Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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PRIMARY ACTIONS MENU ON A HANDHELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE
FIELD
The present disclosure generally relates to the user interface of software
applications, and more particularly, to a hierarchical in-place menu that
replaces parent
menus with submenus.
BACKGROUND
Most conventional application programs are menu-driven as opposed to being
command-driven. Menu-driven applications provide a list of possible commands
or
options from which a user may choose, while command-driven applications
require users
to enter explicit commands. Thus, menu-driven applications are generally
easier for the
average user to learn than are command-driven applications. Menus are
typically
implemented as a list of textual or graphical choices (i.e., menu items) from
which a user
can choose. Thus, menus allow a user to select a menu item, for example, by
pointing to
the item with a mouse and then clicking on the item. Examples of other methods
of
selecting menu items include highlighting an item and then hitting the
"return" key or
"enter" key, and pressing on a menu item through a touch-sensitive screen.
One particularly useful type of menu is a hierarchical menu. An example of a
conventional hierarchical menu 100 is illustrated in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG.
1,
hierarchical menus 100 typically present a parent menu 115 that has selectable
menu
items. The selection of each menu item normally causes another menu, or
submenu 116 to
be displayed next to the currently displayed menu. The submenu 116 has
additional menu
choices that are related to the selected parent menu item which results in the
display of the
submenu. The depth of a hierarchical menu can extend in this manner to many
levels of
submenus (shown as four levels in Fig. 1).
The example menu shown in FIG. 1 illustrates how conventional hierarchical
menus 100 generally lay out from left to right across a display screen as menu
choices are
selected. This menu format provides various advantages such as retaining
previous and
current menus on the display screen at the same time. This provides a
historical menu
map as menu selections are made and their corresponding submenus are displayed
across
the screen. Users can therefore review previous menu selections that have been
made
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while progressing to the most recently displayed menu, making it easier to
move between
different menu items and different menu levels.
Although such hierarchical menus provide useful advantages, there are
scenarios in
which their use is impracticable. One such scenario is when hierarchical menus
are used
on devices having small display screens. The problems presented when
attempting to
implement conventional hierarchical menus on small-screen devices have
generally
discouraged the use of hierarchical menus with such devices. FIG. 2
illustrates an
example of how the hierarchical menu 100 of FIG. 1 may appear on the display
screen of a
small-screen device, for example, a PDA 300a.
As indicated above, hierarchical menus generally lay out across the display
screen
from left to right. On small-screen devices where the room on the screen is
not wide
enough to accommodate all of the menus, the menus often lay out across the
screen in both
directions, from left to right and back again. In this scenario, the menus
typically begin to
overlap one another, creating various problems. One problem is that the
overlapping
menus can be confusing to the user, as FIG. 2 illustrates. Overlapping menus
can make it
difficult for a user to discern previous menu selections which can, in turn,
make it difficult
to determine how to return to previous menus to make different menu
selections. Thus,
one of the intended benefits of a hierarchical menu can be undermined when the
hierarchical menu is implemented on a small-screen device.
Overlapping menus can also create problems with small-screen devices (as well
as
others) that employ pen-based or stylus-based touch-sensitive screens. With
such devices,
it is often difficult to maintain contact continuity between menus on the
screen when the
menus are overlapping. In other words, it is easy to move off of menus with
small-screen,
touch-based devices. If continuity is lost when moving from one menu to
another, menus
will often disappear from the screen, causing the user to have to go back and
reactivate the
menu from a prior menu. This problem becomes worse when using pen-based
devices that
"track". In the present context, the terminology of "tracking" is used to
indicate a situation
in which a cursor on the screen follows (tracks) the movement of the pen as
the pen moves
over the screen even though the pen is not touching the screen. Tracking is
lost if the pen
is pulled too far away from the screen. Thus, pen-based devices that "track"
tend to lose
more menus when hierarchical menus are employed.
One method of addressing this issue involves displaying submenus in place of a
parent menu, and vice versa, when the appropriate menu items are selected from
within
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the parent menus and submenus. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary hierarchical in-
place
menu 500. The dashed lines 506 of FIG. 5 are intended to indicate that each of
the menus
502, 504, 510 and 512 of the hierarchical in-place menu 500 are displayed
separately from
or "in place" of one another. Like a typical hierarchical menu, the depth of a
hierarchical
in-place menu 500 can extend in this manner to many levels of submenus such as
second,
third, fourth and fifth levels, with submenus being parent menus to other
submenus.
Parent menu items selected from within parent menus are displayed within
submenus as
links back to previous parent menus and are separated from that submenu's
items by a
divider 514. For example, parent menu item "Launch App" shown in parent menu
502
includes a forward pointer 508 that indicates a submenu will replace parent
menu 502
upon selection of "Launch App" from within parent menu 502. In each of the
submenus
504, 510 and 512, "Launch App" has a backward pointing arrow to allow going
back to a
previous menu in the hierarchy.
However, another disadvantage of hierarchical menus in general is the number
of
menu items presented in each menu. Each of the menus provides the full
complement of
available menu items. This can be overwhelming for a novice user and
irritating to an
experienced user. This problem is exacerbated to an extent by the addition of
a
hierarchical history of parent menus added to the list.
Another approach to the problem of dealing with a full or extended menu, which
lists all available menu items at that particular level uses a radio
communication device
that provides an extended menu and a short menu that is a subset of the
extended menu
and the ability to select between the two. The short menu is a dynamic menu
that is built
by the user by selecting menu items from the corresponding extended menu to
include in
the short menu.
A disadvantage of this approach is that the novice user will be further
overwhelmed with having to build the various short menus. The experienced user
may be
disinclined from having to go through the initial set-up procedure of the
short menus.
Another disadvantage of a hierarchical menu system is the requirement of
proceeding through each menu of the hierarchy to reach the desired action or
menu item.
This process adds various steps that can frustrate users, due to the lack of
intuitiveness to
getting from point A to point B from the user's point of view.
Accordingly, as the demand for small-screen devices capable of running
increasingly complex applications continues to grow, the need exists for a way
to
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implement hierarchical menus that overcomes the various disadvantages with
conventional
hierarchical menus.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Exemplary methods and arrangements conducted and configured according to the
advantageous solutions presented herein are depicted in the accompanying
drawings
where in:
FIG. 1 illustrates one type of hierarchical menu;
FIG. 2 illustrates an attempt at implementing the hierarchical menu of FIG. 1
on a
small-screen computing device;
FIG. 3a illustrates various examples of computing devices that are suitable
environments in which to implement embodiments of hierarchical menus;
FIG. 3b illustrates an exemplary QWERTY keyboard layout;
FIG. 3c illustrates an exemplary QWERTZ keyboard layout;
FIG. 3d illustrates an exemplary AZERTY keyboard layout;
FIG. 3e illustrates an exemplary Dvorak keyboard layout;
FIG. 3f illustrates a QWERTY keyboard layout paired with a traditional ten-key
keyboard;
FIG. 3g illustrates ten digits comprising the numerals 0-9 arranged as on a
telephone keypad, including the * and # astride the zero;
FIG. 3h illustrates a numeric phone key arrangement according to the ITU
Standard E. 161 including both numerals and letters;
FIG. 3j is a front view of an exemplary handheld electronic device including a
full
QWERTY keyboard;
FIG. 3k is a front view of another exemplary handheld electronic device
including
a full QWERTY keyboard;
FIG. 3m is a front view of an exemplary handheld electronic device including a
reduced QWERTY keyboard;
FIG. 3n is an elevational view of the front face of another exemplary handheld
electronic device including a reduced QWERTY keyboard;
FIG. 3p is a detail view of an alternative reduced QWERTY keyboard;
FIG. 3r is a detail view of the reduced QWERTY keyboard of device of FIG. 15;
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FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a computer in the form of a PDA
that is suitable for implementing a hierarchical menu;
FIG. 5 illustrates a hierarchical menu implemented on a computer such as a
PDA;
FIGS. 6a-6g illustrate an embodiment of a hierarchical menu implemented on a
computer such as a handheld electronic device;
FIGS. 7 illustrates an embodiment of a hierarchical menu (short menu)
implemented on a computer such as a handheld electronic device;
FIG. 8 illustrates an embodiment of a method for implementing a hierarchical
menu with ambiguous selection on a computer device such as a handheld
electronic
device, for example, a PDA or other similar device having a small display
screen;
FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a computing environment suitable for
implementing an exemplary computer as shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 10a is a perspective view of a handheld electronic device cradled in a
user's
hand;
FIG. 10b is an exploded perspective view of an exemplary wireless handheld
electronic device incorporating a trackball assembly as the auxiliary user
input; and
FIG. 11 is a block diagram representing a wireless handheld electronic device
interacting in a communication network.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
As intimated hereinabove, one of the more important aspects of the handheld
electronic device to which this disclosure is directed is its size. While some
users will
grasp the device in both hands, it is intended that a predominance of users
will cradle the
device in one hand in such a manner that input and control over the device can
be affected
using the thumb of the same hand in which the device is held. Therefore the
size of the
device must be kept relatively small; of its dimensions, limiting the width of
the device is
most important with respect to assuring cradleability in a user's hand.
Moreover, it is
preferred that the width of the device be maintained at less than ten
centimeters
(approximately four inches). Keeping the device within these dimensional
limits provides
a hand cradleable unit that users prefer for its useability and portability.
Limitations with
respect to the height (length) of the device are less stringent with
importance placed on
maintaining device hand-cradleablability. Therefore, in order to gain greater
size, the
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device can be advantageously configured so that its height is greater than its
width, but
still remain easily supported and operated in one hand.
A potential problem is presented by the small size of the device in that there
is
limited exterior surface area for the inclusion of user input and device
output features.
This is especially true for the "prime real estate" of the front face of the
device where it is
most advantageous to include a display screen that outputs information to the
user and
which is preferably above a keyboard utilized for data entry into the device
by the user. If
the screen is provided below the keyboard, a problem occurs in being able to
see the
screen while inputting data. Therefore it is preferred that the display screen
be above the
input area, thereby solving the problem by assuring that the hands and fingers
do not block
the view of the screen during data entry periods.
To facilitate textual data entry, an alphabetic keyboard is provided. In one
version,
a full alphabetic keyboard is utilized in which there is one key per letter.
This is preferred
by some users because it can be arranged to resemble a standard keyboard with
which they
are most familiar. In this regard, the associated letters can be
advantageously organized in
QWERTY, QWERTZ or AZERTY layouts, among others, thereby capitalizing on
certain
users' familiarity with these special letter orders. In order to stay within
the bounds of a
limited front surface area, however, each of the keys must be commensurately
small when,
for example, twenty-six keys must be provided in the instance of the English
language.
An alternative configuration is to provide a reduced keyboard in which at
least some of the
keys have more than one letter associated therewith. This means that fewer
keys can be
included which makes it possible for those fewer keys to each be larger than
in the
instance when a full keyboard is provided on a similarly dimensioned device.
Some users
will prefer the solution of the larger keys over the smaller ones, but it is
necessary that
software or hardware solutions be provided in order to discriminate which of
the several
associated letters the user intends based on a particular key actuation; a
problem the full
keyboard avoids. Preferably, this character discrimination is accomplished
utilizing
disambiguation software accommodated within the device. As with the other
software
programs embodied within the device, a memory and microprocessor are provided
within
the body of the handheld unit for receiving, storing, processing, and
outputting data during
use. Therefore, the problem of needing a textual data input means is solved by
the
provision of either a full or reduced alphabetic keyboard on the presently
disclosed
handheld electronic device.
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Keys, typically of a push-button or push-pad nature, perform well as data
entry
devices but present problems to the user when they must also be used to affect
navigational control over a screen-cursor. In order to solve this problem the
present
handheld electronic device preferably includes an auxiliary input that acts as
a cursor
navigational tool and which is also exteriorly located upon the front face of
the device. Its
front face location is particularly advantageous because it makes the tool
easily thumb-
actuable like the keys of the keyboard. A particularly usable embodiment
provides the
navigational tool in the form of a trackball which is easily utilized to
instruct two-
dimensional screen cursor movement in substantially any direction, as well as
act as an
actuator when the ball of the trackball is depressible like a button. The
placement of the
trackball is preferably above the keyboard and below the display screen; here,
it avoids
interference during keyboarding and does not block the user's view of the
display screen
during use.
In some configurations, the handheld electronic device may be standalone in
that it
is not connectable to the "outside world." One example would be a PDA that
stores such
things as calendars and contact information, but is not capable of
synchronizing or
communicating with other devices. In most situations such isolation will be
detrimentally
viewed in that at least synchronization is a highly desired characteristic of
handheld
devices today. Moreover, the utility of the device is significantly enhanced
when
connectable within a system, and particularly when connectable on a wireless
basis in a
system in which both voice and text messaging are accommodated.
In one respect, the present disclosure is directed toward a method for
displaying an
abbreviated menu on the screen of a handheld electronic device, variously
configured as
described above, at the request of the user. Typical examples of such devices
include
PDAs, mobile telephones and multi-mode communicator devices such as those
capable of
transmitting both voice and text messages such as email. The method includes
displaying a
cursor-navigable page on a screen of a handheld electronic device. One example
would be
the text of an email message. Next, the user initiates an ambiguous request
for the display
of menu options corresponding to the displayed page while a cursor is
positioned at a
location on the page that is not visually signified for menu display
actuation. For instance,
with the screen cursor positioned upon the body of the email message, but
where there is
no visual indicator that the location is one which will cause a menu to be
displayed if
actuated, an action is taken such as pressing a button on the device that
indicates the user's
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desire to take an action with respect to the displayed page (email message).
There are
several actions which might be taken with respect to the email message, but
none has been
specified; therefore, the request is termed ambiguous. Responsively, the
device, under the
control of an included microprocessor, displays a short menu having a first
list of menu
items which is a subset of a second list of menu items that make up an
extended menu
associated with the displayed page. This first list of menu items has been
assessed a higher
probability for being user-selected or desired than at least some of the
remaining items of
the second list. This means that there is a long list (the second list) of
actions that might be
taken when the email message is displayed, but there is a short subset (the
first list) of this
long list which has been assessed to be more frequently selected/desired, so
it is this short
listing of selectable actions that is displayed in response to the user's
ambiguous request.
In at least one version of the device, the user's ambiguous request is made
through
an auxiliary user input device on the handheld electronic device. One example
of the
auxiliary user input device is a navigation tool that controls movement of the
cursor on the
screen of the handheld electronic device, such as a trackball.
The device may also include an input that issues non-ambiguous request to
display
the extended menu associated with the displayed page, and which may be simply
constituted by an actuable button or the like.
In order to facilitate usability, it is also contemplated that selectable
items on the
short listing can include choices to expand the short menu to the extended
menu, or to
close the short menu. In order to reinforce the commonality between the
extended menu
choice on the short list and the dedicated dedicated push-button for the long
list, each is
marked with a similar insignia.
In order to take full advantage of the small screen of the handheld device,
the short
menu is displayed on the screen in place of the displayed page, and preferably
fills a
substantial entirety of the screen.
As intimated above, the handheld electronic device can take the form of a
wireless
handheld communication device that transmits data to, and receives data from a
communication network utilizing radio frequency signals. By way of example and
not
limitation, the data transmitted between the handheld electronic device and
the
communication network might exemplarily support voice and textual messaging.
To further enhance usability, the handheld electronic device can be sized to
be
cradled in the palm of a user's hand. Owing to this small size, the device can
be easily
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grasped by a user and cradled in the palm of the hand. In at least one
configuration, the
size of the device is sufficiently small to allow the user to use only fingers
and/or thumbs
(digits) of the same hand within which the device is grasped to input data.
In order to achieve comfortable cradling and still provide sufficient "real
estate" for
the necessary inputs and displays, the device can be advantageously longer
than it is wide.
This is because it is the width of the device that primarily impacts the fit
of the device in a
user's hand. To that end, the handheld electronic device preferably measures
between
approximately two and three inches.
The device also carries a keyboard suitable for accommodating textual input,
and
in a preferred embodiment, the navigation tool is located essentially between
the keyboard
and the screen of the handheld electronic device. In one version, a full
keyboard is
provided that includes a plurality of keys with which alphabetic letters are
associated, one
letter per key. In the instance of the English language, the means at least
twenty-six keys
for the twenty-six letter of the alphabet. Alternatively, the keyboard may be
of a reduced
configuration in which at least a portion of the individual keys have multiple
letters
associated therewith. This means that for the English language, fewer than
twenty-six
letter keys will be included in such a reduced keyboard example.
Benefits of the disclosed hierarchical menu system include the ability to
implement
a hierarchical menu on devices having varying screen sizes, including small-
screen
devices. The disclosed hierarchical menu permits the display of one menu at a
time. In an
almost intuitive manner, the methods disclosed allow the user to make an
ambiguous
selection to directly open a particular item on a displayed page or to display
a short menu
of items typically used with a displayed page. This reduces user confusion and
enhances
usability of the system. By using a "menu" item on the short menu or a "menu"
key, the
user always has the option to view the extended menu associated with the
displayed page.
By using a "back" menu item or key, the user can navigate to previously
displayed menus
within the string of historically selected without cluttering the displayed
menus with such
historical items.
FIG. 3a shows various examples of computers 300 that are suitable environments
in which to implement hierarchical menus. A computer 300 is typically capable
of
performing common computing functions, such as email, calendaring, task
organization,
word processing, Web browsing, and so on. Computer 300 may run an open
platform
operating system, such as the Windows brand operating systems from Microsoft
.
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Computer 300 may be implemented as any one of various computing devices that
has a
display screen and supports a GUI (graphical user interface). Such computing
devices can
include, for example, cell phones, PDAs and other handheld electronic devices,
pen-based
and/or touch-based computers with touch-sensitive screens, notebooks, laptops,
desktops,
workstations, server and mainframe computers that include displays, and the
like. One
exemplary implementation of computer 300 is described in more detail below
with
reference to FIG. 9.
In the embodiments described below, computer 300 is generally discussed as
being
implemented as a small-screen, handheld electronic device such as, for
example, a cell
phone, or a PDA (personal digital assistant). Such devices generally provide
more limited
computing capabilities than a typical personal computer, such as information
storage and
retrieval capabilities for personal or business use, including keeping
schedule calendars
and address book information. Such devices usually offer some version of an
operating
system and various applications. Thus, a computer 300 implemented as a small-
screen,
handheld electronic device include email, phone, SMS (short message service),
IM
(instant messaging), organizer and Web applications.
FIGS. 2 and 4 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a computer 300a suitable
for
implementing an embodiment of hierarchical menu with ambiguous selection.
Computer
300a is implemented generally as a small-screen device such as a PDA 300a
(personal
digital assistant) in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 4.
PDA 300a includes a processor 400, a volatile memory 402 (i.e., RAM), and a
nonvolatile memory 404 (e.g., ROM, hard disk, floppy disk, CD-ROM, etc.).
