality of additional hyperlinks, wherein each of the
additional hyperlinks is a hyperlink to content of a different
category and specific to the location of the mobile telephone.
60. A mobile telephone as recited in claim 57, wherein the
hyperlink, as displayed, comprises a name of a geographic location
or area.
61. A mobile telephone as recited in claim 57, wherein the
hyperlink, as displayed, comprises a name of a point of
interest.
62. A mobile telephone as recited in claim 57, further comprising a
location device, wherein said acquiring information associated with
a current location of the mobile telephone comprises receiving the
information from the location device.
63. A mobile telephone as recited in claim 57, wherein said
acquiring information associated with a current location of the
mobile telephone comprises receiving the information from a remote
server over a wireless network.
64. A method of operating a hand-held mobile device, the method
comprising: displaying, on a display of the hand-held mobile
device, an input field and a menu including a plurality of actions
that can be performed using characters input to the input field;
receiving a user input representing a single action by a user, the
user input designating one of the actions in the menu and, in
response to the user input, selecting said one of the actions, and
activating the input field to enable the user to input characters
associated with said one of the actions.
65. A method as recited in claim 64, wherein the hand-held mobile
device is a mobile telephone configured to operate on a wireless
network.
66. A method as recited in claim 65, wherein the browser is for
enabling a user of the mobile telephone to navigate hyperlinked
content on a data network.
67. A machine readable program storage medium having stored therein
a browser usable by a hand-held mobile device, the browser enabling
a user of the hand-held mobile device to navigate hyperlinked
content on a data network, wherein the browser, when executed on
the hand-held mobile device, performs a method comprising:
displaying, on a display of the hand-held mobile device, an input
field and a menu including a plurality of actions that can be
performed using characters input to the input field; receiving a
user input representing a single action by a user, the user input
designating one of the actions in the menu and, in response to the
user input, selecting said one of the actions, and activating the
input field to enable the user to input characters associated with
said one of the actions.
68. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
67, wherein the hand-held mobile device comprises a mobile
telephone configured to operate on a wireless network.
69. A machine readable program storage medium as recited in claim
68, wherein the browser is for enabling a user of the mobile
telephone to navigate hyperlinked content on a data network.
70. A mobile telephone comprising: a processor; a display; voice
circuitry to process telephony signals; an input device; and a
storage device storing software which, when executed by the
processor, performs a process which includes displaying on the
display an input field and a menu including a plurality of actions
that can be performed using characters input to the input field,
receiving a user input representing a single action by a user, the
user input designating one of the actions in the menu and, in
response to the user input, selecting said one of the actions, and
activating the input field to enable the user to input characters
associated with said one of the actions.
71. A mobile telephone as recited in claim 70, wherein the browser
is for enabling a user of the mobile telephone to navigate
hyperlinked content on a data network.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention pertains to wireless communication
devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to
Graphical User Interface (GUI) features of a microbrowser in a
hand-held wireless communication device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] For people and businesses requiring instant access to
information, the Internet and intranets have provided a vehicle for
near real-time delivery of information from an enormous number of
sources. For many of those same individuals, mobile devices such as
cellular telephones, two-way pagers, and Personal Digital
Assistants (PDAs) have provided a way of communicating regardless
of locality. In recent years, Internet technology and mobile
computing and communications technologies have begun to merge, to
the point where mobile devices such as mobile telephones, PDAs, and
pagers are now common entry points to the Internet and
intranets.
[0003] Devices used to access the Internet (or intranets) generally
have certain features in common, whether they sit on a desktop or
are held in the palm of the hand. One such feature is that they may
be used to display and navigate hypermedia content, such as World
Wide Web pages. Such devices normally include software known as a
browser, which allows the user to access and navigate hyperlinked
content. In a mobile device, this software is sometimes referred to
as a microbrowser or minibrowser, because the software consumes
much less memory than a conventional PC browser, but it is
nonetheless simply a particular type of browser and may be referred
to as such.
