U.S. patent number RE45,566 [Application Number 11/445,504] was granted by the patent office on 2015-06-16 for method and apparatus for aliased item selection from a list of items.
This patent grant is currently assigned to QUALCOMM Incorporated. The grantee listed for this patent is Douglas Anderson, Robert Yuji Haitani, Jeffrey Charles Hawkins, Justin Evan Manus. Invention is credited to Douglas Anderson, Robert Yuji Haitani, Jeffrey Charles Hawkins, Justin Evan Manus.
United States Patent |
RE45,566 |
Anderson , et al. |
June 16, 2015 |
Method and apparatus for aliased item selection from a list of
items
Abstract
The present invention introduces an aliased selection system
with audible cues to allow a user of a handheld computer system
locate a desired item from a list of item. The aliased selection
system allows a user to spell out a desired item by activating an
input that specifics a subset that containing a next letter. In one
embodiment, two different subsets are used: A to M and N to Z. When
the user has entered information on enough letters such that the
number of possibilities fits entirely on a display screen then a
first audible cue is given. The user may enter additional
information on until a single list item is uniquely identified.
Once a single item is uniquely identified, the system emits a
second audible cue that informs the user that a single item has
been specified. The aliased selection system allows a user to
select a desired item from a list with a single hand and without
looking at the display screen. However, the user may shorten the
selection process by looking at the display screen.
Inventors: |
Anderson; Douglas (Campbell,
CA), Hawkins; Jeffrey Charles (Atherton, CA), Haitani;
Robert Yuji (Menlo Park, CA), Manus; Justin Evan (San
Francisco, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Anderson; Douglas
Hawkins; Jeffrey Charles
Haitani; Robert Yuji
Manus; Justin Evan |
Campbell
Atherton
Menlo Park
San Francisco |
CA
CA
CA
CA |
US
US
US
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
QUALCOMM Incorporated (San
Diego, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
32327069 |
Appl.
No.: |
11/445,504 |
Filed: |
May 31, 2006 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
Reissue of: |
09771026 |
Jan 25, 2001 |
6744451 |
Jun 1, 2004 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1; 715/864;
715/772; 715/816; 715/825 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F
3/0237 (20130101); G06F 1/1626 (20130101); G06F
3/0236 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G06F
3/048 (20130101); G06F 3/023 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;715/710,739,708,968,729,705,786,784,841,816,835,864,772 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Other References
Microsoft Outlook 2000, Copyright 1995-1999 Microsoft Corp.
Pertinent information included. cited by examiner .
"Wireless: Motorola to Incorporate T9 Text Input Into Its Wireless
Handsets; With T9 Text Input, Composing and Sending Messages
Becomes Virtually as Easy as Dialing," 1998, Edge Publishing, 2000
Gale Group, 2 pages. cited by applicant .
Microsoft Outlook 2000, Copyright 1995-1999 Microsoft Corp. Address
Book information. cited by examiner.
|
Primary Examiner: England; Sara
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Mahamedi Paradice LLP
Claims
We claim:
.[.1. A method of selecting a desired name from a list of names in
a computer system, said computer system having a display, said
method comprising: dividing a character set into two subsets
comprising a first subset of characters and a second subset of
characters; accepting a user input for specifying a designated
subset from said two subsets of characters, said user input
comprising a first user input designating said first subset of
characters if a first letter position of said desired name is in
said a first subset of characters or, a second user input
designating said second subset of characters if said first letter
position of said desired name is in said second subset of
characters; creating a sublist of names that have a character from
said designated subset of characters in said first letter position;
displaying at least a portion of said sublist of names on said
display; and repeating said steps of accepting user input, creating
said sublist, and displaying for a next letter position in said
desired name..].
.[.2. The method as claimed in claim 1, said method further
comprising: audibly indicating when said sublist of names fits on
said display..].
.[.3. The method as claimed in claim 1, said method further
comprising: audibly indicating when said sublist comprises only
said desired name..].
.[.4. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein accepting said user
input and creating said sublist of names comprises creating a
successively smaller sublist by starting from said list of names
and successively removing items..].
.[.5. The method as claimed in claim 1 wherein said desired name
comprises a first name and a last name..].
.[.6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein accepting user input
comprises accepting input specifying said first name or said last
name..].
.[.7. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
accepting a stop search input; and removing names from said sublist
of names having a greater number of letters than a number of
letters defined with said user input..].
