Mobile communications terminal and method

• US 20060031784A1
• Filed: 08/06/2004
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Makela, Mikko K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,832,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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

Abstract

A method for operating a graphical user interface of a computer terminal running multiple asynchronous simultaneous tasks. The progress of the tasks is shown in a list in an information window. The content and visibility of the list determines the type of user interaction defined by the terminal when one of the tasks reaches a predetermined stage of completion.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user interface of a computer terminal running multiple simultaneous tasks that each can go through one or more changes in status, comprising the steps of:

monitoring the status of said tasks;

presenting information regarding the status of said tasks via the user interface;

determining if said information regarding the status of the task concerned is perceptible by a user when any of the tasks changes status; and

presenting a separate confirmation indicating that the task concerned has changed status if said information regarding the status of the task concerned is not perceptible by the user when the task concerned changes status.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information regarding the status of said tasks is displayed in a window and said determination of the perceptibility is considered positive if said window is the topmost window.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information regarding the status of said tasks is displayed on a display of the terminal and said determination of the perceptibility is considered positive if the light conditions around said display are within a predetermined threshold.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information regarding the status of said tasks is presented in audible form and said determination of the perceptibility is considered positive if the ambient noise level around the terminal is below a threshold.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said information regarding the status of, said tasks is presented in audible form and said determination of the perceptibility, is considered negative if a terminal setting disables audible communication.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said tasks are asynchronous downloads, uploads, print jobs, or message transmissions.

47. A computer program product having a computer readable medium, said computer program product comprising means to carry out any of the methods according to claim 1.

7. A method for operating a graphical user interface of a computer terminal running multiple simultaneous tasks that each can go through a number of changes in status, comprising the steps of:

monitoring the status of said tasks;

determining if a window with information regarding the status of the task concerned is being visible on the graphical user interface when any of the tasks changes status; and

presenting a separate confirmation indicating that the task concerned has changed status if no window with information regarding the status of the task concerned is being displayed on the graphical user interface when the task concerned changed status.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said window with information includes a list showing the status of the multiple, simultaneously run tasks on the terminal.

9. A method according to claim 7, wherein the user is offered the possibility to send said window with information to the background.

10. A method according to claim 7, wherein said window with information is a pop-up dialog that offers a possibility to select one of the listed tasks and interfere with the further progress thereof, preferably by showing a further pop-up dialog that includes a list with selectable options of interference with the status of the task concerned.

11. A method according to claim 7, wherein the visibility of the window with information is determined by checking if the window with information is the topmost window.

12. A method according to claim 7, wherein said tasks are downloads from a server, uploads to a server or print jobs.

13. A method according to claim 7, wherein said window with information includes a list of downloads, uploads or print jobs in progress.

14. A method according to claim 13, wherein said window with information pops up each time a download, upload or print job is initiated.

15. A method according to claim 13, wherein said list in said window with information includes the application shell icon of the application that is registered to handle the file or files being downloaded, uploaded or printed includes a dedicated document type icon of the document concerned if the file is a document.

16. A method according to claim 12, wherein said list in said window with information takes the name of the file in download, upload or print from that file, from descriptor of the downloaded file or from the document from which the file download, upload or print was initiated.

17. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of checking available memory space in the computer terminal before initiating a download, displaying an error note and canceling the download if the available memory space is insufficient.

18. A method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of checking if a download or upload is already on the list of downloads when a user tries to initiate downloading a file, displaying an error message and canceling the download if the download or upload is already on the list.

19. A method according to claim 12, wherein said interference options includes one or more of the following functions:

pause download or upload, resume download or upload, cancel download or upload.

20. A method according to claim. 12, wherein said downloads or uploads run in a browser application.

21. A method according to claim 7, wherein said computer terminal is a mobile communication terminal.

41. A computer terminal with the method according to claim 7 implemented thereon.

22. A method for operating a graphical user interface of a computer terminal capable of running multiple asynchronous simultaneous downloads, comprising the step of displaying an information window including a list of the downloads in progress.

23. A method according to claim 22, wherein said list includes the application shell icon of the application that is registered to handle the file or files being downloaded.

24. A method according to claim 22, wherein said information window pops up automatically each time a download is initiated.

25. A method according to claim 22, wherein the user is offered the possibility to send said window with information to the background.