Nonvolatile
memory 404 generally provides storage of computer/processor-readable
instructions, data
structures, program modules and other data for PDA 300a. PDA 300a may also
include
various input/output 406 devices. Examples of input device 406 (not shown) can
include a
mouse or trackball for moving a cursor and making selections, a touch-
sensitive display
screen, a stylus pen for making menu input selections on a touch-sensitive
display screen
displaying menu options and/or soft buttons of a GUI (graphical user
interface), hard
buttons on the PDA 300a structure, and so on. Output device 406 examples (not
shown)
can include a display screen, a touch-sensitive display screen, an audio
speaker, and so on.
PDA 300a implements an operating system (OS) 408 on processor 400 from
volatile memory 402. The OS 408 is stored in memory 404 and initially loaded
from
memory 404 into volatile memory 402 by a boot program (not shown). The OS 408
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generally configured to manage other application programs 410 that are also
stored in
memory 404 and executable on processor 400 from volatile memory 402. The OS
408
honors requests for services made by application programs 410 through
predefined
application program interfaces (APIs). More specifically, the OS 408 typically
determines
the order in which multiple applications 410 execute on processor 400 and the
execution
time allotted for each application 410, manages the sharing of memory 402
among
multiple applications 410, handles input and output to and from attached
hardware devices
(e.g., hard disks, printers, dial-up ports), and so on. In addition, users can
typically
interact directly with the OS 408 through a user interface such as a command
language or
graphical user interface.
PDA 300a typically implements various application programs 410 stored in
memory 404 and executable on processor 400. Such applications 410 might
include
software programs implementing, for example, word processors, spread sheets,
browsers,
file share programs, database management systems (DBMS), peer-to-peer
applications,
multimedia players, computer-aided design tools and the like. Most
applications 410 are
menu-driven programs that provide a list of possible commands or options from
which a
user may choose in order to implement various application functions on the PDA
300a.
The manner in which menu selections are made often depends upon the particular
type of computer device 300 running an application 410. For example, entering
a menu
selection on a computer 300 (for example, a desktop computer) that has a mouse
as an
input device 406 may occur by pointing to a menu item with a mouse and then
clicking on
the item. Many small-screen computing devices 300, such as PDA 300a of FIG. 4,
implement GUIs (graphical user interfaces) on touch-sensitive screens through
which
menu selections can be made by pressing a pen or stylus to desired menu
choices. Other
methods of selecting menu items include, for example, highlighting menu items
and then
hitting the "return" key or "enter" key. Yet other methods of selecting menu
items include
depressing or clicking a navigation tool like a trackball or trackwheel.
The menuing task is generally performed by a menuing subsystem of an operating
system executing on a computer 300. Accordingly, as illustrated in PDA 300a of
the FIG.
4 embodiment, a "hierarchical menu with ambiguous selection module" 412 is
implemented as part of operating system 408. In general, the menu module 412
is
configured to receive menu calls from various applications 410 and to service
those calls
by displaying a menu on a display screen according to the parameters provided
by the
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application 410 making the menu call. The menu module 412 also manages menu
selections made under a GUI 414 supported by operating system 408. Although
modules
412 and 414 are illustrated as being part of operating system 408, it is noted
that such
modules might also function as stand-alone modules stored in memory 404 and
executable
on processor 400. In general, although the functioning of modules 412 and 414
as part of
operating system 408 is preferred, it is not intended as a limitation
regarding their
implementation by a computer 300.
In addition to managing typical menuing functions, the "hierarchical menu with
ambiguous selection module" 412 implements a hierarchical menu in accordance
with
application programs 410 that support hierarchical menus. Thus, for
applications 410
designed to provide hierarchical menus, menu module 412 is configured to
implement
those hierarchical menus as hierarchical menus with ambiguous selection. The
implementation of a hierarchical menu as a hierarchical menu with ambiguous
selection
can occur automatically for any application making a hierarchical menu call to
operating
system 408, or it can occur based on a specific request from an application
410 to
implement the hierarchical menu as a hierarchical menu with ambiguous
selection. Thus,
small-screen computer device manufacturers can configure devices to
automatically
provide hierarchical menus with ambiguous selection for application
developers. This
enables application developers to design hierarchical menus, both extended and
short
menus, in a typical manner without making any changes to their application
source code.
Alternatively, small-screen computer device manufacturers can configure
devices to
provide hierarchical menus with ambiguous selection by default, or upon
request for
application developers. This enables application developers to design
hierarchical menus
in a typical manner and further allows them to determine if application menus
will be
implemented as hierarchical menus with ambiguous selection by making a simple
selection through their application source code to identify what action should
occur in
response to an ambiguous selection and populate short menus with preferably
those
actions, tasks or other commands most commonly used for such displayed page on
the
screen.
FIGS. 3j, 3k, 3m, 3n and l0a (discussed later herein) illustrate exemplary
embodiments of a computer in the form of various handheld electronic devices
that are
suitable for implementing embodiments of a hierarchical menu. Additionally,
FIGS. 3b-
3h, 3p and 3r illustrate various keyboard layouts that can be used on such
devices.
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The computer 300 in the form of a handheld electronic device includes an input
portion and an output display portion. The output display portion can be a
display screen,
such as an LCD or other similar display device.
The input portion includes a plurality of keys that can be of a physical
nature such
as actuable buttons or they can be of a software nature, typically constituted
by virtual
representations of physical keys on a display screen (referred to herein as
"software
keys"). It is also contemplated that the user input can be provided as a
combination of the
two types of keys. Each key of the plurality of keys has at least one actuable
action which
can be the input of a character, a command or a function. In this context,
"characters" are
contemplated to exemplarily include alphabetic letters, language symbols,
numbers,
punctuation, insignias, icons, pictures, and even a blank space. Input
commands and
functions can include such things as delete, backspace, moving a cursor up,
down, left or
right, initiating an arithmetic function or command, initiating a command or
function
specific to an application program or feature in use, initiating a command or
function
programmed by the user and other such commands and functions that are well
known to
those persons skilled in the art. Specific keys or other types of input
devices can be used
to navigate through the various applications and features thereof. Further,
depending on
the application or feature in use, specific keys can be enabled or disabled.
In the case of physical keys, all or a portion of the plurality of keys have
one or
more indicia displayed at their top surface and/or on the surface of the area
adjacent the
respective key, the particular indicia representing the character(s),
command(s) and/or
function(s) typically associated with that key. In the instance where the
indicia of a key's
function is provided adjacent the key, it is understood that this may be a
permanent
insignia that is, for instance, printed on the device cover beside the key, or
in the instance
of keys located adjacent the display screen, a current indicia for the key may
be
temporarily shown nearby the key on the screen.
In the case of software keys, the indicia for the respective keys are shown on
the
display screen, which in one embodiment is enabled by touching the display
screen, for
example, with a stylus to generate the character or activate the indicated
command or
function. Such display screens may include one or more touch interfaces,
including a
touchscreen. A non-exhaustive list of touchscreens includes, for example,
resistive
touchscreens, capacitive touchscreens, projected capacitive touchscreens,
infrared
touchscreens and surface acoustic wave (SAW) touchscreens.
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Physical and software keys can be combined in many different ways as
appreciated
by those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, physical and software keys are
combined
such that the plurality of enabled keys for a particular application or
feature of the
handheld electronic device is shown on the display screen in the same
configuration as the
physical keys. Thus, the desired character, command or function is obtained by
depressing the physical key corresponding to the character, command or
function
displayed at a corresponding position on the display screen, rather than
touching the
display screen. To aid the user, indicia for the characters, commands and/or
functions
most frequently used are preferably positioned on the physical keys and/or on
the area
around or between the physical keys. In this manner, the user can more readily
associate
the correct physical key with the character, command or function displayed on
the display
screen.
The various characters, commands and functions associated with keyboard typing
in general are traditionally arranged using various conventions. The most
common of
these in the United States, for instance, is the QWERTY keyboard layout.
Others include
the QWERTZ, AZERTY, and Dvorak keyboard configurations of the English-language
alphabet.
The QWERTY keyboard layout is the standard English-language alphabetic key
arrangement 44, as shown in FIG. 3b. In this configuration, Q, W, E, R, T and
Y are the
letters on the top left, alphabetic row. It was designed by Christopher
Sholes, who
invented the typewriter. The keyboard layout was organized by him to prevent
people
from typing too fast and jamming the keys. The QWERTY layout was included in
Sholes
US Patent No. 207,559 as filed in 1875.
The QWERTZ keyboard layout is normally used in German-speaking regions.
This alphabetic key arrangement 44 is shown in FIG. 3c. In this configuration,
Q, W, E,
R, T and Z are the letters on the top left, alphabetic row. It differs from
the QWERTY
keyboard layout by exchanging the "Y" with a "Z". This is because "Z" is a
much more
common letter than "Y" in German and the letters "T" and "Z" often appear next
to each
other in the German language.
The AZERTY keyboard layout is normally used in French-speaking regions. This
alphabetic key arrangement 44 is shown in FIG. 3d. In this configuration, A,
Z, E, R, T
and Y are the letters on the top left, alphabetic row. It is similar to the
QWERTY layout,
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except that the letters Q and A are swapped, the letters Z and W are swapped,
and the
letter M is in the middle row instead of the bottom one.
The Dvorak keyboard layout was designed in the 1930s by August Dvorak and
William Dealey. This alphabetic key arrangement 44 is shown in FIG. 3e. It was
developed to allow a typist to type faster. About 70% of words are typed on
the home row
compared to about 32% with a QWERTY keyboard layout, and more words are typed
using both hands. It is said that in eight hours, fingers of a QWERTY typist
travel about
16 miles, but only about 1 mile for the Dvorak typist.
