Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
1
TARGET ZONES FOR MENU ITEMS ON A TOUCH-SENSITIVE DISPLAY
Field of Technology
The present disclosure relates to portable electronic devices, including but
not limited to portable electronic devices having touch screen displays and
their
control.
Background
Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, have gained
widespread use and may provide a variety of functions including, for example,
telephonic, electronic messaging and other personal information manager (PIM)
application functions. Portable electronic devices include, for example,
several
types of mobile stations such as simple cellular telephones, smart telephones,
wireless personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers with
wireless
802.11 or Bluetooth capabilities. These devices run on a wide variety of
networks from data-only networks such as Mobitex and DataTAC networks to
complex voice and data networks such as GSM/GPRS, CDMA, EDGE, UMTS
and CDMA2000 networks.
Portable electronic devices such as PDAs or smart telephones are generally
intended for handheld use and ease of portability. Smaller devices are
generally
desirable for portability. A touch screen display for input and output is
particularly useful on such handheld devices, as such handheld devices are
small and are therefore limited in space available for user input and output
devices. Further, the screen content on the touch screen display devices may
be modified depending on the functions and operations being performed. Even
still, these devices have a limited area for rendering content on the touch
screen
display and for rendering features or icons, for example, for user
interaction.
With continued demand for decreased size of portable electronic devices, touch
screen displays continue to decrease in size.
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
2
Improvements in touch screen devices are therefore desirable.
Brief Description of the Drawings
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device in accordance with
the disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the portable electronic device having a touch-
sensitive display in accordance with the disclosure.
FIG. 3 illustrates menu items having target zones with wide areas on
alternating left and right sides on a touch-sensitive display in accordance
with the
disclosure.
FIG. 4 illustrates menu items having enlarged target zones on a. touch-
sensitive display in accordance with the disclosure.
FIG. 5, FIG. 6, and FIG. 7 illustrate menu items having shaded target zones
on a touch-sensitive display in accordance with the disclosure.
FIG. 8 illustrates shaded target zones with an enlarged selection area on a
touch-sensitive display in accordance with the disclosure.
FIG. 9 illustrates enlarged target zones for adjacent menu items having
common borders on a touch-sensitive display in accordance with the disclosure.
Detailed Description
The following describes a method of and apparatus for displaying target
zones for menu items on a touch-sensitive display. Various methods of
displaying target zones in conjunction with the menu items are disclosed.
Target
zones may be distributed in numerous different positions along the menu items
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
3
and may be represented within enlarged areas of the menu items. A selection
area for a menu item may extend beyond the area displayed for the menu item.
A plurality of menu items are displayed on a touch-sensitive display. The
plurality of menu items correspond to a plurality of target zones. The display
of
the plurality of menu items includes representations of a target zone
distributed
among at least three different positions along the menu items. A touch is
detected within a first target zone associated with a first menu item. At
least one
function associated with selection of the first menu item is performed.
At least two adjacent menu items may have a common border.
The first target zone may include an enlarged area of the first menu item.
The first menu item may further include a supplemental zone that is shorter in
at
least one dimension than the first target zone, such that detecting a touch
within
the supplemental zone selects the first menu item. The supplemental zone and
the first target zone may be displayed in a single area associated with the
first
menu item.
The displayed area for each of the plurality of menu items may include a
first end and a second end. At least some of the plurality of target zones may
be
located away from the first end and the second end.
At least a part of an identifier for the first menu item may be located within
the first target zone.
The plurality of menu items may be listed in a first direction, and the
plurality of target zones may be arranged along a second direction that is
substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The plurality of target
zones
may be arranged in a repeating pattern. The plurality of target zones may
extend along a diagonal direction relative to the first direction. The
plurality of
target zones may be distributed along at least five different positions along
the
second direction.
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
4
The first menu item may be displayed in a first color arrangement and the
first target zone may be displayed in a different color arrangement.
The first target zone may be visually depicted entirely within a displayed
area of the first menu item. A selection area for the first menu item may
extend
beyond the displayed area of the first menu item.
Performing at least one function may include displaying information
associated with selection of the first menu item.
A computer readable medium may include stored instructions executed by
a processor of a portable electronic device and causing the portable
electronic
device to implement any of the methods described herein.