26. A method according to claim 25, wherein said window with information is a pop-up dialog that offers a possibility to select one of the listed tasks and interfere with the further progress thereof, preferably by showing a further pop-up dialog that includes a list with selectable options of interference with the progress of the task concerned.

27. A method according to claim 26, wherein said interference options include one or more of the following functions:

pause download, resume download, cancel download.

28. A method according to claim 22, wherein said downloads run in a browser application.

29. A method according to claim 22, wherein said list includes a pause icon for downloads that have been paused.

30. A method according to claim 22, wherein said list includes an external memory icon for downloads that are stored on an external memory.

31. A method for handling downloads from one or more servers onto a computer terminal capable of running multiple asynchronous simultaneous downloads, comprising the steps of checking the available memory space in the computer terminal before initiating a download, deducting the space required for previously started downloads from said available memory space to obtain the effectively available memory space, obtaining or estimating the size of the to be downloaded file, and canceling the download if the effectively available memory space is smaller than the size of the to be downloaded file.

32. A method according to claim 31, further comprising the step of showing an error message if there is not enough effectively available memory space for the to be downloaded file.

33. A method according to claim 31, wherein the size of the file to be downloaded is queried from the server prior to initiating the download, and estimating the size of the file to be downloaded if the server does not provide the size information of the file to be downloaded.

34. A method according to claim 31, wherein said computer terminal is a mobile hand-held terminal with an internal memory and an external memory, further comprising the step of first checking the internal memory space and then checking the external memory space.

35. A method for operating a graphical user interface of a computer terminal running multiple simultaneous tasks that each can go through changes in status, comprising the steps of:

monitoring the status of said tasks;

displaying a window with a list with information regarding the status of the tasks; and

displaying a confirmation dialog indicating that the task concerned has changed status if the list contains status information regarding more than one task or if the list has not been visible throughout the progress of the task concerned when the task concerned changed status.

36. A method according to claim 35, wherein said window with information includes a list showing the status of the multiple simultaneously run tasks on the terminal.

37. A method according to claim 35, wherein the user is offered the possibility to send said window with information to the background.

38. A method according to claim 35, wherein said window with information is a pop-up dialog that offers a possibility to select one of the listed tasks and interfere with the further progress thereof, preferably by showing a further pop-up dialog that includes a list with selectable options of interference with the status of the task concerned.

39. A method according to claim 35, wherein the visibility of the window with information is determined by checking if the window with information is the topmost window.

40. A method according to claim 35, wherein said tasks are downloads from a server, uploads to a server or print jobs.

42. A computer terminal comprising a processor, a display and a user interface,

said processor being configured to run multiple simultaneous tasks that each can go through one or more changes in status,

said processor being configured to monitor the status of said tasks;

said processor being configured to present information regarding the status of said tasks via the user interface;

said processor being configured to determine if said information regarding the status of the task concerned is perceptible by a user when any of the tasks changes status; and

said processor being configured to present a separate confirmation indicating that the task concerned has changed status if said information regarding the status of the task concerned is not perceptible by the user when the task concerned changes status.

43. A computer terminal according to claim 42, wherein said processor is configured to display information regarding the status of said tasks in a window, and said processor is configured to consider the perceptibility as positive if said window is the topmost window.

44. A computer terminal according to claim 42, wherein said terminal comprises a light sensor and said processor is configured to display information regarding the status of said tasks on a display of the terminal, and said processor is configured to consider the perceptibility positive if the light conditions around said display are within a predetermined threshold.

45. A computer terminal according to claim 42, wherein said processor is configured to present information regarding the status of said tasks in audible form, and said processor is configured to consider the perceptibility positive if the ambient noise level is below a threshold.

46. A computer terminal according to claim 42, wherein said processor is configured to present, said information regarding the status of said tasks in audible form, and said processor is configured to consider the he perceptibility negative if a terminal setting disables audible communication.

48. A computer program product having a computer readable medium, said computer program product comprising:

means for controlling execution of a plurality of simultaneous applications that each can go through one or more changes in status;

means for monitoring the status of said tasks;

means for presenting information regarding the status of said tasks via the user interface;

means for determining if said information regarding the status of the task concerned is perceptible by a user when any of the tasks changes status; and

means for presenting a separate confirmation indicating that the task concerned has changed status if said information regarding the status of the task concerned is not perceptible by the user when the task concerned changes status.