Displaying messages on handheld devices

• US 20060277504A1
• Filed: 06/03/2005
• Published: 12/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Zinn, Scotte
• Granted Patent: US 7,404,152 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/864
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages

Abstract

A method of displaying messages on handheld devices. The device displays messages in a scrollable viewport of vertically arranged fields. Date separators inserted into the vertically arranged list of messages to enable the user to associate the messages with a date. The date separators have “sticky” operation, meaning that the device ensures a date separator always appears within the viewport, even when the viewport has been scrolled to the middle of a long list of messages all associated with the same date. The device may ensure that the top field of the viewport always contains a date separator associated with the message immediately below.

Claims

1. A method of displaying messages on a display of a handheld device, the display including a scrollable viewport for displaying the messages, the viewport being divided into a plurality of fields arranged in a vertical list including a topmost field and a second field, the second field being immediately below the topmost field in the vertical list, the method comprising the steps of:

identifying a top message for-display in the second field;

determining a date associated with said top message; and

displaying a date separator item in said topmost field, wherein said date separator item is based upon said date associated with said top message.

2. The method claimed in claim 1, further including steps of receiving a scroll command, identifying a next message for display in the second field, determining a next date associated with said next message, and displaying a next date separator item in said topmost field, wherein said next date separator item is based upon said next date.

3. The method claimed in claim 1, further including steps of identifying a next message for display in a next field, determining if said next message is associated with a next date, and inserting a next date separator item in said next field if said next message is associated with a next date.

4. The method claimed in claim 3, wherein said further steps of identifying, determining, and inserting are repeated until the fields of the viewport are filled.

5. The method claimed in claim 1, wherein said date separators each include a date indicator, and wherein the messages associated with each date separator are associated with a date shown by the corresponding date indicator.

6. The method claimed in claim 5, wherein said date separators each further include a message count indicator, said message count indicator being based upon messages associated with the corresponding date separator.

7. The method claimed in claim 6, wherein said message count indicator is based upon unread messages received within a predetermined period of time.

8. A handheld electronic device having a messaging application for reading and composing messages, comprising:

a display screen for displaying a scrollable viewport for displaying the messages, the viewport being divided into a plurality of fields arranged in a vertical list including a topmost field and a second field, the second field being immediately below the topmost field in the vertical list;

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

a scrolling module for controlling the display of messages and the operation of the scrollable viewport, the scrolling module including a component for identifying a top message for display in the second field, a component for determining a date associated with said top message, and a component for displaying a date separator item in said topmost field, wherein said date separator item is based upon said date associated with said top message.

9. The device claimed in claim 8, further comprising an input device for receiving a scroll command from a user, and wherein said scrolling module includes a component for identifying a next message for display in the second field, a component for determining a next date associated with said next message, and a component for displaying a next date separator item in said topmost field, wherein said next date separator item is based upon said next date.

10. The device claimed in claim 8, wherein said scrolling module further includes a component for identifying a next message for display in a next field, a component for determining if said next message is associated with a next date, and a component for inserting a next date separator item in said next field if said next message is associated with a next date.

11. The device claimed in claim 10, wherein said components for identifying, determining, and inserting repeat their operations until the fields of the viewport are filled.

12. The device claimed in claim 8, wherein said date separators each include a date indicator, and wherein the messages associated with each date separator are associated with a date shown by the corresponding date indicator.

13. The device claimed in claim 12, wherein said date separators each further include a message count indicator, said message count indicator being based upon messages associated with the corresponding date separator.

14. The device claimed in claim 13, wherein said message count indicator is based upon unread messages received within a predetermined period of time.

15. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable instructions for displaying messages on a display of a handheld device, the display including a scrollable viewport for displaying the messages, the viewport being divided into a plurality of fields arranged in a vertical list including a topmost field and a second field, the second field being immediately below the topmost field in the vertical list, the computer executable instructions comprising:

computer executable instructions for identifying a top message for display in the second field;

computer executable instructions for determining a date associated with said top message; and

computer executable instructions for displaying a date separator item in said topmost field, wherein said date separator item is based upon said date associated with said top message.

16. The computer program product claimed in claim 15, further including computer executable instructions for receiving a scroll command, computer executable instructions for identifying a next message for display in the second field, computer executable instructions for determining a next date associated with said next message, and computer executable instructions for displaying a next date separator item in said topmost field, wherein said next date separator item is based upon said next date.

17. The computer program product claimed in claim 15, further including computer executable instructions for identifying a next message for display in a next field, computer executable instructions for determining if said next message is associated with a next date, and computer executable instructions for inserting a next date separator item in said next field if said next message is associated with a next date.

18. The computer program product claimed in claim 17, wherein said computer executable instructions for identifying, determining, and inserting repeat until the fields of the viewport are filled.

19. The computer program product claimed in claim 15, wherein said date separators each include a date indicator, and wherein the messages associated with each date separator are associated with a date shown by the corresponding date indicator.

20. The computer program product claimed in claim 19, wherein said date separators each further include a message count indicator,'"'"'said message count indicator being based upon messages associated with the corresponding date separator, and wherein said message count indicator is based upon unread messages received within a predetermined period of time.