A portable electronic device includes a touch-sensitive display and a
microprocessor. The touch-sensitive display is configured to display a
plurality of
menu items. The microprocessor is configured to detect a touch within a
selection area of a first menu item of the plurality of menu items in which
the
selection area extends beyond an area displayed for the first menu item. The
microprocessor is further configured to perform at least one function
associated
with selection of the first menu item.
The selection area of the first menu item may overlap an area displayed
for a second menu item.
The touch may be imparted on the touch-sensitive display with a force
that exceeds a predetermined threshold.
The function performed may include displaying information associated
with selection of the first menu item.
A portable electronic device is also disclosed that includes a touch-
sensitive display and a microprocessor. The touch-sensitive display is
configured to display a plurality of menu items in which a target zone is
displayed
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
within an area displayed for a first menu item of the plurality of menu items.
The
microprocessor is configured to detect a touch within a selection area of the
first
menu item in which the selection area extends beyond the area displayed for
the
first menu item. The microprocessor is further configured to perform at least
one
5 function associated with selection of the first menu item. The selection
area
overlaps an area displayed for a second menu item. At least two adjacent menu
items have a common border.
The disclosed method and portable electronic device display menu items,
or lists, with improved usability. Due to the relatively small size of touch-
sensitive
displays, the content displayed is often quite small and may be difficult to
select.
Because the fingers of a user may be large enough to cover more than one
displayed item, it is easy for the user to easily select a nearby item rather
than
the intended item.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, reference numerals may be repeated
among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. In
addition,
numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough
understanding of the embodiments described herein. The embodiments
described herein may be practiced without these specific details. In other
instances, well-known methods, procedures and components have not been
described in detail so as not to obscure the embodiments described herein.
Also, the description is not to be considered as limited to the scope of the
embodiments described herein.
The disclosure generally relates to an electronic device, which in the
embodiments described herein is a portable electronic device. Examples of
portable electronic devices include mobile, or handheld, wireless
communication
devices such as pagers, cellular phones, cellular smart-phones, wireless
organizers, personal digital assistants, wirelessly enabled notebook
computers,
and the like. The portable electronic device may also be a portable electronic
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
6
device without wireless communication capabilities such as a handheld
electronic game device, digital photograph album, digital camera, or other
device.
A block diagram of an example of an embodiment of a portable electronic
device 100 is shown in FIG. 1. The portable electronic device 100 includes a
number of components such as a processor 102 that controls the overall
operation of the portable electronic device 100. Communication functions,
including data and voice communications, are performed through a
communication subsystem 104. Data received by the portable electronic device
100 is decompressed and decrypted by a decoder 106. The communication
subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless
network 150. The wireless network 150 may be any type of wireless network,
including, but not limited to, data-centric wireless networks, voice-centric
wireless
networks, and dual-mode networks that support both voice and data
communications over the same physical base stations. The portable electronic
device 100 is a battery-powered device and includes a battery interface 142
for
receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 144.
The processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such as a
Random Access Memory (RAM) 108, a flash memory 110, a display 112 with a
touch-sensitive overlay 114 connected to an electronic controller 116 that
together make up a touch-sensitive display 118 (also referred to in the art as
a
touch screen display), an actuator 120, a force sensor 122, an auxiliary
input/output (I/O) subsystem 124, a data port 126, a speaker 128, a microphone
130, short-range communications 132 and other device subsystems 134. The
processor 102 interacts with the touch-sensitive overlay 114 via the
electronic
controller 116. Information, such as text, characters, symbols, images, and
other
items that may be displayed on a portable electronic device, is displayed on
the
touch-sensitive display 118 via the processor 102. When a touch is detected on
the touch-sensitive display 118, an X and Y coordinate of the touch is
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
7
determined, as known in the art, and the location of the touch may be
associated
with information displayed via a graphical user interface. A touch may
comprise
one or more of various actions, including, but not limited to, one or more
contacts, contact with respect to a pressure or other threshold, contact
including
movement, and various combinations thereof. The processor 102 may also
interact with an accelerometer 136 as shown in FIG. 1. The accelerometer 136
may include a cantilever beam with a proof mass and suitable deflection
sensing
circuitry. The accelerometer 136 may be utilized for detecting direction of
gravitational forces or gravity-induced reaction forces.