.[.8. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising:
accepting name selection input wherein a user may select any name
in said sublist..].
.[.9. An item lookup system, said item lookup system comprising: a
display screen; a list of items stored in a memory; a character
set, said character set divided into a first character subset and a
second character subset; a first input device, said first input
device allowing a user to specify if a next letter in a desired
item is in said first character subset; a second input device, said
second input device allowing said user to specify if said next
letter in said desired item is in said second character subset; and
first program code for accepting input to create a sublist of items
displayed on said display from said list of items that eliminates
items that do not satisfy requirements made by said user with said
first input device and said second input device..].
.[.10. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 9 further
comprising: second program code for displaying said sublist of
items..].
.[.11. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 9 further
comprising: second program code for emitting an audible cue when
said sublist of items can be fully displayed on said display
screen..].
.[.12. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 9 further
comprising: second program code for emitting an audible cue when
said sublist of items comprises only one item..].
.[.13. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 12 wherein when
said sublist is reduced to a single item, a second program code
displays said single item in a detailed format..].
14. An item lookup system, .[.said, item lookup system.].
comprising: a display screen; a list of items stored in a memory; a
first input .[.device.]. .Iadd.button.Iaddend., said first input
.[.device.]. .Iadd.button .Iaddend.allowing a user to specify if a
next letter of a first name of a desired item is in a first subset
of a character set; a second .[.unput device.]. .Iadd.input
button.Iaddend., said second input .[.device.]. .Iadd.button
.Iaddend.allowing said user to specify if a next letter of a first
name of said desired item is in a second subset of said character
set; a third input .[.device.]. .Iadd.button.Iaddend., said
.[.first.]. .Iadd.third .Iaddend.input .[.device.]. .Iadd.button
.Iaddend.allowing said user to specify if a next letter of a second
name of a desired item is in said first subset of said character
set; a fourth input .[.device.]. .Iadd.button.Iaddend., said fourth
input .[.device.]. .Iadd.button .Iaddend.allowing said user to
specify if a next letter of a second name of said desired item is
in said second subset of said character; and first program code for
accepting input to create a sublist of items displayed on said
display from said list of items that eliminates items that do not
satisfy requirements made by said user with said first, second,
third, and fourth input .[.devices.]. .Iadd.buttons.Iaddend..
15. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 14 further
comprising: second program code for displaying said sublist of
items.
16. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 14 further
comprising: second program code for emitting an audible cue when
said sublist of items can be fully displayed on said display
screen.
17. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 14 further
comprising: second program code for emitting an audible cue when
said sublist of items comprises only one item.
18. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 14 further
comprising: second program code for displaying item in a detailed
format when said sublist contains only one item.
19. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 14 wherein said
first name is a person's first name and said second name is a
person's last name.
20. The item lookup system as claimed in claim 14 wherein said
first name is a person's last name and said second name is a
company name.
Description
.Iadd.CROSS-REFERENCES.Iaddend.
.Iadd.More than one reissue application has been filed for the
reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 6,744,451. The reissue applications are
application Ser. No. 11/445,504 (the present application) and
reissue application Ser. No. 12/404,094 filed on Mar. 13, 2008,
which is a continuation of reissue application Ser. No. 11/445,504
(which is a reissue application of U.S. Pat. No.
6,744,451..Iaddend.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of computer-human
interfaces. In particular the present invention discloses methods
for selecting an item from a list of items with only one hand and
without requiring visual feedback.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
New classes of handheld computer systems have become standard
office worker tools. Specifically, many knowledge workers have
purchased handheld computers such as Palm Computing, Inc.'s line of
Palm.RTM. handheld computers, the Handspring.TM. Visor.TM., and the
Microsoft Pocket PC to organize their schedules and store contact
information. Typically, these handheld computer systems contain
Personal Information Management (PIM) applications such as an
address book, a calendar application, a memo application, and a
To-Do list application.
Sales research has indicated that having a simple intuitive method
of accessing the stored data is one of the most important aspects
of a handheld computer system. Due to its simple elegant design and
efficient operation, handheld computer systems based upon the
Palm.RTM. Operating System (Palm OS.RTM.) have captured the
majority of the handheld computer system market. With the Palm
OS.RTM., a user can launch a desired application from the handheld
computer system's dormant state by simply pressing a designated
application button. The selected application then opens in a state
selected to best display information that the user may desire.
As previously set forth, one of the most important applications of
handheld computer systems is to hold personal information. For
example, an addressbook contains a list of acquaintances and a
calendar application contains a list of appointments. To satisfy
consumers, it would be desirable to create new useful interfaces
that allow a user to select an item from such lists in a simple
manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention introduces an aliased selection system with
audible cues to allow a user of a handheld computer system locate a
desired item from a list of item. The aliased selection system
allows a user to spell out a desired item by activating a series of
inputs that specify subsets containing the letters. For example, in
one embodiment the system uses two different inputs associated with
two different letter subsets: A to M and N to Z. The user "spells"
out the desired name by activating a series of inputs wherein each
input is associated with a letter of the name. For example, the
name "Mark" is entered with four inputs: A to M, A to M, N to Z,
and A to M.
In one embodiment, the system emits a first audible cue when the
user has entered information on enough letters such that the number
of possibilities fits entirely on a display screen. The user may
enter additional information on until a single list item is
uniquely identified. Once a single item is uniquely identified, the
system may emit a second audible cue that informs the user that a
single item has been specified.
Other objects, features, and advantages of present invention will
be apparent from the company drawings and from the following
detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will
be apparent to one skilled in the art, in view of the following
detailed description in which:
FIG. 1a illustrates a frontal view of a typical handheld computer
system that may incorporate the teachings of the present
invention.
FIG. 1b illustrates a rear view of a typical handheld computer
system that may incorporate the teachings of the present
invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram describing how one embodiment of
an aliased selection system may operate.
FIG. 3a illustrates an initial screen from an addressbook
containing twenty-four entries.
FIG. 3b illustrates a screen display from an addressbook after
creating a subset containing only items that meet a user's first
requirement.
FIG. 3c illustrates a single page display after creating a subset
containing only items that meet a two user requirements.
FIG. 3d illustrates a single page display after creating a subset
containing only items that meet a three user requirements.
FIG. 3e illustrates a display of a single unique item after the
user specified only four requirements.
FIG. 3f illustrates a detailed display of a single unique item
after the user specified only four requirements.
FIG. 4a illustrates handheld computer system keypad layout for a
first implementation of an aliased selection system.
FIG. 4b illustrates handheld computer system keypad layout for a
second implementation of an aliased selection system.
FIG. 5 illustrates a state diagram for a modal implementation of an
aliased selection system.
FIG. 6a illustrates a handheld computer system screen display for
an initial fast lookup state of a modal implementation of an
aliased selection system.
FIG. 6b illustrates a handheld computer system screen display for a
fast lookup state of a modal implementation of an aliased selection
system.
FIG. 6c illustrates a handheld computer system screen display for a
stop state of a modal implementation of an aliased selection
system.
FIG. 6d illustrates a handheld computer system screen display for a
scroll state of a modal implementation of an aliased selection
system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A method and apparatus for aliased selection system with audible
cues is disclosed. In the following description, for purposes of
explanation, specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a
thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will
be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details
are not required in order to practice the present invention. For
example, the present invention has been described with reference to
handheld computer systems. However, the same techniques can easily
be applied to other types of electronic devices such as pagers,
desktop telephones, and cellular telephones.
Handheld Computer Systems
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a handheld computer system 100. As
illustrated in FIG. 1A, the mobile computer system includes a
display area 120 for displaying information. The display area 120
may be covered with a digitizer pad for entering information using
a stylus. The handheld computer system 100 may also include a set
external buttons 130 that are also used by a user to input
information into the handheld computer system 100.
One of the most important applications of handheld computer systems
is maintaining an addressbook for the user. The addressbook
contains the names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone
numbers of acquaintances. The handheld computer system 100 has a
designated external buttons 130 that are used to immediately
activate particular applications. One of the external buttons may
be assigned to the addressbook application. A user may use a pair
of scroll buttons to scroll through a list of names in the
addressbook. Alternatively, the user may use a stylus to write the
name of a desired person. The user enters only part of the desired
name in order to have the handheld computer system 100 search for
all possible matches.
