CA 02426359 2005-06-22
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HAND-HELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE WITH THUMBWHEEL
1. Fi~ld o~~ Invention
The present invention is directed toward the field of small, hand-held
electronic
devices such as personal data assistants (FDA's), personal information
managers (P>ivl's),
two-way pagers, cellular telephones, and the like.
2. Description of the Belated Art
In a two-way paging system (or other types of data communication networks)
that
provides two-way, full text messaging, there is a need to permit the user to
initiate
messages and to respond to messages in a timely fashion and with text entirely
created by
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
the user. In order to keep the form factor of the two-way pager small enough
to be worn
on the body of the user, such as with a belt clip, the input device needs to
be small, have a
minimal number of keys and should be optimized for use with a minimal number
of key
strokes. Prior art systems have attempted to address these needs by
incorporating virtual
keyboards or pen-based input systems for user inputs to the device, but such
systems
require the user to input data in an unfamiliar manner. Additionally, in a
small hand-held
messaging device, such as a two-way pager, these systems prove awkward to use.
SUN.~ARY
A hand-held electronic device is provided having a keyboard optimized for use
with
the thumbs and an inclined thumbwheel for auxiliary data ~;ntry and selection.
The
keyboard preferably includes a plurality of non-uniform shaped keys, such as
oblong, oval
or rectangular keys, which are organized into two sets of keys that, together,
form a
QWERTY keyboard. The two sets of non-uniform shaped keys are tilted at
complimentary angles to each other and with respect to a common vertical
reference
through the device. The keys are also uniformly distributed across the device
to facilitate
optimal thumb typing. The thumbwheel is inclined at an angle for easier
operation, and is
used for auxiliary data entry and menu selection.
In one embodiment of the invention, the hand-held electronic device is a two-
way
paging or wireless email device (such as the Inter@ctiveTM pager manufactured
and
marketed by Research In Motion of lRlaterloo, Ontario) that permits full-text,
two-way
messaging such as email messaging. The invention, however, is not limited to
two-way
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messaging devices, and can be utilized with any portable device, including
PDAs,
palmtops, hand-held computers, cellular telephones, pagers, etc. The device
may also
include standard PDA or PTA features such as an address book, an electronic
calendar, a
task list and other text-based features. Such features require user input of
text strings that
can be lengthy and that cannot be reduced to pre-determined or
'°canned" strings. Thus,
for such a device, the efficient entry of data in a device meant to fit into
the palm of one's
hand requires that two goals are achieved. First, the data entry must be
relatively easy
from a user perspective. This means that the user must be somewhat familiar
with
analogous forms of data entry and not have to be trained to use the data entry
for the hand-
held device. Second, the form factor does not permit a large number of keys or
keys that
are very large. Thus, efficient use of the keyboard space is required and
functions that
might be able to be performed by a standard keyboard are off loaded to an
auxiliary input
device or are performed, through a normal number of keystrokes that encourage
the use of
thumb-based data entry.
To accomplish these goals, the invention first optimizes the placement of the
keys
on the device keyboard. In order to work within the limited space available
for the
keyboard, it was determined that it was preferable to use keys that were oval
or oblong (or
otherwise non-uniform in radius) and that were tilted at angles designed to
facilitate use by
thumb typing. An angle for the keys on the right side of the keyboard and a
complementary
angle for the keys on the left side of the keyboard are chosen based upon
observation of
the angle at which a user will orient his or her thumbs while thumb-typing.
The keys are
uniformly distributed across the device such that half of the keys are on one-
half of the
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device and the other half of the keys are positioned on the other half of the
device. This
uniform key distribution further optimizes the device for use with the thumbs.
The invention also minimizes the number of keys available or required for data
input. In the preferred embodiment, only keys for the 26 letters of the
English alphabet are
available as well as a backspace key, a line feed key, an "alt" key., a "cap"
key and a space
bar. The alt key enables the user in conjunction the other keys to input
numbers and
symbols to perform certain functions. The placement of the keys is designed to
enhance the
user experience while typing with the thumbs by meeting two seemingly opposite
goals -
minimizing the keyboard footprint while maximizing the likelihood that p-roper
keys will
be struck by the thumb-typing user. The keyboard is preferably configured as a
QWERTY
keyboard.
Alternative embodiments could include fewer or more keys, including, for
example
function keys or control keys. The form factor, however, generally limits the
number of
keys that may be implemented if the goal of facilitating thumb typing is to be
met.
The invention also provides additional incentive for the User to use thumb
input by
providing an input device adjacent to the keyboard, but integral to the
overall hand-held
device. Although other devices can be used in an auxiliary fashion, the
preferred device is
a thumbwheel that registers movement of the wheel by measuring the number of
indents
traversed while rolling the wheel and that also registers as an input the
depression or
"clicking" of the wheel, which is performed by pressing the wheel toward the
back of the
pager. This clicking of the wheel is similar to the clicking of a mouse
associated with a PC
or any other input device that -registers the depression of a button. The
thumbwheel in the
CA 02426359 2005-06-22
preferred embodiment is placed vertically on the two-way paging device, and
inclined
at an angle, so that the user can easily move his or her thumb from the
thumbwheel to
the keyboard and back for performing functions and retrieving data forms, such
as an
ernail template or address book entry template, for data entry.
