Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING FILES BY CATEGORIES IN A
GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
Cross-Reference to Related Application
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application no 13/404,796,
filed
February 24, 2012, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by
reference
herein.
Technical Field
The present application relates generally to the operation of a computing
device and
particularly to accessing stored data within a communications device.
Background
The use of communication devices, and in particular mobile communication
devices,
has extended to allow a user to receive voice calls and to send and receive
electronic communications, which may include e-mail, short message service
(SMS),
multimedia messaging service (MMS) and video messaging service (VMS)
messages, as well as other forms of messages. This messaging is typically
provided
in one or more modules which are executable within a processor of the device
and
which are individually accessible by a user on demand.
With the increase in processing capacity of these devices, more and more
functionality is provided within the device and is available to a user. For
example, it
is known to provide a user with the capacity to store data content on their
device.
This content can be provided in a variety of different formats including
images,
sounds such as music or the like, movies. The content could be generated
locally on
the device using in built functionality such as cameras. The content could
also or
alternatively be generated off the device and then transferred to the device
for local
access by the user. With the increased capacity of devices, it is not uncommon
for a
user to have many hundreds of data files and with such volumes of data stored
on
the device, it is not always easy for a user to find content.
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Brief Description of the Drawings
In drawings which illustrate by way of example only embodiments of the present
application,
Figure 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computing device.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary network topology for use with
the
computing device of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing storage of specific data categories in
accordance with the present teaching.
Figure 4 is a graphic showing a generated graphical user interface in
accordance
with the present teaching.
Figure 5A is a graphic showing a generated graphical user interface in
accordance
with the present teaching.
Figure 5B is a graphic showing the user interface of Figure 5A modified to
display
additional data files in accordance with the present teaching.
Figure 6 is a process flow showing a methodology in accordance with the
present
teaching.
Figure 7 is a process flow showing a methodology in accordance with the
present
teaching.
Figure 8 is a process flow showing a methodology in accordance with the
present
teaching.
Detailed Description
The embodiments described herein provide a system, method and apparatus for
improving user access to data as part of generation of a user interface
display. In
providing improved access to data the present teaching obviates a need to
scroll
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through many different icons or data represenations to retrieve the content
that they
wish to access.
This is particularly advantageous when utilised in the context of devices
which
employ small screen sizes where there is a physical limit to the amount of
content
that can be concurrently displayed. While display screen sizes have increased,
they
are still relatively small compared to conventional computing displays. With a
limited
footprint there are difficulties in how to enable a user to access the
information that
is stored within the device. The amount of content that can be displayed on
these
small screens is limited. The representations of the data could be reduced-
for
example using thumbnail images or the like, but this reduces the quality of
the data
and makes the decision process for the user more difficult. The user could
also be
presented with a tile format of individual representations of the data content
and
then scroll through these tiles through a screen refresh process. However this
makes it difficult for a user to recall where exactly they saw a particular
data file. In
accordance with the present teaching, the defining of categories that group
individual data files that share common criteria allows for generation of a
graphical
user interface that provides a user with a contextual interface for accessing
data.
By providing such a contextual interace it is possible in accordance with the
present
teaching to improve speed of access to particular data files. This can have a
beneficial effect on the performance of the device. It will be appreciated
that many of
these devices are battery powered and the performance of the battery is
critical. Any
user interaction with the device has a corresponding effect on the battery
consumption. A traditional requirement for a user to go through many
interactions or
click through operations with the device to find the data content that they
wish to
access has an effect on the battery and can reduce the time period between
which a
user needs to recharge their device. By improving the user interface accessing
that
data, the present teaching at least partially alleviates such a problem.
It will be appreciated that typically data files are stored and accessed
through
dedicated interfaces depedent on the form of that data. Content of different
forms is
stored and accessed through different modules or applications executable on
the
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device. For example, images are stored in an image folder and music in a music
folder. Movies which include both imagery and sound are stored in a movie
folder. If
a user needs to access specific types of content they need to switch between
the
dedicated modules for each of the data types to access a particular data type.
As a
result of the limited display footprint on the device, the switching between
modules
or applications typically effects a replacement of information from a
displayed
module with information from the new module. This can have an effect on a user
accessing content that shares a common theme or criteria. In accordance with
an
exemplary arrangement of the present teaching a common interface can be
provided
to data of different types, the user being presented through that common
interface
with data that shares a common set of defined criteria.
In a first exemplary arrangement a method of generating a graphical user
interface
on a display of a computing device is provided. The method is particularly
directed
to providing user access to one or more individual data files that are stored
within
the computing device. It will be appreciated however that the present teaching
should not be construed as being limited to data that is actually stored on
the device
which is used to generate the graphical user interface as the present teaching
can
be extended to a graphical user interface for providing a user with access to
data
irrespective of the storage location of that data. For example the device
could be
configured to allow a user to access data stored in one or more remote
locations
and by employing a methodology in accordance with the present teaching it is
possible to provide a user with a display that allows a user to select and
retrieve
individual data files.
Each data file is associated with a graphical representation of the data file
and the
user accesses the data by selecting the specific graphical representation for
that
data file. The graphical representation may include actual images particular
or
relevant to the specific data file. It could also be a generic image
representation with
associated text based distinguishing elements.
For example, in the context of image data the graphical representation may be
a
reduced-dimension sized representation of the image data file itself. For
example,
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the graphical representation that is displayed may be a thumbnail or other
suitably
reduced representation of the larger image- be that a stored camera image or
other
similar format image file. The image may be stored in a variety of formats.
For
example it is known to store images in a .bmp or .jpg format and these or
other
formats could be used within the context of the present teaching.
In the context of movie data, the graphic representation of the movie data
file may
include a still image of one of the scenes of the movie. It could include an
identifier
within the representation that identifies the data file as being a movie type
data file.
This could comprise for example a representation of a video recorder or a
playback
icon.
In the context of sound data, for example stored music files, the
representation
could comprise a graphic such as album art or identifiers specific to a
particular
artist.
In the context of calendar or email data, the graphical representation may
include an
identifier of the type of data- for example a calendar or email icon. This may
be
provided as an abstract identifier of the origin of the data file or may
include
individual identifiers so as to distinguish, for example one calendar event
from
another.
It will be appreciated that the nature of the graphical representation chosen
is such
as to allow a user to visually distinguish one displayed data file from
another.
As discussed above with reference to the known art, in existing devices when a
user
attempts to access stored data files they typically have to initially access
the
application module for that data file type- be that a camera or a movie or a
sound
application. They are then presented within that module with a non-ordered or
at
most time-ordered sequential list of the individual data files which then can
then
access individually. The individual access of one of the data file through for
example
a click or in the context of a touch screen device a user touch on the icon,
then
generates a larger representation of the data file. The user then may scroll
through
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that list. In contrast to this traditional approach, the present inventors
have realized
that it is possible to provide improved access to stored data by categorizing
the data
in accordance with one or more criteria, prior to, or concurrent with, the
display of
the data. By processing the data into one or more categories it is then
possible to
provide the user with subsets of the stored data files organized into
categories to
assist in the retrieval process. This categorization may not require a
physical
movement of the storage location of the data file but simply a virtual
grouping such
that actual selection of a particular data file results in an opening of the
data file in
its originally stored location.
This virtual grouping is achieved through the scanning of all data files and
the
creation of a table or list. For each category, all the data files at various
physical
locations on the device are scanned to create a table/list that has pointers
to each
data file that matches the criteria for that category. Specifically, it is the
metadata of
the data files that is scanned. Each data file has associated metadata, for
example
of the type [ViewDate] and [AddedDate] that gets updated each time the user
ads
data files to the device or views data files on the device.