Although the scroll and search systems work well, such navigation
systems are not always ideal. One situation when such navigation
systems are not ideal is when a user is not able to commit full
attention to the handheld computer system. For example, the user
may be on a telephone call or driving an automobile. In such
situations, the user may only have one hand free. Furthermore, the
user may not be able to look at the display screen of the handheld
computer system for an appreciable length of time. In such
situations, it would be desirable to have system that would allow a
user to locate a desired name with one hand and without having to
look at the display screen of the handheld computer system.
Prior Directory Systems
One common types of prior art directory interface is the automated
telephone directory system offered by many voicemail systems. In
such automated telephone directory systems, a user spells the name
of a desired person by entering the telephone digit that has the
letter assigned. For example, the name "BOB" would be entered as
"262". Note that this scheme involves aliasing since the same
series of digits will also apply to other names. For example, the
digits "262" would also apply to the name "ANA". Thus, such systems
require the user to enter digits until only one possible name
matches.
Although such automated telephone directory systems work in a
telephone setting, such automated directory systems are not very
useful for handheld computer systems. For example, such automated
telephone directory systems require a telephone-like interface that
lists all the letters assigned to the various telephone digits.
Most handheld computers do not have such an interface. Even if such
an interface is presented, such a solution is limited because most
users must look at a list of letters assigned the telephone digit
keys in order to enter the digits associated with a desired name in
the telephone directory. Thus, the user must commit a substantive
amount of attention to the task.
Aliased Directory System for Handheld Computers
To allow a user of a handheld computer system locate a desired item
from a list of items, the present invention introduces an aliased
selection system with audible cues. The aliased selection system
with audible cues allows a user to select a desired item from a
list with a single hand and without looking at the display screen.
However, the user may shorten the selection process by looking at
the display screen and using a direct navigation system.
Aliased Directory System Operation
FIG. 2 illustrates a flow diagram that describes the operation of
the aliased selection system with audible cues. Referring to FIG.
2, a user first directs the handheld computer system to enter the
aliased list item selection mode at step 210. In one embodiment
with the handheld computer system of FIGS. 1a and 1b, this task may
be performed by simply engaging the designated addressbook external
button that launches the addressbook application.
Once the handheld computer system has entered the list item
selection mode, the handheld computer system displays a current
list of possible items at step 215. In one embodiment, the user may
use navigational keys, a mouse, a trackpad, or any other cursor
control system to navigate among the items in the current list and
select one of the items. However, to use the aliased selection
system, the user may enter an aliased subset designation for a
first letter in the desired item. For example, the user may enter
an aliased subset designation for a first letter in the last name
of a desired person in an addressbook.
In one embodiment, the alphabet is divided into two different
aliased subsets: (1) letters A to M (ABCDEFGHIJKLM); and (2)
letters N to Z (NOPQRSTUVWXYZ). The user enters the aliased subset
selection using some type of available input mechanism. For
example, in one embodiment a pair of input buttons are used to
specify the two different aliased subsets. In such an embodiment,
if a user wishes to enter the first letter of the name "BOB" then
the user activates the input button associated with the first
subset A to Z since the letter "B" is in that first subset
containing the letters A to M.
After receiving the aliased subset selection, the aliased selection
system determines a subset of list items that meet the designated
subset requirements at step 220. Referring to the above "BOB"
example, the system would eliminate from possibility all the list
items that begin with any letter in the N to Z subset. At step 230,
the systems tests if a null subset has been designated. If the user
has entered an input that designates a null subset, then the system
informs the user that no item matches the designated subset at step
235. In one embodiment, the system informs the user by emitting a
low frequency tone that is commonly used to denote a problem. The
system may also display an empty list. After informing the user of
the null set, the system may terminate the aliased selection based
search. Alternatively, the system may return to step 215 to allow
the user to enter a different input.
Referring back step 230, if the user's input did not designate a
null subset then the system determines if the current subset that
meets the user's specified requirements fits entirely on the
display screen of the handheld device. If the current subset that
meets the user's specified requirements does not entirely fit on
the display screen of the handheld device then the system returns
to step 215 where the handheld computer system displays a portion
of the current subset that meets the user's specified requirements
and allows the user to enter additional item requirements.
Specifically, the system allows the user to specify the aliased
subset of the next letter in the item. Referring again to the "BOB"
example, the user would trigger the button that designates the
subset of M to Z since "O" is in that subset.
In one embodiment (not shown in FIG. 2), a user may enter a "stop
search" input that informs the system that the user has entered all
the letters of the name. Once a user enters the stop search input,
the system eliminates all names having a number of letters greater
than the number of letters currently designated. For example, if
the user has entered the input for "B" and "O" then longer names
like "Bob" will be eliminated and only two letter names such as
"Bo" will remain.
