EVENT DISPOSITION CONTROL FOR MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICE

• US 20090247112A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lundy, Michael T., Van Orden, Mathew Jay
• Application Number:
  US12/058,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20090247112A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/404.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for responding to an event by way of a mobile communications device. One embodiment of the method includes receiving at the mobile communications device an indication of an occurrence of an event; presenting an informational element (e.g., a slideable graphical-user-interface control) on a display of the device that presents contextually relevant data that is related to the event; and receiving user input that disposes the informational element to one of at least two drop zones that are defined by respective portions of the display and that are respectively associated with certain actions such that moving the informational element to one of the at least two drop zones invokes a certain response that is consistent with the corresponding drop zone.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of responding to an event by way of a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

incident to an occurrence of the event, presenting an informational element on a display of the mobile communications device, wherein the informational element takes the form of a slideable control that can be manipulated by touch actions;

presenting descriptive information in the informational element that is contextually related to the event such that the descriptive information is related to the event;

providing at least two drop zones, a first drop zone and a second drop zone, that each consume an area of the display, wherein the first drop zone is associated with a first action, and wherein the second drop zone is associated with a second action;

such that,

(1) if the informational element is moved to the first drop zone, then the first action occurs,

(2) if the informational element is moved to the second drop zone, then the second action occurs, and

(3) if the informational element is not moved to either the first or second drop zone, then allowing a default action to occur that is different from the first or second actions.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein the event includes one or more of the following:

receiving a phone call;

receiving a message, including one or more of a voicemail, an email, or a text message;

initiating an alarm;

receiving a file, including one or more of a picture, an audio file, or a video file;

or

an arriving at a time associated with a calendared event.

3. The media of claim 2, wherein the descriptive information includes one or more of the following:

a caller'"'"'s phone number;

a picture associated with a caller;

or

a filename of an file.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the first drop zone is in an upper portion of the display, and wherein the second drop zone is in a lower portion of the display.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the first action occurs incident to a moving of the informational element to the first drop zone, and wherein the first second action occurs incident to a moving of the informational element to the second drop zone.

6. The media of claim 5, wherein moving the informational element to a corresponding drop zone includes:

providing a positional indicator that indicates an initial position of the informational element; and

one or more of,

(1) moving the informational element a threshold distance away from a starting position such that the positional indicator is moved the threshold distance away from the initial position;

or

(2) moving the informational element within a threshold proximity of the corresponding drop zone.

7. The media of claim 6, wherein moving the informational element within a threshold proximity of the corresponding drop zone includes moving at least a portion of the informational element into the drop zone.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the first and second actions are related to the event that gave rise to the presentation of the informational element.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the first action is not always the same, and wherein the first action differs according to the event such that the first action is contextually relevant to the event.

10. The media of claim 9, wherein the first action is a positive action, and wherein the second action is a negative action or vice versa.

11. The media of claim 10, wherein the positive action includes one or more of:

answering an incoming call;

observing an incoming message;

viewing an incoming file;

viewing an incoming media attachment; and

opening a calendar-related item.

12. The media of claim 10, wherein the negative action includes one or more of:

dismissing an incoming call;

sending an incoming call to voicemail;

dismissing an incoming message;

dismissing an incoming file;

silencing an alarm;

13. The media of claim 1, wherein the first or second action is a user-defined action.

14. The media of claim 1, further comprising

providing a third drop zone and a fourth drop zone, which are respectively with a third action and fourth action such that when the informational element is moved to the third drop zone then the third action occurs and when the informational element is moved to the fourth drop zone, then the fourth action occurs.

15. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of responding to an event by way of a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

receiving at the mobile communications device an indication of an occurrence of an event;

presenting an informational element on a display of the device, wherein the informational element is a slideable graphical-user-interface control (GUI control) that presents contextually relevant data that is related to the event; and

receiving user input that disposes the informational element to one of at least two drop zones that are defined by respective portions of the display and that are respectively associated with certain actions such that moving the informational element to one of the at least two drop zones invokes a certain response that is consistent with the corresponding drop zone.

16. The media of claim 15, wherein the contextually relevant data includes textual data that presents information associated with the event.

17. The media of claim 16, wherein the certain response is selected from a plurality of possible responses and is determined by a nature of the event such that the nature of the event determines the certain response, and that the certain response is variable and varies according to the nature of the event.

18. The media of the 17, wherein at least one of the plurality of possible responses is a customizable response that is customizable by a user of the device.

19. A mobile communications device comprising:

a touchscreen display that presents a graphical user interface that includes at least two drop zones, which consume opposite portions of the display, wherein the mobile communications device is configured to initiate a corresponding action incident to any of the at least two drop zones sufficiently receiving an informational element; and

a processor that helps facilitate a presentation of the informational element, which is presented based on an occurrence of an event, and which includes descriptive information that presents data associated with the event such that the corresponding action can be initiated in response to sufficiently receiving an informational element.

20. The mobile communications device of claim 19, wherein the corresponding action if one of at least two actions, and wherein taking no action is not one of the at least two actions, such that if the informational element is not moved to any of the at least two drop zones, then no action occurs.