Navigable User Interface for Electronic Handset

• US 20110119589A1
• Filed: 11/19/2009
• Published: 05/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Hishashi D., Merrell, Thomas Y., Alameh, Rachid M.
• Application Number:
  US12/622,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20110119589A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting

Abstract

An electronic device having a user interface on which selectable operation indicators are navigated wherein each operational indicator is associated with a corresponding application or other selectable item. The operational indicators are sequentially identified, in a specified order and for a specified time interval, in response to a first input at the user interface. Selection occurs in response to a second input at the user interface during the corresponding time interval. Such selection may, for example, launch an application or cause the display of a submenu or perform some other function

Claims

1. A method in a portable electronic device including a user interface, the method comprising:

sequentially identifying, in a specified order, a plurality of operational indicators of the portable electronic device in response to a first input at the user interface,

the plurality of operational indicators identified at the user interface for a time interval during which an identified operational indicator may be selected;

selecting an operational indicator during the corresponding time interval in response to a second input at the user interface during a corresponding time interval; and

invoking an operation of the portable electronic device upon selecting the operational indicator.

2. The method of claim 1, varying a rate at which the plurality of operational indicators is sequentially identified in response to a variable input at the user interface.

3. The method of claim 1, changing the order in which the plurality of operational indicators is identified in response to an input at the user interface.

4. The method of claim 1,

the operational indicator is an application indicator associated with a corresponding application executable on the portable electronic device,

invoking the operation of the portable electronic device includes launching an application associated with the application indicator identified.

5. The method of claim 1,

visually presenting the plurality of operational indicators on a display of the portable electronic device,

sequentially identifying, on the display, the plurality of operational indicators of the portable electronic device in response to the first input at the user interface.

6. The method of claim 5, varying a rate at which the plurality of operational indicators are sequentially identified in response to a variable input at the user interface.

7. The method of claim 5 further comprising changing the order in which the plurality of operational indicators are identified in response to an input at the user interface.

8. The method of claim 1,

sequentially identifying the plurality of operational indicators of the portable electronic device in response to the first input at an audio user interface of the portable electronic device,

selecting the operational indicator in response to the second input at the audio user interface.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising varying a rate at which the plurality of operational indicators are sequentially identified in response to a variable input at an audio user interface.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising changing the order in which the plurality of operational indicators are identified in response to an input at the audio user interface.

11. A method in a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

presenting a plurality of objects on a user interface of the portable electronic device;

navigating continuously through the plurality of objects in response to a first user input;

receiving a second user input while navigating; and

activating an object in response to the second user input.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein, navigating the list of objects when a user action is initiated comprises:

detecting an input signal due to initiating the user action, and

navigating the list of objects based on the input signal.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising navigating the plurality of objects in an order based on the first user input.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the first user input is a variable input, further comprising navigating at a rate proportional to the variable input.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein navigating the plurality of objects includes providing a visual indication of a selection position while navigating from object to object.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein navigating the plurality of objects includes providing an audio indication of a selection position while navigating from object to object.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein activating an object comprises terminating the navigation of the list and invoking a function associated with the object.

18. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display having a plurality of visual cues, each visual cue associated with a corresponding application executable on the portable electronic device,

the display having a cue indicator visually associated with one of the plurality of visual cues, the visual cue associated with the cue indicator being selectable to launch the corresponding application;

a controller coupled to the display;

a user accessible input device coupled to the controller,

the controller configured to sequentially change, in a specified order, the visual cue with which the cue indicator is visually associated in response to a first input at the input device,

the controller configured to select a visual cue in response to a second input at the input device, the selected visual cue is the visual cue with which the cue indicator is currently associated upon the occurrence of the second input,

whereby the application associated with the selected visual cue is launched upon selecting the corresponding visual cue.

19. The device of claim 18,

the input device is a variable input detecting device,

the controller configured to vary the rate at which the visual cue, with which the cue indicator is associated, is sequentially changed based on an input to the variable input detecting device.

20. The device of claim 18,

the input device includes directional input sensor,

the controller configured to change the specified order in which visual cues associated with the cue indicator are sequentially changed based on an input to the directional input sensor.