Handheld electronic device and associated method employing a graphical user interface to output on a display virtually stacked groups of selectable objects

• US 20090138823A1
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Published: 05/28/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bradea, Marcel
• Granted Patent: US 8,615,720 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• 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 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A handheld electronic device and an improved method employ a GUI to depict a plurality of selectable objects on a display. The selectable objects are arranged in groups, with at least one of the groups being depicted on the display at any given time. The groups are arranged in rings, and the rings are in a virtually stacked arrangement, which enables the user to progressively depict one group of selectable objects after the next. An indicator and a large background, individually or in combination, indicate to the user which ring of selectable objects from the plurality of stacked rings is currently active.

Claims

1. A method of enabling the outputting of a number of selectable objects on a display of a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

employing a graphical user interface to visually output a depicted group of selectable objects, the depicted group of selectable objects comprising a first group of selectable objects from among a plurality of groups of selectable objects that are each capable of depiction on the display, the plurality of groups being logically disposed in a stack;

outputting an indicator representative of the plurality of groups in their stacked arrangement and comprising an attribute indicative of the logical position in the stack of the depicted group.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising employing the graphical user interface to output as the indicator a plurality of stacked elements, the attribute indicating one of the elements as being representative of the first group.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising outputting as the attribute the one of the elements with an appearance different than that of the other elements.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising outputting an indicium indicative of an occurrence of an event with respect to a selectable object within a second group different than the first group.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising outputting the attribute with a first appearance and outputting the indicium with a second appearance different than the first appearance.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising outputting as the attribute the one of the elements with an appearance different than that of the other elements, and outputting as the indicium a visual item disposed adjacent another of the elements that is representative of the second group.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the selectable objects of the depicted group are displayed in a predetermined arrangement, and further comprising outputting as the plurality of stacked elements a plurality of elements of a shape that corresponds with at least a portion of the predetermined arrangement.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a selection input with respect to a second group, the first group being logically disposed in the stack in a particular direction from the second group;

employing the graphical user interface to depict the second group as being in motion in the particular direction; and

outputting the second group as the depicted group.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising employing the graphical user interface to depict the second group as moving in the particular direction from a location logically disposed off the display toward another location on the display.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising employing the graphical user interface to depict the first group as moving in the particular direction from a first location on the display toward a different location logically disposed off the display.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

employing the graphical user interface to output as a background on the display a portion of a visual object that is larger in the particular direction than the display; and

employing the graphical user interface to depict the background as being in motion in the particular direction contemporaneously with the depicting of the second group as being in motion in the particular direction.

12. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a processor apparatus comprising a processor and a memory;

an input apparatus structured to provide input to the processor apparatus;

an output apparatus comprising a display and being structured to receive output signals from the processor apparatus;

the memory having stored therein a number of routines comprising a graphical user interface routine, the routines comprising instructions which, when executed on the processor, cause the handheld electronic device to perform operations comprising;

employing the graphical user interface to visually output a depicted group of selectable objects, the depicted group of selectable objects comprising a first group of selectable objects from among a plurality of groups of selectable objects that are each capable of depiction on the display, the plurality of groups being logically disposed in a stack;

outputting an indicator representative of the plurality of groups in their stacked arrangement and comprising an attribute indicative of the logical position in the stack of the depicted group.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 12 wherein the operations further comprise employing the graphical user interface to output as the indicator a plurality of stacked elements, the attribute indicating one of the elements as being representative of the first group.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 13 wherein the operations further comprise outputting as the attribute the one of the elements with an appearance different than that of the other elements.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 13 wherein the operations further comprise outputting an indicium indicative of an occurrence of an event with respect to a selectable object within a second group different than the first group.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein the operations further comprise outputting the attribute with a first appearance and outputting the indicium with a second appearance different than the first appearance.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein the operations further comprise outputting as the attribute the one of the elements with an appearance different than that of the other elements, and outputting as the indicium a visual item disposed adjacent another of the elements that is representative of the second group.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 13 wherein the selectable objects of the depicted group are displayed in a predetermined arrangement, and wherein the operations further comprise outputting as the plurality of stacked elements a plurality of elements of a shape that corresponds with at least a portion of the predetermined arrangement.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 12 wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a selection input with respect to a second group, the first group being logically disposed in the stack in a particular direction from the second group;

employing the graphical user interface to depict the second group as being in motion in the particular direction; and

outputting the second group as the depicted group.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise employing the graphical user interface to depict the second group as moving in the particular direction from a location logically disposed off the display toward another location on the display.

21. The handheld electronic device of claim 20 wherein the operations further comprise employing the graphical user interface to depict the first group as moving in the particular direction from a first location on the display toward a different location logically disposed off the display.

22. The handheld electronic device of claim 19 wherein the operations further comprise:

employing the graphical user interface to output as a background on the display a portion of a visual object that is larger in the particular direction than the display; and

employing the graphical user interface to depict the background as being in motion in the particular direction contemporaneously with the depicting of the second group as being in motion in the particular direction.