METHOD AND APPARATUS TO FACILITATE NON-FLUSH GENERAL NAVIGATION BUTTONS FOR A CLAMSHELL HANDHELD DEVICE

• US 20100177044A1
• Filed: 01/09/2009
• Published: 07/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Plestid, Trevor
• Granted Patent: US 8,508,480 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0218 The hinge comprising input and/or output user interface means

Abstract

A handheld device comprising a first portion and a second portion rotatably coupled to the first portion. The handheld device is movable between an opened configuration and a closed configuration. A non-flush navigation button is coupled to one of the first and the second portion wherein the non-flush navigation button is disposed in a position that is accessible for manipulation in both the opened and the closed configurations.

Claims

1. A handheld device comprising:

a first portion;

a second portion rotatably coupled to the first portion, the first and the second portion being rotatable relative to each other about an axis of rotation, such that the handheld device is movable between an opened configuration and a closed configuration;

a non-flush navigation button coupled to one of the first and the second portion;

wherein the non-flush navigation button is disposed in a position that is accessible for manipulation in both the opened and the closed configurations.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the one of the first and the second portion on which the non-flush navigation button is coupled is received between a pair of coupling portions in the other of the first and the second portion to enable the rotatable coupling.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the non-flush navigation button includes a central axis, and the central axis is disposed to accommodate a reach distance of a user'"'"'s thumb.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the non-flush navigation button protrudes above the surface of the one of the first and the second portion by a maximum distance in the range of about 1 mm to about 2 mm.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the non-flush navigation button is selected from the group consisting of:

a trackball, a joystick, and a rocker button.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the trackball is a clickable trackball.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the navigation button provides navigation in at least two dimensions.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein the navigation button provides navigation not limited to the Cartesian directions.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein a central axis of the navigation button is disposed at an angle relative to a general plane of the one of the first and second portion such that the navigation button is easily accessible in both the opened and the closed configurations.

10. The device of claim 1 further comprising a primary display visible in the opened configuration for displaying a primary GUI and a secondary display visible in the closed configuration for displaying a secondary GUI, and the navigation button provides navigation of the primary GUI in the opened configuration and the secondary GUI in the closed configuration.

18. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a microprocessor for controlling the operation of the handheld device, the non-flush navigation button being coupled to the microprocessor for accepting an input;

a display device for showing a user interface, the display device being coupled to the microprocessor for communicating an output to the user;

a communications subsystem coupled to the microprocessor for communicating with a communications network;

a memory coupled to the microprocessor; and

a storage device coupled to the microprocessor;

the handheld device including a navigation module resident in the memory for execution by the microprocessor, the navigation module being configured to;

detect whether the device is in the opened or the closed configuration;

process navigation input using the navigation button in a primary or a secondary navigation orientation corresponding to the primary or secondary button orientation of the navigation button;

detect whether the device has changed configuration; and

if the device has changed configuration, flip the navigation orientation to correspond to the button orientation.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein the primary button orientation and the secondary button orientation have opposite up/down orientations and the primary navigation orientation and the secondary navigation orientation have corresponding opposite up/down orientations.

20. The device of claim 18 wherein the navigation input is processed in at least two dimensions.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein processing of the navigation input is not limited to the Cartesian directions.

22. The device of claim 18 wherein the navigation input is processed for navigation of a primary GUI in the opened configuration and a secondary GUI in the closed configuration.

23. The device of claim 18 wherein the navigation module is further configured to:

detect a device orientation for the device;

process navigation input using the navigation button in the navigation orientation corresponding to the device orientation;

detecting whether the device orientation has changed; and

if the device orientation has changed, changing the navigation orientation to correspond to the changed device orientation.

24. The device of claim 18 wherein the device orientation corresponds to the device being held upright, upside-down or horizontally.

11. A method for facilitating a non-flush navigation button in a handheld device having a first portion and a second portion rotatably coupled together such that the handheld device is movable between an opened and a closed configuration, the navigation button having a primary button orientation in the opened configuration and a secondary button orientation in the closed configuration, the method comprising:

detecting whether the device is in the opened or the closed configuration;

processing navigation input using the navigation button in a primary or a secondary navigation orientation corresponding to the primary or secondary button orientation of the navigation button;

detecting whether the device has changed configuration; and

if the device has changed configuration, flipping the navigation orientation to correspond to the button orientation.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the primary button orientation and the secondary button orientation have opposite up/down orientations and the primary navigation orientation and the secondary navigation orientation have corresponding opposite up/down orientations.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the navigation input is processed in at least two dimensions.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein processing of the navigation input is not limited to the Cartesian directions.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein the navigation input is processed for navigation of a primary GUI in the opened configuration and a secondary GUI in the closed configuration.

16. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

detecting a device orientation for the device;

processing navigation input using the navigation button in a navigation orientation corresponding to the device orientation;

detecting whether the device orientation has changed; and

if the device orientation has changed, changing the navigation orientation to correspond to the changed device orientation.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the device orientation corresponds to the device being held upright, upside-down or horizontally.

25. A computer program product having a computer readable medium tangibly embodying code for facilitating a non-flush navigation button in a handheld device, the device having a first portion and a second portion rotatably coupled together such that the device is movable between an opened configuration and a closed configuration, the computer program product comprising:

code for detecting whether the device is in the opened or the closed configuration;

code for processing navigation input using the navigation button in a primary or a secondary navigation orientation corresponding to the primary or secondary button orientation of the navigation button;

code for detecting whether the device has changed configuration; and

code for flipping the navigation orientation to correspond to the button orientation, if the device has changed configuration.

26. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the primary button orientation and the secondary button orientation have opposite up/down orientations and the primary navigation orientation and the secondary navigation orientation have corresponding opposite up/down orientations.

27. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the navigation input is processed in at least two dimensions.

28. The computer program product of claim 27 wherein processing of the navigation input is not limited to the Cartesian directions.

29. The computer program product of claim 25 wherein the navigation input is processed for navigation of a primary GUI in the opened configuration and a secondary GUI in the closed configuration.

30. The computer program product of claim 25 further comprising:

code for detecting a device orientation for the device;

code for processing navigation input using the navigation button in a navigation orientation corresponding to the device orientation;

code for detecting whether the device orientation has changed; and

code for changing the navigation orientation to correspond to the changed device orientation, if the device orientation has changed.

31. The computer program product of claim 30 wherein the device orientation corresponds to the device being held upright, upside-down or horizontally.