Palette-based color selection within a user interface theme

• US 20060059430A1
• Filed: 09/15/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Paas, Julian, Bells, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,473,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/747
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

Methods and devices that enable the customization of colors in a user interface by using a palette to define colors. The palette includes strings that have color values assigned to them. The strings are referred to in style sheets where color attributes are specified, such that colors can be redefined in the palette rather than in the style sheet.

Claims

1. A method of defining colors for a graphical user interface having a plurality of interface elements each having visual attributes, comprising:

providing a color palette list that includes a plurality of variable strings each of which has assigned thereto a color value;

providing a style sheet specifying color attributes of at least some of the interface elements, at least one of the color attributes of at least one of the interface elements being specified by reference to one of the variable strings; and

generating the user interface with the at least some interface elements having colors in accordance with the specified color attributes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the color values assigned to the variable strings include RGB triplet values.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein color attributes of at least some of the interface elements are specified by direct reference in the style sheet to a color.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the color attributes include foreground and background color attributes.

5. The method of claim 1 including changing a color theme of the user interface by providing a further color palette list that includes at least some of the variable strings having different color values assigned thereto and re-generating the user interface based on the style sheet and the further color palette list with at least some of the interface elements having colors in accordance with color attributes specified by reference to the variable strings.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the further color palette list is downloaded over a wireless network.

7. The method of claim 1 including inheriting at least some visual attributes of at least some of the interface elements from a further style sheet.

8. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

a display screen for displaying a user interface with a plurality of display elements having color attributes;

a storage;

a processor connected to the storage and to the display screen for controlling operation of the display screen;

a color palette list stored on the storage that includes a plurality of string variables that each have assigned thereto a color;

an instruction set stored on the storage that specifies color attributes of at least some of the display elements, at least some of the color attributes in the instruction set being specified by reference to the string variables; and

a theme manager associated with the processor for setting the color attributes of the display elements to correspond to the specified color attributes.

9. The mobile electronic device of claim 8 wherein the instruction set specifies at least some of the color attributes by direct reference to a color.

10. The mobile electronic device of claim 8 wherein the color palette list assigns each of the string variables an RBG triplet representing a color.

11. The mobile electronic device of claim 8 wherein the color attributes include foreground and background color attributes.

12. The mobile electronic device of claim 8 wherein the instruction set is a style sheet.

13. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable instructions for customizing colors of display elements in a user interface, the computer executable instructions including:

a color palette list that includes a plurality of variable strings each of which has assigned thereto a color value; and

instructions specifying color attributes of at least some of the interface elements, at least one of the color attributes of at least one of the interface elements being specified by reference to one of the variable strings.

14. A method of generating a user interface customization file for use by a device to customize a user interface of the device, the method including generating an instruction file that includes a color palette list that includes a plurality of strings each of which has assigned thereto a color value and a style sheet that specifies color attributes of at least some of the displayed elements, at least some of the color attributes being specified by reference to strings of the palette list.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the instruction file is an XML file.

16. The method of claim 14 including downloading a representation of the instruction file over a wireless network to a mobile electronic device.