Additionally, various software techniques can be implemented to enhance the
thumb-typing users experience in using the device of the instant invention. In
the
preferred embodiment, for example, the user can change the capitalization of a
particular letter simply by keeping a key depressed for a particular length of
time
without an intermittent release being detected by the keyboard controller.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention there is provided a
handheld two-way wireless communications device optimally configured for use
with
the thumbs of a user comprising:
(a) a keyboard at the front of the communications device;
(b) an auxiliary input device positioned in relative proximity to the
keyboard;
(c) a display positioned at the front of the communications device adjacent
to the keyboard;
(d) a microprocessor to control the operation of the communications
device; and,
(e) a software application residing in the communications device for
providing a plurality of thumb-based operational features, the software
application
initiating certain operational features upon certain inputs from the keyboard
or the
auxiliary input device;
the auxiliary input device comprising a thumbwheel in an inclined orientation.
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According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
handheld two-way wireless communications device optimally configured for use
with
the thumbs of a user comprising:
(a) a keyboard at the front of the communications device;
(b) an auxiliary input device positioned in relative proximity to the
keyboard;
(c) a display positioned at the front of the communications device adjacent
to the keyboard;
(d) a microprocessor to control the operation of the communications
dcwice; and,
(e) a software application residing in the communications device for
providing a plurality of thumb-based operational features, the software
application
initiating certain operational features upon certain inputs from the keyboard
or the
auxiliary input device;
the auxiliary input device comprising a thumbwheel in a vertical orientation,
v~herein the thumbwheel is operable in combination with a key on the keyboard
to
initiate an altering functional state condition.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention there is provided a
hand-held electronic device, comprising:
a display for displaying a plurality of menu selections;
a QWERTY keyboard comprising two sets of keys, a first set of keys tilted at
a positive angle with respect to a vertical reference line through the hand-
held
electronic device and a second set of keys tilted at a corresponding negative
angle
with respect to the vertical reference; and
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a thumbwheel device for navigating and selecting from the plurality of menu
selections, wherein the thumbwheel device is inclined at an angle relative to
the hand-
held electronic device.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully with
reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a two-way, full-text, messaging device
incorporating a keyboard and an auxiliary data entry device;
Fig. 2 is a frontal view of the hand-held device showing the shape and
placement of the keys on the keyboard and the auxiliary input device;
Fig. 3 is a diagram of showing the shape, size and placement of the keys on
the keyboard;
Fig. 4 is a diagram of the control circuitry for the thumbwheel;
Fig. 5 is a general flow diagram of the major steps of the keyboard-related
aspect of the invention;
Fig. 6 is a general block diagram of the major subsystems involved in the
process described in Fig. 5;
Fig. 7 is a general flow diagram of the major steps of the thumbwheel-related
aspect of the invention;
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Fig. 8 is a general block diagram of the major subsystems involved in the
process
described in Fig. 7;
Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a hand-held device comprising an
alternative embodiment of the invention;
Fig. i0 is a view taken on line IO-10 ofFig. 9;
Fig. 11 is a view taken on line I I-1 I of Fig, 9;
Fig. 12 is a front view of parts of the device of Fig. 9; arid
Fig. 13 is a view taken on lire I3-13 of Fig. 12.
I O DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRA~V1NGS
Referring now to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a block diagram of the major
subsystems
and elements comprising a palm-sized, mobile; two-way messaging device that
preferably
incorporates the invention. The messaging device includes a
transmitterlreceiver subsystem
I00 connected to a DSP 200 for digital signal processing of the incoming and
outgoing
data transmissions, power supply and management subsystem 300, which supplies
and
manages power to the overall messaging device components, microprocessor 400,
which is
preferably an X85 architecture processor, that controls the operation of the
messaging
device, display 500, which is preferably a full graphic LCD, FLASH memory 600,
RAM
700, serial output and port 800, keyboard 900, thumbwheel 1000 and thumbwheel
control
logic 1010.
In its intended use, a message comes via a wireless data network, such as the
lVlobitex network or some other form of wireless data network, into subsystem
100, where
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it is demodulated via DSP 200 and decoded and presented to microprocessor 300
for
display on display 500. To access the display of the message, the user may
choose from
functions listed under a menu presented as a result of user interaction with
thumbwheel
1000. If the message is an email message, the user may chose to respond to the
emai 1 by
selecting "Reply" from a menu presented on the display through interaction via
thumbwheel 1000 or via menu, selection from keyboard 900. In typing the reply,
the user
can use keyboard 900 to type full text message replies, or insert
predetermined or "canned"
response by using either a particular keystroke pattern or through pulling
down
predetermined text strings from a menu of items presented on display 500
through the use
of thumbwheel 1000. When the reply to the message is composed, the user can
initiate the
sending of the message preferably by interaction through thumbwheel 1000, or
alternatively, with less efficiency, through a combination of keyboard 900
keystrokes.
When the microprocessor 300 receives an indication that the message is to be
sent,
it processes the message for transport and, by directing and communicating
with
transmitter/receiver subsystem 100, enables the reply message to be sent via
the wireless
communications data network to the intended recipient. Similar interaction
through I/0
devices keyboard 900 and thumbwheel 1000 can be used to initiate full-text
messages or to
forward messages to another party. Also, the keyboard 900 and thurnbwheel 1000
can be
used to permit data entry to an address book resident on the messaging device,
or to an
electronic calendar or log book, or any other function on the messaging device
requiring
data entry. Preferably, the thumbwheel is a thumbwheei with a push button SPST
with
quadrature signal outputs, such as that manufactured by Matsushita Electronic
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Components Co.'s, Ltd. as part number EVQ~VI~2001. As describe in more detail
below,
the thumbwheel is preferably inclined at an angle relative to the body of the
messaging
device.
Figure 2 is a front view of a messaging device 10 that incorporates the
invention.
