U.S. patent application number 12/058445 was filed with the patent office on 2009-10-01 for event disposition control for mobile communications device.
This patent application is currently assigned to SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.. Invention is credited to Michael T. Lundy, Mathew Jay Van Orden.
Application Number | 20090247112 12/058445 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 41117972 |
Filed Date | 2009-10-01 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090247112 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lundy; Michael T. ; et
al. |
October 1, 2009 |
EVENT DISPOSITION CONTROL FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE
Abstract
A method, system, and medium are provided for responding to an
event by way of a mobile communications device. One embodiment of
the method includes receiving at the mobile communications device
an indication of an occurrence of an event; presenting an
informational element (e.g., a slideable graphical-user-interface
control) on a display of the device that presents contextually
relevant data that is related to the event; and receiving user
input that disposes the informational element to one of at least
two drop zones that are defined by respective portions of the
display and that are respectively associated with certain actions
such that moving the informational element to one of the at least
two drop zones invokes a certain response that is consistent with
the corresponding drop zone.
Inventors: |
Lundy; Michael T.; (Olathe,
KS) ; Van Orden; Mathew Jay; (Leawood, KS) |
Correspondence
Address: |
SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY L.P.
6391 SPRINT PARKWAY, KSOPHT0101-Z2100
OVERLAND PARK
KS
66251-2100
US
|
Assignee: |
SPRINT COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY
L.P.
Overland Park
KS
|
Family ID: |
41117972 |
Appl. No.: |
12/058445 |
Filed: |
March 28, 2008 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61040149 |
Mar 28, 2008 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/404.1 ;
455/412.2; 455/566; 455/575.4 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0486 20130101;
G06F 3/04883 20130101; H04M 1/72403 20210101; H04M 1/72484
20210101; H04M 2250/22 20130101; G06F 3/0237 20130101; G06F 3/04886
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
455/404.1 ;
455/412.2; 455/566; 455/575.4 |
International
Class: |
H04M 11/04 20060101
H04M011/04; H04Q 7/22 20060101 H04Q007/22; H04M 1/21 20060101
H04M001/21; H04M 1/23 20060101 H04M001/23 |
Claims
1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable
instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of responding
to an event by way of a mobile communications device, the method
comprising: incident to an occurrence of the event, presenting an
informational element on a display of the mobile communications
device, wherein the informational element takes the form of a
slideable control that can be manipulated by touch actions;
presenting descriptive information in the informational element
that is contextually related to the event such that the descriptive
information is related to the event; providing at least two drop
zones, a first drop zone and a second drop zone, that each consume
an area of the display, wherein the first drop zone is associated
with a first action, and wherein the second drop zone is associated
with a second action; such that, (1) if the informational element
is moved to the first drop zone, then the first action occurs, (2)
if the informational element is moved to the second drop zone, then
the second action occurs, and (3) if the informational element is
not moved to either the first or second drop zone, then allowing a
default action to occur that is different from the first or second
actions.
2. The media of claim 1, wherein the event includes one or more of
the following: receiving a phone call; receiving a message,
including one or more of a voicemail, an email, or a text message;
initiating an alarm; receiving a file, including one or more of a
picture, an audio file, or a video file; or an arriving at a time
associated with a calendared event.
3. The media of claim 2, wherein the descriptive information
includes one or more of the following: a caller's phone number; a
picture associated with a caller; or a filename of an file.
4. The media of claim 1, wherein the first drop zone is in an upper
portion of the display, and wherein the second drop zone is in a
lower portion of the display.
5. The media of claim 1, wherein the first action occurs incident
to a moving of the informational element to the first drop zone,
and wherein the first second action occurs incident to a moving of
the informational element to the second drop zone.
6. The media of claim 5, wherein moving the informational element
to a corresponding drop zone includes: providing a positional
indicator that indicates an initial position of the informational
element; and one or more of, (1) moving the informational element a
threshold distance away from a starting position such that the
positional indicator is moved the threshold distance away from the
initial position; or (2) moving the informational element within a
threshold proximity of the corresponding drop zone.
7. The media of claim 6, wherein moving the informational element
within a threshold proximity of the corresponding drop zone
includes moving at least a portion of the informational element
into the drop zone.
8. The media of claim 1, wherein the first and second actions are
related to the event that gave rise to the presentation of the
informational element.
9. The media of claim 8, wherein the first action is not always the
same, and wherein the first action differs according to the event
such that the first action is contextually relevant to the
event.
10. The media of claim 9, wherein the first action is a positive
action, and wherein the second action is a negative action or vice
versa.
11. The media of claim 10, wherein the positive action includes one
or more of: answering an incoming call; observing an incoming
message; viewing an incoming file; viewing an incoming media
attachment; and opening a calendar-related item.
12. The media of claim 10, wherein the negative action includes one
or more of: dismissing an incoming call; sending an incoming call
to voicemail; dismissing an incoming message; dismissing an
incoming file; silencing an alarm;
13. The media of claim 1, wherein the first or second action is a
user-defined action.
14. The media of claim 1, further comprising providing a third drop
zone and a fourth drop zone, which are respectively with a third
action and fourth action such that when the informational element
is moved to the third drop zone then the third action occurs and
when the informational element is moved to the fourth drop zone,
then the fourth action occurs.
15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable
instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of responding
to an event by way of a mobile communications device, the method
comprising: receiving at the mobile communications device an
indication of an occurrence of an event; presenting an
informational element on a display of the device, wherein the
informational element is a slideable graphical-user-interface
control (GUI control) that presents contextually relevant data that
is related to the event; and receiving user input that disposes the
informational element to one of at least two drop zones that are
defined by respective portions of the display and that are
respectively associated with certain actions such that moving the
informational element to one of the at least two drop zones invokes
a certain response that is consistent with the corresponding drop
zone.
16. The media of claim 15, wherein the contextually relevant data
includes textual data that presents information associated with the
event.
17. The media of claim 16, wherein the certain response is selected
from a plurality of possible responses and is determined by a
nature of the event such that the nature of the event determines
the certain response, and that the certain response is variable and
varies according to the nature of the event.
18. The media of the 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of
possible responses is a customizable response that is customizable
by a user of the device.
19. A mobile communications device comprising: a touchscreen
display that presents a graphical user interface that includes at
least two drop zones, which consume opposite portions of the
display, wherein the mobile communications device is configured to
initiate a corresponding action incident to any of the at least two
drop zones sufficiently receiving an informational element; and a
processor that helps facilitate a presentation of the informational
element, which is presented based on an occurrence of an event, and
which includes descriptive information that presents data
associated with the event such that the corresponding action can be
initiated in response to sufficiently receiving an informational
element.
20. The mobile communications device of claim 19, wherein the
corresponding action if one of at least two actions, and wherein
taking no action is not one of the at least two actions, such that
if the informational element is not moved to any of the at least
two drop zones, then no action occurs.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This Application claims the benefit of, and expressly
incorporates by reference, U.S. Provisional Application No.
61/040,149, filed on Mar. 28, 2008.
[0002] The following five applications are related by subject
matter, one of which is instant application, and the other four are
hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein: 1) "EVENT
DISPOSITION CONTROL FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE" having
attorney docket number 5534/SPRI.140035; 2) "PERSISTENT
EVENT-MANAGEMENT ACCESS IN A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE" having
attorney docket number 5535/SPRI.140036; 3) "LIST-POSITION LOCATOR"
having attorney docket number 5537/SPRI.140038; 4) "CORRECTING DATA
INPUTTED INTO A MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE" having attorney
docket number 5538/SPRI.140039; 5) "PHYSICAL FEEDBACK TO INDICATE
OBJECT DIRECTIONAL SLIDE" having attorney docket number
5536/SPRI.140037.
SUMMARY
[0003] The present invention is defined by the claims below, not
this summary. We offer a high-level overview of embodiments of the
invention here for that reason, to provide an overview of the
disclosure.
[0004] In one aspect, a method is provided for responding to an
event by way of a mobile communications device. The method
includes, incident to an occurrence of the event, presenting an
informational element on a display of the mobile communications
device. The informational element might take the form of a
slideable control that can be manipulated by touch actions. The
method also includes presenting descriptive information in the
informational element that is contextually related to the event
such that the descriptive information is related to the event;
providing at least two drop zones, that each consume an area of the
display. The first drop zone is associated with a first action. The
second drop zone is associated with a second action. If the
informational element is moved to the first drop zone, then the
first action occurs. If the informational element is moved to the
second drop zone, then the second action occurs. If the
informational element is not moved to either the first or second
drop zone, then allowing a default action to occur that is
different from the first or second actions.
[0005] In a second aspect, a method of responding to an event by
way of a mobile communications device includes receiving at the
mobile communications device an indication of an occurrence of an
event; presenting an informational element (e.g., a slideable
graphical-user-interface control) that presents contextually
relevant data that is related to the event; and receiving user
input that disposes the informational element to one of at least
two drop zones that are defined by respective portions of the
display and that are respectively associated with certain actions
such that moving the informational element to one of the at least
two drop zones invokes a certain response that is consistent with
the corresponding drop zone.
[0006] In another aspect, a mobile communications device includes a
touchscreen display that presents a graphical user interface that
includes at least two drop zones, which consume opposite portions
of the display. The mobile communications device is configured to
initiate a corresponding action incident to any of the drop zones
sufficiently receiving an informational element. A processor is
also included that helps facilitate a presentation of the
informational element, which is presented based on an occurrence of
an event, and which includes descriptive information that presents
data associated with the event such that the corresponding action
can be initiated in response to sufficiently receiving an
informational element.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Illustrative embodiments of the present invention are
described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing
figures, which are incorporated by reference herein and
wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary mobile
communications device that is suitable for operation of an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0009] FIGS. 2A and 2B provide an overview of an illustrative
mobile communications device suitable for practicing embodiments of
the present invention;
[0010] FIG. 2C depicts a persistently visible predetermined region
on a display of an exemplary mobile communications device in
accordance with embodiments of the present invention;
[0011] FIG. 2D depicts an illustration of a functional aspect
associated with a touch input to a predetermined region on a
display of a mobile communications device in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention;
[0012] FIG. 2E depicts a listing of statuses of events and other
information provided incident to a touch input at a predetermined
region on a display of a mobile communications device in accordance
with embodiments of the present invention;
[0013] FIGS. 3A-3C depict illustrative methods of presenting on a
user interface of a mobile communications device of a persistently
visible predetermined region capable of receiving touch input in
accordance with embodiments of the present invention;
[0014] FIGS. 4A and 4B depict a modal keypad and examples of
character strings marked with visual indications on a display of a
mobile communications device in accordance with embodiments of the
present invention;
[0015] FIGS. 4C and 4D depict examples of landscape-oriented modal
keypads suitable for use in implementation of various embodiments
of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 4E depicts an exemplary set of alternative suggested
character strings and various user options on a display of a mobile
communications device in accordance with embodiments of the present
invention;
[0017] FIGS. 5A-5C depict illustrative methods of inputting data
into a mobile communications device having a touchscreen in
accordance with embodiments of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 6 depicts a selectable option and various examples of
the indication provided by the positional indicator, in accordance
with embodiments of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 7 depicts the dynamic nature of the positional
indicator as the selectable option is moved in a first direction to
reach a position among an ordered list of items, according to
embodiments of the present invention;
[0020] FIGS. 8A-8B depict illustrative methods of reaching a
position in an ordered list of items, according to embodiments of
the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 9A depicts an embodiment of a slideable informational
element according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIGS. 9B and 9C depict illustrative actions that can be
associated with different drop zones according to embodiments of
the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 9D depicts more than two drop zones according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 10 depicts a prior art technology;
[0025] FIGS. 11A-11B depict illustrative methods of responding to
events according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 12 depicts an object whose directionality can be
determined based on a vibrational response according to an
embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIGS. 12A-12B depict an illustrative mapping of vibrational
intensity (which can include varying frequency and/or magnitude) to
displacement of an object according to embodiments of the present
invention;
[0028] FIGS. 12C-12F depict illustrative curve diagrams that might
describe patterns of vibrational intensity as displacement of an
object varies according to embodiments of the present invention;
and
[0029] FIGS. 13A-13B depict flow diagrams of illustrative methods
of utilizing real-time control of a vibration component to provide
informational feedback of a movement of an object along a display
of a mobile communications device according to embodiments of the
present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] Throughout the description of the present invention, several
acronyms and shorthand notations are used to aid the understanding
of certain concepts pertaining to the associated system and
services. These acronyms and shorthand notations are intended for
the purpose of providing an easy methodology of communicating the
ideas expressed herein and are not meant to limit the scope of the
present invention.
