CONTEXT SENSITIVE POP-UP WINDOW FOR A PORTABLE PHONE

• US 20020080186A1
• Filed: 03/24/1999
• Published: 06/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: FREDERIKSEN, STEEN LILLETHORUP
• Granted Patent: US 6,570,596 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2019/146 Roller type actuators
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 25/008 Operating part movable both angularly and rectilinearly, the rectilinear movement being perpendicular to the axis of angular movement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/975 Pop-up dialog box for entry

Abstract

A portable phone has a display, input means for inputting information and instructions, and a control unit controlling the display in dependence on the operation of the input means. The input means includes navigation means for moving a marker in an active part of the display. The navigation means is provided with a roller body and includes means for detecting the rolling and depression of the roller body and for providing control signals in response thereto. In an information input mode, the control unit moves the marker in the display in dependence on the rolling control signal and generates a pop-up window upon reception of the depression control signal, said pop-up window covering a part of the active display and containing operations which are allowed in a position defined by said marker.

Claims

1. A portable phone having a display, input means for inputting information and instructions to a control unit in the phone, said control unit controlling the display in dependence on the operation of the input means;

said input means including;

means for moving a marker in the display; and

means for providing a request to the control unit for displaying operations which are allowed in a position defined by said marker;

said control unit generating a pop-up window which covers a part of the display upon reception of the request, and which includes said allowed operations.

2. A portable phone according to claim 1, wherein said means for moving a marker in the display comprises a navigation key means having a roller body whose rolling is detected by means of an encoder operatively connected to the control unit which controls the movement of the marker in the display in dependence thereon.

3. A portable phone according to claim 2, wherein said request means comprises a sensor integrated in a support structure for the roller body, said moving and request means being integrated in the navigation key means.

4. A portable phone according to claims 1-3, wherein the contents of the pop-up window in an entry or editing mode show marker determined context sensitivity.

5. A phone according to claim 4, wherein the display is a dot matrix display for displaying signs arranged in a predetermined number of lines in the active part of the display, each of said lines may contain a plurality of signs, and said marker is provided as a gleaming bar which may be positioned between two of said signs.

6. A portable phone according to claim 4, wherein the phone changes state upon the occurrence of the context sensitive pop-up window to a listing mode in which a plurality of allowable operations are listed in the pop-up window, and wherein said request providing input means changes functionality to a selection means which, when depressed, selects the operation marked by the cursor.

7. A portable phone according to claims 3-5, comprising an editor controlled by the control unit and operated by the navigation key means, said control unit defining for the editor:

a first display part in the display for displaying a string of entered information;

a second display part in the display for displaying a string of a plurality of possible information candidates;

one of the candidates in the candidate string being highlighted by the cursor whose movement through information candidates is controlled by the rolling of the navigation key means, and said highlighted candidate being selectable for entering into the string of entered information by pressing the navigation key means.

11. A portable phone according to claim 7, wherein all inputs into the phone may be performed by rolling and pressing the navigation key means.

12. A portable phone according to claim 11, wherein the navigation key means is the only input means of the phone.

13. A portable phone according to claims 1-12, wherein the pop-up window is demarcated from the active display area by means of borderlines defining a rectangular frame.

14. A portable phone according to claim 13, wherein the pop-up window area covers from 30 percent to 70 percent of the full active display area.

15. A portable phone according to claim 13, wherein the pop-up window within the rectangular frame displays a number of selectable operations in a listing mode.

16. A portable phone according to claim 15, wherein the pop-up window within the rectangular frame displays two to four selectable operations.

17. A portable phone according to claim 15, wherein the control unit handles a list including a plurality of selectable operations arranged in a predetermined order with only a fractional set of the full set of operations shown simultaneously in the pop-up window;

and rolling of the navigation key means causes scanning through the full set of operation.

18. A portable phone according to claim 17, wherein the pop-up window displays three operations with the display updated for every step in the list, whereby the cursor will highlight the operation in the middle of the pop-up window.

19. A portable phone according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the full set of operations is arranged with two operations defined as a first item and a last item in the list, respectively;

and in the listing mode, when the cursor passes outside the first or the last item in the list, the pop-up window disappears and the phone goes from listing mode to the mode associated with the background display.

8. A portable phone having a display, input means for inputting information and instructions to a control unit in the phone, said control unit controlling the display in dependence on the operation of the input means;

said input means including;

a depressable roller body;

a support structure for the roller body;

an encoder operatively connected to the control unit for detecting the rolling of the roller body; and

a sensor operatively connected to the control unit for detecting the depression of the roller body;

said control unit generating a pop-up window which includes a set of allowed operations, and which covers a part of the display upon reception of a request provided by depressing the roller body.

9. A portable phone according to claim 8, comprising an editor controlled by the control unit and operated by the navigation key, said control unit defining for the editor:

a first display part in the display for displaying a string of entered information;

a second display part in the display for displaying a string of a plurality of possible information candidates;

one of the candidates in the candidate string being highlighted by the cursor whose movement through information candidates is controlled by the rolling of the roller body, and said highlighted candidate being selectable for entering into the string of entered information by pressing the roller body.

10. A portable phone according to claims 8-9, wherein the input means is the only input means of the phone.