The data files are categorized or associated based on a comparison between
criteria and the metadata of the data files. For example, in a smart view for
recently
added images, all the image files available on the device are scanned, that is
to say
the [AddedDate] of each image file is scanned and a plurality of image files
having
the newest dates in [AddedDate] metadata are categorized e.g. the twenty five
newest image files. This scanning is preferably done immediately prior to or
concurrent with the display of the data files on the device so that the data
files in the
displayed category are always current or up to date. The aforementioned table
or list
is created as part of the scanning and used to identify which data files (in
this
example digital image files) should be displayed. This table or list is
discarded once
the user leaves the smart view and will be recreated if the user once again
selects
the smart view.
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In accordance with the present teaching a plurality of stored data files are
processed into two or more categories of data with each category including a
subset
of the plurality of stored data files. As discussed above, within the context
of the
present teaching an individual data file may be categories in two or more
different
categories. The categories are desirably configured so as to contextually
group data
files using similar themes. For example one category may be those data files
recently added to the device. Another category may be those data files
recently
viewed or accessed on the device. Another category may be those data files
that
are geographically tagged or identified as being relevant to a sensed location
of the
device. Another category may be those data files that are associated with time
related data events such as for example calendar or scheduler events. This is
particularly useful if a user wishes to access data associated with a
particular
meeting.
On determination that a user wishes to access data, the device is configured
to
generate a graphical user interface which includes two or more categories of
the
data files and individual graphical representations of specific data files
within those
two or more categories. The graphical representations of the specific data
files may
be ordered or ranked within the category. In this way a user may be provided
in a
single display with a plurality of graphical representations of data files
categorized
into two or more distinct categories. The user can directly access or retrieve
the
data files associated with the graphical representations from this display. If
the
desired data file is not displayed within the initial display, the user may
then search
within that category through for example an expansion of the display area
associated with that category.
In this way the present teaching provides, within a display of the device, a
number of
different categories concurrently. These categories can be expanded
independently
of each other. The expansion of one category may result in an increase in the
footprint of the display area occupied by that category. In such a scenario
this
increase will be at the expense of a reduction in the footprint occupied by a
second
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category. In another arrangement the expansion of the category could be a
simple
replacement of the graphical representations within that category display
area.
By concurrently providing a categorization of data and individual
representations of
data the present teaching provides a user with a direct link to relevant data
but
ALSO a window into a particular category so that the user can continue to
search
there . For example, in categories such as "recently added" and "recently
viewed"
the device may be configured to provide search options within both these
categories
within the same screen. The ranking or other organization of the data files
within the
individual categories is also beneficial in that a user is presented with the
most likely
content from these categories. In this way the present teaching overcomes many
of
the limitations associated with retrieving data within the context of the
reduced
dimension screens or displays that are available in mobile devices. By
reducing the
number of iterative steps that is required to provide a user with desired
data, the
performance of the device is also improved and the drain on a battery for the
device
is also reduced.
Accordingly in one exemplary arrangement, the present teaching provides a
device
configured to:
Categorize stored data files into a number of categories;
In response to an input to the device, display at least two of the categories
on
the display, each displayed category being displayed within a respective
discrete
display area of the display and, in each of the discrete display areas
concurrently
display graphical representations of data files for that category.
In one exemplary arrangement the device is configured to process a command,
provided in response to the concurrent display of the graphical
representations of
the data files, to allow or enable a user directly select one of the plurality
of
individual files identified by a graphical representation. Furthermore a
direct
selection by the user of one of the plurality of individual data files
provides direct
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access to, or retrieval of, the data files associated with the graphical
representations
through a single user interaction with the device.
The direct selection may also provide a preferential display of the selected
one of
the plurality of individual files.
In one exemplary arrangement, where the graphical representation is a link to
an
executable file, the selection provides for an execution of the executable
file. In this
way a user can, for example, directly effect a playback of a stored movie or a
music
file from an initial display screen. In this way the input to the device may
be
configured so as to effect a launch of an application executable within the
computing
device and dedicated to the display of the files of the identified file type,
the
displaying within individual display areas of the display being provided as an
initial
display screen of the application. Within the context of the present teaching
file
types are intended to differentiate between files that comprise a particular
content
type, such as images, videos, text, spreadsheets, presentations, contacts
(such as
business cards or address book entries) or sounds/music. For example files
that
comprise images (whether they be formatted as JPEG, Bitmap (BMP), Tagged
Image File Format (TIFF) or any other image format) would be files of one type
because they have one type of content, that is, images. A file type includes
data
files having a similar form. Each of these examples (images, video,
sound/music and
text) would constitute different file types in the generic.
In one exemplary arrangement, the display within individual areas effects a
segmentation of a display into distinct regions for each of the two or more
categories. In such an arrangement the distinct regions may initially be
provided
having equal area.
In scenarios where a particular category includes more data files than may be
concurrently displayed within the area for that category, the device may be
configured to process commands to change the displayed graphical
representations
of the plurality of individual ones of the stored data files for that
category. This
command may be initiated in one exemplary arrangement by providing a graphical
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indication within the display area of the presence of additional individual
ones of the
stored data files so as to prompt a user command to change the display. The
graphical indication may be co-located with the location within the display
area of
one of the already displayed graphical representations of one of the
individual ones
of the stored data filed.
This change of display may be effected in one arrangement by replacing one or
more of the displayed individual ones of the stored data files with other data
files
within the same category. In another exemplary arrangement, this change may be
effected by increasing the area occupied by that category in preference to the
area
occupied by a second category so as to display additional individual ones of
the
stored data files within the particular category. In this latter arrangement
the device
may expand the area occupied by the selected category in preference to other
categories while retaining at least a portion of other category within the
display of
the user interface.
In the scenario where the change of display is effected by expanding the
display
area occupied by a specific category, the increase in available display area
allows
additional graphical representations of a plurality of individual ones of the
stored
data files for that category to be concurrently displayed within the user
interface.
The device may be configured to iteratively change the displayed graphical
representations based on sequential user initiated commands.
The categorization of the stored data files may provide for the categorization
of a
specific data file into two or more distinct categories. The categorization
may be
effected concurrently with the input response to the device.
In another, preferred exemplary arrangement, the categorization is done
periodically
such that on receipt of an input to the device, categories of the stored data
are
already available for display. One example of such an arrangement is whereby
the
sensing by the device of the addition of any new data files results in an
update of
the categorization process to include the new data files within identified
categories.
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it will be appreciated that within the present context, categorization
provides a
grouping or association of individual data files that share a common theme or
identifier. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present
teaching, a
category is defined by one or more criteria. Categories are distinguished from
other
categories by the criteria that define the categories. In selecting data files
for
inclusion within that category, the data files are interrogated or evaluated
based on
their relevance to the defined one or more criteria for that category. One way
to
evaluate this relevance is to use metadata. In accordance with one exemplary
arrangement of the present teaching individual data files are interrogated so
as to
evaluate their relevance for defined criteria and then those data files that
share a
common defined criteria or set of criteria are defined as being within the
same
category.
One way of evaluating whether a particular data file meets the defined
criteria so as
to allow its inclusion in a particular category is to evaluate the metadata of
that data
file. It will be appreciated that metadata provides information about data
file's
content. For example, an image data file may include metadata that describes
how
large the picture is, the color depth, the image resolution, when the image
was
created, and other data. A text document data file metadata may contain
information
about how long the document is, who the author is, when the document was
written,
and a short summary of the document. Within the context of the present
teaching,
such metadata may be usefully employed. By evaluating whether the metadata
includes information or identifiers that match a criteria or set of criteria
that define a
category, it is possible to evaluate the relevance of a particular category
for a
particular data file.
It will be appreciated that the same data file may have multiple defining
criteria and
that based on these criteria that the same data file may be logically grouped
into two
or more categories. Non-limiting examples of criteria include a date stamp, a
geographical locator stamp or an author stamp. If a category is defined as
"most
recent" then all those data file that have a date stamp within a defined range
will
meet the criteria defined for that category. If a category is defined for
recent
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documents by a particular author then any data file that is identifiable with
the
particular author and was created in a certain time range will meet the
criteria for
that category. It is possible within these two examples that the same data
file could
be identifiable within each of the two categories.