[0031] Further, various technical terms are used throughout this
description. An illustrative resource that fleshes out various
aspects of these terms can be found in Newton's Telecom Dictionary
by H. Newton, 24th Edition (2008).
[0032] Embodiments of the present invention may be embodied as,
among other things: a method, system, or computer-program product.
Accordingly, the embodiments may take the form of a hardware
embodiment, a software embodiment, or an embodiment combining
software and hardware. In one embodiment, the present invention
takes the form of a computer-program product that includes
computer-useable instructions embodied on one or more
computer-readable media.
[0033] Computer-readable media include both volatile and
nonvolatile media, removable and nonremovable media, and
contemplates media readable by a database, a switch, and various
other network devices. By way of example, and not limitation,
computer-readable media comprise media implemented in any method or
technology for storing information. Examples of stored information
include computer-useable instructions, data structures, program
modules, and other data representations. Media examples include,
but are not limited to information-delivery media, RAM, ROM,
EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital
versatile discs (DVD), holographic media or other optical disc
storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage,
and other magnetic storage devices. These technologies can store
data momentarily, temporarily, or permanently.
[0034] FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative block diagram of a mobile
communications device that is suitable for operation of an
embodiment of the present invention. Throughout this disclosure,
reference will be made to a mobile communications device, such as
in FIG. 2A and beyond. FIG. 1 depicts a selection of components
that will generally be included in the mobile communications device
to help facilitate various functional aspects of embodiments of the
invention. As shown, a bus 110 couples, directly or indirectly, the
following illustrative components: a storage component 112, a
processor 116, a touchscreen display 118, a radio 120, input/output
ports 122, a vibrating component 124 and a power supply 126.
[0035] Storage components 112 may take the form of the
aforementioned computer-readable media. As with all of the
illustrative components of FIG. 1, although we refer to them
sometimes in the singular, that should not be read so as to imply
that we mean only a single of each of the components is
contemplated within the scope of our invention. To the contrary, by
way of example, storage component or components 112 may actually be
composed of constituent storage components located within mobile
device 100. A portion or separate storage component includes
database 114. In one embodiment, as will be explained in greater
detail below, database 114 can be used to store a library of words
or terms that can be referenced in connection with facilitating
text entry by way of a keyboard presented on touchscreen display
118.
[0036] Processors 116 facilitate a flow of information among all or
a portion of the components shown in FIG. 1 as well as
computer-usable instructions that help facilitate various aspects
of the present invention. For example, in one embodiment, an
operating system of mobile device 100 also helps coordinate various
functional aspects of the present invention. Processors 116 operate
in connection with running such an operating system.
[0037] Touchscreen display 118 provides one avenue of inputting
data into device 100. In one embodiment, touchscreen display 118
takes the form of a resistive touch screen, but in some
embodiments, it might be capacitive. Touchscreen display 118
receives input by way of touch actions that cause a device to come
in contact with touchscreen display 118. An illustrative example
includes a user utilizing his or her finger to tap or use some
other form of touch action to interact with mobile device 100.
Other items such as a stylus, fingernail, etc. may be used to
provide input to mobile device 100 by way of touchscreen display
118. Other illustrative touch actions include a sliding motion as
well as multipoint touches.
[0038] Radios 120 facilitate the communication of wireless
communication signals to and from mobile device 100. Illustrative
protocols that can be utilized in connection with an embodiment of
the present invention include CVMA, TVMA, GSM, GPRS, EVVO, etc. The
radios facilitate wireless communications between the device and a
national or even global telecommunications network.
[0039] Input/output ports 122 provide a way for mobile device 100
to interact with other peripheral components. Illustrative
input/output ports include an ear-piece or headphone jack, a USB
port, an infrared port, and the like. Different input/output ports
could be provided as is needed to facilitate communication of other
peripheral components.
[0040] Vibrating component 124 enables mobile device 100 to
experience a vibrating action incident to an occurrence of
different events. Vibrating component 124 may take on a variety of
forms, such as a motor that operates with an offset mass. In one
embodiment, vibrating component 124 takes the form of a haptics
motor. Vibrating component 124 includes the ability to operate at
various frequencies, which can be controlled by way of different
software or hardware mechanisms of mobile device 100. That is,
instead of mere playback of a vibrating action, vibrating component
124 can respond in real time to a varying stimulus.
[0041] Power supply 126 may also take on a variety of forms ranging
from a battery to a charging mechanism to other forms of power
sources that serve to provide power to mobile device 100.
[0042] The selected components of mobile device 100 are meant to be
illustrative in nature, and the various lower-level details of the
components are not elaborated on so as to not obscure the present
invention. Clearly, some of the components may be absent in some
embodiments of the present invention, and additional components not
shown may also be part of mobile device 100. Attempting to show all
of the various components of mobile device 100 would obscure
certain novel aspects, and we will refrain from such elaboration at
least for the sake of brevity.
Persistent Event-Management Access in a Mobile Communications
Device
[0043] An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention includes
an ability to view notification of new events with minimal effort
by way of a mobile communications device. In one embodiment, a way
to provide notification of new events (such as receiving a
voicemail, instant message, etc.) is to provide a dynamically
updateable list of items that indicates a change in status of an
event, wherein the list is viewable by touching a predetermined
region on a touchscreen device that is part of the mobile
communications device.
[0044] Turning now to FIG. 2C, another representation of a mobile
communications device is provided and referenced generally by the
numeral 210. We use a separate reference numeral to help map the
instant text to a relevant figure, but we do not mean to convey
that mobile device 210 is different than any of the other many
references to a mobile device throughout this disclosure, including
the block-diagram representation of FIG. 1. Mobile device 210
includes a display 212, which in one embodiment is a touchscreen
display that is able to receive input by way of touch actions or
interactions. Touchscreen display 212 may be adapted to receive any
number of types of touch actions such as single touches, taps,
slides, or other gestures. Additionally, in various embodiments,
touchscreen display 212 may be adapted to receive multiple
simultaneous touch actions that may generate a type of input
distinct from input generated by a single touch action.
[0045] Touchscreen display 212 also includes a predetermined region
214 that includes one or more dynamic icons 216 which indicate a
state associated with the mobile communications device 210. As used
herein, a state associated with the mobile communications device
210 may include any configuration of settings, features, event
notifications, etc. associated with the functionality of the device
210. For example, in one embodiment, dynamic icons 216 may indicate
that, as part of the state of the device 210, the battery power is
at 100%, the radio signal is at a certain strength, the time of
day, or any number of other state variables known in the art. We do
not mean to limit the nature of the dynamic icons displayed in the
predetermined region 214 herein, and it will be appreciated by
those skilled in the art that any number of icons can be included
to provide information of any kind.
[0046] In some embodiments, the predetermined region may be
provided without including icons, and in other embodiments, the
predetermined region may be provided in any area of the touchscreen
display 212. For clarity and consistency, we illustrate
predetermined region 214 as being provided at the top of
touchscreen display 212 but do not mean to limit the arrangement to
that illustrated herein. In an embodiment of the present invention,
predetermined region 214 may be persistently presented. That is,
regardless of what is being displayed on the touchscreen display
212, the predetermined region 214 is always displayed.
Additionally, regardless of any type of application that is
running, or any other type of functionality that is being presented
on display 212, the predetermined region 214 may be visible. In
various embodiments, predetermined region 214 is persistently
visible, even when transitioning between a first and second screen
displayed on the touchscreen display 212. It should be evident that
the functionality associated with the display of predetermined
region 214 is generally independent of many other aspects of the
mobile communications device 210.
[0047] In further embodiments, exceptions may be made for the
persistent display of predetermined region 214 such as, for
example, when an application is being utilized that requires all of
the screen real estate of display 212. Such an application may
correspond to a text input mode presented in landscape orientation
or portrait orientation, an audio/video presentation, and the like.
Various modifications of such an exception may be made, including
having no exception, and any one or combination of such
configurations is intended to be within the ambit of the present
invention.
[0048] Predetermined region 214 may also include a dynamic icon 218
that indicates whether a new event has occurred. As used herein, a
new event may include things such as receiving a phone call,
message (e.g., a voicemail, an email, a text message, and the
like), initiating an alarm, receiving a file (e.g., a picture, an
audio file, a video file, and the like), or arriving at a time
associated with a calendared event, which may be an event that,
upon occurrence, triggers an alarm, notification, or reminder to be
presented. In one embodiment, dynamic icon 218 may be a particular
image corresponding to a particular event. For example, dynamic
icon 218 may appear as a phone handset when a new call is
received.
[0049] In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2C, dynamic icon 218
may be represented as a generic image that indicates that a new
event of any kind has occurred. That is, dynamic icon 218 may not
be specific to any particular type of event, but rather may provide
an indication that some event, whatever it is, has occurred. It
will be appreciated that dynamic icon 218 can be represented with
any type of image. For simplicity and clarity, dynamic icon 218 is
represented in FIG. 2C and subsequent figures as a star. We do not
mean, by this representation, to suggest that dynamic icon 218
must, or even should, be represented by a star, as any type of
image or symbol may be equally as useful. A star is used herein as
an arbitrary choice that provides clarity and consistency between
the various figures.
[0050] In an embodiment of the present invention, predetermined
region 214 is capable of receiving touch input. It will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that touchscreen display
212 may include numerous areas or regions (including the entire
touchscreen display 212) that are capable of receiving touch input,
and that the functionality provided by touch input at a particular
location of touchscreen display 212 may vary, depending on
particular applications, underlying operating systems, and the
like. In an embodiment, predetermined region 214 may be configured
in such a way that touch input to the predetermined region 214
always produces the same type of functionality. For example, as
described further below, touch input to predetermined region 214
may always result in the presentation of a list of items.
[0051] Turning now to FIG. 2D, a mobile communications device 210
is shown which includes predetermined region 214 capable of
receiving touch input. A user's finger 220 is shown making contact
with the touchscreen display 212 in the predetermined region 214.
As described above, such a contact may be a touch input which may
be received in predetermined region 214 and may result in some
functionality within the mobile communications device 210. Although
the illustration in FIG. 2D shows a touch input by way of contact
between a user's finger 220 and the touchscreen display 212, we do
not mean to limit the capability of touchscreen display 212 to
receiving touch input from a finger. Touchscreen device 212 may
also be capable of receiving touch input as a result of contact
with another object such as, for example, a stylus. In some
embodiments, touch input may be accomplished by way of any object
coming into contact with touchscreen display 212.
[0052] As shown in FIG. 2D, according to an embodiment of the
invention, a list 222 of items may be presented incident to a touch
input received by way of the predetermined region 214. Touch input
may include any number of touch actions or gestures as described
above. In one embodiment, only a single touch action such as, for
example, a tap, is necessary to produce the functionality described
herein with reference to the predetermined region 214. In an
embodiment, a subsequent similar touch action such as a single tap
may cause the reverse effect of discontinuing the presentation of,
for example, the list 222. In an embodiment, the list 222 of items
may provide a set of statuses of events. Statuses of events may
include things such as whether a new event has occurred, the time
since the last event occurred, whether an event has been responded
to in some way, and the like. In an embodiment, the list 222 may
present a list of items, each of which indicates that a new event
of some kind has occurred.
[0053] In an embodiment, the presentation displayed incident to
receiving touch input in the predetermined region 214 may be
superimposed over the top of whatever is being displayed or
interacted with on the touchscreen display 212 such that the
presentation does not interfere with anything associated with that
which is being displayed on display 212. Also, the presentation may
be displayed without having to first (or concurrently) transition
away from the screen being displayed previous to receiving touch
input to predetermined region 214.