[0004] To access the Internet, network servers and network personal
computers (PCs) normally use standard web protocols and mark-up
languages, such as hypertext transport protocol (HTTP) and
hypertext markup language (HTML), respectively. Mobile devices
generally use wireless protocols, such as wireless access protocol
(WAP) or handheld device transport protocol (HDTP), and wireless
markup languages, such as wireless markup language (WML) and
handheld device markup language (HDML), to accomplish the same
tasks.
[0005] One problem with using mobile devices to access the Internet
is the lack of user-friendliness of their user interfaces. Because
these devices are designed to be mobile, they normally have very
small displays, limited memory, compact keypads and, commonly, only
a limited provision for pointer/cursor movement. These restrictions
exist on mobile devices because the mobile devices are designed to
be relatively inexpensive and small so as to fit into the palm of
the hand. What is needed, therefore, is a mobile device which
provides a more user-friendly interface for accessing the Internet
or other remote data networks.
[0006] In a mobile (e.g., cellular) telephone, because of the small
amount of device memory, it is difficult to fit in memory a browser
with code for one user interface for browser functions and another,
completely separate set of code for a second user interface for
telephony functions (e.g., dialing telephone numbers, accessing the
telephone's internal address book, and accessing the telephone's
settings). It is also difficult for many users to learn two user
interfaces if these user interfaces have different end-user
features. Therefore, it is desirable on some mobile telephones to
leverage the browser's user interface to implement the telephone's
user interface, in order to save memory (only one set of user
interface code is needed in the telephone) and to reduce end-user
confusion (only one user interface is presented to the user).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The present invention includes a method and apparatus for
operating a hand-held mobile device. In one embodiment of the
method, a softkey indicator indicating a corresponding softkey
action is displayed on a display of the hand-held mobile device. An
input field is also displayed on the display with the softkey
indicator, for receiving characters input by a user using an input
device of the hand-held mobile device. In response to detecting
activation of the input field, a softkey action previously
associated with the input field is automatically selected, and the
softkey indicator is automatically changed to indicate the selected
softkey action.
[0008] In another embodiment of the method, an input field and a
menu including a number of actions that can be performed using
characters input to the input field are displayed on the display. A
user input representing a single action by the user and designating
one of the actions in the menu is then received. In response to the
user input, the designated action is selected and the input field
is activated to enable the user to input characters associated with
the designated action.
[0009] In another embodiment of the method, the hand-held mobile
device communicates with a remote processing system over a wireless
network and acquires information associated with a current location
of the hand-held mobile device. The hand-held mobile device then
displays a hyperlink indicating the location of the device to the
user on the display, based on the acquired information.
[0010] Other features of the present invention will be apparent
from the accompanying drawings and from the detailed description
which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The present invention is illustrated by way of example and
not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in
which like references indicate similar elements and in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 illustrates a network environment in which a
hand-held mobile device may be used;
[0013] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a hand-held mobile device that
may be used to access the Internet;
[0014] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the principle components of the
hand-held mobile device; and
[0015] FIGS. 4A through 4F show a sequence of display screens
generated by the browser of the hand-held mobile device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] A method and apparatus for providing a microbrowser with a
Graphical User Interface (GUI) in a hand-held, wireless, mobile
device are described. Note that in this description, references to
"one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that the feature being
referred to is included in at least one embodiment of the present
invention. Further, separate references to "one embodiment" in this
description do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment;
however, neither are such embodiments mutually exclusive, unless so
stated and except as will be readily apparent to those skilled in
the art. For example, a feature, structure, act, etc. described in
one embodiment may also be included in other embodiments. Thus, the
present invention can include a variety of combinations and/or
integrations of the embodiments described herein.
[0017] A microbrowser in a hand-held mobile device can be designed
to provide a (Graphical User Interface) GUI that is more
user-friendly than those of prior mobile devices, as described
below. As used herein, "hand-held" means designed to be held in the
palm of the hand. A "wireless" device is a device designed to
communicate across a wireless network.