Alphabetic key arrangements in full keyboards and typewriters are often
presented
along with numeric key arrangements. An exemplary numeric key arrangement is
shown
in FIGS. 3b-3e where the numbers 1-9 and 0 are positioned above the alphabetic
keys. In
another numeric key arrangement, numbers share keys with the alphabetic
characters, such
as the top row of the QWERTY keyboard. Yet another exemplary numeric key
arrangement is shown in FIG. 3f, where a numeric keypad 46 is spaced from the
alphabetic/numeric key arrangement. The numeric keypad 46 includes the numbers
"7",
"8", "9" arranged in a top row, "4", "5", "6" arranged in a second row, "1",
"2", "3"
arranged in a third row, and "0" in a bottom row, consistent with what may be
found on a
"ten-key" computer keyboard keypad. Additionally, a numeric phone key
arrangement 42
is shown in FIG. 3g.
As shown in FIG. 3g, the numeric phone key arrangement 42 may also utilize a
surface treatment on the surface of the center "5" key. This surface treatment
is such that
the surface of the key is distinctive from the surface of other keys.
Preferably the surface
treatment is in the form of a raised bump or recessed dimple 43. This bump or
dimple 43
is typically standard on telephones and is used to identify the "5" key
through touch alone.
Once the user has identified the "5" key, it is possible to identify the
remainder of the
phone keys through touch alone because of their standard placement. The bump
or dimple
43 preferably has a shape and size that is readily evident to a user through
touch. An
example bump or dimple 43 may be round, rectangular, or have another shape if
desired.
Alternatively, raised bumps may be positioned on the housing around the "5"
key and do
not necessarily have to be positioned directly on the key.
It is desirable for handheld electronic devices 300 to include a combined text-
entry
keyboard and a telephony keyboard. Examples of such mobile electronic devices
include
mobile stations, cellular telephones, wireless personal digital assistants
(PDAs), two-way
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paging devices, and others. Various keyboards are used with such devices
depending in
part on the physical size of the handheld electronic device. Some of these are
termed full
keyboard, reduced keyboard, and phone keypads.
In embodiments of a handheld electronic device having a full keyboard, only
one
alphabetic character is associated with each one of a plurality of physical
keys. Thus, with
an English-language keyboard, there are at least 26 keys in the plurality, one
for each letter
of the English alphabet. In such embodiments using the English-language
alphabet, one of
the keyboard layouts described above is usually employed, and with the QWERTY
keyboard layout being the most common.
One device that uses a full keyboard for alphabetic characters and
incorporates a
combined numeric keyboard is shown in FIG. 3j. In this device, numeric
characters share
keys with alphabetic characters on the top row of the QWERTY keyboard. Another
device that incorporates a combined alphabetic/numeric keyboard is shown in
FIG. 3k.
This device utilizes numeric characters in a numeric phone key arrangement
consistent
with the ITU Standard E.161, as shown in FIG. 3g. The numeric characters share
keys
with alphabetic characters on the left side of the keyboard.
In order to further reduce the size of a handheld electronic device without
making
the physical keys or software keys too small, such embodiments of a handheld
electronic
device use a reduced keyboard, where more than one character/command/function
is
associated with each of at least a portion of the plurality of keys. This
results in certain
keys being ambiguous since more than one character is represented by or
associated with
the key, even though only one of those characters is typically intended by the
user when
activating the key.
Thus, certain software is contained in the processor of the handheld
electronic
device to determine or predict what letter or word was intended by the user.
Predictive
text technologies can also automatically correct common spelling errors.
Predictive text
methodologies often include a disambiguation engine and/or a predictive editor
application. This helps facilitate easy spelling and composition, since the
software is
preferably intuitive software with a large word list and the ability to
increase that list based
on the frequency of word usage. The software preferably also has the ability
to recognize
character letter sequences that are common to the particular language, such
as, in the case
of English, words ending in "ing". Such systems can also "learn" the typing
style of the
user making note of frequently used words to increase the predictive aspect of
the
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software. With predictive editor applications, the display of the device
depicts possible
character sequences corresponding to the keystrokes that were entered.
Typically, the most
commonly used word is displayed first. The user may select other, less common
words
manually, or otherwise. Other types of predictive text computer programs may
be utilized
with the keyboard arrangement and keyboard described herein, without
limitation.
The multi-tap method of character selection has been in use a number of years
for
permitting users to enter text using a touch screen device or a conventional
telephone key
pad such as specified under ITU E 1.161, among other devices. Multi-tap
requires a user
to press a key a varying number of times, generally within a limited period of
time, to
input a specific letter, thereby spelling the desired words of the message. A
related
method is the long tap method, where a user depresses the key until the
desired character
appears on the display out of a rotating series of letters.
A "text on nine keys" type system uses predictive letter patterns to allow a
user to
ideally press each key representing a letter only once to enter text. Unlike
multi-tap which
requires a user to indicate a desired character by a precise number of presses
of a key, or
keystrokes, the "text on nine keys" system uses a predictive text dictionary
and established
letter patterns for a language to intelligently guess which one of many
characters
represented by a key that the user intended to enter. The predictive text
dictionary is
primarily a list of words, acronyms, abbreviations and the like that can be
used in the
composition of text. Generally, all possible character string permutations
represented by a
number of keystrokes entered by a user are compared to the words in the
predictive text
dictionary and a subset of the permutations is shown to the user to allow
selection of the
intended character string. The permutations are generally sorted by likelihood
of
occurrence which is determined from the number of words matched in the
predictive text
dictionary and various metrics maintained for these words. Where the possible
character
string permutations do not match any words in the predictive text dictionary,
the set of
established letter patterns for a selected language can be applied to suggest
the most likely
character string permutations, and then require the user to input a number of
additional
keystrokes in order to enter the desired word.
The keys of reduced keyboards are laid out with various arrangements of
characters, commands and functions associated therewith. In regards to
alphabetic
characters, the different keyboard layouts identified above are selectively
used based on a
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user's preference and familiarity; for example, the QWERTY keyboard layout is
most
often used by English speakers who have become accustomed to the key
arrangement.
FIG. 3m shows a handheld electronic device 10 that has an example of a reduced
keyboard using the QWERTY keyboard layout on a physical keyboard array of
twenty
keys, with five columns and four rows. Fourteen keys are used for alphabetic
characters
and ten keys are used for numbers. Nine of the ten numbers share a key with
alphabetic
characters. The "space" key and the number "0" share the same key, which is
centered on
the device and centered below the remainder of the numbers on the keyboard 14.
The four
rows include a first row 50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and a fourth row
56. The five
columns include a first column 60, a second column 62, a third column 64, a
fourth
column 66, and a fifth column 68. Each of the keys in the first row 50, second
row 52,
and third row 54 is uniformly sized while the keys in the fourth, bottom row
56 have
different sizes relative to one another and to the keys in the first three
rows 50, 52, 54.
The rows and columns are straight, although the keys in the fourth row 56 do
not align
completely with the columns because of their differing sizes. The columns
substantially
align with the longitudinal axis x-x of the device 300b.
FIG. 3n shows a handheld electronic device 300b that has an exemplary physical
keyboard array of 20 keys, with five columns and four rows. An exploded view
of the
keyboard is presented in FIG. 3r. Fourteen keys on the keyboard 14 are
associated with
alphabetic characters and ten keys are associated with numbers. The four rows
include a
first row 50, a second row 52, a third row 54, and a fourth row 56. The five
columns
include a first column 60, a second column 62, a third column 64, a fourth
column 66, and
a fifth column 68. Many of the keys have different sizes than the other keys,
and the rows
are non-linear. In particular, the rows are V-shaped, with the middle key in
the third
column 64 representing the point of the V. The columns are generally straight,
but the
outer two columns 60, 62, 66, 68 angle inwardly toward the middle column 64.
To readily
identify the phone user interface (the second user interface), the numeric
phone keys 0-9
include a color scheme that is different from that of the remaining keys
associated with the
QWERTY key arrangement. In this example, the color scheme of the numeric phone
keys
has a two-tone appearance, with the upper portion of the numeric keys being a
first color
and the lower portion of the numeric keys being a second color. As depicted,
the upper
portion of the keys is white with blue letters and the lower portion of the
keys is blue with
white letters. Most of the remaining keys associated with the QWERTY key
arrangement
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are predominantly the second, blue color with white lettering. The first color
may be
lighter than the second color, or darker than the second color. In addition,
the keyboard 14
includes a "send" key 6 and an "end" key 8. The "send" key 6 is positioned in
the upper
left corner of the keyboard 14 and the "end" key 8 is positioned in the upper
right corner.
The "send" key 6 and "end" key 8 may have different color schemes than the
remainder of
the keys in order to distinguish them from other keys. In addition, the "send"
and "end"
keys 6, 8 may have different colors from one another. In the example shown,
the "send"
key 6 is green and the "end" key 8 is red. Different colors may be utilized,
if desired.
FIG. 3p shows a similar format for the reduced QWERTY arrangement of
alphabetic characters 44 as presented in FIG. 3m, but the numeric phone key
arrangement
42 is positioned in the first 60, second 62, and third 64 columns instead of
being centered
on the keyboard 14. The first row 50 of keys includes in order the following
key
combinations for the text entry and telephony mode: "QW/1 ", "ER/2", "TY/3",
"UI", and
"OP". The second row 52 includes the following key combinations in order:
"AS/4",
"DF/5", "GH/6", "JK/,", and "L/.". The third row 54 includes the following key
combinations in order: "ZX/7", "CV/8", "BN/9", "M/sym" and "backspace/delete".
The
fourth row 56 includes the following key combinations in order: "next/*",
"space/O",
"shift/#", "alt" and "return/enter". The keys in each of the rows are of
uniform size and the
rows and columns are straight.
