Method and data structure for user interface customization

• US 20050050474A1
• Filed: 09/01/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Klassen, Gerhard Dletrich, Zinn, Scotte, Bells, Matthew, Wallis, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/747
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

A method for changing visual attributes presented by a graphical user interface of a device such as a mobile electronic device by loading onto the device a file containing information for changing selected visual attributes of the interface. A method or compiler for generating or compiling a file that contains information used by a device to change the user interface presented by the device.

Claims

1. A method of customizing a graphical user interface of a mobile electronic device, the graphical user interface having a plurality of displayed elements each having visual attributes, comprising:

storing an information file on the mobile electronic device, the information file including information defining at least one substitute visual attribute for at least one of the displayed elements of the graphical user interface; and

changing at least one pre-existing visual attribute of the at least one displayed element to the at least one substitute visual attribute.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one displayed element conveys a meaning that is unaffected by changing the at least one pre-existing visual attribute to the at least one substitute visual attribute.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one substitute visual attribute is a colour of the at least one displayed element.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the at least one substitute visual attribute is selected from the group consisting of:

foreground color;

background color;

focus foreground color;

selection foreground color;

selection background color.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one displayed element is text, and the at least one substitute visual attribute is selected from the group consisting of font;

font-family;

font-style;

font-weight;

font-stretch; and

font-size.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one displayed element is a selectable icon, and the at least one substitute visual attribute is selected from the group consisting of icon color;

icon size;

icon graphic image; and

relative location of the icon within a list of icons.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the displayed elements of the graphical user interface have pre-existing visual attributes associated with a first display theme, and wherein the information file includes information defining substitute visual attributes for a plurality of displayed elements, the substitute visual attributes being associated with a substitute display theme, the method including changing the pre-existing visual attributes of the displayed elements to the substitute visual attributes for changing a display theme of the graphical user interface to the substitute display theme.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile electronic device is enabled for wireless communications within a network operated by a designated carrier and the substitute display theme is associated with the designated carrier.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical user interface includes multiple display sections, each display section having display elements each having visual attributes that can be changed to substitute visual attributes based on information included in the information file.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile electronic device is a wireless device and including a step of receiving the information file over a wireless network.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the storing step is performed prior to delivery of the mobile electronic device to an end user.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein at least some of the custom visual attributes are selected from the group consisting of:

foreground color;

background color;

focus foreground color;

selection foreground color; and

selection background color.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the instruction file is in an XML compatible format and the graphic image files include both bit image files and SVG compatible files.

12. A mobile electronic device comprising:

a display screen for displaying a user interface having a plurality of display elements with pre-existing visual attributes;

a storage;

a processor connected to the display screen and the storage for receiving instructions and data from the storage and for controlling the operation of the display screen;

a theme file stored in the storage defining substitute visual attributes associated with a substitute theme for at least some of the display elements; and

a theme manager associated with the processor for changing a theme of the user interface to the substitute theme by replacing the pre-existing visual attributes of the at least some of the display elements with the substitute visual attributes.

13. The mobile electronic device of claim 12 wherein at least some of the display elements convey meaning and the substitute visual attributes therefore do not change the conveyed meanings.

14. The mobile electronic device of claim 12 wherein the at least some of the display elements includes a set of user selectable graphic icons each having an existing graphical image associated therewith, the substitute visual attributes including substitute graphical images for the set of user selectable graphic icons, the theme manager being for changing the existing graphical images to the substitute graphical images.

15. A method of generating a user interface customization file for use by a device to customize the user interface of the device, including:

receiving an instruction file including;

a) a list of custom graphic image files for presentation by the user interface; and

b) a style sheet defining custom visual attributes of elements of the user interface;

retrieving the custom graphic image files in the list; and

combining information from the instruction file and the custom graphic image files to produce a downloadable user interface customization file that includes instructions and graphic image files usable by the device.

16. The method of claim 15 including syntactic error checking of the instruction file prior to the combining.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the custom graphic image files include files defining icons for presentation in the user interface.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein at least some of the elements of the user interface include text, and defined custom visual attributes for the text are selected from the group consisting of font;

font-family;

font-style;

font-weight;

font-stretch; and

font-size.