APPLICATION LAUNCHER FOR A TWO-WAY MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

• US 20020077156A1
• Filed: 03/04/1999
• Published: 06/20/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: SMETHERS, PAUL A.
• Granted Patent: US 6,463,304 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A method and apparatus for facilitating access to a plurality of applications resident on a two-way mobile communication device. Existing keys or buttons of the two-way mobile communication device activate (or launch) resident applications. Additionally, the two-way mobile communication device presents the user with a displayed map on its display screen to specifically indicate which keys or buttons keys launch which resident applications.

Claims

1. In a two-way mobile communication device having a display and an input interface, a method of initiating one of a plurality of resident applications, said method comprising:

displaying a key map on said display of the two-way mobile communication device, the key map including symbolic identifiers for a group of the resident applications, and each of said symbolic identifiers provide information relating to the assignment of a key of a group of keys of the two-way mobile communication device;

receiving a selection of the keys in the group of keys; and

executing one of the resident applications within the group of the resident applications that is associated with the selected one of the keys in the group of keys.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said symbolic identifiers are icons.

3. A method as recited in claim 1,

wherein the keys in the group of keys are non-alpha-numeric keys, and

wherein said non-alpha-numeric input elements are resident on a phone-style keypad.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, wherein said non-alpha-numeric input elements are cursor navigation keys.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the keys in the group of keys are soft keys of a user screen input interface.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the keys in the group of keys are navigation keys for the two-way mobile communication device.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the arrangement of the symbolic identifiers within the key map corresponds to an arrangement of the keys in the group of keys.

8. A method as recited in claim 7, wherein the keys in the group of keys are navigation keys for the two-way mobile communication device.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said method further comprises:

replacing the key map with an alternative key map when a predefined key input is received;

providing symbolic identifiers in the alternate key map for another group of the resident applications, and each of said symbolic identifiers provide information relating to the assignment of a key of the groups of keys of the two-way mobile communication device; and

placing said symbolic identifiers for the another group of the resident applications on the alternate key map, each of said symbolic identifiers provides information relating to the assignment of a key of the groups of keys of the two-way mobile communication device.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the key map is a navigation key map, and the alternative key map is an alternative navigation key map.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the input interface is a keypad, and

wherein the two-way mobile communication device is selected from the group of:

personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular phone, pager, or wireless remote controller.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the two-way mobile communication device is selected from the group of:

personal digital assistant (PDA), cellular phone, pager, or wireless remote controller.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the keys in the set of keys are soft keys.

15. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the keys in the set of keys are navigation keys for the two-way mobile communication device.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the arrangement of the symbolic identifiers within the key map corresponds to an arrangement of the keys in the set of keys.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the keys in the set of keys are navigation keys for the two-way mobile communication device.

18. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said method further comprises:

replacing the key map with an alternative key map when a predefined key input is received;

providing symbolic identifiers in the alternate key map for another group of the resident applications, and each of said symbolic identifiers provide information relating to the assignment of a key of the groups of keys of the two-way mobile communication device; and

placing said symbolic identifiers for the another group of the resident applications on the alternate key map, each of said symbolic identifiers provides information relating to the assignment of a key of the groups of keys of the two-way mobile communication device.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the key map is a navigation key map, and the alternative key map is an alternative navigation key map.

20. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said displaying of the key map comprises:

identifying a plurality of applications resident in the two-way mobile communication device;

producing the key map, the key map providing graphical indicators for at least the set of the resident applications; and

displaying of the key map on the display of the two-way mobile communication device.

23. A device as recited in claim 21, wherein the arrangement of the symbolic identifiers within the key map corresponds to an arrangement of the keys in the group of keys.

12. In a two-way mobile communication device having a display and a keypad, a method of initiating a selected one a plurality of resident applications, said method comprising:

displaying a key map on the display of the two-way mobile communication device, the key map providing graphical indicators for at least a set of resident applications;

associating a set of the keys of the keypad with the graphical indicators of the key map; and

executing the associated one of the resident applications in the set of resident applications when one of the set of the keys of the keypad is actuated.

21. A two-way mobile communication device, comprising:

a display screen;

an input user interface that allows a user to input a selection, said input user interface including keys;

a processor for executing at least one of a plurality of resident applications; and

a memory that stores the resident applications, said memory further stores program code to enable a user to facilitate easy user selection of one of the resident applications to activate, said program code including;

program code for displaying a key map on said display of the two-way mobile communication device, the key map including symbolic identifiers for a group of the resident applications, and each of the symbolic identifiers are assigned to a key of a group of keys of the two-way mobile communication device and are arranged in a configuration corresponding to the group of keys of the two-way mobile communication device;

program code for receiving a selection of the keys in the group of keys; and

program code for activating one of the resident applications within the group of the resident applications that is associated with the selected one of the keys in the group of keys.

22. A device as recited in claim 21, wherein said symbolic identifiers are selected from a group consisting of bitmaps, JPEG images and GIF images.

24. A device as recited in claim 23, wherein the keys in the group of keys are navigation keys for the two-way mobile communication device.