Referring again to step 240, when the user has defined enough
letters such that the reduced subset that meets the user's
specified requirements fits entirely on a single display screen,
then the system proceeds to step 250 where the system informs the
user that the current subset is fully displayed on the display
screen. In one possible embodiment, the system informs the user by
emitting an audible indication such as a beep. This audible
indication informs a user that has nut been looking at the display
screen that the desired item now appears on the display screen of
the handheld computer system. At this point, the user may choose to
look at the display screen and directly select the desired item
from the display screen. For example, in a system with a digitizer
touchpad over the display screen the user may directly select the
displayed desired item by touching the desired item. Alternatively,
the user may navigate a cursor or other screen highlight indication
over the desired item using a navigation system and then enter an
input that accesses the highlighted item.
The system also tests if there is only one item in the current
subset of items that meets the user's specified requirements at
step 260. If only one list item meets the user's requirements, then
the system notifies the user that it has found a single matching
list item as step 265. In a preferred embodiment, this notification
includes an audible cue signal such that a user that is not looking
at the handheld computer system will know that the specific desired
item has been found. Ideally this audible cue is different than the
audible cue used to indicate that the current subset is fully
displayed on the display screen. At this point, the search is
complete and the final result may be displayed on the screen in
detailed form.
Referring back to step 260, if the current subset of items that
meets the user's specified requirements contains more than one list
item, then the system proceeds to step 270 to display the current
subset of matching items and accept additional user input. After
the user enters an additional input, the system determines if the
user has specified a null set of possible list items at step 280.
In such a case, the system informs the user that no item matches
the designated subset at step 285 then the system may terminate the
search or allow the user to designate a different subset by
returning to step 270. If the user's input does not specify a null
subset, then the system returns to step 260 to determine if one
unique item has been specified. Note that at step 270, the user may
decide to simply select one of the items displayed on the
screen.
Aliased Directory System Operation
To fully describe the aliased selection system with audible cues,
an example is provided with reference to FIGS. 3a to 3f. The
following list contains twenty-four names of individuals that may
be stored in a typical addressbook application:
Adams, Horst
Anderson, Ole
Black, Mark
Cameron, Rob
Campbell, Pat
Cusack, Robin
Deckard, John
Johnson, Robert
Johnson, Ted
Lyrist, Matt
Norris, Jackie
O'Connell, Ralph
Ragu, Helen
Stern, Susan
Taupin, Ray
Thorson, Hans
Underhill, Nancy
Verhoeven, Jim
Wang, Arnold
Watson, Steve
Webber, Sarah
Wolfgang, Peter
Young, Paul
Zorin, Rolf
In practice, many users would have even longer lists of
acquaintances in their addressbook applications. To locate a
particular desired name, a user may scroll through the entire list
with some input mechanism or write/type the desired name into a
search system. However, the aliased selection system with audible
cues of the present invention allows a user to select a desired
name with one hand and without looking at the display. To
illustrate the operation, we will provide an example of a user
wishing to locate "Webber, Sarah" from the list of names.
FIG. 3a illustrates the starting point of the navigation on a
system that can only display ten names at once. Note that the first
ten names of the full name list are displayed. To begin the
navigation, the user enters an input that specifies if the first
letter of the desired name is in a first subset or a second subset.
Using the A to M and N to Z subsets, the user would specify the
second subset since "W" is in the aliased subset N to Z. The system
responds by displaying a list of the first ten possible names that
meet the user's requirements as shown in FIG. 3b.
Note that at any time, the user may navigate to the desired name if
some type of cursor positioning system is available. For example, a
pair of scrolling keys may allow the user to scroll up or down the
displayed list. Alternatively, the user may navigate by directly
touch a digitizer pad on the display to activate the scroll bar
310.
If the user continues to specify the desired name using the aliased
selection system, then the user enters the subset for the next
letter. Specifically, the user will designate the first subset
since "E" is in the aliased subset A to M. The system then
generates a new subset of list items that meet the user's
specifications. The new subset consists of only eight list items
such that it now completely fits on the display screen as show in
FIG. 3c. In one embodiment, the system informs the user that the
entire list of possible items is displayed on the screen display of
the handheld computer system by emitting an audible cue such as a
simple beep. At this point, the user may desire to look at the list
and select the desired item by directly touching it with a finger
or a stylus.