To identify a subscriber for network access according to the present
embodiment, the portable electronic device 100 uses a Subscriber Identity
Module or a Removable User Identity Module (SIM/RUIM) card 138 inserted into
a SIM/RUIM interface 140 for communication with a network such as the
wireless network 150. Alternatively, user identification information may be
programmed into the flash memory 110.
The portable electronic device 100 also includes an operating system 146
and software components 148 that are executed by the processor 102 and are
typically stored in a persistent store such as the flash memory 110.
Additional
applications may be loaded onto the portable electronic device 100 through the
wireless network 150, the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124, the data port 126, the
short-range communications subsystem 132, or any other suitable device
subsystem 134.
In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, or web
page download is processed by the communication subsystem 104 and input to
the processor 102. The processor 102 then processes the received signal for
output to the display 112 or alternatively to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124.
A
subscriber may also compose data items, such as e-mail messages, for
example, which may be transmitted over the wireless network 150 through the
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
8
communication subsystem 104. For voice communications, the overall operation
of the portable electronic device 100 is substantially similar except that the
received signals are output to the speaker 128 and signals for transmission
are
generated by the microphone 130.
A front view of the portable electronic device 100 is shown in FIG. 2. The
portable electronic device 100 includes a housing 202 that supports the touch-
sensitive display 118, a set of mechanical buttons 204,. and the speaker 128.
A plurality of target zones 302 in wide areas are shown displayed with
associated menu items 304 in FIG. 3. Each of the menu items 304 includes an
identifier 306, such as a text label, symbol, icon, image or the like, within
the
area of the corresponding menu item 304. Each menu item is also shown
having a target zone 302 in a wider area that is located on one side of the
menu
item 304, and a narrow area 308 that is noticeably thinner than the target
zone
302 and located on the other side of the menu item 304.
The menu items 304 are arranged such that the target zones 302 are
alternatively staggered on opposite ends of adjacent menu items. As shown in
FIG. 3, the target zone 302 of the "Compose Email" menu item is on the left
side
of the touch-sensitive display 118, the target zone 302 of the "Search" menu
item
(immediately below the "Compose Email" menu item) is on the right, and the
target zone 302 of the "View Folder" menu item (immediately below the "Search"
menu item) is again on the left, and so on. The left-right staggering of the
target
zones 302 continues to the bottom of the list of menu items 304.
As utilized herein, a "target zone" refers to an area of a menu item that is
in
one or more ways visually identifiable as an area associated with the menu
item.
For instance, the target zones 302, 402, 502, 602, 702, 802, 902 of the
embodiments described herein include enlarged areas, differently shaded areas,
or colored areas. A target zone indicates an area, associated with the menu
item, and having an increased likelihood of accurate selection.
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
9
Each of the menu items 304 illustrated in FIG. 3 has a shared or common
border 310 with one or two adjacent menu items. This common border 310
maximizes the number of menu items 304 displayed on the touch-sensitive
display 118 while providing a larger-size target zone 302 that increases the
likelihood of accurate selection of an intended menu item 304. This layout
efficiently uses the display space available on the touch-sensitive display
118. A
common border also includes borders that are separate for each menu item, but
the borders appear to touch or are so close that the space between borders is
too small to be useable space.
Although not shown the drawings, each of the menu items 304 may be
assigned a different color or a different color than its adjacent menu items
to
differentiate the various menu items 304 from one another.
Each of the menu items 304 has an associated selection area. When a
touch is detected within the selection area, the associated menu item is
determined to be selected. The selection area may be the same as the area
between the borders for the associated menu item, less than the area between
the borders for the associated menu item (e.g., only a target zone), and/or
may
fall outside the borders for the associated menu item, such as shown in FIG.
8.
When a touch is detected in a selection area associated with a menu item, the
portable electronic device 100 performs at least one function associated with
the
selection of that menu item. This function may include displaying information
associated with the selection of that menu item, launching an application,
transmitting information, changing a setting of the portable electronic device
100,
and/or any function known applicable to a portable electronic device 100.
For example, the selection area of each of the menu items 304 includes both
the target zone 302 and the narrow area 308, or supplemental zone, making the
entire area of the menu item 304 available for selection. In this example, the
selection area and the area of the menu item 304 as displayed is the same.
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
Alternatively, only the target zone 302 may be included in the selection area.
Excluding the narrow areas 308 from the selection area is advantageous
because the narrow areas 308 of the menu items 304 may be incidentally
touched during an attempt to select one of the target zones 302 above or below
5 the narrow area 308 and vise-versa. In contrast to lists having items that
are
uniformly long and narrow, the target zones 302 of the menu items 304 provide
a
larger, easily selectable, and clearly identifiable target for the
corresponding
menu item.
Enlarged target zones 402 associated with a plurality of menu items 404 are
10 shown displayed in FIG. 4. Each of the plurality of menu items 404 includes
an
identifier 406, a narrow area 408 that is substantially rectangular, and a
target
zone 402 in an enlarged area that is bulbous in shape.
Similar to the embodiment of FIG. 3, the enlarged portion 410 serves as the
target zone 402 within an enlarged area of the menu item 404 and is at least a
part of the selection area of the associated menu item. Optionally, the narrow
area 408 may serve as a supplemental zone of the selection area.
As the list extends downward, the target zones 402 of each of the menu
items 404 are arranged in a repeating pattern in which the target zones 402
are
horizontally offset relative to one another and in which the target zones 402
are
positioned away from the ends of the menu items 404. In the example shown in
FIG. 4, the target zones 402 are diagonally arranged across three horizontal
positions along the menu items 404, extending downward along the touch-
sensitive display 118 with respect to the user's viewpoint. The target zones
402
are located in the leftmost position on the "Compose Email" menu item, in the
center position on the "Search" menu item, in the rightmost position on the
"View
Folder" menu item. The pattern repeats with the "Options" menu item, where the
target zone 402 is located in the leftmost position, and the pattern
continues. By
offsetting the target zones 402 in this way, the user has larger areas in
which to
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
11
contact or select an otherwise narrow menu item 404. Offsetting of the target
zones 402 relative to nearby menu items further differentiates the menu items
404 from one another and separates selection areas, resulting in a more
accurate selection process. As stated above, each of the menu items 404 may
be differently colored from nearby menu items to better contrast the menu
items
404 from one another.
Shaded target zones 502 for menu items 504 are shown displayed on the
touch sensitive display 118 in FIG. 5. Each of the plurality of menu items 504
includes an identifier 506 that is located in a narrow rectangular area that
comprises the display area for the menu item 504. A target zone 502 is
displayed within the display area for each of the menu items 504. The target
zones 502 are arranged in a repeating diagonal pattern in the example in FIG.
5.
The shaded target zone 502 is depicted by an object that is located at least
partially within the display area of the corresponding menu item. The object
may
optionally be displayed next to a menu item in a manner to clearly indicate
its
association with the corresponding menu item. The object may be circular, such
as shown in FIG. 5 through 8, although the object may include stars, squares,
triangles, or other shapes. The outer border of the object may be solid,
dotted,
and/or dashed, and may have different thickness (including borderless) and/or
color than the interior of the object and/or the menu item. The interior of
the
object may be filled, e.g., contain a color, texture, and/or pattern different
than
the menu item. The object may have a different color arrangement than the rest
of the area of the corresponding menu items 504. Color arrangement
encompasses various types of coloration, including colors, patterns, shades,
color gradients, images, and the like.
To select one of the menu items 504, the user touches the target zone 502
associated with the intended menu item. The selection area is co-located with
the target zone 502. The target zones are diagonally arranged, i.e.,
horizontally
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
12
distributed relative to the vertical organization of the list, thereby
reducing the
likelihood of inaccurate selection due to the spatial relationship between
adjacent
menu items 504.
A different embodiment of shaded target zones 602 is illustrated in FIG. 6.
The target zones 602 for each of the plurality of menu items 604 are arranged
in
a more complex repeating pattern that further separates and spaces the target
zones 602 from one another.
In this example, the five horizontal positions for the target zones 502 are
left,
left-center, center, right-center, and right. The target zone 602 for the
"Delete"
menu item is located in the left position. Moving down the menu, the target
zone
602 for the "Open" menu item is located in the center position. Immediately
below, the target zone 602 for the "File" menu item is the right position, the
target
zone 602 for the "Mark Unopened" menu item is the left-center position, and
the
target zone 602 for the "Save" menu item is the right-center position. The
pattern repeats with the "Reply" menu item, where the target zone 602 is in
the
left position, and the above-described pattern continues.
