List item layouts system and method

• US 20090064039A1
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Boettcher, Jesse W., Huang, Szu-Wen, Lee, Jeffery T.
• Granted Patent: US 7,810,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A method of displaying list items is provided that includes defining a plurality of list items, defining a plurality of layouts, and linking each list item to a layout such that each layout can be linked to one or more list items. An electronic device is provided that includes a display and a user interface configured to display lists on the display, wherein the items of the lists are formatted based on a limited number of layout types such that the items having similar components share a common layout type. A user interface for an electronic device is also provided that includes a plurality of list items having properties defined by a layout, wherein each layout defines the properties for one or more list items and is stored in an object.

Claims

1. A method of displaying list items, comprising:

defining a plurality of list items;

defining a plurality of layouts; and

linking each list item to a layout, wherein each layout can be linked to one or more list items.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising displaying a plurality of list items based on the linked layout.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of list items comprises one or more dynamic list items.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising displaying the one or more dynamic list items based on the linked layout.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising storing a layout selected by a user.

6. An electronic device, comprising:

a display; and

a user interface configured to display one or more lists on the display, wherein a plurality of items of the lists are formatted based on a limited number of layout types such that the items having similar components share a common layout type.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the each of the plurality of items comprises a graphic, text, or any combination thereof.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the graphic comprises a bitmap.

9. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the one or more lists comprise a menu.

10. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein a layout type comprises a position and a size of one or more of the plurality of list items.

11. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the electronic device comprises at least one of a media player, a cellular phone, or a personal data organizer, or any combination thereof.

12. A user interface for a electronic device, comprising:

a plurality of list items, where properties for each list item are defined by a layout, wherein each layout may define the properties for one or more of the plurality of list items, wherein a plurality of layouts is stored in an object.

13. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the properties comprise a position and a size of one of more of the plurality of list items.

14. The user interface of claim 12, wherein the object comprises a flyweight object.

15. The user interface of claim 12, comprising a menu, wherein the menu comprises a plurality of list items.

16. The user interface of claim 12, wherein each list item comprises a graphic, text, a dynamic item, or any combination thereof.

17. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the electronic device comprises at least one of a media player, a cellular phone, or a personal data organizer, or any combination thereof.

18. A method of displaying a list, comprising:

accessing a plurality of list items to be displayed as a list, wherein each list item is not associated with layout information specific to the respective list item, wherein each list item is formatted based on a layout class associated with the respective list item.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the layout class comprises properties for displaying text, graphics, or any combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 18, comprising displaying the list.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein accessing a plurality of list items comprises determining a dynamic list item to be displayed in the list.