SCREEN OBJECT PLACEMENT OPTIMIZED FOR BLIND SELECTION

• US 20110093804A1
• Filed: 12/21/2010
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: PAAS, Julian
• Application Number:
  US12/974,084
• Publication Number:
  US 20110093804A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/767
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

An improved handheld electronic device includes an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor apparatus. The input apparatus includes a multi-axis input device such as a rollerball, trackball, joystick or touchpad, allowing the focus of a user interface program to be moved about a display from one screen object presented on that display to another. Up to four screen objects are presented on the display, each of those screen objects being positioned towards a corner of the display to enable a user to blindly operate the multi-axis input device, making use of a capture effect in which the focus of a user interface program is resisted from moving beyond an edge of the display, to guide movement of the focus to a given one of the up to four screen objects.

Claims

1. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a processor apparatus;

an input apparatus;

cooperable with the processor apparatus; and

a display cooperable with the processor apparatus;

the processor apparatus being adapted to, in response to directional input from the input apparatus which moves a focus of the display towards and potentially beyond the corner of the display, resist movement of the focus beyond either of two edges defining a corner of the display and move the focus of the display screen to a first screen object positioned towards the corner of the display.

2. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein the input apparatus is comprised of a movable portion that is translatable with respect to a housing of the handheld electronic device to provide an input.

3. The handheld electronic device of claim 2 wherein the movable portion is substantially spherical.

4. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein the input apparatus is a multi-axis input device.

5. The handheld electronic device of claim 2 wherein the input is a selection input to select an object to which the focus has been moved.

6. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein the processor apparatus is adapted to provide a visual indication of the focus having been moved to the first screen object.

7. The handheld electronic device of claim 6 wherein the visual indication is a highlight applied to the first screen object.

8. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein the first screen object corresponds to an application, and wherein a movement of the focus to the first screen object and a selection input with respect to the first screen object causes the application to be executed by the processor.

9. The handheld electronic device of claim 1 wherein the first screen object corresponds to a piece of data, and wherein the movement of the focus to the first screen object and a selection input with respect to the first screen object causes the piece of data to be accessed with an application corresponding to a data type of the piece of data.

10. A method of enabling a selection of a first screen object presented on a display of a handheld electronic device the method comprising:

presenting the first screen object on a display at a position towards a corner formed by a first edge of the display and a second edge of the display;

detecting an input from an input apparatus;

responsive to said input, moving a focus of the display from a position on said display towards said corner, guiding movement of the focus to the first screen object by resisting movement of the focus beyond said corner; and

awaiting a selection input to select the first screen object.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising detecting a selection input from the input apparatus and selecting the first screen object in response to the selection input.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising associating the first screen object with an application to enable the application to be executed by a processor in response to the first screen object being selected.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising associating the first screen object with a piece of data, to enable access to the piece of data with an application corresponding to a data type of the piece of data.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein detecting an input from an input apparatus comprises detecting an input from a multi-axis input device.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a visual indication of the focus having been moved to the first screen object.

16. One of more non-transitory computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that when executed by a processor implement a method of enabling a selection of a first screen object presented on a display of a handheld electronic device the method comprising:

presenting the first screen object on a display at a position towards a corner formed by a first edge of the display and a second edge of the display;

detecting an input from an input apparatus;

responsive to said input, moving a focus of the display from a position on said display towards said corner, guiding movement of the focus to the first screen object by resisting movement of the focus beyond said corner; and

awaiting a selection input to select the first screen object.

17. The computer-readable media of claim 16, further comprising detecting a selection input from the input apparatus and selecting the first screen object in response to the selection input.

18. The computer-readable media of claim 16, further comprising associating the first screen object with an application to enable the application to be executed by a processor in response to the first screen object being selected.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 16, further comprising associating the first screen object with a piece of data, to enable access to the piece of data with an application corresponding to a data type of the piece of data.

20. The computer-readable media of claim 16 wherein detecting an input from an input apparatus comprises detecting an input from a multi-axis input device.