The categorization may be provide for a ranking of the stored data files so as
allow
for a preferential display of individual ones of the stored data files based
on their
relevance within a particular category.
The categories may include data files of the same type. In another exemplary
arrangement the categories include data files of different types. In such an
arrangement a displayed individual category may include graphical
representations
related to different data file formats.
The input to the device may be a search query. In such a configuration, the
categorization may be effected based at least in part on an analysis of a user
input
search string.
The input to the device may be a user activation of an application within the
device,
the individual display areas of a user interface providing a launch screen for
that
application. In accordance with the present teaching multiple individual
applications
which are individually executable within the device may each include a common
launch screen which provides for a user with contextual access to the data
files of
particular to that application.
As was discussed heretofore, the above may be particularly advantageous in the
scenario of providing contextual or other intelligent display of data to a
user wishing
to retrieve or access individual ones of a plurality of already stored data
files within
a computing device. It may also be used in providing a user with an access or
user
interface to data stored in two or more locations, at least one of the
locations being
remote from the device. With this increase in the available data and its
actual
location relative to the device being used to access that data being less
relevant,
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the provision of a contextual or intelligent display per the present teaching
is
particularly advantageous.
The example embodiments will be described and illustrated primarily in
relation to
computing devices such as communication devices that are adapted to
communicate wirelessly various types of networks. It will be appreciated by
those
skilled in the art, however, that this description is not intended to limit
the scope of
the described embodiments to implementation on these particular systems or to
wireless-enabled devices. For example, the embodiments described herein may be
applied to any appropriate communication device or data processing device,
whether or not it is adapted to communicate with another communication or data
processing device over a fixed or wireless connection, whether portable or
wirelessly enabled or not, whether provided with voice communication
capabilities or
not. The computing device can be adapted to process data and carry out
operations
on data in response to user commands for any number of purposes, including
productivity and entertainment. Thus, the embodiments described herein may be
implemented on computing devices adapted for content browsing, communication
or
messaging, including without limitation cellular phones, smartphones, wireless
organizers, personal digital assistants, desktop computers, terminals,
laptops,
tablets, handheld wireless communication devices, notebook computers, ebook
readers, entertainment devices such as MP3 or video players, and the like.
Unless
expressly stated, a computing or communication device may include any such
device.
Figure 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a computing device
100.
The computing device 100 includes a number of components such as a main
processor 102 that controls the overall operation of the computing device 100.
Communication functions, including data and voice communications, are
performed
through a communication subsystem 104. Data received by the computing device
100 can be decompressed and decrypted by decoder 103, operating according to
any suitable decompression techniques, and encryption/decryption techniques
according to various standards, such as Data Encryption Standard (DES), Triple
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DES, or Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Image data is typically compressed
and decompressed in accordance with appropriate standards, such as JPEG, while
video data is typically compressed and decompressed in accordance with
appropriate standards, such as H.26x and MPEG-x series standards.
The communication subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages
to a wireless network 200. In this exemplary embodiment of the computing
device
100, the communication subsystem 104 is configured in accordance with one or
more of Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM), General Packet Radio
Services (GPRS) standards, Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE) and
Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS). New standards are still
being defined, but it is believed that they will have similarities to the
network
behavior described herein, and it will also be understood by persons skilled
in the
art that the embodiments described herein are intended to use any other
suitable
standards that are developed in the future. The wireless link connecting the
communication subsystem 104 with the wireless network 200 represents one or
more different Radio Frequency (RF) channels, operating according to defined
protocols specified for GSM, GPRS, EDGE, or UMTS, and optionally other network
communications. With newer network protocols, these channels are capable of
supporting both circuit switched voice communications and packet switched data
communications.
Other wireless networks can also be associated with the computing device 100
in
variant implementations. The different types of wireless networks that can be
employed include, for example, data-centric wireless networks, voice-centric
wireless networks, and dual-mode networks that can support both voice and data
communications over the same physical base stations. Combined dual-mode
networks include, but are not limited to, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)
or
CDMA2000 networks, GSM/GPRS networks, third-generation (3G) networks like
EDGE, HSPA, HSPA+, EVDO and UMTS, or fourth-generation (4G) networks such
as LTE and LTE Advanced. Some other examples of data-centric networks include
WiFi 802.11TM, MobitexTM and DataTACTm network communication systems.
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Examples of other voice-centric data networks include Personal Communication
Systems (PCS) networks like GSM and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA)
systems.
The mobile device 100 may be provided with additional communication
subsystems,
such as the wireless LAN (WLAN) communication subsystem 105 also shown in
Figure 1. The WLAN communication subsystem may operate in accordance with a
known network protocol such as one or more of the 802.11 TM family of
standards
developed by IEEE. The communication subsystem 105 may be separate from, or
integrated with, the communication subsystem 104 or with the short-range
communications module 122. As noted above, voice communication capabilities
and
connectivity to voice-centric networks is not mandatory for the operation of
the
computing device 100 with the within embodiments. Thus, the wireless
communication subsystem 104 may be omitted. If so, optionally a dongle or
other
peripheral device (not shown) may be connected to the device 100 to provide
the
device 100 with access to the wireless network 200.
The main processor 102 also interacts with additional subsystems such as a
Random Access Memory (RAM) 106, a flash memory 108, a display 110, other data
and memory access interfaces such as an auxiliary input/output (I/0) subsystem
112
or a data port 114, a keyboard 116, a speaker 118, a microphone 120, the short-
range communications 122 and other device subsystems 124. Each interaction
causes a power event that has an effect on the battery consumption of the
device.
Certain subsystems are more intensive power consumers than other subsystems.
The communication device may also be provided with an accelerometer 111, which
may be used to detect gravity- or motion-induced forces and their direction.
Detection of such forces applied to the device 100 may be processed to
determine a
response of the device 100, such as an orientation of a graphical user
interface
displayed on the display assembly 110 in response to a determination of the
current
orientation of the device 100.
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In some embodiments, the user device 100 may comprise a touchscreen-based
device, in which the display interface 110 is a touchscreen interface that
provides
both a display for communicating information and presenting graphical user
interfaces, as well as an input subsystem for detecting user input that may be
converted to instructions for execution by the device 100. Indeed the present
teaching is particularly suited for such touchscreen display interfaces as the
screens
of these devices provide increased area or footprint relative to other
computing
device which is particularly suitable for the concurrent display of different
categories
per the present teaching. It will be appreciated however that the present
teaching is
not to be construed as being limited to only touchscreen devices as the
segmentation of a display into distinct regions for the display of specific
categories
of data files has application and benefit for non-touch screen devices.
The touchscreen display interface 110 may be the principal user interface
provided
on the device 100, although in some embodiments, additional buttons, variously
shown in the figures or a trackpad, or other input means may be provided. In
one
embodiment, a transmissive TFT LCD screen 218 is overlaid with a clear touch
sensor assembly 214 that supports single and multi-touch actions such as tap,
double-tap, tap and hold, tap and drag, scroll, press, flick, and pinch. The
touchscreen display interface 110 detects these single and multi-touch
actions, for
example through the generation of a signal or signals in response to a touch,
which
may then be processed by the processor 102 or by an additional processor or
processors in the device 100 to determine the location of the touch action,
whether
defined by horizontal and vertical screen position data or other position
data. Touch
location data may include an area of contact or a single point of contact,
such as a
point at or near a center of the area of contact. The touchscreen display
interface
110 may be provided with separate horizontal and vertical sensors or detectors
to
assist in identifying the location of a touch. A signal is provided to the
controller 216,
shown in Figure 1, in response to detection of a touch. The controller 216
and/or the
processor 102 may detect a touch by any suitable contact member on the touch-
sensitive display 110. It will be appreciated that this touch interface is
exemplary of
the type of user interaction that may be provided to a user to allow
activation of
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specific functions on the computing device. Other interface means may include
those that make use of voice commands or other non-tactile interaction.