Another embodiment of a reduced alphabetic keyboard is found on a standard
phone keypad. Most handheld electronic devices having a phone key pad also
typically
include alphabetic key arrangements overlaying or coinciding with the numeric
keys as
shown in FIG. 3h. Such alphanumeric phone keypads are used in many, if not
most,
traditional handheld telephony mobile electronic devices such as cellular
handsets. As
described above, the International Telecommunications Union ("ITU") has
established
phone standards for the arrangement of alphanumeric keys. The standard phone
numeric
key arrangement shown in FIG. 3g (no alphabetic letters) and 3h (with
alphabetic letters)
corresponds to ITU Standard E.161, entitled "Arrangement of Digits, Letters,
and Symbols
on Telephones and Other Devices That Can Be Used for Gaining Access to a
Telephone
Network." This standard is also known as ANSI TI.703-1995/1999 and ISO/IEC
9995-
8:1994. Regarding the numeric arrangement, it can be aptly described as a top-
to-bottom
ascending order three-by-three-over-zero pattern.
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The table below identifies the alphabetic characters associated with each
number
for some other phone keypad conventions.
Number on ITU Australia Mobile Phone Keypad
Key E.161 #1 #11 #111
(Europe) (Europe)
1 QZ ABC ABC
2 ABC ABC ABC DEF DEF
3 DEF DEF DEF GHI GHI
4 GHI GHI GHI JKL JKL
JKL JKL JKL MNO MNO
6 MNO MNO MN PQR PQR
7 PQRS PRS PRS STU STU
8 TUV TUV TUV UVW VWX
9 WXYZ WXY WXY XYZ YZ
0 OQZ
5 It should also be appreciated that other alphabetic character and number
combinations can be used beyond those identified above when deemed useful to a
particular application.
As noted earlier, multi-tap software has been in use for a number of years
permitting users to enter text using a conventional telephone keypad such as
specified
under ITU E 1.161 or on a touch screen display, among other devices. Multi-tap
requires
a user to press a key a varying number of times, generally within a limited
period of time,
to input a specific letter associated with the particular key, thereby
spelling the desired
words of the message. A related method is the long tap method, where a user
depresses
the key until the desired character appears on the display.
Referring to FIGS. 6a-6g, 7, l0a and lOb, the following is a discussion and
comparison of the use of the extended and short menus in an embodiment of a
handheld
electronic device 300b.
In this embodiment, the device 300b has a first input controller, which is
preferably
a navigation tool 120 having a depressible rolling member or trackball 121,
which is used
to access the short menu. The handheld device 300b also has a second input
controller,
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which in this case is a menu key 606, which is used to access the applicable
extended
menu. These menus are based on the interface principle of see and click. In
this manner,
users do not have to remember commands or options because they can view these
options
at any time.
Referring now to FIG. 6c, there is shown a portion of the device 300b, which
depicts a display portion 602, and a part of an input portion 604. The display
portion 602
is used as a graphical user interface, sometimes referred to herein a GUI or
just UI for
user interface. The trackball 121 and the menu key 606 are part of the input
portion 604.
To the right of the trackball 121 is a back key 608, which is used to back-up
through
previous screens or menus displayed on the display portion. The input portion
also
includes a keyboard (See FIGS. l0a and l Ob), which is discussed later herein.
The initial screen for the device 300b is a home screen 610a and 610b. Two
examples 610a and 610b are shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b, which show different sets
of icons
representing various applications that are available on the device 300b. The
user can
perform desired high-level activities from the home screen, and within an
application
explore and access functionality of the selected application.
The menu key or button 606 is to the left of the trackball 121 and activates
an
extended menu, which contains high level actions desirable from the home
screen or
application specific commands when initiated from a selected application. The
menu key
or button 606 provides a consistent location where the user can look for
commands. Each
application has its own extended menu consisting of application-specific
menus.
Clicking (depressing) the trackball 121 when an icon on the home screen is
highlighted opens the application, preferably to a common page used by users.
For
example, if the email message's icon is highlighted, then a page listing the
messages will
open. When not on the home screen but while a page of an application is
displayed
without a menu showing, if the trackball 121 is clicked, this is presently
referred to as an
ambiguous selection, since several commands may apply in that circumstance.
This
ambiguous selection will cause a short menu to appear on the GUI. The short
menu
contains a list of menu items that are preferably the most commonly used
commands in the
present screen context. These short menus again are based on the interface
principle of see
and click. The options or menus change according to the task at hand.
The items shown in these short menus preferably are those that a user performs
frequently. In other embodiments, the short menu is selected based on either
predefined
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user or programmer preference. These short menus are preferably correctly
organized,
worded clearly, and behave correctly in order for the user to understand what
options they
should expect to see, and how to access the additional functionality specific
to the selected
application.
In at least one embodiment, the items displayed in the short menu are
dynamically
updated depending upon the user's selection of items from the extended menu.
When
items are selected from the extended menu repeatedly they are ranked and
depending upon
their number of selections will relatively appear in the short menu. The
number of items
in the short menu is preferably between two and ten items. The items displayed
in the
short menu can also be user selected in one embodiment.
In another embodiment, the information for the short menu is stored locally as
well
as at a central location. The transmission of the short menus that are
applicable for the
particular user is via a communication system as described below. The
information stored
at the central location allows the user to access that information on multiple
devices. This
will allow the user to experience identical menus on different devices. This
is helpful
when a user would like to encounter the same interface, but uses the devices
in different
ways. The information alternatively may be stored on a memory card and
transferred
between devices via the memory card.
For purposes of example, in the following disclosure, the use of the menus,
trackball and keys are discussed relative to the use of an email message
application.
Initially, the user uses the trackball 121 to scroll to the desired
application. In this
case, it is the email messaging application. In FIGS. 6a and 6b, the email
icon 612 (a
letter envelope) is highlighted in a conventional manner, for example, with a
frame as
shown in FIG. 6a or with a highlighted background as depicted in FIG. 6b.
Then, the
menu key 606 is activated by depressing or "clicking" it, which brings up a
high level
extended menu 614 as shown in FIG. 6c. This menu 614 can include the following
menu
items:
Compose...
---------------
Search...
Applications
Settings
---------------
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Profile < Normal >
---------------
BlueTooth On/Off
Wireless On/Off
Key Lock On/Off
---------------
Help
For example, clicking on "Compose" would initiate the address book function
and
allow the user to select an addressee, select the type of message (email, SMS,
IM, etc.) and
proceed with the composition of a message. However, for the present example,
the user
desires to open their email message mailbox and view a list of email messages.
In another
embodiment, the menu includes the option "close," which will close the menu.
Preferably,
the option to close the menu is listed near the bottom. This enables closing
of the menu
without requiring the use of an additional key to close the menu.
To do this, the menu key 606 is clicked again and the extended menu for the
email
messaging application is displayed, as shown in FIG. 6d. If the menu item
"Open" is not
already highlighted, then the trackball 121 is used to scroll to this item
such that it is
highlighted. Once the menu item "Open" is highlighted, the trackball 121 is
clicked. A
list of email messages 616 is displayed on the GUI as shown in FIG. 6e.
In order to open and read a particular email message, the trackball 121 is
then used
to scroll to the desired email message in the displayed list to highlight it.
The menu key
606 is clicked and the extended menu 618 is displayed, for example as shown in
FIG. 6d.
If the menu item "Open" is not already highlighted, then the trackball 121 is
used to scroll
to this item such that it is highlighted. Once the menu item "Open" is
highlighted, the
trackball 121 is clicked. The desired message 620 is displayed on the GUI as
shown in
FIG. 6f.
The user then decides what to do as a result of reading the message. To
perform
the next action, the user clicks the menu key 606 and another extended menu
622 appears,
as shown in FIG. 6g. If not already highlighted, the user then scrolls to the
desired menu
item using the trackball 121 until the desired menu item (action or task) is
highlighted.
Then, the user clicks the trackball 121 to activate the desired action or
task.
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The use of the short menu usually requires fewer clicks to perform the same
action
as compared to the use of solely the extended menus. For example, the
following is an
embodiment using the ambiguous selections and/or short menus to open the email
messaging application and to open a particular email message.
Starting from the home screen or menu 602, the trackball 121 is used to scroll
to
and highlight the email message icon 612 as shown in FIGS. 6a and 6b. Clicking
the
trackball 121 directly opens the list of messages as shown in FIG. 6e. The
trackball 121 is
clicked while no menu is present and this action is an ambiguous selection
since more than
one action or task is possible. This ambiguous selection while on the home
screen 602 and
with the email icon 612 highlighted is treated by the menu program and system
as a
direction or command to open the highlighted application. In this embodiment,
it is
believed that the user is attempting to perform the task of opening the email
application
program and the menu program is programmed accordingly. Displaying the list of
emails,
616 is the action or task is believed to be the most common desired task or
action, and thus
to the user, the procedure appears intuitive. Such ambiguous selection for
other
application is preferably programmed with the most common desired task or
action for the
selected application.
In this regard, it is appreciated that to open the email message list took two
clicks
and one scrolling using the extended menus, whereas with the ambiguous
selection routine
of the menu program, this was reduced to just a single click.
Now, with the email message list 616 on the display, the user scrolls to the
desired
email message, clicks with the trackball 121, and the desired email message
620 is
displayed on the screen 110 (See Fig. l0a), as shown in FIG. 6f. Again, there
is no menu
on the display I 10 and the action is an ambiguous selection since more than
one action or
task is possible.
In this regard, it is also appreciated that to open a desired email message
took two
clicks and possibly a scroll, whereas with the ambiguous selection routine of
the menu
program, this was reduced to just a single click.
While the user is viewing the message 620 on the GUI display 110 after having
read its contents, the user clicks the trackball 121 making another ambiguous
selection,
again since no menu is on display 110 and more than one action or task is
possible. This
ambiguous selection causes the menu program to display a short menu 624,
preferably of
menu item corresponding to actions or tasks commonly performed by users at
that point.