A user that does not wish to look at the display screen may
continue to specify subset designations for additional letters.
After a user has specified the first subset for the letter "B" only
two items remain as displayed in FIG. 3d. After the user specifies
the first subset for the next letter "B", only a single list item
fits the user's qualifications as shown in FIG. 3e. At this point,
the system again emits another audible cue to inform the user that
a single unique list item has been identified. The audible cue may
be the same as the audible cue used to specify that all the list
items fit on a single page or it may be different.
In an alternate embodiment, once the user has entered enough
information to uniquely specify a single list item, the system may
go directly to a specific screen that displays detailed information
about the selected item. For example, the system may proceed from
screen FIG. 3d to FIG. 3f after the user specifies the first subset
for the second letter "B" in the name "WEBBER". The system may
simultaneously emit an audible cue to inform the user that a single
unique list item has been identified.
Variations Of The Aliased Selection System
Many variations of the aliased selection system can be created
using the teachings of the present invention. FIGS. 4a and 4b will
be used to describe two possible simple implementations using the
interface available on Palm Computing and Handspring handheld
computer systems. FIGS. 5 and 6a to 6d describe a sophisticated
modal implementation that provides on-screen help to the user.
Scrollable List Embodiment
FIG. 4a illustrates a first implementation example. In the
implementation of FIG. 4a, buttons 451 and 452 are used to
designate between the A to M and N to Z subsets. This operation can
easily be performed by a person with only one hand and without
looking at the handheld computer system. Scrolling keys 461 and 462
can be used to highlight a specific item in a currently displayed
list if the user wishes to manually navigate the list. Button 471
is used to select a highlighted item. Button 481 is used to exit
the aliased selection system mode. Note that the user can also
directly interact with list items on the screen and graphical user
interface devices such as the scroll bar 310 in FIGS. 3a and
3b.
First and Last Name Embodiment
Referring to FIG. 4b, a second implementation allows a user to
specify the next letter of either the first name or the last name a
desired item in a list. For example, buttons 411 and 412 can be
used to specify aliased information about the first name of a
desired person in an addressbook and buttons 421 and 422 can be
used to specify aliased information about the last name of the
desired person. Such an embodiment may be desirable since a person
may not remember the correct spelling of a particular first or last
name. Button 431 can be used to open a highlighted item. Button 441
can be used to exit the aliased selection system mode.
A Modal Embodiment
FIGS. 5 and 6a to 6d describe a sophisticated modal implementation
that combines some of the aspects of the scrollable embodiment and
the first/last name embodiment. FIG. 5 illustrates a state diagram
that describes the various states (or modes) of the modal
embodiment. FIGS. 6a to 6d illustrate screen displays associated
with the various states of FIG. 5.
Referring to FIG. 5, the system starts in some state 510 other than
the aliased selection (or "fast lookup`) state. The user then
indicates that he wants to enter the fast lookup state along state
transition 511. In one embodiment, the user may indicate this by
pressing the up arrow button (461 in FIG. 4a) when the user is at
the top of the scrolling list of names. This puts the handheld
computer system into the initial fast lookup state 520.
FIG. 6a illustrates one embodiment of how a handheld computer
system may appear in the initial fast lookup state 520. Referring
to FIG. 6a, a lower portion of the display area 660 is used to
display the actions assigned to the mechanical buttons 660 at
bottom of the handheld computer system. Specifically, the last name
letter group A to L 661 is assigned to button 611, last name letter
group M to Z 662 is assigned to button 612, first name letter group
A to L 664 is assigned to button 624, first name letter group M to
Z 665 is assigned to button 625, and "cancel" is assigned to up
button 636. From the initial fast lookup state 520, the user may
press cancel 666 to move back along cancel path 521 to the non fast
lookup state 510 or press one of the letter groups to enter the
fast lookup state 530 along path 522.
FIG. 6b illustrates one embodiment of how a handheld computer
system may appear in the initial fast lookup state 530. While in
the fast lookup state 530, the user may enter an aliased spelling
of the desired person's name using the last name letter group A to
L 661 assigned to button 611, last name letter group M to Z 662
assigned to button 612, first name letter group A to L 664 assigned
to button 624, and first name letter group M to Z 665 assigned to
button 625 as set forth in the previous sections.