Some of the subsystems of the computing device 100 perform communication-
related functions, whereas other subsystems can provide "resident" or on-
device
functions. By way of example, the display 110 and the keyboard 116 can be used
for
both communication-related functions, such as entering a text message for
transmission over the network 200, and device-resident functions such as a
calculator or task list.
A rendering circuit 125 is included in the device 100. When a user specifies
that a
data file which is accessed from one or more identifiable data stores within
the
device is to be viewed on the display 110, the rendering circuit 125 analyzes
and
processes the data file for visualization on the display 110. Rendering data
files
originally optimized or prepared for visualization on large-screen displays on
a
portable electronic device display often requires additional processing prior
to
visualization on the small-screen portable electronic device displays. This
additional
processing may be accomplished by the rendering engine 125. As will be
appreciated by those of skill in the art, the rendering engine can be
implemented in
hardware, software, or a combination thereof, and can comprise a dedicated
image
processor and associated circuitry, or can be implemented within main
processor
102.
The computing device 100 can send and receive communication signals over the
wireless network 200 after required network registration or activation
procedures
have been completed. Network access is associated with a subscriber or user of
the
computing device 100. To identify a subscriber, the computing device 100
requires a
SIM/RUIM/UICC card 126 (i.e. Subscriber Identity Module, Removable User
Identity
Module, Universal Integrated Circuit Card, or the like) or another suitable
identity
module to be inserted into a SIM/RUIM/UICC interface 128 in order to
communicate
with a network. The SIM/RUIM/UICC card 126 is one type of a conventional
"smart
card" that can be used to identify a subscriber of the computing device 100
and to
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personalize the computing device 100, among other things. Without the
SIM/RUIM/UICC card 126, the computing device 100 is not fully operational for
communication with the wireless network 200. By inserting the SIM/RUIM/UICC
card
126 into the SIM/RUIM/UICC interface 128, a subscriber can access all
subscribed
services. Services can include: web browsing and messaging such as e-mail,
voice
mail, Short Message Service (SMS), and Multimedia Messaging Services (MMS).
More advanced services can include: point of sale, field service and sales
force
automation. The SIM/RUIM/UICC card 126 includes a processor and memory for
storing information. Once the SIM/RUIM/UICC card 126 is inserted into the
SIM/RUIM/UICC interface 128, it is coupled to the main processor 102. In order
to
identify the subscriber, the SIM/RUIM/UICC card 126 can include some user
parameters such as an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI). An
advantage of using the SIM/RUIM/UICC card 126 is that a subscriber is not
necessarily bound by any single physical mobile device. The SIM/RUIM/UICC card
126 can store additional subscriber information for a mobile device as well,
including
datebook (or calendar) information and recent call information. Alternatively,
user
identification information can also be programmed into the flash memory 108.
The computing device 100 may be a battery-powered device including a battery
interface 132 for receiving one or more rechargeable batteries 130. In at
least some
embodiments, the battery 130 can be a smart battery with an embedded
microprocessor. The battery interface 132 is coupled to a regulator (not
shown),
which assists the battery 130 in providing power V+ to the computing device
100.
Although current technology makes use of a battery, future technologies such
as
micro fuel cells can provide the power to the computing device 100.
The computing device 100 also includes an operating system 134 and software
components 136 to 152 which are described in more detail below. The operating
system 134 and the software components 136 to 152 that are executed by the
main
processor 102 are typically stored in a persistent store such as the flash
memory
108, which can alternatively be a read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage
element (not shown). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that portions of
the
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operating system 134 and the software components 138 to 152, such as specific
device applications, or parts thereof, can be temporarily loaded into a
volatile store
such as the RAM 106. Select other modules 152 may also be included, such as
those described herein. Other software components can also be included, as is
well
known to those skilled in the art.
The subset of software applications 136 that control basic device operations,
including data and voice communication applications, will normally be
installed on
the computing device 100 during its manufacture. Other software applications
include a message application 138 that can be any suitable software program
that
allows a user of the computing device 100 to send and receive electronic
messages.
Various alternatives exist for the message application 138 as is well known to
those
skilled in the art. Messages that have been sent or received by the user are
typically
stored in the flash memory 108 of the computing device 100 or some other
suitable
storage element in the computing device 100. In at least some embodiments,
some
of the sent and received messages can be stored remotely from the device 100
such
as in a data store of an associated host system with which the computing
device 100
communicates.
The software applications can further include a device state module 140, a
Personal
Information Manager (PIM) 142, and other suitable modules (not shown). The
device
state module 140 provides persistence, i.e. the device state module 140
ensures
that important device data is stored in persistent memory, such as the flash
memory
108, so that the data is not lost when the computing device 100 is turned off
or loses
power.
The PIM 142 includes functionality for organizing and managing data items of
interest to the user, such as, but not limited to, e-mail, contacts, calendar
events,
voice mails, appointments, and task items. A PIM application has the ability
to send
and receive data items via the wireless network 200.
PIM data items can be seamlessly integrated, synchronized, and updated via the
wireless network 200 with the mobile device subscriber's corresponding data
items
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stored and/or associated with a host computer system. This functionality
creates a
mirrored host computer on the computing device 100 with respect to such items.
This can be particularly advantageous when the host computer system is the
mobile
device subscriber's office computer system. Some or all of the data items
stored at
the computing device 100 may be indexed for searching on the device 100 either
through a corresponding application, such as the PIM 142, or another suitable
module. In addition, the items may be searchable using a unified search
process
implemented in the device operating system 134. For example, application data
items can be encapsulated in a searchable entity class and registered with a
unified
search engine on the device 100 that executes searches against all registered
data
repositories on the device based on received queries. The search engine can
also
be configured to invoke a search process of external resources, such as
Internet
search engines or remote databases. In the context of entering data directly
onto the
computing device through the computing device, it will be appreciated and
understood however that the functionality available to user of the computing
device
is typically less than that available to the user of the host computer system.
The computing device 100 also includes a connect module 144, and an
information
technology (IT) policy module 146. The connect module 144 implements the
communication protocols that are required for the computing device 100 to
communicate with the wireless infrastructure and any host system, such as an
enterprise system, with which the computing device 100 is authorized to
interface.
The connect module 144 includes a set of Application Programming Interfaces
(APIs) that can be integrated with the computing device 100 to allow the
computing
device 100 to use any number of services associated with the enterprise system
or
with other systems accessible over the network 200. The connect module 144
allows the computing device 100 to establish an end-to-end secure,
authenticated
communication pipe with the host system. A subset of applications for which
access
is provided by the connect module 144 can be used to pass IT policy commands
from the host system to the computing device 100. This can be done in a
wireless or
wired manner. These instructions can then be passed to the IT policy module
146 to
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modify the configuration of the device 100. Alternatively, in some cases, the
IT
policy update can also be done over a wired connection.
Other types of software applications can also be installed on the computing
device
100, such as browsers 150, other user agents 148, and other modules 152. These
software applications can be third party applications, which are added after
the
manufacture of the computing device 100. Other examples of third party
applications
include games, calculators, utilities, etc.
The additional applications can be loaded onto the computing device 100
through at
least one of the wireless network 200, the auxiliary I/0 subsystem 112, the
data port
114, the short-range communications subsystem 122, or any other suitable
device
subsystem 124. This flexibility in application installation increases the
functionality
of the computing device 100 and can provide enhanced on-device functions,
communication-related functions, or both. For example, secure communication
applications can enable electronic commerce functions and other such financial
transactions to be performed using the computing device 100.
The data port 114 enables a subscriber to set preferences through an external
device or software application and extends the capabilities of the computing
device
100 by providing for information or software downloads to the computing device
100
other than through a wireless communication network. The alternate download
path
can, for example, be used to load an encryption key onto the computing device
100
through a direct and thus reliable and trusted connection to provide secure
device
communication. The data port 114 can be any suitable port that enables data
communication between the computing device 100 and another computing device.