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In this embodiment, a short menu 624 is shown in FIG. 7, and contains the
actions or tasks
- "Reply", "Forward" and "Reply All." The user then decides which action or
task to
perform and scrolls to it and clicks the trackball. Novice and experienced
users alike
benefit from the reduction in information displayed on the menu through the
removal of
less commonly used tasks. The short menu 624 as shown in FIG. 7 contains a
title "Email
Message," thus providing information about the application that is associated
with the
menu. Likewise, other titles for other menus would be appropriate at times
when menus
are displayed in connection with other applications. In other embodiments, the
short menu
features the menu item "close" in addition to those items described above.
Thus, the short menu provides convenient access to the high level, most often-
used
commands associated with an application. The short menu displayed can also
depend on
the position of the cursor within the displayed page. The short menu can be
considered as
a shortcut to commands that make sense to the task at hand. In some cases when
on the
home screen, rather than opening the indicated application, a short menu can
be displayed
with the more common subset of actions, tasks or other commands by making an
ambiguous selection by clicking on a highlighted application icon on the home
screen.
If the desired action or task is not listed on the short menu, the user can
click the
menu key 606 to view the extended menu, such as shown in FIG. 6g using the
exemplary
email messaging scenario. Alternatively, the short menu 624 can have a menu
item that
allows the user to scroll to and select the item as shown in FIG. 6g. Once
that menu item
has been selected then the extended menu replaces the short menu. For example,
the short
menu in FIG. 7 has a menu item "show more" for this purpose. The name of this
menu
item can be any other that conveys a similar meaning, such a "Full" or
"Extended" or an
icon that is used by the device provider and identified in its literature to
have that meaning.
Likewise, the menu key 606 in a preferred embodiment features an icon or the
like that is
shown next to the "show more" menu item.
It is also noted that commands for various tasks can also be input via the
keyboard
by typing them and entering it. More experienced users may use this feature to
further
reduce number of keystrokes in some situations.
Other applications of short menus are possible as well. Another example of the
use
of a short menu is when the device features soft keys, which can be user
customizable.
Since these softkeys are user customizable, a short menu can be activated when
the soft
key is activated two times without any additional user input and/or within a
predefined
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time. The short menu would present options to change the soft key to bring up
different
program options. The short menu likewise could feature the extended menu
features and
close options mentioned above.
Example methods for implementing an embodiment of a hierarchical menu and
ambiguous selection will now be described with primary reference to the flow
diagram of
FIG. 8. The methods apply generally to the exemplary embodiments discussed
above with
respect to FIGS. 6a-6g and 7. The elements of the described methods may be
performed
by any appropriate means including, for example, by hardware logic blocks on
an ASIC or
by the execution of processor-readable instructions defined on a processor-
readable
medium.
A "processor-readable medium," as used herein, can be any means that can
contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport instructions for use by
or execution
by a processor. A processor-readable medium can be, without limitation, an
electronic,
magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,
apparatus, device,
or propagation medium. More specific examples of a processor-readable medium
include,
among others, an electrical connection (electronic) having one or more wires,
a portable
computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-
only
memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable-read-only memory (EPROM or
Flash memory), an optical fiber (optical), a rewritable compact disc (CD-RW)
(optical), a
portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM) (optical), and a solid state
storage
device (magnetic; e.g., flash memory).
FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary method 800 for implementing a hierarchical
menu
with ambiguous selection on a computer device 300 such as a PDA or other
similar device
having a small display screen. The method 800 describes a hierarchical menu
process that
could continue well beyond the number of submenus that are discussed in the
method
itself. Thus, the extent of method 800 is not intended as a limitation.
Rather, the extent of
method 800 is intended to generally express the manner by which a hierarchical
menu
with ambiguous selection can be implemented in lesser and greater degrees of
size and
complexity.
Initially, there is displayed a home screen 802 on the GUI. The user scrolls
to a
particular application using a navigation tool. The user can then depress the
menu key to
initiate a non-ambiguous selection 804 of that particular application that is
received by the
method 800. The method 800 then causes the selected application to opean an
application
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806 and display a page 808 on the GUI. Alternatively, the user can make an
ambiguous
selection 810, for example, if the navigation tool is a trackball having a
depressible rolling
member, the user depresses the rolling member when no menu is present. The
method 800
receives the ambiguous selection 810 and then must determine whether there is
a short
menu for this application 812. If there is no short menu, then the method 800
causes the
application to open 806 and display a page 808. If there is a short menu, then
the method
causes the display of the application short menu 814. The user then scrolls to
the desired
menu item and depresses the rolling member. The method 800 receives a non-
ambiguous
selection of the menu item 816 and either displays a page or causes the
computer to
perform the task selected 818.
Once a page is displayed 808 or 818, the user again has two choices. The user
can
depress the menu key and the method 800 receives a command to display an
extended
menu 820 corresponding to the displayed page. The method 800 then displays
that
extended menu 822. The user then scrolls to a particular menu item and
depresses the
rolling member, which causes the method 800 to receive a non-ambiguous
selection of a
menu item 824. The method 800 then displays a page or performs the task per
the
selection 826. Alternatively, the user can depress the rolling member with no
menu
displayed, causing an ambiguous selection 828. The method 800 receives this
ambiguous
selection 828 and causes the display of a corresponding short menu 830, or the
method
800 can be programmed to perform a particular task that is the most common for
the
displayed page (not shown in FIG. 8). With the short menu displayed, the user
can then
scroll to the desired menu item and depress the rolling member to generate a
non-
ambiguous selection 832. The method 800 receives the non-ambiguous selection
of the
menu item 832 and causes the display of a page or performance of a task per
the selection
834.
If the user is presented with another displayed page, the user can repeat
steps 820
through 826 or 828 through 834, depending on whether the user uses an extended
menu or
short menu, respectively.
Once the particular activity is completed, the user can use the back key to
navigate
back through the various pages displayed until the user reaches a page from
which the user
can perform another activity or select another application upon reaching the
home screen
802. The computer can be equipped with an escape key to go to the home screen
802
directly. Alternatively, an ambiguous selection to display a short menu or a
non-
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ambiguous selection can be made to display a short or extended menu that has a
home
screen menu item.
FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary computing environment suitable for
implementing
a computer 300 such as discussed above with reference to FIGS. 1-8 and 10.
Although
one specific configuration is shown in FIG. 9, computer 300 may be implemented
in other
computing configurations.
The computing environment 900 includes a general-purpose computing system in
the form of a computer 902. The components of computer 902 can include, but
are not
limited to, one or more processors or processing units 904, a system memory
906, and a
system bus 908 that couples various system components including the processor
904 to the
system memory 906.
The system bus 908 represents one or more of any of several types of bus
structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, an
accelerated
graphics port, and a processor or local bus using any of a variety of bus
architectures. An
example of a system bus 908 would be a Peripheral Component Interconnects
(PCI) bus,
also known as a Mezzanine bus.
Computer 902 typically includes a variety of computer-readable media. Such
media can be any available media that is accessible by computer 902 and
includes both
volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. The system
memory 906 includes computer readable media in the form of volatile memory,
such as
random access memory (RAM) 910, and/or non-volatile memory, such as read only
memory (ROM) 912. A basic input/output system (BIOS) 914, containing the basic
routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer
902, such as
during start-up, is stored in ROM 912. RAM 910 typically contains data and/or
program
modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presently operated on by the
processing
unit 904.
Computer 902 can also include other removable/non-removable, volatile/non-
volatile computer storage media. By way of example, FIG. 9 illustrates a hard
disk drive
916 for reading from and writing to a non-removable, non-volatile magnetic
media (not
shown), a magnetic disk drive 918 for reading from and writing to a removable,
non-
volatile magnetic disk 920 (e.g., a "floppy disk"), and an optical disk drive
922 for reading
from and/or writing to a removable, non-volatile optical disk 924 such as a CD-
ROM,
DVD-ROM, or other optical media. The hard disk drive 916, magnetic disk drive
918,
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and optical disk drive 922 are each connected to the system bus 908 by one or
more data
media interfaces 926. Alternatively, the hard disk drive 916, magnetic disk
drive 918, and
optical disk drive 922 can be connected to the system bus 908 by a known
interface (not
shown) including but not limited to SCSI and IDE.
The disk drives and their associated computer-readable media provide non-
volatile
storage of computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules,
and other
data for computer 902. Although the example illustrates a hard disk 916, a
removable
magnetic disk 920, and a removable optical disk 924, it is to be appreciated
that other
types of computer readable media which can store data that is accessible by a
computer,
such as magnetic cassettes or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory
cards, CD-
ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, random access
memories
(RAM), read only memories (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only
memory (EEPROM), and the like, can also be utilized to implement the exemplary
computing system and environment.
Any number of program modules can be stored on the hard disk 916, magnetic
disk
920, optical disk 924, ROM 912, and/or RAM 910, including by way of example,
an
operating system 926, one or more application programs 928, other program
modules 930,
and program data 932. Each of such operating system 926, one or more
application
programs 928, other program modules 930, and program data 932 (or some
combination
thereof) may include an embodiment of a caching scheme for user network access
information.
Computer 902 can include a variety of computer/processor readable media
identified as communication media. Communication media typically embodies
computer
readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in a
modulated data
signal such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any
information
delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one
or more of
its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information
in the signal.
By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired
media such
as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as
acoustic, RF,
infrared, and other wireless media. Combinations of any of the above are also
included
within the scope of computer readable media.