One benefit of this pattern is the separation of target zones 602 from one
another for adjacent menu items. Using this pattern, a target zone 602 in a
particular horizontal position is five menu items away from a menu item having
the same horizontal position of its target zone, and at least two menu items
away
from a menu item having an "adjacent" horizontal position of its target zone.
This
pattern reduces the likelihood of a user unintentionally touching a nearby
target
zone and provides an aesthetically pleasing pattern of the target zones 602 on
the touch-sensitive display 118.
Another embodiment of shaded target zones 702 is illustrated in FIG. 7. In
this example, the target zones 702 are alternated on the left and right sides
of
the menu items 704 on the touch-sensitive display 118. Each of the menu items
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
13
704 includes an identifier 706 that is center-justified on the associated menu
item
704.
By displaying the staggered pattern of the target zones 702 with the
identifiers 706 centered in the display area of the menu items 704, the user
may
more easily visually identify which of the target zones 702 corresponds to
each
of the identifiers 706 for the menu items 704, which minimizes the time that
the
user spends scanning the screen for a target zone for a particular menu item.
A plurality of menu items 804 each having an enlarged, but not visually
displayed, selection area 808 surrounding a target zone 802 is shown in FIG.
8.
The selection area 808, shown in phantom lines, extends beyond the area
displayed for the associated menu item 804 and may, as shown in the example
of FIG. 8, overlap at least part of one or more adjacent menu items 804. The
amount of overlap, if any, depends on how close the nearby menu items 804 are
located. When the touch-sensitive display 118 detects a touch within a
selection
area 808, the associated menu item 804 for the corresponding target zone 802
to the identified selection area 808 is selected and an appropriate function
is
performed, as described above. Although a user may touch the selection area
808 in an adjacent menu item 804, a user is presumed to be intending to touch
the nearest target zone 802, thereby resulting in a more accurate selection of
the
intended menu item 804.
Enlarged target zones 902 for adjacent menu items 904 having common
borders are shown displayed on a touch-sensitive display in FIG. 9. In this
example, a plurality of menu items 904 is closely packed together, and each
menu item includes an enlarged target zone 902 with an associated identifier
906. At least part of the identifier 906 is placed in the target zone 902,
facilitating
quick identification by the user of the function associated with each of the
menu
items 904. The target zones 902 are horizontally offset from one another in a
pattern similar to the pattern of the target zones 602 in FIG. 6. The user may
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
14
more quickly identify the identifier 906 in the larger target zones 902.
Adjacent
menu items have a common border, as previously described, thereby facilitating
efficient use the space on the touch-sensitive display 118.
Patterns other than diagonally-extending patterns and those shown in the
drawings and described herein may be utilized to arrange the target zones in a
successful way. Other patterns, regular or irregular, random or repeating, may
also be used. Horizontal positions may be repeated for different menu items,
or
may be unique for each menu item displayed. Identifiers for the menu items may
be aligned to the left, to the right, or centered, and may be at least
partially co-
located with the target zone. The target zones for a particular menu or list
may
be the same or may vary from menu item to menu item. The nature of the target
zones, e.g., size, shape, and/or distribution pattern, may be user-selectable.
Although the examples provided are shown for a display in portrait
orientation,
the teachings herein may be easily applied to touch-sensitive display in
landscape orientation.
As described herein, menu items with associated target zones improve the
accuracy of selection of menu items as well as differentiation the menu items
and target zones from one another. In contrast to menus or lists having long
and
narrow selection areas, the disclosed menu items and target zones are more
easily distinguished from one another and are more readily selectable by the
touch of a user.
The terms used above, such as vertical, horizontal, left, right, and the like,
are
relative terms used to provide references to describe the embodiments shown in
the figures and are not otherwise limiting.
By advantageously positioning target zones along the menu items, a feature
is displayed that differentiates and separates each of the menu items from one
another, rendering selection of the intended menu item more likely. The
disclosed target zones facilitate the inclusion of many menu items on a single
CA 02700961 2010-04-16
touch-sensitive display without sacrificing the usability of the portable
electronic
device. When patterns are arranged such that the target zone of each menu
item is positioned differently in the horizontal direction from the target
zones of
the menu item two items above or two menu items vertically with respect to the
5 user's perspective, the alternating horizontal placement facilitates more
accurate
user selection of menu items than alternating horizontal placement with each
adjacent item.
The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described
embodiments
10 are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not
restrictive. The
scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather
than by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning
and
range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