The data port 114 can be a serial or a parallel port. In some instances, the
data port
114 can be a USB port that includes data lines for data transfer and a supply
line
that can provide a charging current to charge the battery 130 of the computing
device 100.
The short-range communications subsystem 122 provides for communication
between the computing device 100 and different systems or devices, without the
use
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of the wireless network 200. For example, the subsystem 122 can include an
infrared device and associated circuits and components for short-range
communication. Examples of short-range communication standards include
standards developed by the Infrared Data Association (IrDA), BluetoothTM, and
the
802.11 TM family of standards.
In use, a received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, or web
page
download will be processed by the communication subsystem 104 and input to the
main processor 102. The main processor 102 will then process the received
signal
for output to the display 110 or alternatively to the auxiliary I/0 subsystem
112. A
subscriber can also compose data items, such as e-mail messages, for example,
using the keyboard 116 in conjunction with the display 110 and possibly the
auxiliary I/0 subsystem 112. The auxiliary subsystem 112 can include devices
such
as: a touchscreen, mouse, track ball, infrared fingerprint detector, or a
roller wheel
with dynamic button pressing capability. The keyboard 116 may be an
alphanumeric
keyboard and/or telephone-type keypad. However, other types of keyboards can
also be used. A composed item can be transmitted over the wireless network 200
through the communication subsystem 104. It will be appreciated that if the
display
110 comprises a touchscreen, then the auxiliary subsystem 112 may still
comprise
one or more of the devices identified above.
For voice communications, the overall operation of the computing device 100 is
substantially similar, except that the received signals are output to the
speaker 118,
and signals for transmission are generated by the microphone 120. Alternative
voice
or audio I/0 subsystems, such as a voice message recording subsystem, can also
be implemented on the computing device 100. Although voice or audio signal
output
is accomplished primarily through the speaker 118, the display 110 can also be
used to provide additional information such as the identity of a calling
party, duration
of a voice call, or other voice call related information.
The communication subsystem component 104 may include a receiver, transmitter,
and associated components such as one or more embedded or internal antenna
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elements, Local Oscillators (L0s), and a processing module such as a Digital
Signal
Processor (DSP) in communication with the transmitter and receiver. Signals
received by an antenna through the wireless network 200 are input to the
receiver,
which can perform such common receiver functions as signal amplification,
frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection, and analog-to-digital
(A/D)
conversion. A/D conversion of a received signal allows more complex
communication functions such as demodulation and decoding to be performed in
the
DSP. In a similar manner, signals to be transmitted are processed, including
modulation and encoding, by the DSP, then input to the transmitter for digital-
to-
m analog (D/A) conversion, frequency up conversion, filtering,
amplification and
transmission over the wireless network 200 via an antenna. The DSP not only
processes communication signals, but also provides for receiver and
transmitter
control, including control of gains applied to communication signals in the
receiver
and the transmitter. When the computing device 100 is fully operational, the
transmitter is typically keyed or turned on only when it is transmitting to
the wireless
network 200 and is otherwise turned off to conserve resources. Similarly, the
receiver is periodically turned off to conserve power until it is needed to
receive
signals or information (if at all) during designated time periods. Other
communication subsystems, such as the WLAN communication subsystem 105 or a
WPAN communication subsystem, not shown, may be provided with similar
components as those described above configured for communication over the
appropriate frequencies and using the appropriate protocols. The particular
design
of the communication subsystem 104, 105, or other communication subsystem is
dependent upon the communication network 200 with which the computing device
1 00 is intended to operate. Thus, it should be understood that the foregoing
description serves only as one example.
Figure 2 illustrates a possible network topology for the computing device 100,
including paths for data and voice traffic, and including a host or enterprise
system
250. The host or enterprise system 250 will typically be a corporate
enterprise or
other local area network (LAN), but can also be a home office computer or some
other private or quasi-private system, for example a subscription-based
Internet
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service. Typically, a number of communication devices 100 can communicate
wirelessly with the host or enterprise system 250 through one or more nodes
202 of
the wireless network 200.
The host or enterprise system 250 comprises a number of network components,
not
shown, connected to each other by a network. Within the system 250, for
example,
user (including administrator) computers may be situated on a LAN connection,
and
one or more of these desktop computers can be provided with connection
facilities
for loading information (e.g. PIM data, private symmetric encryption keys to
facilitate
secure communications) from the user computer to the computing device 100, and
can be particularly useful for bulk information updates often performed in
initializing
the computing device 100 for use. To facilitate the operation of the computing
device 100 and the wireless communication of messages and message-related data
between the computing device 100 and components of the host system 250, a
number of wireless communication support components are provided within the
system 250 (not shown). In some implementations, the wireless communication
support components can include one or more data stores, a message management
server, a mobile data server, a web server, such as Hypertext Transfer
Protocol
(HTTP) server, a contact server, and a device manager module including an
information technology policy server and editor. HTTP servers can also be
located
outside the host or enterprise system, as indicated by the HTTP server 279
attached
to the network 224. The mobile data server can also connect to the Internet or
other
public network through an enterprise HTTP server or other suitable web server
such
as a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server, to retrieve webpages and other data.
Requests for webpages are typically routed through mobile data server and then
to
the enterprise HTTP server, through suitable firewalls and other protective
mechanisms. The web server then retrieves the webpage over the Internet, and
returns it to mobile data server. The mobile data server is typically
provided, or
associated, with an encoder that permits retrieved data, such as retrieved
webpages, to be decompressed and compressed, using any suitable compression
technology (e.g. YK compression, JPEG, MPEG-x, H.26x and other known
techniques), and encrypted (e.g. using an encryption technique such as DES,
Triple
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DES, or AES), and then pushed to the computing device 100 via the shared
network
infrastructure 224 and the wireless network 200. Those skilled in the art know
how
to implement these various components. Other components can also be included
as
is well known to those skilled in the art.
The computing device 100's access to IP networks and to a public switched
telephone network (PSTN), if applicable, can be provided through the wireless
network 200, which comprises one or more nodes 202 configured for
communication
in accordance with a suitable mobile telephony standard. In turn, the wireless
network 200 provides the computing device 100 with connectivity to the
Internet or
other public wide area network 224, and thence to the host or enterprise
system
250. At the same time, if the computing device 100 is a multiple-mode device,
it may
also communicate with the host or enterprise system 250 over an enterprise LAN
or
WLAN, represented by the access point 205. It will be appreciated by those
skilled
in the art, however, that access to the host system 250 need not be limited to
access
via the enterprise network (whether wireless or not). Instead, the computing
device
100 may access the host or enterprise system 250 over another network, such as
the wide area IP network 224, via different access means, such as an access
point
located at the communication device user's home, or at a public or private Wi-
Fi
hotspot.
In this exemplary embodiment, the computing device 100 communicates with the
host or enterprise system 250 through node 202 of the wireless network 200 and
a
shared network infrastructure 224 such as a service provider network or the
public
Internet. Access to the host or enterprise system can be provided through one
or
more routers (not shown), and computing devices of the host or enterprise
system
250 can operate from behind a firewall or proxy server 266. A proxy server
provides
a secure node and a wireless internet gateway for the host or enterprise
system
250. The proxy server intelligently routes data to the correct destination
server
within the host or enterprise system 250.
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For some wireless networks 200 or LANs 205, the computing device 100 may be
registered or activated with the respective network. A process for identifying
a
subscriber to a cellular network using a SIM or other identifier card 126 is
described
above. Other methods of registering or identifying the computing device 100 to
various networks will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art. However,
registration or activation may not be required for all wireless networks 200,
LANs or
WLANs, as some networks may allow access without prior registration or
activation.
The computing device 100 may also be provisioned or configured to access one
or
more networks. Methods of provisioning services on a computing device 100 will
be
generally known to those skilled in the art, but as a non-limiting example, a
request
for registration may be sent from the computing device 100 to a registration
server
of a service (not shown). If the request is approved, the registration server
may
transmit to the computing device 100 a service book or similar data item
containing
data and instructions to enable the computing device 100 to provision the
service.
The service book, when received at the computing device 100, may be self-
executing, and permits the user to enter account information relevant to the
associated service. This information is then transmitted from the computing
device
100 to a provisioning server of the service provider (not shown), which then
creates
a service account associated with the computing device 100. Provisioning may
also
be carried out in compliance with the OMA DM (Open Mobile Alliance Device
Management) specification version 1.2 or its predecessor or successor
versions,
published by the Open Mobile Alliance Ltd.
As was discussed above with the increase in processing capacity of these
devices,
more and more functionality is provided within the device and is available to
a user.
For example, it is known to provide a user with the capacity to store data
content on
their device. This content can be provided in a variety of different formats
including
images, sounds such as music or the like, movies. The content could be
generated
locally on the device using in built functionality such as cameras. The
content could
also or alternatively be generated off the device and then transferred to the
device
for local access by the user. With the increased capacity of devices, it is
not
uncommon for a user to have many hundreds of data files. The present teaching
is
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particularly directed to providing a user of computing devices with access to
data
files which may in one exemplary arrangement being physically stored on the
actual
device.
In accordance with the present teaching, structure is provided to the
organisation of
these data files in that they are categorised in accordance with one or more
parameters, criteria or common identifiers. Categorised in this sense
comprises
associating the data files with one or more categories. Figure 3 shows an
example,
in schematic form, how the present teaching provides for the organisation of a
plurality of individual data files into first 300 and second 305 data
structures within a
data store of the device 100. Each of these first and second data structures
are
representative of different categories- using the example of Figure 4, they
could be
for example "Recently Viewed" and "Recently Loaded". It will be appreciated
that
while the Figure 3 represents the individual categories as distinct data
stores that
this is not a requirement of the present teaching. Data architectures that may
be
employed within the context of the present teaching may allow for the
concurrent
storage of a plurality of data files within a common structure. There are many
ways
to process such a common structure to distinguish between individual data
files or
groups of those data files which share a common theme or category. For
example,
one or more fields or flags may be defined and then associated with a subset
to
allow a subsequent identification and display of those that are commonly
grouped.
For this reason the present teaching should not be construed as being limited
to the
architecture shown in Figure 3. Furthermore where Figure 3 shows the data
structures 300 and 305 as being co-located on the same device, it is possible
within
an exemplary arrangement of the present teaching for one or more of the data
files
that have been categorized or which are available for categorization to be
located
off device. In this way the device may include a mapping or other data pointer
which
will, when activated, effect a retrieval and display of the data file from its
original
location within the display of the computing device within which the graphical
user
interface is provided.
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As shown in Figure 4 and 5, the present teaching makes use of the
categorisation of
data files to improve user access to those data files. Figures 4 and 5 show
examples
of a user interface for a tablet computing device or a smartphone computing
device
100 comprising a touchscreen display 110. While the footprint of the display
110
occupies a substantial proportion of the overall footprint of the device 100,
it is still
of a reduced area as compared to conventional computing displays. As is common
in other known touchscreen devices it will be appreciated that data that is
intended
to be displayed may be rendered visible in the display 110 in response to user
events representing features such as scrolling (which causes the view of the
displayed image to pan in a given direction), or by zooming out (which reduces
the
size of the view displayed on the display 110). It will be understood that by
zooming
out the data is displayed at a smaller resolution with the result that more
data can be
displayed within a given area of the display.
Figure 4 shows an example of an implementation of the present teaching in the
form
of an interface to an image application that is executable within a computing
device.
Such applications are known to provide a user with access to stored images. In
the
context of the present teaching and as is evident from the example of Figure
4, the
present teaching provides for a segmentation of an overall display 110 of a
user
interface into distinct areas or regions which represent individual display
areas 400,
405 of the overall display 110. In this example, two categories are shown but
it will
be appreciated that this is not intended to limit the present teaching to the
provision
of just two categories. In this example each of the two areas are identified
by a title
bar 415, 420 which details the nature of the category being displayed within
this
display area- "Recently Viewed" and "Recently Loaded" respectively. This
interface
can be considered a "smart interface" as it contextually presents the user
with sets
of individual data files that have been grouped in accordance with defined
criteria-
the examples being those data files that were meet a date stamp of when they
were
viewed ("Recently viewed") or retrieved ("Recent loaded").
It will be understood that the computation or processing of whether a
particular data
file meets particular criteria or criterion may require the storage of usage
logs,
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metadata or the like. This may then be interrogated to evaluate which subset
of files
of a master data set of all data files are suitable for display or inclusion
within the
particular categories on the user interface.
In this way a categorization of stored data files into at least two categories
may be
effected by providing a first category wherein the data files are organized in
accordance with a first criterion and at least a second category wherein the
data
files are organized in accordance with a second criterion distinct from the
first
criterion. By having multiple criterion such that each of the first and second
categories comprise at least one data file it is possible to then display the
categorized data files in accordance with their respective categories. The
first and
second criterion may share at least one common identifier, for example an
identifier
linked to date. In this way it will not be unexpected for a first data file
can be in each
of the first and second categories. Using the example of the "Recently Viewed"
and
"Recently Loaded" categories of Figure 4, it will be appreciated that if the
criterion
for each of these two categories include presence of an identifier for date
within a
prescribed period it is possible that a recently loaded data file may also
have been
recently viewed and therefore may turn up in each of the two display segments.
The present teaching may provide for a ranking of individual data files in
accordance with their relevance to specific criterion. In this way, a first
display area
may then display graphical representations of high ranking data files in
accordance
with the first criterion, and a discrete second display area display graphical
representations of high ranking data files in accordance with the second
criterion. It
will be understood that ranking could be applied to some or all of the
categories
such that certain categories will not include ranked data files whereas others
will.
The user interface also, in this exemplary arrangement, provides a command bar
435 located separately to each of the two display areas 300, 405 but
accessible
from the same initial display. The command bar 435 includes one or more
individual
command icons 436, 436, 438 which on activation by a user will change the
display
presented on the graphical user interface. In the example of Figure 4, the
view
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presented is a "smart interface" which has categorised and grouped data files
that
share common criteria. If the user does not identify the particular data file
that they
wish to retrieve they can toggle from this initial display to one of
"captured" or
"albums" to provide them with alternative interfaces to the data files that
are
available for retrieval.
In each of the display areas for each of the two or more categories the device
is
configured to concurrently display graphical representations 425 of a
plurality of
individual ones of the stored data files for that category.
In this example of a touch screen interface, the device is responsive to a
user
touching one of the displayed graphical representations to process a command
to
allow a user directly select one of the plurality of individual files for more
detailed
viewing. Furthermore, a direct selection of one of the plurality of individual
data files
by the user provides direct access to, or retrieval of, the data files
associated with
the graphical representations through a single user interaction with the
device. In
this way the present teaching provides a concurrent review and access display
for a
user wishing to retrieve data. This direct selection provides a user with the
capacity
to preferentially display the selected one of the plurality of individual
files relative to
the others within that category.
On selection of a particular graphical user representation, the data file
associated
with that representation is preferentially displayed within the display area.
This may
be effected by increasing the display dimensions of that data file- in the
context of
Figure 4, an image file. The user may then use that data file as a starting
point in a
scroll process so as to access neighboring data files. In the context of
images this is
analogous to a known slideshow. The data files that are presented as
neighboring
may be those that are already grouped in the initial category.
In another arrangement, the user may have the capacity to change the scroll
location so as to vary which data files may be accessed through a scroll
process
after retrieval of a first data filed from the smart interface display. For
example, a
user may recall that the barbecue scene of Figure 4 in the top left hand side
of the
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display was taken at the same time as pictures of a party. The user wishes to
access the pictures of the party but cannot remember where they are stored.
The
user selects the barbecue picture and then through providing a command such as
"use original file location" is linked to all data files that were stored at
that same
time. These may not have been accessed recently and therefore would not meet
the
criteria that defines the "recently viewed" category and would not have been
visible.