5 The device 10 is shown in Fig. 2 in the ordinary operating/viewing position
in which it
would be held by and between the user's hands at the leift and right side
edges 12 and I4 of
~ the device 10. The keyboard 900 is thus elongated horizontally across the
front 16 of the
device 10. Shown in Figure 2 are a plurality of letter keys 901, and
specialized keys 902,
903, 904 and 905 and space bar 906. Also shown is the thumbwheel 1000 in its
vertical
10 orientation at the front side 16 of the device 10 in association with
display 500 and
keyboard 900. By "vertical" it is meant that the thumbwheel 1000 is oriented
with its
circular opposite sides 1002 and 1004 in vertical planes when the device 10 is
viewed
directly from the front in the ordinary operating/viewing position, as shown
in Fig. 2: The
axis 1005 of rotation then extends from left to right across the device 10 as
a horizontal
line parallel to the lengthwise direction of the keyboard 900. The thumbwheel
1000 can
roll about the axis 1005 up toward the upper edge 20 of the device 10 or down
toward the
lower edge 22 of the device 10. In the preferred embodiment, 902 is the alt
key, 903 is the
cap key, 904 is the line feed (blank space) key and 90~ is the backspace key.
The keys of the keyboard preferably comprise a QWERTY-type keyboard. The
keys are uniformly distributed across the device such that approximately half
of the
QWERTY keys are positioned on the left hand side of the device and the
remaining half of
the QWERTY keys are positioned on the right hand side of the device. This
symmetrical
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placement of the keys further facilitates thumb typing since each thumb would
be
approximately equidistant from a respective half of the QWERTY keys.
Fig. 3 is a view of a subset of the letter keys 901, showing the dimensions
and
relative position of the keys. Shown also is the point 950 that marks the
center of
keyboard 900, key dimensions 9'70, 971, 972 and 973, as well as angle 960 and
the rho
value 965, representing curvature of a letter key 901. In investigating
optimal key
placement on the keyboard, it was determined that the keys should be tilted at
an angle 960
relative to vertical that facilitated easy
typing using thumbs. As described above with reference to the thumbwheel 1000,
"vertical" is the direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction of the
keyboard 900
when the device 10 is viewed in its ordinary operating/viewing position, as
shown in Figs.
2 and 3. That angle is preferably positive 40 degrees relative to vertical for
keys on the
right side of the keyboard (where 950 is the center of the keyboard) and
negative 40
degrees for the keys on the left side of the keyboard, although complementary
angles
ranging from 20 degrees to 70 degrees could also be used to accomplish the
goal, albeit
less optimally, of facilitating thumb typing. Also as shown on Figures 2 and
3, the keys are
dispersed across keyboard 900 evenly so that there is su~cient space between
the keys to
decrease the opportunity for multiple keys being depressed while thumb typing.
As
discussed above, this uniform spacing also optimizes thumb typing by making
halfthe keys
accessible to each of the thumbs.
Additionally, the keys are size appropriately given the footprint of the
messaging
device and the keyboard 900. In its preferred embodiment, the messaging device
1~
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measures across its face 64 mm by 89mm, which does not leave much room for
keyboard
900 and display 500. In the preferred embodiment, keyboard 900 occupies over
half of the
face of the messaging device 10.
The key shape and dimensions are also key components of the invention. In
order
to maximize the surface area of the key that a thumb would hit, the keys are
preferably
oval, although they could be other shapes, such as oblong, rectangular, etc.,
and have a rho
965 defining the curvature of the key of .4I4, although values may range
higher or lower.
Other rho values will lead to an acceptable, but not as optimal or
aesthetically pleasing
shape of keys 901. As to the key dimensions, the width 970 of the key 901 is
4.8
millimeters (971 representing the radius of half that value, 2.4 min) and the
length (or
height) 972 of the key 901 is 7 millimeters {973 representing the radius of
half that value,
3.5 mm).
Figure 4 is the logic circuitry 1010 associated with thumbwheel 1000.
Thumbwheel
1000 outputs quadrature signals phase A 1021 and phase B 1022, which are
processed by
D flip-flops 1031 and 1032 to present signals 1041 W UP and 1042 W DN to
microprocessor 400. Signals 1041 and 1042 represent, respectively, a user
rolling the
thumbwheel up and rolling the thumbwheel down. Preferably, another detectable
input
movement from the thumbwheel is desirable. One such input movement
implementation
would produce an additional input signal derived from pushing the thumbwheel
toward the
rear of the device. Hence, the thumbwheel of the present invention has
preferably
measurable rotatable and depressible input movements. Although the description
that
follows is specifically relating to a thumbwheel input device, it is to be
understood that
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other suitable thumb-based auxiliary input devices having nnultiple input
detectable
movements are envisioned and well within tie scope and spirit ofthe present
invention.
In a broad aspect of the invention, input via keys on the keyboard in
conjunction
with software residing in the flash memory 600 also facilitates the
device°s operation with
the user°s thumbs. In another broad aspect of the invention, input via
the thumbwheel 1000
and a key on the keyboard in conjunction with software residing in the flash
memory 600
further increases the ease, performance, and functionality of the device.
These two broad
aspects and their specific embodiments will now be described.
Figure 5 is a general flow diagram of the major steps 2080 of the aforesaid
keyboard related aspect of the invention. The first step 2000 is the input via
depressing of a
key having a predefined functional state in combination with another key on a
keyboard.
Depending on the combination of keys depressed, an altering functional state
condition is
then initiated at step 2020. The altering functional state condition is
processed at step
2030. Next, the predefined fianctional state of the key is modified at 2040.
In step 2050;
the modified functional state is interpreted, and information is displayed
accordingly at
2060.
Figure 6 is a general block diagram of the major subsystems involved in the
process
described in figure 5. In the preferred embodiment of the device, when a key
is depressed
its predefined functional state 901 is given to the microprocessor 400 and
then to the
operating system 910. The operating system is responsible for accepting and
dispatching
to a specialized application 915 any user input and for providing services to
control the
display. The modifying step is achieved by a user interface software engine
930 processing
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the altering functional state condition 905 received from the operating system
910 via a
specialized application 915. The modified functional state 905 is then passed
to the
operating system 910. The operating system then acts on the information in a
predetermined manner so as to produce a display 906° representing the
modified functional
stage of the depressed key.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, there is a plurality of
specialized
applications 915 that manage different major features of the device. In such a
preferred
embodiment, the device would include the following specialized applications: a
graphical
ribbon application, message compose application, transport application,
address book
application, device options application, cryptographic application and
database application.
Other applications are also possible.
The applications fiznction directly with the operating system while the user
interface
engine, in general, provides further specialized functional services to these
applications.
The user interface engine comprises, in essence, a plurality of modules each
nodule
executing at least one different function, and either alone or in combination
with another
module, providing additional functionality to the applications that use its
services. For
instance, the user interface engine provides an input field that other
applications such as the
message compose application can use to display user input. Additionally, the
user interface
engine -receives, stores, manages and outputs data in a consistent manner to
readily
perform the various specific features to be described below. This scheme has
proven to be
very advantageous in view of the fact the operating system and the specialized
applications
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may then be limited in their coding overhead and hence allows them to be very
robust.
Some of the unique functions will be described in more detail below.
Keypad Aspect Generally
The process logic detail is now described for any keypad event-resulting from
user
5 input.
When any key on the device is depressed, a keypad event containing the
parameters of the
particular key is communicated to the microprocessor. In this instance, "any
key°' includes
the thumbwheel in addition to the keys on the keyboard. Preferably, the
parameters
indicate that a keypad event has occurred and which key has been depressed.
The
10 microprocessor communicates the keypad event information to the operating
system. The
operating system takes this keypad event information and notifies a
specialized application
of the keypad event information. Since, preferably, the specialized
application is blocked
waiting for such a keypad event, the application is awakened, examines the
keypad event
information, and passes the keypad event information to the user interface
engine for
15 further processing.
In essence, the keypad event information is passed to the user interface
engine .From
the operating system via the specialized application: the specialized
application in this case
acts as a conduit for information flow. In other instances, the specialized
application may
pre-process the keypad event information before passing the sa~rne to the user
interface
engine. Based on the keypad event information provided to the user interface
engine, the
user interface engine then acts in a predetermined functional manner. The pre-
determined
functional manner preferably includes processing the keypad event information
and
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updating stored display data so as to provide output instruction data. The
user interface
engine submits the output instruction data to the operating system. The
operating system
then acts according to the instructions in the instruction data, in most
cases, by submitting
for display a representation of the keypad event. The output instruction data
would
preferably include instructions as to where characters are to be displayed
within the display
and a character code reference value indicating which character should be
displayed on the
display. In other cases, a plurality of character code references may be
provided for
producing a display of a string of characters. The preferred character code
reference is the
standard Latin One Code Set. The operation, system would simply execute the
instructions by mapping the appropriate characters from its internal bitmap of
characters
into the appropriate locations on the display.
Auxiliary Input Device Aspect
Figure 7 is a general flow diagram of the major steps of the auxiliary input
device-
related aspect of the invention. The process 2080' begins with a first input
2000' via the
depressing of a key on a keyboard having a predefined functional state. Next,
a second
input 2010' from the auxiliary input device in conjunction with the depression
of the key is
provided. This combined effect of the first and second input initiates an
altering functional
state condition step 2020'. The altering functional state condition is
processed 2030' and
the predefined functional state of the key is modified 2040'. 'The modified
functional state
is then submitted 2050' for display. Additional modified functional stales are
accomplished
by receiving further inputs 2060' from the auxiliary input device while the
depressed key is
continued to be depressed. Figure 8 is a block diagram of the major subsystem
involved in
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the process described in Figure 7. Figure 8 is similar to Figure 6 save for
input from the
auxiliary input device subsystem now contributing to the altering functional
state condition.
This aspect of the present invention has proven extremely useful: in
optimizing the
functionality of the handheld device by operation of the device with only the
user's thumbs.
S International Character-Scrolling Feature
Turning now to a specific embodiment of the aforesaid auxiliary input device-
related aspect of the invention, the user interface engine, the thumbwheel and
at least one
key on the keyboard may be utilized to insert international characters into a
user input f eld
such as the input field provided by the user interface engine, in general and
preferably, the
user first presses and holds down a key with the desired associated
international characters
while the thumbwheel is rolled. For each rolled input from the thumbwheel, a
different
international character associated with the depressed key is outputted on the
display as a
substitute for the previous character displayed. There is preferably a
plurality of
international characters or symbols associated with every key on the keyboard.
When the
desired character is displayed, the user releases the depressed key and the
desired character
remains on the display. Traditional means to select such international
characters require a
number of additional input steps or the availability of additional keys on the
keyboard -
requirements undesirable with the present handheld device.
