MODIFYING THE APPEARANCE OF A MOVABLE POSITION-MARKER ON A DISPLAY SCREEN OF A HANDHELD ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20100085304A1
• Filed: 10/08/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Ismail, Tareq, Bells, Matthew, Patterson, Andrew Robert
• Application Number:
  US12/575,822
• Publication Number:
  US 20100085304A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones

Abstract

Modifying the appearance of a movable position-marker on a display screen of an electronic device is disclosed. A graphical user interface program is run on a microprocessor module of the electronic device that controls display of images on a display screen. Designating a partial area of a page of displayed using an overlaid position marker which has a perimeter defining a highlighting area. The bounded area can be partially non-uniformly filled.

Claims

1. A method for designating an area of interest on a display screen of a handheld electronic communication device utilizing a movable overlaid position-marker, said method comprising:

displaying a page of information on the display screen; and

designating an area of the page of information representing a portion of the displayed information with the movable overlaid position-marker having a perimeter defining a highlighting area, wherein the highlighting area is non-uniformly filled.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein a substantial entirety of said highlighting area is opaque.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said substantial entirety of said highlighting area is filled utilizing an image file.

4. The method as recited in claim 3 wherein the image file is one of a bitmap, a portable network graphic, a jpeg, or a graphics interchange format image.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said perimeter of the highlighting area is polygonal shaped.

6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said perimeter of the highlighting area is substantially rectangular shaped.

7. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said perimeter of the highlighting area is rectangular shaped.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein a substantial entirety of the highlighting area is filled by a color having a darkness gradient increasing from one side of the area toward an opposite side of the rectangular shaped highlighting area.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the substantial entirety of the highlighting area is filled by a plurality of colors.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein at least two corners of the highlighting area are filled by different colors.

11. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the designated portion of the displayed information is text to be edited.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the highlighting area appears at least partially transparent thereby leaving the designated text to be edited visible on the display screen.

13. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein the designated portion of the displayed information is a selected menu item.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the highlighting area appears at least partially transparent, thereby leaving the selected menu item visible on the display screen.

15. The method recited in claim 1, further comprising adjusting the using data obtained from a layout manager for optionally controlling the display of template information.

16. The method recited in claim 15, further comprising filling a substantial entirety of said highlighting area using an image obtained from the layout manager.

17. The method recited in claim 0, further comprising modifying a selected image associated with the highlighting area using data from the layout manager that includes theme information for displaying images on the graphical user interface.

18. An electronic device for highlighting an area of a displayed page, said device comprising:

a body housing a display screen;

a microprocessor in data-communication with the display screen;

a microprocessor-run graphical user interface software programmed to;

display a page of information on the display screen; and

designate a partial area of the page of information representing a portion of the displayed information with an overlaid position-marker having a perimeter defining a highlighting area that is non-uniformly filled.

19. A computer-readable medium having a computer program for highlighting an area of a displayed page, the computer program causing a computer to:

display a page of information on the display screen; and

designate a partial area of the page of information representing a portion of the displayed information with an overlaid position-marker having a perimeter defining a highlighting area that is non-uniformly filled.