However, as the categorization has provided contextual information, the user
can
then use that interface to directly access the original file location without
having to
remember where that is. Furthermore the original file location can be accessed
through a single user interaction. The subsequent scrolling will present the
user with
those images that were taken at the same time. It will be appreciated that
this
example of images is exemplary and this link through to different file
locations from
a single interface could be used in the context of any file format or file
type.
In the example of Figure 4 each of the display areas 400, 405 are initially
generated
having the same area. Each area is configured in this example to accommodate
and
concurrently display six individual graphical representations. In the example
of
Figure 4, the number of individual data files within the first category 415 is
greater
than six but as the area available for displaying the graphical
representations is
restricted to showing six at a time, the device is configured to process
commands to
change the displayed graphical representations of the plurality of individual
ones of
the stored data files for that category. This command may be initiated in this
example by providing a graphical indication 425 within the display area 400 of
the
presence of additional individual ones of the stored data files so as to
prompt a user
command to change the display. The graphical indication 425 is shown in this
example as an arrow which is superimposed over a portion of one of the already
displayed graphical representations, in this case the bottom right hand side
representation.
In the second category, the number of graphical representations is less than
the
available six with the result that a blank tile 430 is left available.
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Where there are more data files available for display than is possible using
the
display area- per the example of the first category of Figure 4, it is
possible to
replace one or more of the displayed individual ones of the stored data files
with
other data files within the same category. In another example as shown in
Figure 5,
this change may be effected by increasing the area occupied by that category
in
preference to the area occupied by a second category so as to display
additional
individual ones of the stored data files within the particular category. In
Figure 5A, a
user is prompted by the presence of the graphical indicator 425 within the
display
area of the first category that there are additional graphical representations
available for review. The initiation of a command caused by the user selecting
that
graphical indicator- which also serves as a command prompt- causes, as is
shown
in Figure 5B, the device to expand the area occupied by the selected category
400
in preference to other categories. As is shown in Figure 5B, on expansion of
the
available area for the first category 400, there are now 12 viewable graphical
representations. This increase in area for the first category results in less
area being
provided for other categories. In this example there are three initial
categories
shown in the representation of Figure 5A, whereas in Figure 5B one of the
three- the
favorites category 500 is no longer visible but at least a portion of one of
the other
categories, in this case the Recently Loaded category 405 is retained within
the
display of the user interface.
It will be appreciated that in this arrangement whereby a change of display is
effected by expanding the display area occupied by a specific category, the
increase
in available display area allows additional graphical representations of a
plurality of
individual ones of the stored data files for that category to be concurrently
displayed
within the user interface. The device may be configured to iteratively change
the
displayed graphical representations based on sequential user initiated
commands.
The possibility of showing additional graphical images is shown by the
continued
presence of a graphical indicator 425 in the view of Figure 5B.
In these examples the expand indicator 425 is provided on the last item of the
category. As was clear from Figure 5, when this icon is selected, the category
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expands to show the next number of items. The expansion is to the bottom which
pushes other categories down the page and if there are more items in the
category
that are available for viewing, the expand icon will continue to show. Certain
implementations may restrict the number of expansions that may be conducted.
For
example, one implementation may restrict the expansion to a maximum of 4 times
from the original set showing a maximum of 30 thumbnails- based on their being
6
thumbnails in each view. If a user reaches the end of the displayed graphical
representations the system may be configured to provide a link to one or more
other
folders or interfaces to allow a user to extend the review process. In one
example,
the system may be configured to analyse the actual file locations of each of
the data
files that make up the displayed category and then present the user with a
link to a
file location that statistically represents a potential further search
location. This
could be based, for example, on the most common file location for the data
files
within this category. The system could also or alternatively be configured to
prompt
the user with access to a search interface.
As is evident from the above and as shown in Figure 6, the present teaching
provides for a categorization of stored data (Step 600) and the concurrent
display
within a single display of at least two of those categories (Step 605). While
shown in
Figure 6 as being done in a sequential fashion, the categorization may be
effected
concurrently with the input response to the device requesting access to data
files. In
another, exemplary, arrangement the categorization is done periodically such
that
on receipt of an input to the device, categories of the stored data are
already
available for display. In this way, the categorization is performed in advance
of or
prior to receipt of the input to the device requesting display of the at least
two
categories. To preserve battery resources such categorization, which requires
processing activity, could be restricted to times when the device is being
recharged
or otherwise coupled to another power source. Categorization could be
restricted to
times when the device is predominately inactive, such as when the device is
not
detecting any user input, when the device is not outputting a display or other
output,
or when the device is not detecting an input and not providing any output. The
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device may also be regarded as being inactive when the processor usage is
below a
threshold usage level.
Within the context of the present teaching the device may be configured to
allow a
user to define categories or modify existing categories. In this way a user
may select
.. criteria that represent to the user a useful common access to data files.
The user
may then effect a creation of a particular category and the population of that
category with specific data files that meet the criteria defined. The user may
also be
provided with the capacity to modify existing categories or change the order
in which
categories are displayed. In the event that a category has no relevant data
file to
.. display the system may be configured to omit a display of that category or
provide
another category or prompt the user to select an alternative category.
It will be appreciated that the methodology adopted by the present teaching
improves the presentation of relevant data to a user and therefore reduces the
number of steps required by a user to access specific data files. To further
improve
.. this, the categorization may be provided for a ranking of the stored data
files so as
allow for a preferential display of individual ones of the stored data files
based on
their relevance within a particular category. In the examples of Figures 4 and
5, the
most relevant data file could be shown in the top left hand side of each
category
display area with those successively less relevant being listed from left to
right and
.. top to bottom such that the least relevant is shown on the bottom right
hand side of
each category display area.
In the examples shown heretofore the categories include data files of the same
type-
in this exemplary arrangement they are all image files. In another exemplary
arrangement the categories include data files of different types. In such an
.. arrangement a displayed individual category may include graphical
representations
related to different data file formats. For example if the category was
recently
loaded, the device may be configured to initially provide the six most
recently loaded
data files within the first display area, irrespective of their file type.
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it will be appreciated that where the graphical representation is a link to an
executable file, the selection provides for an execution of the executable
file. In this
way a user can, for example, directly effect a playback of a stored movie or a
music
file from an initial display screen.
It will be appreciated that the categorization provides a user with contextual
information regarding retrieved data files. The device may be provided with
one or
more pre-loaded categories. In another configuration the user may be provided
with
an interface that allows them to modify category criteria or to create new
criteria.
Where a plurality of categories is defined, the user may also be enabled to
rank the
ordering of displayed categories or vary which of the categories are displayed
for
different data types.
It will be appreciated that a variety of different mechanisms may be provided
to
collate related data files. For example database entries of timestamps, of
viewed
items, counters for most viewed etc may be used to select content. Where the
population of a category is based on geographical data, the device may be
configured to actively interface with one or more secondary functions of the
device
such as GPS or other location identifiers so as to provide for example
"nearest" and
"favorite" categories which could be used to show content closest to a current
location.
In the examples discussed heretofore, the categorization and display of stored
data
has been with reference to a so called "smart view" or "smart interface" to
stored
data. In such situations where the user is likely to repeatedly access data
using
common stored categorizations with the input to the device being a user
activation
of an application within the device, the individual display areas of a user
interface
providing a launch screen for that application.
In another example, such as shown in Figure 7, the input to the device may be
a
search query (Step 700). In such a configuration, the categorization may be
effected
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based at least in part on an analysis of a user input search string (Step
705). The
displayed categories are then based, at least in part, on the search string.
As has been described heretofore the present teaching is particularly
advantageous
in providing a contextual or intelligent user interface to a user wishing to
access and
retrieve one or more data files. In the examples of Figures 4 and 5, the user
is
presented with a user interface to a specific type of data file, that of an
image file. It
will be understood that traditionally within computing devices, computer
applications
or programs are provided that are dedicated to the access and retrieval of a
specific
type of data file. For example an image application provides access to image
files, a
movie application provides access to movies, an email application provides
access
to email etc.. In one example provided in accordance with the present teaching
and
as shown in Figure 8, the identified input to the device which effects
generation of a
segmented display showing two or more categories each category comprising data
files selected according to a predetermined set of criteria, is an input which
provides
for a launching of a specific application. In such an arrangement, where a
user
launches one or more of for example an image application, a movie application,
an
email application etc., (Step 800) the user is presented with a common user
interface type as the initial interface to that application (Step 810). The
nature of the
data files displayed in each of the applications may differ in accordance with
the
nature of the application being executed. However, within that specific data
file type,
a system and method in accordance with the present teaching will further
categorize
or have already categorized the data files according to one or more determined
criteria that are defined for specific categories (Step 820). On determination
that an
individual data file comprises the criteria identified for a category, that
individual
data file is marked as being part of the category and will then be available
for
display as part of the segmented display. Its display location may depend on
its
ranking within the overall category, i.e. its relevance to the criteria for
that category.
The system then provides for a display of the two or more categories, each
comprising graphical representations of individual data files that make up
those two
or more categories (Step 830).
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The computing device 100 may receive user input by means of one or more user
input systems, such as a user input device or interface, including without
limitation
the keyboard 116, display 110 where the display is comprised in a touchscreen
interface (referred to herein as a touchscreen display 110), microphone 120,
trackball, buttons, trackpad, scroll wheel, optical joystick, rocker switch,
and the like.
Advantageously, the computing device 100 is provided with a touchscreen
display
110. Several of these user input devices may be external to the computing
device
100 itself; for example, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, tablet
or
touchpad may be provided as a peripheral component. In the case of a mobile
device such as a smartphone or tablet computer, user input mechanisms are
advantageously incorporated into the chassis of the computing device 100
itself for
improved portability and mobility. For example, in a touchscreen computing
device
100 such as a tablet or smartphone, the device 100 is provided not only with a
touchscreen display 110, which may provide the main user input mechanism and
permit alphanumeric data entry through display of an interactive virtual
keyboard on
the display 110, but also with one or more buttons, and/or an optical joystick
or
trackpad. These various user input devices and interfaces may be actuated by
the
user (for example, through the application of touch, pressure, and or
directional
movement) to control the operation of the computing device, for example to
navigate
through graphical user interfaces, menu structures, and the like, to select
and
initiate application or operating system commands for execution, to input data
for
processing or transmission by the computing device, or to change settings on
the
computing device.
The embodiments herein have been described and illustrated primarily in
relation to
the access and retrieval of data files being images, movies or music but it
will be
appreciated that this categorisation and display of stored data may be
extended to
other data types such as calendar events, address books, tasks and the like.
The
present teaching provides improved access to stored data files within a
categorisation structure.
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As described above when displayed on a computing device 100, not all of the
content that may be accessed through the device may be currently visible on
the
display area of the graphical user interface. To provide a user with access to
stored
data files, it is necessary to first provide the user with knowledge of the
existence of
those data files. The present teaching provides this knowledge through visual
display that includes both categorisation information and also graphical
representations of the data files in a form that identifies the data file to a
user. To
initiate the display the present teaching makes use of a user input mechanism
that
receives user input through user contact¨primarily, manual manipulation-
notionally these mechanisms may be considered as input mechanisms for
detecting
inputs either for cursor-based control or for touch-based control of the
computing
device 100. Cursor-based control, typically associated with pointing devices
such as
mice, permits the user to control the positioning of a cursor or other sprite
displayed
in a graphical user interface rendered on the display 110. When the cursor is
positioned ("hovering") over a particular graphical user interface element,
the input
mechanism may be actuated (for example, by pressing a mouse button) to invoke
a
command associated with that element. Optical joysticks and trackpads may be
used for cursor-based control. Touch-based control, typically associated with
touchscreen displays 110, permits the user to more directly engage the
graphical
user interface elements displayed on the display 110 by touching or tapping
the
surface of the display 110 corresponding to that element. The touchscreen
display
110 and its associated controller and processor 102 can be configured to also
detect and identify gestures and multitouch input (directional input and
multiple
concurrent touch input, respectively).
In a browser or other runtime environment such as those described above, user
input detected (a user event) at one or more of the user input mechanisms
provided
on the device 100 may be passed to the processor 102 for determination of the
type
of detected input. In the case of directional input received from a pointing
device or
another cursor-based control mechanism such as a trackpad or optical joystick,
the
processor 102 receives raw data concerning the user event, such as an
indication of
the application of external force or contact, magnitude, directional,
location, timing,
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and/or speed information, and determines from the raw data what type of user
event
occurred, such as a cursor event, mouse event or a touch event, which can
include
both gestures (comprising a series of touch events) and multitouch input
(comprising
a series of touch events, some of which may be concurrent) as well as single-
touch
inputs. In the case of a touch event, the touchscreen display controller 216
may
process the raw data representative of the user input. The result of the
processing
of the processor 102 and/or controller 216 is passed to the current
application, i.e.
the application corresponding to the active screen currently displayed at the
device
100.
The taxonomy and models used to define user events and facilitate user input
will
be known to those skilled in the art. The foregoing embodiments thus provide
systems and methods for provide contextual information within a display that
facilitates data entry and yet minimizes processor activity.
The systems and methods disclosed herein are presented only by way of example
and are not meant to limit the scope of the subject matter described herein.
Other
variations of the systems and methods described above will be apparent to
those in
the art and as such are considered to be within the scope of the subject
matter
described herein. For example, it should be understood that steps and the
order of
the steps in the processing described herein may be altered, modified and/or
augmented and still achieve the desired outcome. Throughout the specification,
terms such as "may" and "can" are used interchangeably and use of any
particular
term should not be construed as limiting the scope or requiring
experimentation to
implement the claimed subject matter or embodiments described herein.
The systems' and methods' data may be stored in one or more data stores. The
data
stores can be of many different types of storage devices and programming
constructs, such as RAM, ROM, flash memory, programming data structures,
programming variables, etc. It is noted that data structures describe formats
for use
in organizing and storing data in databases, programs, memory, or other
computer-
readable media for use by a computer program.
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Code adapted to provide the systems and methods described above may be
provided on many different types of computer-readable media including computer
storage mechanisms (e.g., CD-ROM, diskette, RAM, flash memory, computer's hard
drive, etc.) that contain instructions for use in execution by a processor to
perform
the methods' operations and implement the systems described herein.
The computer components, software modules, functions and data structures
described herein may be connected directly or indirectly to each other in
order to
allow the flow of data needed for their operations. Various functional units
described
herein have been expressly or implicitly described as modules and agents, in
order
to more particularly emphasize their independent implementation and operation.
It is
also noted that an agent, module or processor includes but is not limited to a
unit of
code that performs a software operation, and can be implemented for example as
a
subroutine unit of code, or as a software function unit of code, or as an
object (as in
an object-oriented paradigm), or as an applet, or in a computer script
language, or
as another type of computer code. The various functional units may be
implemented
in hardware circuits comprising custom VLSI circuits or gate arrays; field-
programmable gate arrays; programmable array logic; programmable logic
devices;
commercially available logic chips, transistors, and other such components.
Modules implemented as software for execution by a processor or processors may
comprise one or more physical or logical blocks of code that may be organized
as
one or more of objects, procedures, or functions. The modules need not be
physically located together, but may comprise code stored in different
locations,
such as over several memory devices, capable of being logically joined for
execution. Modules may also be implemented as combinations of software and
hardware, such as a processor operating on a set of operational data or
instructions.
A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material which is
or may
be subject to one or more of copyright, design patent, industrial design, or
unregistered design protection. The rightsholder has no objection to the
reproduction of any such material as portrayed herein through facsimile
reproduction of the patent document or patent disclosure, as it appears in the
Patent
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and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all rights
whatsoever.
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