[0018] One type of hand-held mobile device is a mobile (e.g.,
cellular) telephone. A problem with current mobile telephones that
include browsers is that, to make a telephone call while the
browser is running, the user is required to perform an undesirably
long sequence of actions. This problem also occurs when using the
browser to implement the mobile telephone's phone user interface
for making calls. With a current browser, the user must first
select a displayed text box, then type a telephone number into the
text box using the telephone's keypad, then use a key to de-select
the text box, then select a hyperlink labeled "Call" or "Talk" (or
something similar), and finally, activate the hyperlink to initiate
the call. This sequence of actions is tedious for many users and,
in any event, is undesirably longer and more complicated than
placing a telephone call on a telephone that has no browser or in
which the browser is not running as the telephone's user interface.
It is desirable, therefore, to simplify making a telephone call
from the context of an active browser, so that it is more like
making a telephone call from a more conventional or
non-browser-enabled telephone.
[0019] Accordingly, as described in greater detail below, the
browser of the present invention provides a mode which facilitates
making a telephone call, in a manner which is much easier for the
user than in prior browsers. Specifically, the browser provides a
GUI that includes a softkey indicator indicating a corresponding
softkey action and an input field for receiving a user-input
character string, such as a telephone number. In response to
activation of (e.g., typing a number into) the input field, a
softkey action previously associated with the input field, such as
a dial action, is automatically selected, and the softkey indicator
is automatically changed to indicate the selected action. This
allows the user to initiate the call simply by typing the telephone
number and then activating the softkey.
[0020] In another mode, the GUI displays an input field and a menu
listing performable actions. In response to a user input
representing a single action by the user and designating one of the
performable actions, the designated action is selected and the
input field is activated, enabling the user to input characters
associated with the designated action. This allows easier selection
from among multiple menu items along with associated text
entry.
[0021] Another problem to be addressed herein is that, when the
user of a mobile device is traveling, there may be instances when
the user is lost or is unsure about his current location. Sometimes
the user may need information that is particularly relevant to the
user's current location, such as the locations of nearby gas
stations, restaurants, stores, automatic teller machines (ATMs), or
points of interest. Accordingly, the browser of the present
invention provides an efficient way of indicating the user's
current location and of enabling the user to quickly and easily
access information and location-dependent services that are
relevant to that location. Other advantageous features of the
browser will be apparent from the description which follows.
[0022] FIG. 1 shows a network environment in which a mobile,
hand-held communication device (or simply "mobile device") can be
used. Mobile device 100 may be of any of the types of mobile
devices mentioned above, such as a mobile (e.g., cellular)
telephone, PDA, or two-way pager, for example. To facilitate
explanation, the example of a mobile telephone is used at various
points in the following description. Mobile device 100 is
configured to retrieve remotely stored hypermedia information, such
as WML card decks, HTML documents, compact HTML (cHTML) documents,
extensible markup language (XML) documents, or HDML documents, from
one or more network server device, shown as network servers 116 and
120. Network Servers 116 and 120 may be, for example, conventional
personal computers (PCs), server-class computers, or computer
workstations. Mobile device 100 has a display 102 and a keypad
103.
[0023] Mobile device 100 also includes and executes a microbrowser,
which is software that allows the user of mobile device 100 to
access and navigate content on the Internet or other network,
including browsing the World Wide Web or any other "web" of
hypermedia content. One example of a microbrowser that may be used
for this purpose is the UP.Browser from Openwave Systems Inc. of
Redwood City, Calif. The microbrowser may be stored in memory
within the mobile device 100. The microbrowser generates a GUI via
display 102 to enable the user of the mobile device 100 to access
and retrieve hypermedia information from network servers 116 and
120. Various features of the GUI which make the microbrowser more
user-friendly are described below.
[0024] The communication path between mobile device 100 and network
servers 116 and 120 includes a wireless communication network 104,
a proxy server 108, and a wireline network 112. The wireless
network 104 is a wireless telecommunications network such as a
cellular digital packet data (CDPD) network, a global system for
mobile (GSM) network, a code division multiple access (CDMA)
network, or a time division multiple access (TDMA) network. The
communications protocols used by wireless network 104 may include,
for example, WAP and/or HDTP. The wireline network 112 is a
land-based network that may be or include the Internet, an
intranet, or a data network of any private network, such as a local
area network (LAN). The communication protocol supporting wireline
network 112 may be, for example, transmission control
protocol/Internet protocol (TCP/IP), HTTP, or secure HTTP
(sHTTP).
[0025] Proxy server 108 acts a bridge between wireless network 104
and wireline network 112. Proxy server 108 may be, for example, a
conventional server-class computer or PC. Although shown as a
physically separate device, proxy server 108 may be implemented in
a network server (e.g. network servers 116 or 120) with hardware
and software well known in the art providing the connection between
wireless network 104 and wireline network 112. Proxy server 108 may
also provide gateway functions, such as translation/conversion
between the language(s) and protocol(s) used on the wireless
network 104 and those used on the wireline network 112.
[0026] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the mobile device 100,
according to one embodiment. As shown, mobile device 100 includes a
display 102 and a keypad 103. Display 102 may display hypermedia
information, such as information 208, and, depending on the current
mode of the device, one or more softkey indicators, such as softkey
indicator 212. Function keys 216 and 220 can be used to activate
softkeys represented by the softkey indicators (when enabled). It
is useful to now define what is meant by a "softkey". A softkey is
a user-operable feature that is analogous to a physical key or
button, but which is formed by a combination of a physical key
(e.g., either of keys 220 and 216 in FIG. 2) and a softkey
indicator displayed on the display 102. Because not all features
can be easily mapped to specific keys on small, wireless devices,
the use of softkeys has become commonplace for manipulating items
on the screen and initiating functions. Such devices typically have
no direct input mechanisms (e.g., pen-based input or mouse input
(such as on a PDA or PC respectively). To compensate, softkeys are
indicated by indicators displayed directly above the physical keys
that operate the softkey functions. To facilitate description,
softkey indicators may be referred to herein simply as "softkeys".
It will be understood, however, that "pressing" or otherwise
activating a softkey is accomplished by pressing the physical key
which corresponds to the softkey indicator.
[0027] Referring still to FIG. 2, keypad 103 includes
alphanumerical keys 230 (such as for dialing a telephone numbers
and entering links), function keys 216 and 220, Up arrow key 221A,
and Down arrow key 221B. Arrow keys 221A and 221B are used to
navigate through information displayed on display 208, such as to
move a selection indicator (e.g., highlighting), cursor, pointer,
or other indicator, or to scroll the display.
[0028] The hypermedia information 208 shown in FIG. 2 includes a
list of selectable identifiers (e.g. "UP Home") having
corresponding Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). Hypermedia
information 208 may be generated from a WML file or "deck", for
example, including one or more WML cards. In certain modes of
operation, activating function key 220 while a displayed item is
selected (e.g., highlighted) causes mobile device 100 to retrieve
and display a WML card associated with a URL of that item. In
addition, using the alphanumerical keys 230, the user may enter a
URL manually to access hypermedia content. To facilitate this
operation, the microbrowser may provide several different input
modes, such as a number input mode, an alphabetic input mode, a
symbol input mode, and a URL input mode.
[0029] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the principle components
of mobile device 100, according to one embodiment. The mobile
device 100 includes a processor 301, which may be, or may include,
any of: a general-purpose or special-purpose programmable
microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), microcontroller,
application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic
array (PLA), field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc., or any
combination thereof. Mobile device 100 includes a Wireless Control
Protocol (WCP) interface 313 that couples to a carrier network via
wireless network 104 to receive incoming and outgoing signals.
Device identifier (ID) storage 316 stores and supplies to WCP
interface 313 a device ID which identifies mobile device 100 to
outside entities (e.g. proxy server 108). The device ID is a
specific code that is associated with mobile device 100 and
directly corresponds to the device ID in the user account typically
provided in an associated proxy server device, such as proxy server
108.
[0030] In addition, mobile device 100 includes memory 304 that
stores data and/or software for performing many of the processing
tasks performed by mobile device 100, including the microbrowser
(or "browser") 320, when executed by processor 301. These tasks
include: establishing a communication session with a proxy server
device via wireless network 104; receiving user inputs from keypad
103; requesting and receiving data from the wireless network 104;
and displaying information on the display 102. Hence, memory 304
may represent one or more physical memory devices, which may
include any type of random access memory (RAM), read-only memory
(ROM) (which may be programmable), flash memory, non-volatile mass
storage device, or a combination of such memory devices. Memory 304
is also coupled to WCP interface 313 for the establishment of a
communication session and the requesting and receiving of data.
[0031] The mobile device 100 also includes voice circuitry 318 for
inputting and outputting sound during a telephonic communication
between the user of mobile device 100 and a remote party. Voice
circuitry 318 includes circuitry to process telephony signals and
may include, for example, sound transducers, analog-to-digital
(A/D) and digital-to-analog (D/A) converters, filters, etc., such
as are well-known in the art. An encoder/decoder 310 is coupled
between the processor 301 and the voice circuitry 318 for encoding
and decoding audio signals.
[0032] The mobile device also may include a conventional global
positioning system (GPS) location device 322 or another, similar
type location device, which precisely determines the geographic
location (latitude and longitude) of the mobile device 100. As
described further below, the location of the mobile device 100 may
be used to provide an indication of the location to the user and/or
to provide location-dependent information or services for the user.
Alternatively, the location of the mobile device 100 may be
determined by a device or system external to the mobile device 100,
such as a remote location server on the wireless network 104.
[0033] What follows is a description of certain features of the GUI
generated by the microbrowser (hereinafter "browser") 320 of the
mobile device 100, which may be implemented in a given embodiment,
to make the mobile device 100 more user-friendly. It will be
readily apparent to those skilled in the art how to implement these
GUI features in program code, from the following description of the
user-perceivable characteristics of these features. A browser that
incorporates these features may implemented in any programming
language that is currently used to write browsers for mobile
devices. Note that as an alternative to the browser 320 generating
the following GUI features, these features can instead be provided
by a remote device (e.g. proxy server 108 or servers 116 or 120),
such that the mobile device only receives and displays these
features to the user.
[0034] FIGS. 4A through 4F show a sequence of display screens
generated by the browser 320 of mobile device 100. The sequence
illustrates a GUI feature which simplifies initiating a telephone
call while in the context of the browser 320, i.e., while the
browser 320 is active and displayed to the user. As will be
described, to make the call, the user simply inputs a telephone
number and either presses the "Talk" softkey or a physical "Send"
key. FIG. 4A shows the idle screen of the GUI generated by the
browser 320. The idle screen is the display screen which initially
appears when the browser 320 is started and when the browser 320 is
running but not being used. As shown, the idle screen includes a
primary softkey indicator 401, a secondary softkey indicator 402, a
customizable image 403, a "Dial" input field 404, and a
location-dependent hyperlink 405. The primary softkey indicator 401
is labeled "Inbox" in the idle screen, which allows the user to
access his inbox of voicemail and/or e-mail directly from the idle
screen simply by activating the primary softkey. The secondary
softkey indicator 402 is labeled "Menu", which allows the user to
access a menu, such as a menu of browser functions or other phone
user interface functions (e.g., an address book or settings
screens). The image 403 may be, for example, a logo of the wireless
carrier or a photo or other image provided by the user. The "Dial"
input field 404 is used to enter a telephone number of a party to
be called. The hyperlink 405 is used to access location-dependent
information and services, as described below.
[0035] As shown in FIG. 4A, the "Dial" input field 404 is selected
by default in the idle screen, as indicated by the bold
highlighting around that field. The user begins dialing by typing
any numbers on the keypad 103 of mobile device 100. The first
number typed will automatically activate the "Dial" input field
404. In the example of FIG. 4B, the user has pressed the first
digit ("8"), such that the "Dial" input field 404 becomes activated
(a blinking cursor appears to indicate this) and the digit is
inserted automatically. In addition, the first digit causes the
primary softkey indicator 401 to change from "Inbox" to "Talk" to
indicate the change in the corresponding softkey function.
