AUTOMATICALLY CENTERED SCROLLING IN A TAB-BASED USER INTERFACE

• US 20070266334A1
• Filed: 07/24/2007
• Published: 11/15/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Donaldson, Jesse
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/777
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A method and apparatus for presenting a tab-based graphic user interface (GUI) having more tabs than can be fitted across a screen side for a computer system. The computer system can be handheld devices such as personal digital assistants (PDA'"'"'s) and cell phones. The tab-based GUI displays as many tabs as possible on the screen side. The on-screen tabs are arranged in a sequence on a side of the display screen wherein each of these displayed tabs is adapted to be selected by a user for entering into a file category. The off-screen and on-screen tabs form a circular array conceptually such that a portion of the circular array being displayed on the screen side is the sequence of the on-screen tabs. In response to the selection of a on-screen tab, the selected on-screen tab is automatically scrolled to the center position of the screen side. In response to the selection of another on-screen tab, the newly selected on-screen tab is automatically scrolled to the center position of the screen side. Any tab, whether on-screen or off-screen, can eventually be selected by repeatedly selecting a tab on-screen on the left-most position of the screen side until the desired tab is on-screen for selection.

Claims

1. For a computer system, a method for presenting a tab-based graphic user interface having more tabs than can fit across a screen side, said method comprising the steps of:

a) displaying as many tabs as fit across a length of said screen side, said on-screen tabs arranged in a sequence wherein said on-screen tabs are adapted to be selected by a user for displaying information related to a selected tab; and

b) in response to the selection of a first on-screen tab, automatically scrolling said sequence of tabs such that said first on-screen tab is positioned in a designated position of said screen side; and

c) displaying information related to said first on-screen tab.