[0054] For example, a contacts menu may be displayed on touchscreen
display 212 before touch input is received in the predetermined
region 214. A user may be interacting with the contacts menu such
as by creating a new contact, selecting an existing contact,
editing an entry and the like, when the user decides to provide
touch input to the predetermined region 214. In an embodiment, upon
receiving that touch input, the listing 222 may be superimposed
over the top of the contacts menu without changing the state of any
functionality or display characteristics associated with the
contacts menu. Thus, when the user causes a further touch input to
the predetermined region, in an embodiment, the list 222 may be
removed from the display, revealing the contacts menu, which may be
displayed in exactly the same state that it was before the user
interacted with the predetermined region 214. This way, new events
or other information may be viewed without interrupting the
functionality of a current application, and without having to exit
or transition from a current screen to another.
[0055] Additionally, touch input by way of predetermined region 214
may result in a presentation of information 224 associated with one
or more of the dynamic icons 216. Although both the list 222 and
the information 224 are illustrated in FIG. 2D, in another
embodiment, only a list 222 is presented incident to receiving
touch input to the predetermined region 214. In a further
embodiment, only the information 224 is provided incident to
receiving touch input to predetermined region 214. In still further
embodiments, either one or both of the list 222 and/or the
information 224 may be provided depending on any number of
circumstances which may be addressed by incorporating particular
rules or conditions, as understood by those skilled in the art,
into the programs and other code that control the functionality of
device 210. For example, in one embodiment, the information 224 may
always be displayed incident to receiving touch input to the
predetermined region 214, even though the list 222 may not be
displayed.
[0056] Turning to FIG. 2E, additional detail is provided to help
describe the nature of the information 224 and list 222, which are
blown up for detail, that are provided incident to receiving touch
input by way of predetermined region 214. As shown in the figure,
the information 224 may include information associated with any
number of the dynamic icons 216 provided in the predetermined
region 214. In an embodiment, the information 224 provides
explanation or detail regarding the icons 216. As illustrated in
FIG. 2E, information in the form of text 226 is provided which
indicates an aspect of the state of the device 210 that corresponds
to information indicated by one or more of the icons 216. An image
228 is also provided. The image 228 may include a duplicate of a
dynamic icon 216, a check box, or any other image.
[0057] Moreover, the contents of the information 224 may be
somewhat static, completely static, somewhat dynamic, or completely
dynamic. For instance, in an embodiment, the information 224 may
always contain images of icons and text describing what the icons
represent. In other embodiments, the icons and associated text
provided may vary depending on which icons are presented in the
predetermined region. In another embodiment, the information 224
may present a duplicate icon along with text explaining the status
of the functionality represented by the icon, which may vary
depending on the state of the device 210. In still a further
embodiment, text may be provided along with a check box, that when
checked indicates that the subject matter of the text is relevant
to the current state of the device 210. Any number of combinations
of the above examples, including other possibilities and
configurations are possible and are intended to be within the ambit
of the present invention.
[0058] With continued reference to FIG. 2E, a list 222 of items
230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 is shown. In an embodiment, the list
222 may contain fewer items than illustrated, and in another
embodiment, the list 222 may contain more items than illustrated.
In one embodiment, the list 222 may contain more items than will
fit within the display area of the touchscreen display 212 and a
scrolling function may be provided to display additional items. The
items 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 present statuses of events such
as, for example, new events. New events may be events that have
occurred without any notification other than that presented within
the list 222.
[0059] That is, in one case a user may be interacting with a screen
that lists text messages received. While interacting with or
viewing that screen, a new text message may be received. In this
case, the user may be notified of the receipt of the new text
message by seeing an indication on the screen with which the user
is interacting. In one embodiment, this new message is not included
as a new event in the listing 222. However, in a similar
embodiment, if a new voicemail is received while the user is
interacting within the text message screen, the new voicemail may
be included in the listing 222 as a new event.
[0060] In other embodiments, an event may be included in the list
222 so long as the event has not been acted on by a user. That is,
so long as a user does not view, reply to, interact with, or in
some other way confirm receipt or notification of the event, the
event may be included in the list 222. In still further
embodiments, the list 222 may be adapted to be configured by a user
such that the user can determine the conditions under which an
event will be included in the list 222. Similarly, any number of
possibilities exist for the type of status of an event that may be
reflected in the listing 222 of statuses, as will be understood by
the description above.
[0061] In an embodiment, the list may include any number of items
230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 that present statuses of events. The
items 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 may be dynamically updateable,
in that their presentation may vary as new events occur, as
statuses of events change, etc. In an embodiment, the list 222 only
includes items 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 that correspond to a
particular status such as "new." Thus, for example, if the only new
event that the device 210 has received (or has observed the
occurrence of) the list 222 may only present that single item. In
another embodiment, the list 222 may present a set of statuses for
events wherein the set of events represented remains consistent,
but the notification of the statuses changes. This feature may also
be one that is inherent to the functionality of the device 210, or
in other embodiments may be a feature that is configurable by a
user or service provider.
[0062] As shown in FIG. 2E, an item 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240
within the listing 222 may include any number of types of
information. In an embodiment, a text string 244 is provided which
indicates the type of event associated with the particular item
232. Each item 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 may contain such a text
string. Additionally, an image 242 is provided, as shown in item
230. The image 242 may be any type of image, and in one embodiment,
the image corresponds to the type of event associated with the item
230. In another embodiment, the image 242 corresponds to the
specific event that corresponds to the item 230. For example, if a
new email is received, the item 232 representing that new event may
include an image 242 that includes a picture of the sender of the
new email. In a further embodiment, an image is not provided.
Additionally, an indicator 246 is provided that indicates the
number of new events associated with a particular type of event.
Thus, for example, if one new email has arrived, the indicator 246
may be a numeral "1." The information presented within an item 230,
232, 234, 236, 238, 240 may take any number of different forms and
may be preset, determined by a service provider, a user, or any
other party or functionality.
[0063] In an embodiment, items 230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 are
capable of being interacted with by touch input, which can include
focus interactions or even motion gestures. That is, each of items
230, 232, 234, 236, 238, 240 may include a particular region or
area of the touchscreen display 212 that is capable of receiving
touch input. Upon receiving touch input to an item 230, 232, 234,
236, 238, 240, further information may be presented. That further
information, in an embodiment, corresponds to the event or events
associated with the item that received touch input. For example,
incident to receiving touch input to the item 232 associated with
receipt of a new email, further information such as the time,
sender, subject, etc., of the email may be provided. In another
embodiment, touch input to item 232 may result in the presentation
of the text of the new email. In still further embodiments, touch
input to item 232 may cause the presentation of an email inbox,
listing all or a portion of received email messages. It will be
appreciated that any number of the above, combinations of the
above, or other configurations may be utilized in presenting
further information incident to receiving touch input to an
item.
[0064] To recapitulate, we have described an aspect of the
invention that relates to performing a method of presenting on a
user interface of a mobile communications device a persistently
visible predetermined region capable of receiving touch input. With
reference to FIG. 3A, one embodiment of this method includes, at a
step 320, on a user interface, presenting a persistently visible
predetermined region capable of receiving touch input on a first
screen. The first screen on which the predetermined region is
presented may present a first set of information. Additionally, the
predetermined region is capable of being interacted with by way of
a touch input such that receiving a touch input to the
predetermined region causes a listing of a set of statuses of
events to be presented, as described above.
[0065] The first set of information may include any information
associated with a feature, aspect, functionality, option, etc., of
the mobile communications device. For example, the first screen may
include a menu that presents information in the form of items that
correspond to further menus, lists, applications, or other
features. We do not mean to limit the scope of the first set of
information as used herein, and recognize that the first set of
information may be anything displayable on a display device of a
mobile communications device, and may include text, objects, items,
graphics, and the like.
[0066] A step 322 includes transitioning to a second screen that
presents a second set of information while presenting the
predetermined region. The second set of information, like the first
set of information, may include anything displayable on a mobile
communications device. Additionally, the predetermined region is
persistently viewable during and after the transition. At a step
324, a touch input is received to the predetermined region.
Incident to receiving the touch input, at a step 326, a listing of
a set of statuses of events is presented. As indicated above, the
listing may be presented without affecting the functionality of the
second screen, and may be superimposed over the second set of
information, such that a subsequent touch input may remove the
listing, revealing the second set of information associated with
the second screen.
[0067] With reference to FIG. 3B, another embodiment of the
invention is provided that includes, at a step 340, providing a set
of screens that present options that a user can invoke to cause
information to be provided to the mobile communications device.
Generally, one of the set of screens is displayed at any given
time. It will be appreciated that the options presented may include
any number of objects, items, buttons, and the like that allow a
user to interact with various features, functions, applications,
etc. These options may include objects, information,
representations, items, and the like as described herein and
elsewhere within this disclosure as well as those that are not
described.
[0068] At a step 342, a persistently visible predetermined region
capable of receiving touch input is presented across each of the
screens such that the predetermined region is never unavailable
when any one of the screens is presented. At a step 344, touch
input is received to the predetermined region, and incident to
receiving that touch input, at a step 346, a set of statuses of
events is displayed on a display of a mobile communications
device.
[0069] With reference to FIG. 3C, another embodiment of the present
invention is provided that includes, at a step 350, presenting a
persistently visible predetermined region on a first screen of a
mobile communications device. The persistently visible
predetermined region is capable of receiving touch input. A step
352 includes transitioning from the first screen to a second
screen, wherein the predetermined region is persistently visible
from the second screen in the same manner as it was on the first
screen. At a step 354, a single touch action is received by way of
the predetermined region. In an embodiment, a single touch action
includes only one contact such as a tap from a finger or stylus in
the predetermined region. It is important to note that the single
touch action does not include transitioning away from the second
screen, and that nothing about the display or functionality of the
second screen is affected incident to the single touch action
received in step 354.
[0070] In a final illustrative step, step 356, a dynamically
updateable list is presented which includes at least one item that
conveys a status of an event. If an event experiences a change from
a first state to a second state, the change is reflected in the
list. It should be understood, in light of the description above,
that a change in status as described herein may include any number
of status changes related to an event such as the receipt of a new
event, an aging of a previous event by a certain duration, an
updated event, an occurrence of a calendared event, and the
like.
Correcting Data Inputted into a Mobile Communications Device
[0071] An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention includes
an ability to input and correct data inputted into a mobile
communications device using a touchscreen. In one embodiment, a way
to input data (e.g., text, character strings, etc.) is to provide a
modal keypad on a touchscreen display of a mobile communications
device that is capable of receiving touch input. Character strings
and other text inputted by way of the modal keyboard is checked
against recognized character strings, and an option for
automatically correcting incorrectly inputted character strings is
provided.
[0072] Turning to FIG. 4A, a mobile communications device 410 is
shown. As before, we use a separate reference numeral to help map
the instant text to a relevant figure, but we do not mean to convey
that mobile device 410 is different than any of the other many
references to a mobile device throughout this disclosure, including
the block-diagram representation of FIG. 1 and the mobile device
shown in FIGS. 2A-2E. Mobile device 410 includes a display 412,
which in one embodiment is a touchscreen display that is able to
receive input by way of touch actions or interactions. Touchscreen
display 412 may be adapted to receive any number of types of touch
actions such as single touches, taps, slides, or other gestures.
Additionally, in various embodiments, touchscreen display 412 may
be adapted to receive multiple simultaneous touch actions that may
generate a type of input distinct from input generated by a single
touch action. Further, touchscreen display 412 may be adapted to
receive touch input by way of contact with any number of objects
such as, for example, a finger or a stylus.
[0073] Touchscreen display 412 includes a region 414 that contains
various icons, indicators, and the like. In one embodiment, the
region 414 is a persistently visual predetermined region capable of
receiving touch input, as described above. In another embodiment,
region 414 may be adapted to contain any number of icons or
indicators of any kind. In a further embodiment, touchscreen
display 412 does not contain a region 414.
[0074] Touchscreen display 412 is shown to display a modal keypad
416. As used herein, a modal keypad includes a set of objects that
are displayed on a touchscreen display 412 of a mobile
communications device 410, where each of the set of objects
represents a letter, number, punctuation mark, or other character
or set of characters. The modal keypad 416 may also include other
objects representing buttons that have other functionality
associated therewith such as, for example, a space bar, a return
key, and a caps-lock button, as shown in row 418 of FIG. 4A. Other
such objects may include, for example, a "done" button, a
screen-toggle button (for toggling between different screens such
as a modal keypad and a screen showing only character input), or a
keypad-toggle button (such as a button for toggling between a
keypad having letters to a keypad having numbers), as shown in row
420 of FIG. 4A.
[0075] Each of the objects displayed as part of the modal keypad
416 are capable of receiving touch input so that a user may
interact with them in a conventional manner. In an embodiment,
touch input to an object representing a character or characters
causes that character or characters to appear as text on a viewing
screen 422 provided on the touchscreen display 412. Viewing screen
422 displays characters 424 inputted by way of touch actions to the
modal keypad 416 and may be oriented in any number of manners.
Although viewing screen 422 is shown, in FIG. 4A, as oriented above
the modal keypad 416, we do not intend to limit embodiments to this
orientation. Viewing screen 422 may be oriented above, below,
within, to the side, or in any other manner with respect to modal
keypad 416. One such alternative orientation, for example, is
depicted in FIG. 4C, which shows a "landscape" oriented modal
keypad 416 and viewing screen 422.
[0076] With continued reference to FIG. 4A, modal keypad 416 may
include any number of arrangements of objects therein, and although
we only illustrate a few of the possible configurations herein, we
do not intent to limit the arrangements that other embodiments of
the present invention may employ. For example, in one embodiment,
modal keypad 416 may include all of the letters of an alphabet,
listed in order in rows, as shown in FIG. 4A. It will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art, that modal keypad 416 may
be provided with objects representing characters of any language,
including but not limited to, mathematic and scientific languages.
Modal keypad 416 may, as indicated above, also be presented in any
number of arrangements such as the "landscape" arrangement shown in
FIG. 4C.
[0077] Turning briefly to FIG. 4C, a mobile communications device
410 is shown. Touchscreen display 412 includes a modal keypad 440,
oriented in a "landscape" fashion. That is, the characters
displayed within the modal keypad 440 are positioned such that they
are upright when the phone is held sideways, wherein the axis
connecting the top and bottom of the device 410 is parallel with
the ground. The "landscape" orientation is known in the art, and we
do not mean to vary the general impression that the use of that
word gives to the reader. Modal keypad 440 is disposed just below
viewing screen 422. In an embodiment, a modal keypad may be
arranged with alphabetical characters arranged in a typical
"QWERTY" keyboard fashion, as illustrated in FIG. 4C. In other
embodiments, some of which may include characters from languages
other than English, the characters may be arranged in any number of
other ways. We do not intend to limit the arrangement possibilities
by the illustrations provided herein, but illustrate only a few of
the possibilities.
[0078] Additionally, whether the modal keypad is oriented as in
FIG. 4A, as in FIG. 4C, or in some other manner, the modal keypad
may contain any type of character that may be useful as character
string input. For example, FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate modal keypads
416, 440 as displaying alphabetical characters (i.e., letters), and
various punctuation marks. Other embodiments may include, as
illustrated in rows 452 and 454 of FIG. 4D, characters such as
numerals, various symbols, or even portions of character strings,
as shown in FIG. 4D. In an embodiment such as the illustrative
example of FIG. 4D, for example, a modal keypad 412 may include
commonly used character strings such as portions of e-mail
addresses (e.g., "MAIL.", ".org", ".com", etc.) or uniform resource
locators, or portions, ("WWW.", "HTTP://", ".com", etc.), as shown
in rows 456 and 458. It will be understood that any character
strings or character string portions may be included in a modal
keypad 416. In some embodiments, modal keypad 416 may be adapted to
allow a user to choose the contents thereof, and may in other
embodiments, allow the user to define the contents or objects
included.
[0079] Returning to FIG. 4A, a set of character strings 424
representing text is shown as being displayed in viewing window
422. The viewing window 422 also includes a cursor 429 that
indicates the position at which the next inputted character will be
displayed. In an embodiment, inputted text or data represented by
characters may be checked for accuracy such as, for example, by
comparing the inputted character string to recognized character
strings. Recognized character strings may be contained in any
number of dictionary databases, such as, for example, database 114
as illustrated in FIG. 1. In an embodiment, inputted text or data
takes the form of a user-entered character string. In one
embodiment, a user-entered character string may be checked for
accuracy after it has been inputted. In another embodiment, a
user-entered character string may be continuously checked for
accuracy while it is being entered.
[0080] For instance, in one embodiment, an application such as an
input method application or predictive text application may compare
the character string to recognized character strings as the user
enters the character string, and the interpretation thereof may
continuously change in pace with the user's entering of data,
finally resting on a most likely interpretation when the user has
completed entering data. For example, one such application that may
be used or modified for this purpose is the XT9 Smart Input
predictive text solution, available from Nuance Communications,
Inc. of Burlington, Mass. In one embodiment, the continuous results
of the accuracy may be displayed on the touchscreen display 412 as
the user enters the character string. In another embodiment, the
continuous results may not be displayed on the touchscreen display
412, and only the final interpretation may be displayed. In yet
another embodiment, none of the interpretations or corrections may
be displayed, where the exact characters that the user has entered
will be displayed. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the
art that the correction application may be configured in any other
manner, so long as it is configured to compare, in some way,
user-entered character strings to recognized character strings.
Recognized character strings may include correctly spelled words,
commonly used words (although incorrectly spelled), or any other
type of word or character string that is included in the dictionary
database. In some embodiments, as described further below, one or
more of the recognized character strings contained in a dictionary
database may be entered into the database by a user or other
individual, application, program, or functionality.
[0081] In any of the embodiments described above, when a
user-entered character string is received, the device 412 may
determine one or more suggestions for replacing the user-entered
character string. In an embodiment, suggestions for replacing the
user-entered character string may be determined only in the case
where the user-entered character string is not a recognized
character string. In other embodiments, suggestions may be provided
regardless of whether the user-entered character string is
recognized. In still further embodiments, the determination of
suggestions may be dependent upon any number of factors, which may
be established by a programmer, an application, or even a user, for
example. Suggestions may include other character strings containing
similar characters, character arrangements, and the like, and may
be further based upon other factors such as context, dialect,
grammar, and the like. Any number of suggestions may be determined.
In one embodiment, for example, one or two suggestions may be
determined. In another embodiment, three or more suggestions may be
determined. In various embodiments, the number of suggestions
determined may also be based upon various factors such as, for
example, those described above.
[0082] In an embodiment of the present invention, after determining
a suggestion for replacing a character string, the user-entered
character string may be marked with a visual indication that a
suggestion for replacement thereof has been determined. In an
embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, such a visual indication may
include underlining the user-entered character string. In other
embodiments, other types of visual indications may be used such as,
for example, highlighting, bolding, or displaying the user-entered
character string in a different color. We do not intend to limit
the possibilities that may be used for marking a character string
with a visual indication as described herein, as any sort of visual
indication may be sufficient to accomplish the goals and objectives
of the various embodiments of the present invention.
[0083] In another embodiment, an automatic-correction function is
provided. As shown in FIG. 4B, the automatic-correction function
may operate in much the same way as above, but includes
automatically replacing the user-entered character string 426, 428
with a suggested character string 430, 432. In some embodiments,
the suggested character string 430, 432 that replaces the
user-entered character string may include the first suggested
character string determined. In other embodiments, the various
suggested character strings determined may be ranked according to
the likelihood that a user intended to enter any one of the various
suggested character strings when the user actually entered the
user-entered character string, and the suggested character string
430, 432 used to replace the user-entered character string may be
the character string with highest ranking. In other embodiments,
the suggested character string 430, 432 used to replace the
user-entered character string may be determined by any number of
other factors and is not meant to be limited by our disclosure
herein.
[0084] In an embodiment, the suggested character string 430, 432
that replaces the user-entered character string may be marked with
a visual indication that the suggested character string 430, 432
has replaced the user-entered character string 426, 428. The visual
indication may take any form, as described above with respect to
the user-entered character string. In an embodiment, for example,
as shown in FIG. 4B, the suggested character string 430, 432 may be
marked with a visual indication such as by underlining the
suggested character string 430, 432. As above, the suggested
character string 430, 432 may also be marked by bolding,
highlighting, changing its color, and the like.
[0085] Additionally, in an embodiment, an input region 434 is
provided that is associated with the visual indication, whether the
visual indication corresponds to a user-entered character string
426, or a suggested character string 430. The input region 434 is
capable of receiving touch input. Upon receiving touch input to the
input region 434, which may be defined by any amount of space
surrounding and/or including the character string having the visual
indication, a set of alternative suggestions for replacing the
character string may be provided. In an embodiment of the present
invention, cursor 429 may be unaffected by user input to the input
region 434. That is, even though a user may interact with the input
region 434, the cursor 429 will remain in the position in which it
was before the user interacted with input region 434, thus allowing
for a user to perform editing and be able to rapidly return to
inputting data.
[0086] Turning now to FIG. 4E, a mobile communications device 410
is shown. On a touchscreen display 412, a viewing screen 422
contains a set of user-entered character strings 468. One of the
user-entered character strings 470 is shown and has been marked
with a visual indication that a suggested character string has been
determined in relation thereto. Upon receiving user input to an
input region 471, defined in association with the marked
user-entered character string 470, a set of alternative suggested
character strings 474, 476 is shown in a user interface 472. In an
embodiment, user interface 472 may replace all or a portion of the
modal keypad. In another embodiment, the user interface 472 may be
provided in addition to the modal keypad, such as by providing the
user interface within some region of the viewing screen 422.
[0087] It should be understood that, although we illustrate four
alternative suggested character strings, any number of alternative
suggested character strings may be provided. For example, in an
embodiment, one, two, or three alternative suggested character
strings may be provided. In a further embodiment, five or more
alternative character strings may be provided.
[0088] In another embodiment, a button 484 capable of receiving
touch input may be provided for allowing a user to select an active
or inactive state corresponding to the automatic-correction
function. In other words, a user, by interacting with a button 484,
may be able to turn the automatic-correction function on or off. It
will be appreciated that the automatic-correction function may also
be toggled between the active and inactive states in any number of
other ways. For example, in one embodiment, the option for setting
the auto-correction function to a particular state may be provided
in a menu such as, for example, a settings or options menu. In
other embodiments, the option for selecting between active and
inactive states for the automatic-correction function may be
presented in a predetermined region of the touchscreen. In a
further embodiment, for example, the option may be available as a
series of keystrokes or by a particular touch input anywhere or in
a certain region of the touchscreen display. It will be further
appreciated by those skilled in the art that any number of
additional buttons, options, and the like may be provided for
allowing a user to perform any number of other functions by
interacting therewith.
[0089] In an embodiment, each of the alternative suggested
character strings 474, 476 has at least one character in common
with the user-entered character string. In other embodiments, the
alternative suggested character strings 474, 476 include the
user-entered character string 474.
[0090] In another embodiment, the set of alternative suggested
character strings 474, 476 includes a suggested character string
that is used to automatically replace the user-entered character
string, in which case the character string 470 may actually have
been replaced by a character string such as suggested character
string 476. Each of the alternative suggested character strings
474, 476 may also have an associated input region 475 capable of
receiving touch input. In an embodiment, incident to receiving
touch input to an alternative suggested character string 474, 476
by way of an associated touch region 475 the user-entered character
string 470 is replaced by the alternative suggested character
string with which the input region is associated.
[0091] For example, as shown in FIG. 4E, a user may have entered
the character string "TYEPING" where the user actually meant to
enter the word "TYPING." Unless the user-entered character had been
automatically replaced by the word "TYPING," the user may cause
that replacement to occur by causing touch input to the input
region 475 associated with the alternative suggested character
string 476 "TYPING." However, it may be the case that the user does
not wish to replace the user-entered character string with a
suggested character string. If the automatic-correction function
had previously caused the replacement to occur, the user may undo
the replacement by simply causing touch input to the input region
475 associated with the user-entered character string "TEYPING." In
some cases, a user may wish to add a user-entered character string
as a recognized character string in the dictionary database of the
device 410.
[0092] In an embodiment, the user interface presents a "learn"
button 480 and an "unlearn" button 482, as shown in FIG. 4E. Each
of the buttons 480, 482 is receiving touch input. Upon receiving
touch input to the "learn" button 480, a selected user-entered
character string 470 may be added to the dictionary database such
that the user-entered character string 470 becomes a recognized
character string. In an embodiment of the present invention, as a
recognized character string, the user-entered character string 470
may not be subject to correction and/or alternative suggested
character strings being provided in the future. Additionally, the
now-recognized user-entered character string 470 may be used as an
alternative suggested character string in the future. Other
embodiments provide for adding, or learning, a user-entered
character string automatically such as by entering a user-entered
character string into the dictionary database after receiving input
comprising that character string a plurality of times. It will be
appreciated by those skilled in the art that various configurations
are possible to accomplish this same objective, as well as that
such an automatic learning function may be implemented in addition
to any number of the various features described herein.
[0093] In an embodiment of the present invention, upon receiving
touch input to the "unlearn" button 482, a suggested character
string may be removed from the dictionary database. For example, a
user may spell a name incorrectly several times, causing the
incorrect spelling to be automatically learned by device 410. The
user may then, upon receiving that spelling as a suggested
character-string, interact with an "unlearn" button 482, causing
the incorrect spelling to be removed from the dictionary database.
This removal may be permanent or temporary, and it will be
appreciated that such a function may be accompanied by
functionality that accomplishes the reverse, such as an "undo"
functionality. In various embodiments, the options described above
(i.e., adding character strings to a database and removing
character strings from a database), may be accomplished by means
other than presenting a "learn" and "unlearn" button as
illustrated. In various embodiments, other types of objects may be
presented on the screen for a user to interact with. In other
embodiments, rules may be established such that one or both of the
functionalities are invoked incident to some sequence of events
such as, for example, the repetitious use of a particular character
string. In still further embodiments, a user may interact directly
with the character string as it is represented on the screen in
order to add to or remove from a dictionary database.
[0094] To recapitulate, we have described an aspect of the
invention that relates to performing a method of inputting data
into a mobile communications device having a touchscreen. With
reference to FIG. 5A, one embodiment of this method includes, at a
step 520, receiving a user-entered character string. As described
above, a user-entered character string can include any string of
any type of characters such as, for example, a word, a number, a
series of symbols, and the like. Additionally, a character-string,
as used herein, may be expressed in any written language, as well
as any mathematical or scientific language. In some embodiments,
the user-entered character string may be a misspelled word. In
other embodiments, the user-entered character string may be a
correctly spelled word. In still further embodiments, the
user-entered character string may not be a word, but rather a
number, a URL, an e-mail address, etc. Additionally, in an
embodiment, the user-entered character string is not recognized by
the mobile communications device.
[0095] At a step 522, the user-entered character string is
automatically replaced with a suggested character string. In
various embodiments, the suggested character string is a correctly
spelled word that has at least one character in common with the
user-entered character string. In other embodiments, the suggested
character string may be a correctly spelled word, and in some
embodiments, the suggested character string may be an incorrectly
spelled word. Generally, the suggested character string is one that
is contained within a dictionary database associated with the
mobile communications device.
[0096] Continuing with FIG. 5A, at a step 524, the suggested
character string is marked with a visual indication that the
suggested character string replaced the user-entered character
string. In an embodiment, the suggested character string is
underlined. In other embodiments, the suggested character string
may be highlighted, bolded, or presented in a different color than
other character strings. It should be appreciated that any suitable
visual indication may be used to mark the suggested character
string. As indicated at a step 526, the visual indication is
maintained even if the suggested character string is a correctly
spelled word. At a step 528, an input region is provided in an area
on the touchscreen in which the suggested character string is
displayed. The input region provided at step 528 is associated with
the visual indication and is capable of receiving touch input.
Thus, for example, a user may "tap" (i.e., cause touch input to) on
a marked character string, such as a suggested character string
that has been marked.
[0097] Accordingly, at step 530, touch input is received by way of
the input region, and incident to receiving that touch input, as
shown at step 532, a set of alternative character strings is
presented. The set of alternative character strings includes
suggestions for replacing the suggested character string. It will
be understood that as suggested replacements for the suggested
character string, the alternative character strings may also
include alternative suggestions for replacing the user-entered
character string. In an embodiment, each of the alternative
character strings has at least one character in common with the
user-entered character string. In another embodiment, each of the
alternative character strings may have at least one character in
common with the suggested character string. In further embodiments,
the set of alternative character strings may include either or both
of the user-entered character string and the suggested character
string. In still further embodiments, an input region is provided
which corresponds to each of the alternative character strings,
such that a user may be able to "tap" on one of the alternative
character strings to cause some functionality such as, for example,
to cause the selected alternative character string to replace the
suggested character string.
[0098] Turning to FIG. 5B, another embodiment of the present
invention is illustrated by a flow diagram showing a method for
inputting data into a mobile communications device having a
touchscreen, including, at a step 534, presenting an option to a
user that permits the user to select an active or inactive state
associated with an automatic-correction function. As indicated
previously, this option may be presented to the user in any number
of ways such as, for example, presenting a button for toggling the
states between active or inactive. At a step 536, a user selection
of either an active or an inactive state associated with the
automatic-correction function is received.
[0099] At a step 538, as shown in FIG. 5B, a user-entered character
string is received. At a step 540, a dictionary database is
referenced. A dictionary database generally includes recognized
character strings, and referencing such a database may include an
operation such as querying the dictionary database with a
particular search term such as, for example, whether there is a
character string or character strings within the dictionary
database that have a certain number of characters in common with a
user-entered character string. A dictionary database may actually
include a plurality of databases. In an embodiment, a dictionary
database may include several different databases, each containing a
particular type of character string. For example, in various
embodiments, a first database may be provided for housing
recognized words, while another database may be provided for
housing recognized URLs or email addresses. It should be understood
that a dictionary database may be configured to contain any type of
character string including numbers, formulas, abstract collections
of symbols, portions of words, prefixes, suffixes, etc.
[0100] At a step 542, a suggested character string is automatically
determined. In an embodiment, the suggested character string is a
recognized character string from the dictionary database and is
selected as a suggested replacement for the user-entered character
string. The decision diamond 544 indicates an internal
determination of whether the automatic-correction is in an active
or inactive state, the state generally being dependent upon the
user selection of step 536. If the automatic-correction function is
in an active state, the illustrative method of FIG. 5B continues
with a step 546 in which the user-entered character string is
replaced with the suggested character string.
[0101] At a step 548, the suggested character string is marked with
a visual indication that the suggested character string replaced
the user-entered character string. As described above, this visual
indication may take any form suitable such as, for example,
underlining, bolding, and the like. Further, as illustrated at a
step 550, that visual indication is maintained until a touch input
is received that corresponds to an instruction to remove the visual
indication. Such an instruction may be presented in any manner, so
long as it is prompted by some purposeful touch input to the
device. In an embodiment, an input region capable of receiving
touch input and that corresponds to the visual indication may be
provided. In one embodiment, incident to receiving touch input by
way of the input region, a set of alternative character strings may
be presented as suggestions for replacing the suggested (or the
user-entered) character string. Additionally, in another
embodiment, an option to select an inactive state associated with
the automatic-correction function may again be presented at any
time.
[0102] With continued reference to FIG. 5B, if the
automatic-correction function is determined, at a step 544, to be
in an inactive state, the user-entered character string is marked
with a visual indication representing the determination of a
suggested character string, as shown at step 552. Where a user has
selected an inactive state associated with the automatic-correction
function, user-entered character strings will be preserved just as
they were inputted by the user. In this manner, the user may have
an option to return to a given character string and edit it,
preserve it, or replace it with a suggested character string, etc.
In an embodiment, the user-entered character string that is marked
may also have associated therewith an input region similar to the
input region described above, with reference to the suggested
character string. Incident to interacting with the input region
associated with and generally presented in the same area of the
touchscreen as the marked user-entered character string, a set of
alternative character strings may be presented as suggestions for
replacing the user-entered character string.
[0103] With reference to FIG. 5C, another illustrative embodiment
of a method in accordance with the present invention is shown in a
flow diagram. The illustrative method of FIG. 5C includes, at a
step 560, receiving a user-entered character string. At a step 562,
a dictionary database having a plurality of recognized character
strings is referenced. In an embodiment, the dictionary database is
referenced to determine whether it contains any suggested character
strings for replacing the user-entered character string. At a step
564, the user-entered character string is automatically replaced
with a suggested character string from the dictionary database.
[0104] As described above, with reference to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the
suggested character string is marked, at a step 566, with a visual
indication that the suggested character string replaced the
user-entered character string. Additionally, as shown at step 566,
the visual indication has an input region provided therewith. In an
embodiment, the input region is capable of receiving touch input.
Accordingly, at a step 568, touch input is received by way of the
input region. Incident to receiving the touch input at the input
region, at a step 570, an option is presented for removing the
suggested character string from the dictionary database. It will be
understood that an option for adding the user-entered character
string (or any other character string) may be presented as well.
The option or options provided at step 570 may, in an embodiment,
be selected by way of a user acting upon the option with some sort
of touch input.
[0105] At a step 572, a touch input representing a selection of the
option to remove the suggested character string from the database
dictionary is received. In another embodiment, an option to add the
user-entered character string, or any other character string, to
the dictionary database may be received. In a further embodiment,
an option to take no action may be received, and in still a further
embodiment, no option may be received. In the illustrative
embodiment of FIG. 5C, however, incident to a selection of an
option to remove the suggested character string from the database,
at a step 574, the suggested character string is removed from the
database. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, this
illustrative step may also include replacing the suggested
character string (i.e., in the viewing screen) with the
user-entered character string, or with some other character string.
In various other embodiments, as described above, any number of
other options may be presented in response to receiving touch input
to the input region. In some embodiments, interacting with
actionable words does not change cursor position, thus allowing for
rapid editing and continuing of a composition.
List-Position Locator
[0106] As referenced above, another aspect of an embodiment of the
invention includes the ability to arrive at a desired position in
an ordered list of items on a display. The ordered list of items is
stored in a mobile communications device. In one embodiment of the
invention, a user may select, by way of a touch action, a
selectable option, which causes a positional indicator to appear on
the display. The positional indicator is responsive to the movement
of the selectable option, and indicates a corresponding position
among the ordered list of items.
[0107] Referring to FIG. 6, a representation of a display 610 of a
mobile device, such as mobile communications device 210, is
provided. We use a separate reference numeral to help map the
instant text to a relevant figure, but we do not mean to convey
that display 610 is different than any of the other many references
to a display throughout this disclosure, including the
block-diagram representation of FIG. 1. Display 610, in one
embodiment, is a touchscreen display that is able to receive input
by way of touch actions or other interactions. As previously
mentioned, a touch action can be accomplished by receiving touch
input from a user's finger, but we do not mean to limit the
capability of a touchscreen display, such as display 610, to
receiving touch input from a user's finger. Display 610 may also be
capable of receiving touch input as a result of contact with
another object such as, for example, a stylus, or a fingernail. In
other embodiments, a touch action may be accomplished by way of any
object coming into contact with display 610.
[0108] In some embodiments, a touch action may be accomplished by
using a touch sensitive surface that may not be located on the 4
display 610, but that may be located on the side of the mobile
device in the form of a touch sensitive strip. In other
embodiments, the mobile device may include an optical sensor that
is capable of detecting the motion of an object, such as a finger,
fingernail, or stylus, through imaging. In addition, biometric
finger print sensors may be used that detect motion of a
fingerprint across the optical detector.
[0109] Numerals 612 and 614 represent the width and length,
respectively, of the display 610. When the mobile device is
vertically oriented, so that the user may view the display 610 in a
portrait view, as represented by display 610 in FIG. 6, the length
614 may be greater than the width 612. The mobile device may also,
in some instances, be horizontally oriented so that the user may
view the display 610 in a landscape view. In these instances, the
width of the display is now represented by numeral 614, and the
length is 612. Here, the width 614 may be greater than the length
612. In some embodiments, however, the width and length may be
equal.
[0110] Display 610 has a user interface 616, which is illustrated
as a plurality of icons and data. We have included a portion of an
exemplary user interface 616 in FIG. 6 to provide an illustration
of what a user interface of display 610 may look like in some
embodiments of the present invention. In these embodiments, user
interface 616 is an ordered list of items that are stored in the
mobile device, such as mobile communications device 210 as shown in
FIG. 2. The ordered list of items may include, but is not limited
to, contacts, photographs, videos, music, sports teams, and the
like. The remaining portion of the user interface 616 is not shown
in FIG. 6 in order to focus attention on the other elements of the
present invention, such as the selectable option 618 and positional
indicator 620, as described herein.
[0111] As mentioned above, an embodiment of the invention includes
the ability to navigate through and reach a desired position among
an ordered list of items. This may be achieved by moving a
selectable option 618 in a direction allowed for by the mobile
device. In embodiments, the selectable option 618 is capable of
being moved by a touch action in a first direction, such as along
the length 614 of display 610. Here, the user may move the
selectable option 618 in this direction to navigate through an
ordered list of items, as described above. In these and other
embodiments, selectable option 618 is also capable of being moved
in a second direction, such as along the width 612 of display 610.
In these embodiments, the user may have located the desired item
within the ordered listed of items, but there may be a subset list
of items associated with the item that the user is able to navigate
through. The user may then move selectable option 618, for example
by a touch action, along the width 612 of display 610 to navigate
through the subset list of items.
[0112] It should be noted that the selectable option 618 may
indicate the overall list position in many embodiments. For
example, if the ordered list of items is alpha sorted, or in
alphabetical order, there may not be 26 evenly spaced regions
(e.g., one evenly spaced region for each letter of the alphabet) in
relation to the movement of the selectable option 618. In these
embodiments, for instance, if the alpha sorted list includes only
items beginning with the letter A through D, the selectable option
618, because it indicates the current location within the overall
list of items, may appear at or near the bottom of the display 610
once the end of the list has been reached, even though the end of
the list may be an item beginning with D, but not Z.
[0113] As described above, the selectable option 618 allows the
user to navigate through an ordered list of items to reach a
desired position among this list. To give the user an indication of
the relationship between the position of the selectable option 618
and the current location in the ordered list of items, we have
provided a positional indicator 620 that dynamically displays an
indication of the current location within the ordered list of
items. Examples of an ordered list of items, as discussed above
include, but are not limited to contacts, photographs, videos,
music, sports teams, and the like, all of which may be stored in
the mobile device. Depending on how the items are arranged within
the ordered list of items, the items may be in alphabetical order,
numerical order, or ordered by date, time, size, or any other way
that items may be arranged in a list.
[0114] As an example of the above, the ordered list of items is a
list of contacts saved in the mobile device, and the contacts are
ordered alphabetically by first name. Here, when the user selects
the selectable option 618 by some type of touch action as described
above, the positional indicator 620 is presented on the display
610. In one embodiment, the positional indicator 620 is presented
on the display 610 incident to the user moving the selectable
option 618 in any direction allowable by the mobile device. In
another embodiment, the positional indicator is presented on the
display 610 at some set time after the selectable option 618 is
moved by the user's touch action. In still another embodiment, the
positional indicator 620 is presented on the display 610 incident
to the user's touch action, even before the selectable option has
been moved. In various aspects of each embodiment described, the
positional indicator 620 may gradually appear on display 610, so
that the brightness of positional indicator 620 is displayed
gradually. Positional indicator 620 may also gradually disappear in
this same fashion.
[0115] Positional indicator 620, as previously described,
dynamically indicates a corresponding position within the ordered
list of items. Positional indicators 620A, 620B, 620C, 620D, and
620E represent various examples of the indication that may be
provided to the user when moving the selectable option, as
described above. As shown in FIG. 6, the positional indicator 620
takes on a form consistent with the types of items included in the
ordered list of items. In one embodiment, a letter may be presented
on the positional indicator, such as the letter "A" as shown on
positional indicator 620A. In this embodiment, the list may be a
list of contacts, sports teams, or any other list of items that can
be ordered alphabetically. We have shown positional indicator 620B
with the number "1" on it. If the list of ordered items can be
ordered numerically, such as a list of phone numbers or addresses,
a numerical value may be presented on the positional indicator 620B
in these embodiments to provide the user with a corresponding
position in the ordered list of items in relation to the position
of the selectable option 618.
[0116] In another embodiment, the list may be a list of sports
teams, such as a list of baseball teams, football teams, soccer
teams, basketball teams, and the like. In this embodiment, the
positional indicator, such as positional indicator 620C may present
the logo representing the team where the selectable option is
located. In one aspect of this embodiment, each team may have one
or more items associated with it, such as recent scores, schedules,
statistics, and the like, so that moving the selectable option 618
until the desired team logo appears on the positional indicator
620C provides the user with an efficient way to locate this
information.
[0117] In some instances, the ordered list of items may include
pictures, videos, or other items that can be ordered by size. In
accordance with this embodiment, we have shown positional indicator
620D with "20 MB" presented on it, representing the file size of
one or more items in the ordered list corresponding to the current
position of selectable option 618. This may give the user an easy
and efficient way to locate a certain item, such as a picture or
video, if the file size is known or can be approximated. Moving to
positional indicator 620E, we show an embodiment that presents
"Jan. 1, 2000," representative of a date that may appear on a
positional indicator if the ordered list of items may be ordered by
date. Such lists may include events (e.g., calendar-related items),
pictures, videos, and the like. As mentioned above, the positional
indicator may take on a form consistent with the items in the
ordered list, and as such, other indication information may be
presented on the positional indicator other than what has been
described above. As shown by numeral 621, these are contemplated to
be within the scope of the present invention.
[0118] As we previously discussed, the width 612 and length 614 of
the display are shown in FIG. 6. The display 610 is shown in a
portrait view, wherein the positional indicator has a width 624 and
length 622. In this view, the width of the positional indicator
624, in many embodiments, is greater than a majority of the display
width 612. When the phone is turned in a landscape view (e.g.,
rotated 90 degrees from the portrait view), however, numeral 612
represents the length of the display, and numeral 624 represents
the length of the positional indicator. Here, the length of the
positional indicator 624 may, in some embodiments, be greater than
a majority of the width of the display 612.
[0119] Now referring to FIG. 7, we have provided an embodiment
illustrating the ability of the positional indicator to display
different information according to the corresponding position of
the selectable option in relation to the location among the ordered
list of items. Display 710 has a selectable option 712 and a
positional indicator 714. In this aspect of the embodiment of FIG.
7, the ordered list of items may include contacts, sports teams,
e-mail addresses, or any other list that may be ordered
alphabetically. Selectable option 712 is located near the top of
the device, and therefore corresponds to a position within the
ordered list of items at the top or near the top of the list. If
the list includes contacts saved to the mobile device, such as
mobile communications device 210 in FIG. 2, the list may begin with
one or more names that start with the letter "A," as is shown on
positional indicator 714. The user may then select selectable
option 712 by way of a touch action, which results from contact to
display 710 with an object such as, for example, a finger, a
stylus, or a fingernail.
[0120] Display 720 illustrates a second position of the selectable
option 722 as a result of the user selecting and moving it in a
first direction, for example, in a downward direction along the
length of display 720, as shown. Moving selectable option 722 to a
second position has caused positional indicator 724 to display a
different letter corresponding to the new position of selectable
option 722 in relation to the location among the ordered list of
items. For instance, as the letter "G" is shown on positional
indicator 724, one or more items within the ordered list may start
with the letter "G." In this instance, if there are no items that
start with the letter "G," "G" would not be presented on the
positional indicator, and would skip to the next letter that is
associated with the next item in the ordered list. In another
instance, however, even if there are no items starting with "G,"
the letter "G" may still appear on the positional indicator.
[0121] In continued reference to FIG. 7, display 730 illustrates a
third instance of the embodiment of FIG. 7, wherein selectable
option 732 has been moved to a third position so that the letter
presented on positional indicator 734 represents the item located
among the ordered list of items corresponding to the position of
selectable option 732 in this third position. Similarly, display
740 illustrates selectable option 742 in a fourth position, and the
letter "S" on positional indicator 744 represents the corresponding
item within the ordered list of items.
[0122] We have included display 750 to illustrate an instance where
the selectable option 752 has been moved to the bottom or near the
bottom of display 750, wherein its location corresponds to the last
or one of the last items within the ordered list. Here, the letter
"Z" is presented on positional indicator 754, indicating to the
user that the end or near the end of the ordered list has been
reached. The embodiment described above easily and efficiently
allows a user to reach a desired item within an ordered list of
items.
[0123] In the embodiments described above with respect to moving
the selectable option, presenting the positional indicator, and
reaching a desired location within an ordered list of items, it
should be noted that while the ordered list of items may be visible
on the display while the positional indicator is presented to the
user, the ordered list of items may not change its position as the
selectable option is moved on the display. In order to save
processing power, the positional indicator dynamically displays the
current position within the ordered list of items, but the ordered
list of items remains in a constant position or state until the
user reverses the touch action, for example, by removing the object
(e.g., finger, fingernail, stylus) from the selectable option.
[0124] To recapitulate, we have described an aspect of the
invention that relates to performing a method of reaching a
position in an ordered list of items on a display. With reference
to FIG. 8A, one embodiment of this method includes, at a step 810A,
presenting a selectable option on the mobile device's display that
can be selected by touch actions. These touch actions might take
the form of, for example, a user's finger, finger nail, or a
stylus. At a step 812A, incident to receiving an indication that
the selectable option has been selected, as described above, a
positional indicator is presented on the display. The positional
indicator indicates to the user its current position within the
ordered list of items. For example, if the ordered list of items
consists of names of soccer teams that are ordered alphabetically,
the positional indicator may display a letter, as shown in FIG. 7,
representing items in the ordered list located correspondingly to
the position of the selectable option. At a step 814A, incident to
the user moving the selectable option in a first dimension, the
positional indicator indicates a position among the ordered list of
items.
[0125] The user may, at any time, reverse the touch action by, for
example, removing the object used to select the selectable option.
For example, if the user used his or her finger to provide the
touch action, the user may lift the finger from the display to
reverse the touch action. Reversing the touch action causes an item
in the ordered list to be presented on the display. In some
embodiments, the item presented on the display is the first item in
the ordered list that starts with the letter presented on the
positional indicator when the touch action is reversed. For
example, if the positional indicator displays an "M" at the time
that the touch action is reversed, the first item starting with "M"
may be the first item listed on the display.
[0126] In some embodiments of FIG. 8A, the length or width of the
positional indicator is greater than a majority of a length or
width of the display. We have illustrated this in FIG. 6, which
illustrates that the positional indictor width 624 is greater than
a majority of the display width 612 when the phone is positioned in
a portrait view, as shown. Should the mobile device be turned on
its side (e.g., landscape view), the positional indicator length,
represented now by numeral 624, may be greater than a majority of
the display length, now represented by numeral 612.
[0127] We previously mentioned that while the selectable option is
being moved by the user, which causes the display of the positional
indicator, the ordered list of items in the background may still be
viewable. The ordered list, however, may become dimmed to focus the
user's attention on the positional indicator, rather than on the
ordered list. In an embodiment, the ordered list is gradually
dimmed when the positional indicator is presented on the display,
and may gradually revert to its original brightness once the touch
action is reversed, as described above. In addition, in some
embodiments, the presentation of the positional indicator may also
be gradual, so that the positional indicator is first dimmed, and
gradually becomes brighter on the display. The same would occur
when the touch action is reversed, wherein the positional indicator
may gradually disappear from the display.
[0128] With reference to FIG. 8B, another embodiment of the
invention is provided that includes presenting a selectable option
on a touchscreen of a mobile device at a step 810B. The user may
interact with the selectable option by way of the touchscreen, and
in the same ways as described above, a touch action by the user
allows the selectable option to be selected. At a step 812B, as the
selectable option is moved in a first direction, a positional
indicator is presented on the display that indicates to the user a
corresponding position among the ordered list. The positional
indicator's size is represented by a length and a width, such as a
positional-indicator length and positional-indicator width. The
display's size is also represented by a length and a width, termed
a display length and a display width. As previously mentioned, the
size of the positional indicator, in some embodiments, is such that
either its length consumes a majority of the display length, or its
width consumes a majority of the display width. This is represented
by numerals 814B and 816B.
[0129] We have also mentioned that the user, upon locating an item
using the selectable option and the positional indicator, may wish
to locate an item in a subset list of items for the located item.
One or more of the items in the ordered list may have an associated
subset list of items, so that the positional indicator may be moved
in a different direction, such as a second direction, to allow the
user to navigate through the subset list of items and reach a
desired location within this list as well. As with reversing the
touch action described above, a user may cause an item within the
subset list to be presented on the display by reversing the touch
action (e.g., releasing the finger used to move the selectable
option), wherein the item is categorized in the subset list at a
position consistent with the positional indicator.
Event Disposition Control for Mobile Communications Device
[0130] Another aspect of an embodiment of the invention includes an
ability to respond to various events by way of a mobile
communications device. In one embodiment, a way to respond to a
given event (such as receiving a call, receiving a voicemail, etc.)
is to provide an informational element, which can take the form of
a graphical user interface (GUI) object, that presents information
related to the event and is also a slideable object that can be
moved by a user into a drop zone to give rise to a desired
action.
[0131] Turning now to FIG. 9A, another representation of a mobile
communications device is provided and referenced generally by the
numeral 910. We use a separate reference numeral to help map the
instant text to a relevant figure, but we do not mean to convey
that mobile device 910 is different than any of the other many
references to a mobile device throughout this disclosure, including
the block-diagram representation of FIG. 1. Mobile device 910
includes a display 912, which in one embodiment is a touchscreen
display that is able to receive input by way of touch actions or
interactions.
[0132] Blown up for detail, a user interface 914 is shown as being
presentable on display 912. Various types of events may give rise
to seeking user input. Illustrative events include things such as
receiving a phone call; receiving a message (e.g., a voicemail, an
email, a text message, and the like); initiating an alarm;
receiving a file (e.g., a picture, an audio file, a video file, and
the like); or an arriving at a time associated with a calendared
event. For example, ten o'clock on a Monday morning may arrive,
which triggers a reminder to be presented.
[0133] In one embodiment, an informational element 916 is presented
on display 912. Informational element 916 serves as an event
summary that includes descriptive information that is contextually
related to the event. Thus, for example, when mobile device 910
receives an incoming call, informational element 916 might present
caller-identifying information that helps a user to determine an
identification of the incoming caller. In the case of an alarm,
informational element 916 might present textual data that describes
the event associated with the alarm. We will describe this aspect
in greater detail below. In some embodiments, our technology of
utilizing sliding and drop zones helps prevent unintentional
actions, such as accidentally unlocking the mobile device.
[0134] As mentioned, incident to an occurrence of some event,
informational element 916 is presented on display 912. This affords
the option to a user to move informational element 916 to one of at
least two drop zones, including a first drop zone 918 and a second
drop zone 920. Upward movement is indicated by dotted arrow 922,
and downward movement is indicated by dotted arrow 924.
Informational element 916 both presents information describing or
related to the event that gave rise to its presentation and is also
slideable by way of touch actions into either of the first or
second drop zones 918, 920.
[0135] Although we say "into" the drop zones, we do not mean to
imply that informational element 916 needs to be moved to wholly
within a drop zone. This is not the case. In fact, in some
embodiments, mobile device 910 tracks an amount of movement away
from an initial starting position. If informational element 916 is
moved beyond a threshold distance away from the initial starting
position in a certain direction, then it will be deemed to have
been dropped in one of the two drop zones. Similarly, if
information element 916 is moved beyond a threshold distance toward
another drop zone, then it will be deemed to have been released
into the other drop zone. In still other embodiments, informational
element 916 will be deemed to have been dropped into one of the
drop zones if it is moved within a certain proximity of that drop
zone. Thus, it might be the case that if an upper portion of
informational element 916 crosses some threshold area associated
with first drop zone 918, then it will be considered to have been
moved to the first drop zone. Same with the second drop zone.
[0136] In some embodiments, a user may use his or her finger or a
stylus or some other object to indicate a desire to move
informational element 916. One way that motion of informational
element 916 might be tracked is for mobile device 910 to map a
general pressure point to a specific point or line. This specific
point or line can then be used to track how far informational
element 916 is moved along display 912.
[0137] Each of the drop zones 918 and 920 are associated with
certain actions. That is, if informational element 916 is moved to
first drop zone 918 then a first action occurs, and if
informational element 916 is dragged to second drop zone 920, then
a second action occurs. In one embodiment, if informational element
916 is not dragged to either first drop zone 918 or to second drop
zone 920, then a default action is allowed to occur. This default
action is different than either the first or second actions. Being
different, though, does not necessarily contemplate an entirely
different action, but also includes a temporal differentiation. For
example, if a user of device 910 receives an incoming call, the
device might ring for a certain period of time, after which the
notification will stop. But this only occurs after a certain amount
of time; for example, six rings or 25 seconds (random examples). It
may be the case that the second action, associated with second drop
zone 920 is to dismiss a call which, in effect, stops the
incoming-call notification. Although it may be true that in both
situations the incoming-call notifications were stopped, the second
action is still different than the default action because the
default action would have allowed the call-notification operations
to continue for a certain amount of time, but the second action
(which is associated with second drop zone 920) stopped the
call-notification operations immediately.
[0138] Turning now to FIG. 9B, additional detail is provided to
help describe the notion of a certain action happening incident to
moving informational element 916 to a certain drop zone. Like
reference numerals correspond to like objects, but we will add a
"B" designator to help refer to specific items in specific FIGs.
Thus in FIG. 9B, user interface 914B depicts an informational
element 916B, and a first drop zone 918B. In one embodiment, first
drop zone 918B consumes an upper portion of the display. Although
not necessarily shown on user interface 914B, first drop zone 918B
might begin at a reference line, which is denoted by numeral 930.
Again, a user may not see line 930. In other embodiments, first
drop zone 918B might be clearly presented on user interface 914B
for the user to see so that the user will know of a boundary that
defines first drop zone 918B. As shown, descriptive information 932
is included as part of informational element 916B. This information
may include one or both of a graphic 934 as well as textual
information 936. Other types of descriptive information could also
be provided in informational element 916B. We show two for
illustrative purposes.
[0139] As mentioned, descriptive information 932 is related to the
incoming event that gave rise to the presentation of informational
element 916. For example, if the relevant event were an incoming
call, then graphic 934 might present a picture of the incoming
caller. Textual information 936 might present identifying indicia
that identifies the incoming caller. If the incoming event were an
alarm, then graphic 934 might take the form of a stagnant bell or
some other indicator that a user might readily associate with an
alarm. Graphic 934 can also be customized by a user so that the
user can determine what gets presented incident to an occurrence of
some event.
[0140] The type of descriptive information that gets presented
varies with the nature of the instant event. We show some
illustrative events in FIG. 9B; for example answer a call is
designated by reference numeral 935. Reference numeral 937
references opening "X," which symbolizes anything that might be
opened; for example, an email message, a picture, a text message,
etc. Numeral 938 indicates snoozing an alarm. Reference numeral 940
represents a user-customized option. Thus, in one embodiment, the
first drop zone 918B becomes associated with a user-defined option
such that when informational element 916B is moved to first drop
zone 918B, an action that has been selected by a user is performed.
Clearly, other actions can also be performed besides those that are
illustratively shown. We indicate this by ellipses 942.
[0141] As we have discussed so far, an incoming event might give
right to a presentation of informational element 916B. In such a
situation, a user has an option of moving informational element
916B to one of at least two drop zones, which will trigger a
certain action to be performed. We have shown some illustrative
actions such as answering a call, opening attachments, or snoozing
an alarm. If a user desires to carry out what might be opposites of
the types of actions listed in FIG. 9B, then the informational
element can be moved to the second drop zone.
[0142] Turning to FIG. 9C, user interface 914C is shown as
including second drop zone 920C, which might receive informational
element 916C. If informational element 916C is moved to second drop
zone 920C, then a different set of actions might occur than those
that occurred as we mentioned in connection with FIG. 9B. For
example, rather than answering a call, a second action might be to
send that call to voicemail, referenced by numeral 941. Rather than
opening an attachment or a message, etc., the same might be
dismissed, which is indicated by reference numeral 943. Rather than
responding to an alarm or snoozing an alarm, dragging informational
element 916C to second drop zone 920C might turn off an alarm,
which is referenced by numeral 944. A user can customize a desired
option, which includes providing a new option, that should be
carried out when informational element 916C is moved to second drop
zone 914C. This is referenced by numeral 946. Of course other
actions might be performed in connection with dragging
informational element 916C to second drop zone 914C, which is
represented by ellipses 948.
[0143] One way that this aspect of the invention is helpful is that
a sliding motion is hard to accidentally cause, especially sliding
to a specific area. Thus, if mobile device 910 is in a user's
pocket or handbag and a certain event occurs, then by utilizing
embodiments of the present invention, unintended actions can be
avoided. That is, a user is unlikely to accidentally complete a
sequence necessary to give rise to an action, especially when that
sequence includes initially tapping in a certain portion of display
912 so as to activate or direct a focus to informational element
916, and then to also drag informational element 916 to one of the
two drop zones 918 or 920.
[0144] In some embodiments, more than two drop zones can be
provided. For example, and with reference to FIG. 9D, we
illustratively show four drop zones: first drop zone 950, second
drop zone 952, third drop zone 954, and fourth drop zone 956. In
this embodiment, event summary 958 can be moved to any of four drop
zones to initiate one of four possible actions. In this way, more
alternatives can be provided to a user to respond to an incoming
event. For example, consider a situation when a person receives a
picture mail, or an email with a picture attachment. Perhaps first
drop zone 950 opens the textual portion of the email message.
Whereas dragging the picture mail to third drop zone 954 may open
only the picture portion of the message. Dragging the event summary
associated with the picture mail to second drop zone 952 might be
associated with a dismissal action to dismiss any sort of a
notification associated with the arrival of the picture mail
message. And fourth drop zone 956 might be associated with moving
the picture mail message to a user-defined folder so that a user
can easily locate the message in the future.
[0145] FIG. 10 depicts a representation of a product known as the
iPhone offered by Apple Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. One feature
included in the iPhone is the ability to slide a control to answer
an incoming call. Thus, with reference to FIG. 10, a phone 1010
includes a slideable element 1012, which is designated by shading.
The slideable element includes an edge 1014. Often, an outline is
provided, which includes an edge 1016. Embodiments of our invention
are different than this sort of technology, which has no secondary
action, uses a very small portion of the screen, utilizes only a
single direction, does not encompass the concept of a drop zone,
has no dismiss action, and a variety of other differences. In the
prior-art example, slideable control 1012 must be dragged
completely to the right to answer an incoming call. That is, edge
1014 must come in contact with edge 1016. Accordingly, the concept
of a drop zone is not employed. Moreover, slideable element 1012 is
just that, merely an element that does not provide any descriptive
information. That is, the thing that is moved is static in the
respect that whenever a phone call comes in, it is merely
presented, but does not include any sort of descriptive information
that is associated with the event that gave rise to its
presentation. That is, there is nothing contextually relevant that
describes the event that gave rise to its presentation. A user
would not be able to achieve a desired action by using the prior
art without looking at the device. But according to embodiments of
our invention, a user could easily approximate a halfway portion of
a screen and easily drag our informational element into one of the
two drop zones without even looking at the device. We will also
describe below ways to vary a vibrational response of the mobile
device consistent with a dragging of the informational element.
Still further differences include the fact that only a single
action can be performed. But according to embodiments of our
invention, multiple actions can be performed including what we
refer to as both a positive action as well as a negative action,
which are to the exclusion of a default action. Thus, when an
incoming call is received on our described device, it can either be
answered or affirmatively sent to voicemail or some other action
taken. The prior art offers no secondary action, especially in
which the secondary action is not some default action.
[0146] To recapitulate, we have described an aspect of the
invention that relates to performing a method of responding to an
event by way of a mobile communications device. With reference to
FIG. 11A, one embodiment of this method includes, at a step 1110,
incident to an occurrence of an event, presenting an informational
element on the mobile device's display that can be manipulated by
touch actions. These touch actions might take the form of a user's
finger touch actions or also might include a user using a stylus.
At a step 1112, descriptive information is presented in the
informational element that is contextually related to the event.
Thus, descriptive information can include things such as a caller's
phone number, a picture associated with a caller, or a file name of
a file. At a step 1114, at least two drop zones are provided that
each consume an area of the display. The first drop zone is
associated with the first action, and the second drop zone is
associated with a second action. In one embodiment, the first drop
zone is in an upper portion of the display, and a second drop zone
is in a lower portion of the display, or vice versa. We explained
that the first action is not always the same. That is, the action
associated with the first drop zone varies according to the nature
of the event that gave rise to the presentation of informational
element 916 to begin with. In some cases moving informational
element 916 to first drop zone 918 causes a first action to occur,
but, depending on the nature of the event, dragging informational
element 916 to the exact same drop zone causes a different action
or set of actions to occur. Thus, the first action differs
according to the event that gave rise to the presentation of
informational element 916. In some embodiments, first drop zone 918
is associated with a positive-type action, whereas second drop zone
920 is associated with a negative-type action.
[0147] Decision diamond 1116 indicates different actions that might
occur as the informational element 916 is moved in various ways. As
mentioned, if the informational element is moved to the first drop
zone then mobile device 910 will do the first action, as indicated
by numeral 1118. If the informational element is moved to the
second drop zone, then mobile device 910 will do the second action,
as indicated by numeral 1120. If the informational element is not
dragged to either drop zones, then a default action will be allowed
to occur, which is referenced by numeral 1122. We have mentioned
that this default action is different at least in some respects
than either of the first or second actions, including a difference
that may be defined in a temporal aspect.
[0148] Illustrative positive actions include answering an incoming
call, observing an incoming message, viewing an incoming file,
viewing an incoming media attachment, opening a calendar-related
item, and the like. Illustrative negative-type actions include
dismissing an incoming call, sending an incoming call to voicemail,
dismissing an incoming message, dismissing an incoming call,
silencing an alarm, or the like. What some people refer to as
positive actions, other people may refer to as negative
actions.
[0149] With reference to FIG. 11B, another embodiment of the
invention is provided that includes receiving an indication of an
occurrence of an event at a step 1150. At a step 1152, the
embodiment of this method continues by presenting an informational
element on the device. We have discussed possible natures of the
informational element and how it includes information that is
contextually relevant to the nature of the event that gave rise to
the presentation of the informational element.
[0150] A final illustrative step 1154 includes receiving user input
that disposes the informational element to one of at least two drop
zones that are defined by respective portions of the device's
display and that are respectively associated with certain actions
such that moving the informational element to one of the at least
two drop zones invokes a certain response that is consistent with
the corresponding drop zone. We have also mentioned how the
response can vary based on either the nature of the event or based
on how the user has customized what actions should flow incident to
the informational element being moved to a respective drop
zone.
Physical Feedback to Indicate Object Directional Slide
[0151] As previously alluded to, another aspect of the invention
includes an ability to enhance vibrational feedback so that it can
provide information on tasks that are being performed. An
illustrative task is a drag task. In this aspect of the invention,
directional slide can be indicated by vibrational response.
[0152] Consider FIG. 12. As we previously discussed, an object 1212
can be presented on device 1210 incident to an occurrence of some
event. We previously described how this object can be dragged into
one of at least two drop zones 1214 and 1216 to cause one of at
least two desired actions to occur. We explained that dragging
object 1212 into first drop zone 1214 could cause a first action to
occur that is associated with first drop zone 1214, and we also
described how dragging object 1212 to second drop zone 1216 could
be used to instantiate a different action that is associated with
second drop zone 1216.
[0153] There may be some cases where it is desirable for a user to
be able to determine a direction that object 1212 is being moved
without looking at the display of mobile device 1210. Moreover,
there may be cases where a user has limited visual acuity, or may
even be blind, such that viewing the display of mobile device 1210
is not even possible. Rather than making such a device as mobile
communications device 1210 unavailable to such users, we provide a
way to indicate directional movement by providing vibrational
feedback.
[0154] For example, in one embodiment, as object 1212 is moved
upward 1218, an intensity of a vibrational response increases.
Similarly, as object 1212 is moved in a downward direction 1220, an
intensity of a vibrational response of device 1210 decreases. As
previously alluded to, "intensity" can include magnitude and/or
frequency.
[0155] As previously mentioned, this object 1212 can include
descriptive information that describes attributes of the event that
gave rise to its presentation.
[0156] The vibrational response that is provided incident to moving
object 1212 is dynamic in nature and occurs in real time. That is,
it is dynamic in nature in that it can continuously vary as the
location of object 1212 varies. It is continuous in that whatever
response is being provided continues to be provided until a desired
outcome is reached. Thus, rhythmic or pulsing responses are
contemplated within the scope of "continuous."
[0157] In some embodiments, the vibrational response continues
until a desired task is completed. For example, to complete a task
might be to drop object 1212 into one of the two drop zones 1214 or
1216. In some embodiments, the intensity of the vibrational
response continues along some pattern as object 1212 is moved along
a first direction. In some embodiments, the vibrational response
changes drastically once 1212 is moved to drop zone 1214. In some
embodiments, changing drastically means to cease a vibrational
response. In other embodiments, changing drastically means
providing a vibrational response that is inconsistent with the
pattern that had been followed as object 1212 was being moved along
a first direction.
[0158] As mentioned, moving object 1212 in an upwardly direction
might cause an increase in intensity of vibrational response. An
increase in intensity can include an increase in magnitude and/or
an increase in frequency. An increase in magnitude would mean that
a small vibrational response would turn into a larger vibrational
response. For example, a gentle ping might turn into a more robust
thud. Another way that intensity can be increased is by increasing
frequency. Mobile device 1210 might buzz more the more object 1212
is moved in an upward direction. The frequency by which vibrations
are measured can increase as object 1212 is moved in a first
direction.
[0159] Everything we say can be applicable to movement in the
second direction but with an opposite effect. That is, moving
object 1212 in a downward direction 1220 might cause a decrease in
intensity of a vibrational response. That is, a frequency decrease
might occur, or a magnitude decrease might occur.
[0160] Turning now to FIG. 12A, a curve 1230 is depicted as part of
a diagram that plots an illustrative vibrational intensity 1232
based on a displacement 1234 of a GUI object from some starting
position 1236. In one embodiment, rightward flow 1238 would
translate to displacing an object in a first direction, whereas
leftward flow 1240 would indicate movement in a second
direction.
[0161] Reference numeral 1242 marks an illustrative starting
location. Thus, say an incoming call was received by mobile device
1210. In this example, object 1212 would be presented, and mobile
device 1210 would vibrate with an intensity consistent with a level
denoted by reference numeral 1242. As object 1212 is moved toward
first drop zone 1214, the vibrational intensity might increase
consistent with the upper portion 1244 of curve 1230. As object
1212 is moved in a different direction, vibrational intensity might
decrease consistent with a lower portion 1246 of curve 1230.
[0162] In one embodiment, curve 1230 is monotonically increasing.
That is, each instance of intensity is greater than the previous
when moving in a rightward direction. It may be the case that curve
1230 is monotonically increasing only over a certain range of
values. For example, perhaps curve 1230 is only monotonically
increasing from the area marked by a first dashed line 1248 as well
as a second dashed line 1250. It may be the case that beyond this
range, curve 1230, although not shown in this way, may take on a
drastically different pattern than in the past. For example, for
displacements beyond marker 1250, perhaps the vibrational intensity
drops markedly off, which would translate to a steep decline in
curve 1230 after marker 1250. It might also be the case that the
vibrational intensity markedly increases after marker 1250.
[0163] One way that such marked changes might be used can be seen
in connection with FIG. 12B, which depicts another curve, which is
referenced by numeral 1254. On FIG. 12B, we illustrate two drop
zones, such as a first drop zone 1256 and a second drop zone 1258.
As we have previously mentioned, it may be the case that a
vibrational intensity makes a marked change after a certain
displacement from a starting position. One possible point to mark
such a change in vibrational intensity is referenced by numeral
1260. As shown, a vibrational intensity of mobile device 1210 might
progressively increase along an upper portion 1262 of curve 1254
until point 1260 is reached, at which a vibrational intensity might
change in a way that is different than it had been changing as
object 1212 was being moved in a first direction. Again, although
not necessarily reflected in diagram 12B, it may be the case that
after object 1212 is moved beyond point 1260, and into drop zone
1256, curve 1254 follows a path such as that referenced by numeral
1264 or that marked by numeral 1266. One reason for doing this is
to allow a user to be able to perceive that object 1212 has been
moved to a specific drop zone.
[0164] Similarly, moving object 1212 along a lower portion 1268 of
curve 1254 might continue along a certain pattern until a point
1270 is reached, after which it may make a marked change, which is
intended to be shown by reference numerals 1272 as well as numeral
1274.
[0165] The general shape of curve 1254 does not need to follow the
shape that is shown in FIG. 12A or 12B. Rather, as is desired,
curve 1254 may take on a variety of shapes. With reference to FIGS.
12C through 12D, we indicate that vibrational intensity may
increase in a manner consistent with curve 1280 of FIG. 12C. Curve
1282 of FIG. 12D is another possible pattern. Vibrational intensity
may also follow the curve of 1284 of FIG. 12E as object 1212 is
displaced in different directions. Still another illustrative curve
is indicated by reference numeral 1286 of FIG. 12C. We do not mean
for reference numerals 1280-1286 to be all inclusive; but rather,
they are intended to illustrate that various patterns are
applicable to various embodiments of the present invention.
[0166] FIG. 13A depicts a flow chart that illustrates an
illustrative method for enabling a user to control a mobile
communications device that includes a vibration component. At a
step 1310, an object is presented on a touchscreen display of a
mobile communications device that includes a vibration component.
An illustrative vibration component can be the vibration component
124 referenced in FIG. 1. In some embodiments, vibration component
124 takes the form of a motor with an offset weight such that
rotating the offset weight causes the motor, or a thing coupled to
the motor, to vibrate. In some embodiments, vibration component 124
takes the form of a haptics motor. Real-time control is used to
support directionality.
[0167] At a step 1312, the object is made moveable on the
touchscreen such that it can be moved by way of a touch
interaction. Thus, for example, a user can use his or her thumb to
move object 1212. As the user moves object 1212 in different
directions, different vibrational responses are provided
dynamically and in real time so that a user can perceive a
direction that object 1212 is being moved by perceiving the
vibrational response. Thus, at a step 1314, in real time, an
intensity of an output of the vibration component is continuously
varied to cause a vibrational response of the mobile communications
device such that movement of the object in a first direction causes
a first continuous vibrational output, and movement of the object
in a second direction causes a second continuous vibrational
output. We have mentioned that in one embodiment, the intensity can
monotonically increase as object 1212 is progressively more
displaced along a first direction such that every advancement of
the object in the first direction produces a vibrational output
that is greater than when the object was in any proceeding
position. In some embodiments, this occurs up until a certain
threshold, after which the vibrational intensity changes in an
inconsistent way so as to denote that an object such as object 1212
has moved into a certain area of interest such as a drop zone. Of
course embodiments of the present invention do not need to rely on
dual drop zones as we have shown. Rather, the scope of this aspect
of the invention is widely applicable to any graphical user
interface object that is to be moved in some direction.
Directionality of that object can be made to correspond to a
vibrational intensity such that directionality of the object can be
perceived by perceiving the intensity of the corresponding
vibrational output. In some embodiments, processor 116 is
configured to help coordinate the vibrational response to a
movement of an object such as object 1212 so that movement of the
object can be deciphered without (or with) physically viewing
display 118. This vibrational response would not be a mere playback
of a prerecorded action; but rather, a dynamically created
vibrational response that is created based on a movement of the
object. Thus, more than just playing back a response incident to an
occurrence of some event, embodiments of the invention provide for
a real-time creation of a vibrational response that occurs based on
real-time events. In some embodiments, vibrational outputs follow
respectively consistent patterns; namely, for some ranges they
progressively increase or progressively decrease.
[0168] Turning now to FIG. 13B, another embodiment of the present
invention is provided. At a step 1320, an indication of an
occurrence of an event is received. At a step 1322, an object is
presented on a touchscreen of the mobile device. The object can be
manipulated via touch action to respond to the event.
[0169] At a step 1324, in real time, an intensity of a vibrational
response is varied consistent with a movement of the object such
that the movement of the object in a first direction results in a
first vibrational output, and movement of the object in a second
direction results in a second vibrational output.
[0170] Many different arrangements of the various components
depicted, as well as components not shown, are possible without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Embodiments of the present invention have been described with the
intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Alternative
embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art that
do not depart from its scope. A skilled artisan may develop
alternative means of implementing the aforementioned improvements
without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0171] It will be understood that certain features and
subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without
reference to other features and subcombinations and are
contemplated within the scope of the claims. Not all steps listed
in the various figures need be carried out in the specific order
described.
* * * * *