Referring to FIG. 4C, the user has completed inputting the
telephone number and can now activate the primary softkey ("Talk")
or the hard "Send" key to make the telephone call. Thus, making a
telephone call from the context of the active browser is much
simpler than in prior browser-enabled mobile telephones: the user
simply inputs the telephone number and either presses the "Talk"
softkey or the hard "Send" key.
[0036] The hyperlink 405 is used to access information or services
relevant to the location of the mobile device 100. In the
illustrated embodiment, hyperlink 405 (hereinafter "city link" 405)
indicates the name of the city in which the mobile device 100 is
currently located; another embodiment, it may refer to another type
of geographic area in which the mobile device 100 is located or
nearby, or a nearby point of interest. The location of the mobile
device 100 may be determined by the GPS device 322 within mobile
device 100, or it may be determined by a remote location server or
other similar device and then transmitted to the mobile device 100
over the wireless network 104. Note that the specific manner in
which the location of the mobile device is determined is not
important for purposes of understanding the feature now being
described; any of various conventional techniques may be used.
[0037] In one embodiment, the location of the mobile device 100,
once determined, is used by the browser to select one of multiple
hyperlinks previously stored within the mobile device, each
corresponding to the different geographic region. These hyperlinks
may have been stored in the mobile device 100 by the manufacturer,
or they may have been previously provisioned in the mobile device
100. The selected hyperlink is then displayed as city link 405. In
another embodiment, the location of the mobile device 100 is used
by the browser to request, via the wireless network 104, a
hyperlink for accessing information or services relevant to the
location of the mobile device 100. The location-dependent
information or services may be accessed by the mobile device
remotely via the wireless network 104. In yet another embodiment,
the location of the mobile device is determined by a remote server
and used to push the hyperlinks or the location-dependent
information or services to the mobile device 100 via the wireless
network 104. Alternatively, some or all of the location-dependent
information or services may have been previously provisioned in the
mobile device 100.
[0038] FIGS. 4D through 4F illustrate the operation of city link
105 and other related actions, according to one embodiment. From
the idle screen shown in FIG. 4A, the user may scroll down by
pressing the down arrow key 221B (FIG. 2) once to select city link
405. City link 405 thus becomes highlighted and the primary softkey
label changes to "Services", as shown in FIG. 4D. The user can now
select the city link 405 to cause the browser 320 to access remote
location-based information or services, which may be (but do not
have to be) provided by the wireless carrier. To do this, the user
presses the primary softkey while the primary softkey indicator is
labeled "Services". The result of this action is shown in FIG. 4E,
where the user sees a pop-up menu 406 listing the services and
information that are available for the current location. In one
embodiment, the wireless carrier has previously provisioned the
pop-up menu 406 in the mobile device 100.
[0039] The first menu item, "Directions", is highlighted by default
and allows the user to request directions using a conventional
route-finding service. FIG. 4F shows the display screen that
appears when the user selects the "Directions" item. The display
screen includes a menu 408 of different types of destinations, to
which the user may request directions from the current location. As
shown, the user may request directions to a particular contact
(e.g., person), nearby airports, nearby subways, or a specific
address.
[0040] The following described feature enables easier selection
from among multiple menu items than is possible with current
browsers. Note that a numeral appears to the left of each item in
pop-up menu 406 in FIG. 4E and to the left of each item in menu 408
of FIG. 4F. For example, to the left of "Directions" in menu 406 is
the numeral "1"; to the left of the "Gas Stations" is the numeral
"2"; and so on. When viewing pop-up menu 406 or menu 408, the user
can select any of the displayed choices simply by typing the number
of the user's choice on the keypad 103. In response to such action,
the indicated choice is automatically selected by the browser.
Referring to FIG. 4F, when a number corresponding to an item in
menu 408 is pressed on the keypad 103, text input field 407 is also
automatically activated to allow the user to input a destination of
the selected type. This feature, therefore, enables easier
selection from among multiple menu items than is possible with
current browsers.
[0041] Thus, a method and apparatus for providing a microbrowser
with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) in a hand-held mobile device
have been described. Although the present invention has been
described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments, it will
be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to
these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and
scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. Accordingly, the
specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative
sense rather than a restrictive sense.
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