A user can enter commands and information into computer system 902 via input
devices such as a keyboard 934 and a pointing device 936 (e.g., a "mouse").
Other input
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devices 938 (not shown specifically) may include a microphone, joystick, game
pad,
satellite dish, serial port, scanner, and/or the like. These and other input
devices are
connected to the processing unit 904 via input/output interfaces 940 that are
coupled to the
system bus 908, but may be connected by other interface and bus structures,
such as a
parallel port, game port, or a universal serial bus (USB).
A monitor 942 or other type of display device can also be connected to the
system
bus 908 via an interface, such as a video adapter 944. In addition to the
monitor 942, other
output peripheral devices can include components such as speakers (not shown)
and a
printer 946 which can be connected to computer 902 via the input/output
interfaces 940.
Computer 902 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections
to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computing device 948. By way
of
example, the remote computing device 948 can be a personal computer, portable
computer, a server, a router, a network computer, a peer device or other
common network
node, and the like. The remote computing device 948 is illustrated as a
portable computer
that can include many or all of the elements and features described herein
relative to
computer system 902.
Logical connections between computer 902 and the remote computer 948 are
depicted as a local area network (LAN) 950 and a general wide area network
(WAN) 952.
Such networking environments are commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide
computer
networks, intranets, and the Internet. When implemented in a LAN networking
environment, the computer 902 is connected to a local network 950 via a
network interface
or adapter 954. When implemented in a WAN networking environment, the computer
902
typically includes a modem 956 or other means for establishing communications
over the
wide network 952. The modem 956, which can be internal or external to computer
902,
can be connected to the system bus 908 via the input/output interfaces 940 or
other
appropriate mechanisms. It is to be appreciated that the illustrated network
connections
are exemplary and that other means of establishing communication link(s)
between the
computers 902 and 948 can be employed.
In a networked environment, such as that illustrated with computing
environment
900, program modules depicted relative to the computer 902, or portions
thereof, may be
stored in a remote memory storage device. By way of example, remote
application
programs 958 reside on a memory device of remote computer 948. For purposes of
illustration, application programs and other executable program components,
such as the
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operating system, are illustrated herein as discrete blocks, although it is
recognized that
such programs and components reside at various times in different storage
components of
the computer system 902, and are executed by the data processor(s) of the
computer.
An exemplary handheld electronic device 300b is shown in the perspective view
of
FIG. 10a and its cooperation in a wireless network is exemplified in the block
diagram of
FIG. 11. These figures are exemplary only, and those persons skilled in the
art will
appreciate the additional elements and modifications necessary to make the
device work in
particular network environments.
An exemplary embodiment of the handheld electronic device 300b as shown in
FIG. l0a is cradleable in the palm of a user's hand. The size of the device
300b is such
that a user is capable of operating the device using the same hand that is
holding the
device. In a preferred embodiment, the user is capable of actuating all
features of the
device 300b using the thumb of the cradling hand. The preferred embodiment of
the
handheld device 300b features a keyboard 332 on the face of the device 300b,
which is
actuable by the thumb of the hand cradling the device 300b. The user may also
hold the
device 300b in such a manner to enable two thumb typing on the device 300b.
Furthermore, the user may use fingers rather than thumbs to actuate the keys
on the device
300b. In order to accommodate palm-cradling of the device 300b by the average
person, it
is longer (height as shown in FIG. 10a) than it is wide, and the width is
preferably between
approximately two and three inches, but by no means limited to such
dimensions.
As may be appreciated from FIG. IOa, the handheld electronic device 300b
comprises a lighted display 1101ocated above a keyboard 332 suitable for
accommodating
textual input to the handheld electronic device 300b when in an operable
configuration.
Preferably, the screen 110 and keyboard 332 are located at the front face of
the handheld
electronic device 300b. As shown, the device 300b is of unibody construction,
but it is
also contemplated that the device may be of an alternative construction such
as that
commonly known as "clamshell" or "flip-phone" style. Regardless, in the
operable
configuration for the device 300b, the navigation tool (auxiliary input) 328
is located
essentially between the display 110 and the keyboard 332.
In one embodiment, the keyboard 332 comprises a plurality of keys with which
alphabetic letters are associated on one letter per key basis. It is
contemplated that the
keys may be directly marked with letters, or the letters may be presented
adjacent, but
clearly in association with a particular key. This one-to-one pairing between
the letters
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and keys is depicted in FIGS. 3j and 3k and is described in greater detail
above in
association therewith. In order to facilitate user input, the alphabetic
letters are preferably
configured in a familiar QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, or Dvorak layout, each of
which is also discussed in greater detail above.
In the alternative embodiment of FIG. 10a, the keyboard 332 comprises a
plurality
of keys with which alphabetic letters are also associated, but at least a
portion of the
individual keys have multiple letters associated therewith. This type of
configuration is
referred to as a reduced keyboard (in comparison to the full keyboard
described
immediately above) and can, among others come in QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and
Dvorak layouts.
FIG. 10b is an exploded view showing some of the typical components found in
the assembly of the electronic device 300b. The construction of the device
benefits from
various manufacturing simplifications. The internal components are constructed
on a
single PCB (printed circuit board) 102. The keyboard 332 is constructed from a
single
piece of material and in a preferred embodiment is made from plastic. The
keyboard 332
sits over dome switches (not shown) located on the PCB 102 in a preferred
embodiment.
One switch is provided for every key on the keyboard in the preferred
embodiment, but in
other embodiments more than one switch or less than one switch per key are
possible
configurations. The support frame 101 holds the keyboard 332 and navigation
tool 120 in
place above the PCB 102. The support frame 101 also provides an attachment
point for
the display, (not shown). A lens 103 covers the display to prevent damage.
When
assembled, the support frame 101 and the PCB 102 are fixably attached to each
other and
the display is positioned between the PCB 102 and support frame 101.
The navigation tool 120 is frictionally engaged with the support frame 101,
but in a
preferred embodiment the navigation tool 120 is removable when the device is
assembled.
This allows for replacement of the navigation tool 120 if/when it becomes
damaged or the
user desires replacement with a different type of navigation tool 120. In the
exemplary
embodiment of FIG. IOa, the navigation tool 120 is a trackball based device
having a
depressible rolling member or trackball 121. Other navigation tools 120 such
as joysticks,
four-way cursors, or touch pads are also considered to be within the scope of
this
disclosure. When the navigation tool 120 is a trackball based tool, the
trackball 121 itself
can be removed without removal of the navigation tool 120. The removal of the
trackball
121 is enabled through the use of an outer removable ring 123 and an inner
removable ring
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122. These rings 122, 123 ensure that the navigation tool 120 and the
trackball 121 are
properly held in place against the support frame 101.
A serial port (preferably a Universal Serial Bus port) 330 and an earphone
jack 140
are fixably attached to the PCB 102 and further held in place by right side
element 105.
Buttons 130, 131, 132, 133 are attached to switches (not shown), which are
connected to
the PCB 102.
Final assembly involves placing the top piece 107 and bottom piece 108 in
contact
with support frame 101. Furthermore, the assembly interconnects right side
element 105
and left side element 106 with the support frame 101, PCB 102, and lens 103.
These side
elements 105, 106 provide additional protection and strength to the support
structure of the
device 300b. In a preferred embodiment, backplate 104 is removably attached to
the other
elements of the device.
The block diagram of FIG. 11 representing the electronic device 300b
interacting
in the communication network 319 shows the device's 300b inclusion of a
microprocessor
338 which controls the operation of the device 300b. The communication
subsystem 311
performs all communication transmission and reception with the wireless
network 319.
The microprocessor 338 further connects with an auxiliary input/output (1/0)
subsystem
328, a serial port (preferably a Universal Serial Bus port) 330, a display
322, a keyboard
332, a speaker 334, a microphone 336, random access memory (RAM) 326, and
flash
memory 324. Other communications subsystems 340 and other device subsystems
342 are
generally indicated as connected to the microprocessor 338 as well. An example
of a
communication subsystem 340 is that of a short-range communication subsystem
such as
BLUETOOTH communication module or an infrared device and associated circuits
and
components. Additionally, the microprocessor 338 is able to perform operating
system
functions and preferably enables execution of software applications on the
communication
device 300b.
The above described auxiliary 1/0 subsystem 328 can take the form of a variety
of
different subsystems including the above described navigation tool 120. As
previously
mentioned, the navigation tool 120 is preferably a trackball based device, but
it can be any
one of the other above described tools. Other auxiliary UO devices can include
external
display devices and externally connected keyboards (not shown). While the
above
examples have been provided in relation to the auxiliary UO subsystem, other
subsystems
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capable of providing input or receiving output from the handheld electronic
device 300b
are considered within the scope of this disclosure.
In a preferred embodiment, the communication device 300b is designed to
wirelessly connect with a communication network 319. Some communication
networks
that the electronic device 300b may be designed to operate on require a
subscriber identity
module (SIM) or removable user identity module (RUIM). Thus, a device 300b
intended
to operate on such a system will include SIM/RUIM interface 344 into which the
SIM/RUIM card (not shown) may be placed. The SIMIRUIM interface 344 can be one
in
which the SIM/RUIM card is inserted and ejected.
In an exemplary embodiment, the flash memory 324 is enabled to provide a
storage location for the operating system, device programs, and data. While
the operating
system in a preferred embodiment is stored in flash memory 324, the operating
system in
other embodiments is stored in read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage
element (not
shown). As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the operating system,
device
application or parts thereof may be loaded in RAM 326 or other volatile
memory.
In a preferred embodiment, the flash memory 324 contains programs/applications
358 for execution on the device 300b including an address book 352, a personal
information manager (PIM) 354, and the device state 350. Furthermore, programs
358
and data 356 can be segregated upon storage in the flash memory 324 of the
device 300b.
However, another embodiment of the flash memory 324 utilizes a storage
allocation
method such that a program 358 is allocated additional space in order to store
data
associated with such program. Other known allocation methods exist in the art
and those
persons skilled in the art will appreciate additional ways to allocate the
memory of the
device 300b.
In a preferred embodiment, the device 300b is pre-loaded with a limited set of
programs that enable it to operate on the communication network 319. Another
program
that can be preloaded is a PIM 354 application that has the ability to
organize and manage
data items including but not limited to email, calendar events, voice
messages,
appointments and task items. In order to operate efficiently, memory 324 is
allocated for
use by the PIM 354 for the storage of associated data. In a preferred
embodiment, the
information that PIM 354 manages is seamlessly integrated, synchronized and
updated
through the communication network 319 with a user's corresponding information
on a
remote computer (not shown). The synchronization, in another embodiment, can
also be
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performed through the serial port 330 or other short-range communication
subsystem 340.
Other applications may be installed through connection with the wireless
network 319,
serial port 330 or via other short-range communication subsystems 340.
When the device 300b is enabled for two-way communication within the wireless
communication network 319, it can send and receive signals from a mobile
communication service. Examples of communication systems enabled for two-way
communication include, but are not limited to, the GPRS (General Packet Radio
Service)
network, the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service) network, the
EDGE
(Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) network, and the CDMA (Code Division
Multiple
Access) network and those networks generally described as packet-switched,
narrowband,
data-only technologies mainly used for short burst wireless data transfer.
For the systems listed above, the electronic device 300b must be properly
enabled
to transmit and receive signals from the communication network 319. Other
systems may
not require such identifying information. A GPRS, UMTS, and EDGE require the
use of a
SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) in order to allow communication with the
communication network 319. Likewise, most CDMA systems require the use of a
RUIM
(Removable Identity Module) in order to communicate with the CDMA network. The
RUIM and SIM card can be used in multiple different electronic devices 300b.
The
electronic device 300b may be able to operate some features without a SIM/RUIM
card,
but it will not be able to communicate with the network 319. In some
locations, the
electronic device 300b will be enabled to work with special services, such as
"911"
emergency, without a SIM/RUIM or with a non-functioning SIM/RUIM card. A
SIM/RUIM interface 344 located within the device allows for removal or
insertion of a
SIM/RUIM card (not shown). This interface 344 can be configured like that of a
disk
drive or a PCMCIA slot or other known attachment mechanism in the art. The
SIM/RUIM card features memory and holds key configurations 351, and other
information 353 such as identification and subscriber related information. The
SIM/RUIM card features memory and holds key configurations 351, and other
information 353 such as identification and subscriber related information.
Furthermore, a
SIM/RUIM card can be enabled to store information about the user including
identification, carrier and address book information. With a properly enabled
electronic
device 300b, two-way communication between the electronic device 300b and
communication network 319 is possible.
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If the electronic device 300b is enabled as described above or the
communication
network 319 does not require such enablement, the two-way communication
enabled
device 300b is able to both transmit and receive information from the
communication
network 319. The transfer of data can be from the device 300b or to the device
300b. In
order to communicate with the communication network 319, the device 300b in a
preferred embodiment is equipped with an integral or internal antenna 318 for
transmitting
signals to the communication network 319. Likewise the electronic device 300b
in the
preferred embodiment is equipped with another antenna 316 for receiving
communication
from the communication network 319. These antennae (316, 318) in another
preferred
embodiment are combined into a single antenna (not shown). As one skilled in
the art
would appreciate, the antenna or antennae (316, 318) in another embodiment are
externally mounted on the device 300b.
When equipped for two-way communication, the electronic device 300b features a
communication subsystem 311. As is well known in the art, this communication
subsystem 311 is modified so that it can support the operational needs of the
device 300b.
The subsystem 311 includes a transmitter 314 and receiver 312 including the
associated
antenna or antennae (316, 318) as described above, local oscillators (LOs)
313, and a
processing module 320 that in a preferred embodiment is a digital signal
processor (DSP)
320.
A signal received by the electronic device 300b is first received by the
antenna 316
and then input into a receiver 312, which in a preferred embodiment is capable
of
performing common receiver functions including signal amplification, frequency
down
conversion, filtering, channel selection and the like, and analog to digital
(A/D)
conversion. The A/D conversion allows the DSP 320 to perform more complex
communication functions such as demodulation and decoding on the signals that
are
received by DSP 320 from the receiver 312. The DSP 320 is also capable of
issuing
control commands to the receiver 312. An example of a control command that the
DSP
320 is capable of sending to the receiver 312 is gain control, which is
implemented in
automatic gain control algorithms implemented in the DSP 320. Likewise, the
electronic
device 300b is capable of transmitting signals to the communication network
319. The
DSP 320 communicates the signals to be sent to the transmitter 314 and further
communicates control functions, such as the above described gain control. The
signal is
emitted by the device 300b through an antenna 318 connected to the transmitter
314.
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It is contemplated that device 300b communication with the wireless network
319
can be any type of communication that both the wireless network 319 and device
300b are
enabled to transmit, receive and process. In general, these can be classified
as voice and
data. Voice communication is communication in which signals for audible sounds
are
transmitted by the device 300b through the communication network 319. Data is
all other
types of communication that the device 300b is capable of performing within
the
constraints of the wireless network 319.
In the instance of voice communication, voice transmissions that originate
from the
electronic device 300b enter the device 300b though a microphone 336. The
microphone
336 communicates the signals to the microprocessor 338 for further
conditioning and
processing. The microprocessor 338 sends the signals to the DSP 320 which
controls the
transmitter 314 and provides the correct signals to the transmitter 314. Then,
the
transmitter 314 sends the signals to the antenna 318, which emits the signals
to be detected
by a communication network 319. Likewise, when the receiver 312 obtains a
signal from
the receiving antenna 316 that is a voice signal, it is transmitted to the DSP
320 which
further sends the signal to the microprocessor 338. Then, the microprocessor
338 provides
a signal to the speaker 334 of the device 300b and the user can hear the voice
communication that has been received. The device 300b in a preferred
embodiment is
enabled to allow for full duplex voice transmission.
In another embodiment, the voice transmission may be received by the
electronic
device 300b and translated as text to be shown on the display screen 322 of
the electronic
device 300b. The electronic device 300b is also capable of retrieving messages
from a
voice messaging service operated by the communication network operator. In a
preferred
embodiment, the device 300b displays information in relation to the voice
message, such
as the number of voice messages or an indication that a new voice message is
present on
the operating system.
In a preferred embodiment, the display 322 of the electronic device 300b
provides
an indication about the identity of an incoming call, duration of the voice
communication,
telephone number of the communication device, call history, and other related
information. It should be appreciated that the above-described embodiments are
given as
examples only and one skilled in the art may effect alterations, modifications
and
variations to the particular embodiments without departing from the scope of
the
application.
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As stated above, the electronic device 300b and communication network 319 can
be enabled to transmit, receive and process data. Several different types of
data exist and
some of these types of data will be described in further detail. One type of
data
communication that occurs over the conununication network 319 includes
electronic mail
(email) messages. Typically an email is text based, but can also include other
types of
data such as picture files, attachments and html. While these are given as
examples, other
types of messages are considered within the scope of this disclosure as well.
When the email originates from a source outside of the device and is
communicated to the device 300b, it is first received by the receiving antenna
316 and
then transmitted to the receiver 312. From the receiver 312, the email message
is further
processed by the DSP 320, and it then reaches the microprocessor 338. The
microprocessor 338 executes instructions as indicated from the relevant
programming
instructions to display, store or process the email message as directed by the
program. In a
similar manner, once an email message has been properly processed by the
microprocessor
338 for transmission to the communication network 319, it is first sent to the
DSP 320,
which further transmits the email message to the transmitter 314. The
transmitter 314
processes the email message and transmits it to the transmission antenna 318,
which
broadcasts a signal to be received by a communication network 319. While the
above has
been described generally, those skilled in this art will appreciate those
modifications
which are necessary to enable the electronic device 300b to properly transmit
the email
message over a given communication network 319.
Furthermore, the email message may instead be transmitted from the device 300b
via a serial port 330, another communication port 340, or other wireless
communication
ports 340. The user of the device 300b can generate a message to be sent using
the
keyboard 332 and/or auxiliary I/O 328, and the associated application to
generate the
email message. Once the email message is generated, the user may execute a
send
command which directs the email message from the electronic device 300b to the
communication network 319. In an exemplary embodiment, a keyboard 332,
preferably
an alphanumeric keyboard, is used to compose the email message. In a preferred
embodiment, an auxiliary UO device 328 is used in addition to the keyboard
332.
While the above has been described in relation to email messages, one skilled
in
the art could easily modify the procedure to function with other types of data
such as SMS
text messages, Internet websites, videos, instant messages, programs and
ringtones. Once
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the data is received by the microprocessor 338, the data is placed
appropriately within the
operating system of the device 300b. This might involve presenting a message
on the
display 322 which indicates the data has been received or storing it in the
appropriate
memory 324 on the device 300b. For example, a downloaded application such as a
game
will be placed into a suitable place in the flash memory 324 of the device
300b. The
operating system of the device 300b will also allow for appropriate access to
the new
application as downloaded.
While the above has been described in relation to a computer 300 and handheld
electronic devices 300a and 300b, there are particular classes of these
devices. A
handheld communication device is a handheld electronic device 300a, 300b which
is
capable of communicating with a communications network which can be data,
voice, or
combination thereof.
Although the invention has been described in language specific to structural
features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the invention
defined in the
appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described.
Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms of
implementing
the claimed invention.
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