With reference to Figure 8, the international character-scrolling feature
begins with
the depression of a key on the keyboard 900 in conjunction with input from the
thumbwheel 1010. The input from the thumbwheel is preferably accomplished by
rolling
the thumbwheel in either the up or down direction. The combined effect of
inputs 901
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from the key and the thumbwheel produce an altering functional state condition
or a special
keypad event 905. The parameters associated with this special keypad event 90
include
data descriptors that will indicate whether the thumbwheel was either rolled
up or down
and which key on the keyboard was depressed. The user interface engine 9~0
processes
S the special keypad event information by indexing through an array containing
references to
the international characters associated with the depressed key. The processing
incrementally indexes up or down the array (depending on the thumbwheel scroll
direction
parameter), scares the current array position where tile indexing stopped and
retrieves the
character reference code information stored in the current array position.
Preferably, at
each index increment, output instruction 90S' is submitted to the operating
system 910 for
display on the display 500. The output instruction preferably includes the
reference
character code and the location of the character to be displayed on the
display. Based on
this output instruction, the operating system outputs at the appropriate
location a bitmap
image 906' for a given reference code from its internal bitmap. If the user
chooses to see
the next international character associated with the depressed key, the user
20 provides an
additional rolling input while continuing to depress the key. This produces a
second
special keypad event thereby initiating the altering functional state process.
Consequently,
the above process is related.
The user interlace engine processes the keypad parameters from the second
special
keypad event by further indexing in the appropriate direction by one element
from the
previously store position within the array. Again, the user interface engine
submits to the
operating system sufficient information to display the next associated
international
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character retrieved from the array. Further inputs from the thumbwheel would
simply
repeat the processing until all international characters associated with the
depressed key are
indexed through after which time the indexing returns to the top of the array.
Although the above description refers to modifying the default character of
the key
depressed with an international character it is to be understood that the
application of this
aspect of the invention can equally be applied to modifying the functional
state of the
depressed key. For instance, a certain special keypad event defined by a
certain key
depressed in conjunction with input received from the thumbwheel could trigger
a macro to
be executed thereby altering the functional state of the depressed key. In
this instance, a
macro is a single instruction provided by the scrolling feature that expands
automatically
into a set of instructions to perform a particular task. In another instance,
the altered
functional state of a key could produce any one of the following: a larger
font for the
display; change the default font type; change subsequent text to bold or
italics; cause
certain text to blink in a received email transmission; and reverse image
certain text. in
another instance, the altered the functional state of a key could provide the
user with
"canned" or pre-set messages that could be readily be used for the purposes of
quickly
responding to a received message. In another instance, the context of the
current active
display area of the device may either add, or alternatively, suppress,
associated altered
states. For example, when a user is in the reply-to-message screen display,
depression of
the letter "M°° with the scrolling input from the thumbwheel
would produce an ellipsis or
the display as the altered functional state. In contrast, the same key and
thumbwheel
sequence would instead result in a macro sequence to execute in the options
screen display.
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Capitalization
Turning to another software-related feature that aids in the device 10 being
optimally used for thumb typing is a capitalization feature implemented via
software. If a
user depresses a key 901, the operating system detects a key down event. If
the key is
5 released after a period of time, the operating system detects a key up
event. If after a key
down event, a certain period of time elapses before a key up event is
detected, the
operating system determines that a key repeat event has occurred representing
a situiation
where a user has continued to depress a key without releasing it. A key repeat
event is
then treated by application software residing in either flash 600 as an event
that requests
10 the capitalization of the key previously depressed. This feature disables
the key repeat
feature and substitutes instead a capitalization feature based on the length
of a key press.
The timing of the key scanning to determine whether a key has been released
can be set to
permit a slower keyboard response or a faster keyboard response, depending
upon user
experience of preferences.
15 Although the capitalization function preferably works only to change the
state of a
letter to a capital, it alternatively could operate to change a capital letter
to a lower case
letter. The actual display image is changed by the operating system mapping
appropriate
bitmapped characters as instructed by the user inter-race engine. As
alternatively
implemented, the continued depressing without release of a letter key could
result in a key
20 oscillating between upper case and lower case, depending on the length of
time the key is
depressed.
Automatic Formatting Features
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
2i
Now follows a description of another software-related as~sect of the present
invention that is implemented to specifically minimize the number of
keystrokes required as
input by the user in using the device. In some cases, two software engines
handle this
software-related aspect, namely the user interface engine and an autotext
engine. The user
interface engine by using the above mentioned functional modules facilitates
presenting
common interface elements such as menus, lists and textboxes. The autotext
engine is
another software application that extends the user interface engine and makes
use of a
database to perform text insertions and other related activities. The autotext
engine is
preferably implemented as a user interface engine element {such as a choice
box or list or
standard edit element). This arrangement of being a user interface engine
element allows
specialized applications to incorporate a buffer that performs autotext
substitution as they
would a standard input field. However, because of the substantive amount of
code
associated with the autotext engine and the engine's need to be configured
with a list of
replacement strings, the engine is preferably implemented as a separate
module. One
specific advantage that flows from the specific embodiments of the engines as
described
herein is that there is a substantial reduction of input formatting b)/ the
user, since
automatic formatting can be triggered by a small number of keystrokes, or by
predefined
key sequences entered one key at a time.
