SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR USING NAVIGATIONAL AND OTHER COMMANDS ON A MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20070080954A1
• Filed: 09/15/2006
• Published: 04/12/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason, Bocking, Andrew, Yach, David, Major, Harry, Scott, Sherryl
• Granted Patent: US 8,689,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/56 including a user help function

Abstract

A wireless handheld communication device having a housing containing a display screen located above a physical keyboard. The keyboard includes a plurality of physical keys and corresponding indicia. Some of the keys are associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array of letters A-Z and some are associated with numeric characters 0-9 corresponding to a telephone keypad arrangement. At least some of the keys associated with numeric characters are overlaid on the physical keys associated with alphabetic characters. A microprocessor is included that runs the device in at least a telephony mode, an email mode and at least one additional mode. The microprocessor displays a key-function map on the display screen indicative of enabled functions associated with particular physical keys of the keyboard which are different from any function signified by the indicia associated with the respective particular physical key.

Claims

1. A wireless handheld communication device comprising:

a housing containing a display screen located above a physical keyboard;

said keyboard comprising;

a plurality of physical keys and corresponding indicia, said plurality of physical keys including physical keys associated with alphabetic characters corresponding to a QWERTY array of letters A-Z and physical keys associated with numeric characters 0-9 corresponding to a telephone keypad arrangement, said physical keys associated with numeric characters being partially overlaid on said physical keys associated with alphabetic characters; and

a microprocessor that configures said device between at least three device operating modes including a telephony mode, an email mode and at least one additional mode, and wherein, when operating in at least one of said additional modes, said microprocessor displays a key-function map on said display screen indicative of enabled functions associated with particular physical keys of the keyboard which are at least partially different from the functions signified by the indicia associated with the particular physical keys.

2. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the enabled functions is a short-cut command.

3. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

a physical control key that initiates display of a key-function map tailored according to the current device operating mode.

4. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one additional device operating mode comprises:

a scheduling mode, a music mode, a calendar mode, a typing mode, a text-messaging mode, a browser mode, and a game mode.

5. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one key-function map is associated with a plurality of device operating modes.

6. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one key-function map is a virtual representation of at least a portion of the keyboard, the virtual representation including information on one or more virtually represented keys of the keyboard.

7. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 6, wherein the key function map is activated on the display screen automatically when the device is switched between applications.

8. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein the key function map is activated on the display screen by a user input.

9. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said microprocessor enables user-customized programming to generate a custom key-function map tailored to a designated device operating mode.

10. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said display screen includes a first portion that displays a user-programming help screen and a second portion that displays the inputs and outputs generated during user programming.

11. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said device transmits data to, and receives data from a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals.

12. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said device further comprises an auxiliary user input.

13. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said alphabetic characters are associated with the respective plurality of physical keys on a one letter per key basis.

14. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said alphabetic characters are associated with the respective plurality of physical keys with multiple alphabetic characters on at least some of said physical keys.

15. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said displayed key-function map indicates enabled functions associated with the particular physical keys of the keyboard which are different from any function signified by the indicia associated with the respective particular physical keys.

16. The wireless handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one additional device operating mode is a calculator mode in which the key function map comprises a virtual representation of a calculator key layout including numbers 0-9 and at least the functions for adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing.