Method and apparatus for presenting information

• US 20060030369A1
• Filed: 08/09/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Yang, Lianghua
• Granted Patent: US 8,965,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality

Abstract

A method and apparatus for presenting information is provided. In an embodiment, an electronic device with wireless telephony features is provided. The display of the device is divided into at least two regions. The first region is reserved for presenting status information about the device, including such information as battery life, signal strength, time and date, carrier information, and the like. The second region is reserved for use by applications, such as at least a main menu application and an incoming telephone call application. When an incoming call arrives, the main menu application presented on the second region is replaced with the incoming call information, but the status information remains unchanged. As the status of the incoming call changes from unanswered to answered, only a portion of the second region is updated, as a remaining portion of the second region remains the same and indicates that an incoming call is being processed.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a display associated with an electronic device to present information on the display comprising the steps of:

controlling the display to present a first set of information in a first region of said display;

controlling the display to present a different set of information in a second region of said display, said different information corresponding to an application that is active in said device, said first set of information being presented in said first region regardless of said active application.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first set of information is status information about said device.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein said electronic device includes wireless telephony functionality and said first set of information includes information indicative of a signal strength between said device and at least one wireless base station serving said device as part of the status information about the device.

4. The method according to claim 2 wherein said status information includes information indicative of remaining battery life.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein said status information includes information indicative of a carrier operating said at least one wireless base station.

6. The method according to claim 3 wherein said status information includes a telephone number of said device.

7. The method according to claim 2 wherein said status information includes a current time and date.

8. The method according to claim 3 wherein said applications include a main menu application and an incoming call application for receiving incoming telephone calls.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein a set of information for said main menu application includes a plurality of icons selectable by a user to activate an application available on said device.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein said different set of information for said incoming telephone calls includes dividing said second region into two sub-regions, a first one of said sub-regions for displaying a notification that an incoming call is pending, and a second one of said sub-regions for displaying call answering options before said call is answered and said second one of said sub-regions for displaying in-call options once said call is answered.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first region occupies at least about ten percent of the area of a display on which said information is presented.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first region occupies at least about fifty percent of the area of a display on which said information is presented.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein said first region occupies between about ten percent and about ninety percent of the area of a display on which said information is presented.

14. The method according to claim 10 wherein said first one of said sub-regions is similar in size to said second one of said sub-regions.

15. The method according to claim 10 wherein said first one of said subregions is about twice the size of said second one of said sub-regions.

16. The method according to claim 10 wherein said first region occupies between about ten percent and about ninety percent of the area of a display on which said first and second regions are presented.

17. A method of controlling a display associated with a telephonic electronic device to present information on the display, said method comprising the steps of:

controlling the display to present a first set of information in a first region of said display, said first set of information corresponding to a first application for presenting operational status of said device;

controlling the display to present a second set of information in a second region of said display, said second set of information corresponding to a second application that is active in said device while maintaining presentation of said first set information in said first region; and

,

controlling the display to present a third set of information in said second region when a third application is invoked in place of said second application, said third set of information corresponding to said third application that is active in said device while maintaining presentation of said set of status information in said first region.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said first application is a main menu application.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein said third application is a telephony application for managing incoming telephone calls to said device.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein said third set of information includes information indicative of at least one of an incoming telephone call notification, a phone number of an incoming caller and a name of an incoming caller.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein said operational status information includes information indicative of at least one of a signal strength between said device and at least one wireless base station serving said device, a time and date, a battery-life indicator, a carrier identifier, and a phone number associated with said device.

22. A computer-readable storage medium containing a set of instructions for an electronic device having a display, the set of instructions characterized by the steps of:

controlling the display to present a first set of information in a first region of said display, said first set of information corresponding to a first application for presenting operational status of said device;

controlling the display to present a second set of information in a second region of said display, said second set of information corresponding to a second application that is active in said device while maintaining presentation of said first set information in said first region; and

controlling the display to present a third set of information in said second region when a third application is invoked in place of said second application, said third set of information corresponding to said third application that is active in said device while maintaining presentation of said set of status information in said first region.

23. A telephonic electronic device comprising a display for presenting information to a user and a microcomputer operable to control the display to present a first set of information in a first region of said display, said first set of information corresponding to a first application executing on said microcomputer for presenting operational status of said device, said microcomputer further operable to present a second set of information in a second region of said display, said second set of information corresponding to a second application that is active in said device while maintaining presentation of said first set information in said first region, said microcomputer further operable to control the display to present a third set of information in said second region when a third application is invoked in place of said second application, said third set of information corresponding to said third application that is active while maintaining presentation of said first set information in said first region.