Auto~unctuation
Another embodiment of the user interface engine is the "aiatopunctuation"
feature
of the device. If the user enters one of a number of predefined character
sequences, the
user interface engine will automatically insert a period (full stop) in the
user input field. in
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
' 22
this manner the user does not nee! to use the alt key to enter a period, An
example of one
such character sequence would be <character><space><space>, after such
character
sequence the user interface engine will instruct the operating system to
replace the first
<space> with a full stop and to capitalize the next character entered by tie
user. For
S clarity, in this description: <space> represents a blank space user input;
<character>
represents any character user input; and, <period> represents user input of
the character
°'.". Because of bandwidth considerations when the device transmits
data to the wireless
network, it is preferable that only one space, instead of two, is present
between the period
and the first character of the next sentence. Alternatively implemented,
instead of replacing
the first <space> in the aforesaid character sequence, a period is inserted
after the
<character> and the next character entered by the user is capitalized thereby
producing two
spaces between the period and the next character. In another embodiment of
this
autopunctuation feature, if the user enters one of a number of predefined
character
sequences that is used as a capitalization signal, such as <period><space>,
the user
1 S interface engine will- process the event and capitalize the next character
entered by the
user. Alternatively implemented, the predefined character sequence could he
<period><space><space>. To further enhance this feature, autopunctuation can
be undone
easily, as described bellow.
Character Substitution
Another embodiment of the user interface engine is the "intelligent character
substitution" feature of the device. In fields designed for certain types of
input, the user
interface engine will automatically substitute appropriate characters if
inappropriate
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
23
characters are entered. For example, in a field designed to hold an email
address, a method
of composing an email address is provided by the character substitution
feature of the
present invention for emaii address tacking on the general form
<characters>@<characters>.<characters>. In the instance, it is assumed blank
spaces are
unacceptable characters for an email address field. The method begins with the
user
interface engine receiving from user input a character set representing a
certain portion of
the email address. If a first delimiter trigger signal, preferably a first
blank space, is
received froze the user input, the engine confirms that no at-sign character
("@") has been
entered in the already received character set. If no, the engine substitutes
the first delimiter
trigger signal with a first email delimiter, preferably the at-sign character.
If yes, the engine
substitutes the first delimiter with a second email delimiter, preferably a
period character.
For any subsequent blank space input received, the engine substitutes
preferably another
period character.
Another example of the character substitution feature occurs when entering
data in
a field designed to hold numeric data. If the user presses an alphabetic key
whose
corresponding alt character is a numeral, the user interface engine will
recognize this and
instruct the operating system to automatically insert the numeral into the
field; even if the
user had not pressed the alt key.
Phrase substitution
The first embodiment of the autotext engine provides an application service
for
error correction and phrase substitution. By entering pairs of strings into an
autotext
database, the user can associate "original strings" with "replacement
strings". The autotext
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
' 24
engine also defines an autotext input meld that applications may use to access
the
functionality of the autotext engine. The autotext input field may be of
variable length
typically up to the length of an small message. As the user is entering data
into an autotext
input field, each time a space is entered, the autotext engine will search
backwards from the
current cursor position to extract the last word from the autotext input
field. The autotext
engine will then efficiently search thraugh the autotext database for an
original string that
exactly matches the last word. If such a string is found, the last word in the
autotext input
field will automatically be replaced with the corresponding replacement string
from the
database.
This phrase substitution feature could be used to correct common typing errors
(for
example, "the" could be automatically converted to "the") or to facilitate the
entry of
common phrases (for example, "fyi" could be automatically converted to "for
your
information"). This feature could also automatically insert a regularly used
international
character or symbol in a message thereby reducing the instances when the
international
character-scrolling feature needs to be used. In this latter scenario, the
original string
could be " jr" and the associated replacement string could be
"Jiirgen°'. The international
character would be entered as described before for the international character
scrolling
feature.
The phrase substitution feature could advantageously be used or electronic
signatures to be appended to the end of an small message composed by the user
on the
device. Advantageously, a variety of different electronic signatures can be
stored in the
autotext database. In this manner, the user may chose the appropriate
signature from his
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
' 25
set of signatures for the particular context of the email message about to be
transnutted.
For instance, in one case the user in an informal message may sign oiF "Take
Care &
Cheers" with the original string "tc" while in a legally sensitive message the
same user may
sign off "Solicitor-Client Privileged Communication" with the original string
°'scp'°. In this
manner, there is no need for any electronic signature field insertion at the
gateway of the
wireless network and the user may amend and modify his electronic signatures
without
network interaction. In the preferred embodiment, the replacement string is
case sensitive
in that any preset capitalization in the replacement string appears when
displayed and
cannot be forced into a lower case by the case status of the original string.
However, if the
first character of the original string is upper case, then preferably the
first character of the
replacement is forced into an upper case as well.
In another embodiment, the autotext engine preferably includes a macro
functionality that allows a use-r to specify special character codes in the
replacement string
that will be treated specially when the replacement string is entered into the
autotext
engine. These codes are preferably divided into two distinct sets: control
character codes
and dynamic data codes.
In the control character code situation, some character sequences in the
replacement string will be converted to control characters when the original
string is
replaced by the substitution feature. Examples of these sequences would be
"%b" a:nd
"%B" which convert to a backspace character and a delete character
respectively.
Therefore, for an open bracket "(" to be displayed, tl:se original string
could be defined as
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
' 26
"br" and the replacement string as "(%3". Likewise, for a close bracket ")",
the original
string could be "rb" and the replacement string '° %b)".
In the dynamic data code situation, certain character sequences in the
replacement
string will be converted to dynamic data when the original string is replaced.
Examples of
these sequences would be " %t'° and "%d" wherein the codes are
converted into the current
time and current date respectively. Like the intelligent character
substitution feature,
autotext replacement can be undone easily, as described below.