Note that in the in the fast lookup state 530, the system provides
feedback as to the number of letters that have been entered.
Specifically, the two light squares and ellipsis 651 in FIG. 6b
indicate that two letters from the desired person's last name have
been entered. Similarly, the single dark square and ellipsis 652
indicates that only one letter from the desired person's first name
has been entered. Note that the two light squares and ellipsis 651
are highlighted to indicate that the user is currently entering the
last name of the desired person. There are actually two different
fast look up states--a first name fast lookup state and a last name
fast lookup state--but only a single fast lookup state is shown
FIG. 5 for clarity. To clear a current name search, the user may
hit the up button 636 to activate a clear 676 function that moves
the system back to the initial fast lookup state 520 along clear
path 531 in FIG. 5.
Referring back to FIG. 6b, if the user has entered all the letters
of a first or last name then the user may "stop" the search by
pressing the down button 633 to activate a "stop" 673 feature (also
known as "no more letters"). The stop feature is used to indicate
that there are no more letters for either the first or last name.
Referring to FIG. 5, the stop feature moves the system along path
533 to a stop state 540. When the system enters the stop state 540,
the spelling of the first or last name is stopped depending on if a
first name letter subset input or a last name letter subset input
key was most recently pressed, respectively.
FIG. 6c illustrates one embodiment of how a handheld computer
system may appear in the stop state 540 when the stop state is
entered after a last name letter subset key was most recently
activated. When entering the stop state, the system will eliminate
from consideration all names having a greater number of letters
than the number of letters entered for the first or last name
(depending on which name most recently had a letter defined). Thus,
a short last name such as "Ho" may be entered with two letter group
key presses and then one stop key press. Longer names with
similarly aliased initial letters such as "Horstmann" would be
eliminated from the list after pressing the stop key. FIG. 6c
indicates that the stop slate has been entered for the last name
since the ellipsis has been removed after the two blocks 651 that
indicate two last name letters have been defined.
Referring again to FIG. 5, if the name is actually longer and the
stop feature was selected by accident, the user may return to the
fast lookup state 530 along path 542 to the fast lookup state 530
by entering another letter. To clear the current search, the user
may hit the up button 636 to activate a clear 686 function that
moves the system back to the initial fast lookup state 520 along
clear path 541 in FIG. 5. If the user wishes to scroll through the
current items in the list, the user may select the scroll feature
683 with down button 633 from the stop state. Referring to FIG. 5,
selecting the scroll feature will move the system from the stop
state 540 along path 545 to the scroll state 550.
In one embodiment, a user may also enter the scroll state 550
directly from the fast lookup state 530. One method of allowing
such a transition is by "overloading" a button with more than one
feature. Specifically, in one embodiment, a user may transition
from the fast lookup state 530 along path 535 directly to the
scroll state 550 by holding down the down arrow button 633 for more
than two seconds. Thus, the down marrow button 633 is used to enter
both the stop state (by pressing the down arrow button 633 quickly)
and the scroll state (by pressing the down arrow button 633 and
holding it for more than two seconds).
FIG. 6d illustrates one embodiment of how a handheld computer
system may appear in a scroll state 550. In the scroll state 550,
the user may scroll up or scroll down using buttons 636 and 633,
respectively in order to select a particular entry in a displayed
list of names. The user is informed of this ability with up notice
696 and down notice 693. After the user has selected a particular
entry from the displayed list, the user may open the selected entry
by pressing button 612 or 625 as noted by the "open" feature notice
691 and 695. Referring to FIG. 5, opening a list item moves the
system from the scroll state 550 along path 553 to the display
record state 560 where the opened record is displayed.
Alternatively, the user can exit the fast lookup by selecting
button 611 or 624 associated with "exit" notice 691 and 694.
Referring to FIG. 5, exiting moves the system from the scroll state
550 along exit path 551 back to a non fast lookup state 510.
The modal embodiment described in FIGS. 6a to 6d looks up people in
an addressbook database using the first and last names of the
people. In another embodiment, the system can be used to look up a
person using the person's last name and the name of the company or
organization that the person is associated with.
The foregoing has described an aliased selection system with
audible cues. It is contemplated that changes and modifications may
be made by one of ordinary skill in the art, to the materials and
arrangements of elements of the present invention without departing
from the scope of the invention.
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