~Tndo Feature
As mentioned above, all automatic formatting features of the user interface
and
autotext engines such as autocapitalization, autopunctuation and phrase
substitution may
be overridden by what is referred to the "easy undo" feature herein. T'he
automatic
formatting features have undo capabilities that are triggered by backspacing
over a
significant character. As such, if the user backspaces over one of these
signif cant
characters, the formatted data is replaced with the raw data as it existed
prior to automatic
formatting.
For instance, the user rnay type "fyi" into an autotext input field such one
implemented in the message compose screen. If then the user types <space> and
"fyi°° is in
the autotext database, the autotext engine will replace "fyi" with
°'for your information" in
the input field as earlier described in phrase substitution. If the user does
not desire this
substitution, the user can preferably backspace over the last character of the
displayed
string "for your information°'. Consequently, the autotext engine will
restore the contents
ofthe input field to "fyi" as they were prior to the phrase substitution
formatting operation.
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
27
In this instance, the significant character was the last character "n" in the
phrase "for your
information".
If the user types a sequence of characters that results in an automatic
formatting
operation, and backspaces to activate the easy undo feature, the appropriate
engine will
retain the fact that an undo operation took place at that significant
character position.
Consequently, if the user retypes the same sequence of characters, then the
automatic
formatting will not be applied for a second time. This allows the user to
suppress an
automatic formatting feature when desired.
For example the user may suppress the autopunctuation feature from inserting a
fill
stop automatically. As described above, if the user types <space><space> in an
input field;
a full stop will be inserted by the user interface engine for the first
<space>. If the user
does not desire a full stop in that location, the user would then backspace
over the full stop
character and retype <space><space>. The user interface engine will not
replace the full
stop as it did the first time.
Navigation Aids
The device software provides a number of navigation aids for most user input
tasks.
The navigation aids maximize the likelihood that there will be a graphical
interface that the
user finds intuitive. The aids allow most input tasks to be performed
completely using
either the keyboard or the thumbwheel. The navigation aids are preferably
incorporated
into choice boxes and menus of the device software. A choice box is graphical
interface
wherein only one selection is displayed at one tune. The other possible
selections are
displayed one at a time by a navigation means. A menu, on the other hand, is a
graphical
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
2~
interface wherein all selections for a particular input are displayed at one
time. There are
other instances where the navigation aids may be used and such applications
are within the
scope of the invention.
As a first aid, the user may cycle through all available options in a choice
box by
pressing the space bar. For instance, in a box containing the months of the
year, pressing
the space bar repeatedly will change the selection from "January' to
°'February" to "arch",
etc. A keypad event, defined by the location of the cursor being in a choice
box and the
depression ofthe space bar, would trigger the altering functional state
process. As a result,
the user interface engine would process the event by indexing though a choice
array
associated with the choice box and provide to the operating system
instructions to display
the next available option.
As a second aid, the user may also cycle through the data by pressing a
control key
and rolling the thumbwheel. The control key is preferably the "alt" key 902.
Other control
keys are possible and within the scope of the invention. This navigation
method allows
more flexibility for the user because the user can cycle through data in
either direction in
the choice array. This navigation is similar to the aforesaid international
character-scrolling
embodiment. instead of international characters associated with the key
depressed, the
software displays a list of options. Preferably, in the downward scrolling
direction? the
user interface engine will move through the list of choices in the same
direction as it would
have if the space bar had been pressed. In the upward scrolling direction, the
user
interface engine will move backwards through the list of choices (e.g.
°'March" to
"February" to "January", etc.). Fence, the alt Key's defined function of
producing for 2 0
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
z~
display an alternate character for a key has been altered by the keypad event
triggered by
the thumbwheel and the alt key inputs. In the case of a menu display, the user
can move
the cursor between items in the menu by depressing a character key. If a menu
item exists
beginning with the character, the cursor will be positioned automatically over
the first item
in the menu beginning with that character. If there are multiple menu items
beginning with
that character, pressing the key repeatedly will cycle it through those menu
items. When
the cursor is positioned over the desired item, the user can select it by
pressing the Enter
key. If the user decides that he does not want to select any menu item, but
instead return
to his previous position in the application, he can again select the "Hide
Menu" item or
press the backspace key, and the menu will be dismissed.
Another navigation aid is available when the cursor is positioned over a
specific
choice box that changes options by allowing the user to cycle through the
options in the
choice box by only rolling up or down without depressing the aJ.t key.
Similarly, when a
menu is displayed, the user can move the cursor up or down in the menu by
rolling the
thumbwheel, respectively, up or down. When the cursor is positioned over the
desired
menu item, the user can select it by pressing the roller wheel toward the back
of the device
(called clicking the wheel). If the user decides that he does not want to
select any menu
item, but instead desires to return to his previous position in the
application, preferably, he
can select the "Hide Menu" item, and the menu will be dismissed. Preferably,
the user can
also dismiss the menu by pressing the backspace key.
Another navigation aid utilizes the uniqueness of the first character of each
choice
listed in a choice box. If the user depresses a key and there exists a
possible choice
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
beginning with the character represented by the key, that choice will
automatically be
selected without any further input required by the user. if there are multiple
choices
beginning with that letter, pressing the key repeatedly will cycle through the
available
choices. Foi- example, in a month choice box, pressing "j" will first select
'°January'°, then
5 "June" and then "July". Alternatively implemented, rapid keystrokes could
result in a
narrower search. For instance, rapidly pressing "ju" would result in "June"
and then "July".
~ ThumbwheelOrientation
As described above with reference to Fig. 2, the communications device 10 has
a
vertical thumbwheel 1000. As shown in Figs. 9-12, an alternative emb~diment of
the
10 invention comprises a device 4000 with an inclined thumbwheel 4002.
Like the device 10, the device 4000 is a hand-held communications device
which,
as viewed directly from the front in Fig. 9, has an ordinary operating/viewing
position in
which it is normally held by and between the user's left and right hands at
the left and right
~ side edges 4004 and 4006 of the device 4000. The keyboard 4008 is thus
elongated
15 horizontally across the front 4010 of the device 4000 at a location between
the display
4012 and the lower edge 4014 of the device 4000. Further like the device 10,
the device
4000 includes a microprocessor with a software application for providing a
plurality of
thumb-based operational features upon certain inputs from the keyboard 4008
and the
thumbwheel 4002, as described above.
20 The housing 4020 of the device 4000 has front and rear sections 4022 and
4024.
The thumbwheel 4002 projects outward through a slot-shaped opening 4026 in the
front
section 4022 of the housing 4020. The opening 4026 interrupts the corner of
the housing
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
31.
4020 between the front 4010 and the right side edge 4006 of the device 4000,
and is
elongated lengthwise of the right side edge 4006. The opening 4026 is thus
configured to
provide clearance for the thumbwheel 4002 to project from boi:h the front 4010
and the
right side edge 4006 of the device 4000 in its inclined orientation. This
places the
peripheral surface 4030 of the thumbwheel 4002 in an orientation in which it
is clearly
visible from directly in front of the device 4000 when a user holds the device
4000 in its
ordinary operating/viewing position, as shown in Fig. 9. Importantly, the
peripheral
surface 4030 of the thumbwheel 4002 is easily accessible, i.e., reachable, by
the right
thumb at the front 4010 of the device and also by the right index finger when
the device is
held, preferably, in the palms of two hands. Also, the peripheral surface 4030
of the
thumbwheel 4002 is accessible by the right thumb at, for instance, the right
side edge 4006
ofthe device when the device is held in one hand. The present invention
provides optimum
positioning between a vertically-aligned thumbwheel and horizontally-aligned
thumbwheel;
thereby, allowing the user to operate the thumbwheel in either a single-hand
operation or
two-handed operation.
As best shown in Fig. 1 I, the thumbwheel 4002 is inclined at a specified
angle A
from the vertical orientation of the thumbwheel 1000 Fig. 2). The angle A is
preferably 70
degrees. 'dVith its axis 4031 of rotation in this orientation, the thumbwheel
4002 can roll up
toward the upper end 4032 of the device 4000, and down toward the lower end
4014, in a
manner similar to the up and down rolling movement of the thumbwheel 1000.
However,
the rolling movement of the thumbwheel 4002 further has directional components
extending across the front 4010 of the device 4000 between the opposite side
edges 4004
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
32
and 4006 as a result of its inclination from the vertical orientation. of the
thumbwheel 1000
This enhances the ability of the user to manipulate the thumbwheel 4002 with
either the
thumb or index finger of the right hand.
A structure for supporting the thumbwheel 4002 within the housing 4020 is
shown
in Figs. 12 and 13. An important advantage of the inclined thumbwheel 4002 is
that
thickness of the housing (i.e., the distance between the front surface 4010
and the rear
surface 40I 1) is minimized; thereby, allowing the overall dimensions of the
device 4000 to
be sleeker than if the thumbwheel 4026 were vertically positioned. The
supporting
structure includes a rollerwheel switch assembly 5000 and a printed circuit
board (PCB)
5002. These parts 5000 and 5002 are configured to interconnect the thumbwheel
4002
operatively with the main PCB 5004 (shown schematically in Fig. 11).
The PCB 5002 has first and second portions 5006 and 5008. The two portions
5006 and 5008 of the PCB 5002 are inclined relative to each other at a
specified angle B
which is complementary to the angle A of Fig. 11. In the preferred embodiment,
the angle
B is 20 degrees. The rollerwheel switch assembly 5000 supports the thumbwheel
4002 on
the first portion 5006 of the PCB 5002 for rotation about the axis 403 l, as
indicated by the
R arrows 4034, and also for clicking input movement in a direction
perpendicular to the
axis 4031, as indicated by the C arrows 4033 shown in Fig. 12. An additional
advantage of
the present invention is the ability to execute the clicking input movement in
a plurality of
angular positions of the user°s thumb or index fmgez- as illustrated by
the input arrows F
4032 and associated angles D, D', and D" in Fig. 13. All that as required to
engage the
rollerwheel switch assembly 5000 to acknowledge a clicking input movement is
sufficient
CA 02426359 2003-05-07
33
force in the direction perpendicular to the axis 4031. In this manner, some of
the
additional advantages described above relating to easy access via a single-
hand or a dual-
hand mode operation of the device 4000 is further enhanced. The plurality of
angular
positions by which the user may engage the thumbwheel 4002 for input allows
for greater
freedom and ergonomic flexibility for the user. Such freedom and ergonomic
flexibility is
not found in traditional handheld devices having a thumbwheel. ~n escape
switch 5010
also is mounted on the first portion 5006 of the PCB 5002, and is acuatable by
a button
5012 (Fig. 9) in a known manner. A connector 5014 is mounted on the second
portion
5008 of the thumbwheel PCB 5002 to connect the second portion 5008 directly
with the
main PCB 5004 in an orientation parallel to the main PCB 5004. The first
portion 5006 of
the thumbwheel PCB 5002 then supports the thumbwheel 4002 in the inclined
orientation
described above.
Having described in detail the preferred embodiments of the present invention,
including the preferred methods of operation, it is to be understood that the
preferred
embodiments are presented only by way of example and are not meant to limit
the scope of
the present invention that is defined by the following claims.
