Dynamic interactive animated screen saver

• US 6,903,743 B2
• Filed: 10/16/2002
• Issued: 06/07/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ng, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sealey, Lance W.
• Application Number:
  US10/272,089
• Publication Number:
  US 20040075701A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• Field of Search: 345/473, 345/764, 345/774, 345/867, 345/810, 715/526, 455/466, 704/260
• US Class Current: 345/473
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications

Abstract

The present invention provides an apparatus (100) and method (800) for an electronic device having a device display for graphically providing the user with a message (104) while the electronic device is in a screen saver mode displaying a screen saver screen (100). The message is a simplified message derived from an associated message source (200) where more detail (202) is available. The message is replaced with a detailed message upon reaching a predetermined condition.

Claims

1. A screen saver display for an electronic device having a device display for graphically providing information to a user, the screen saver display comprising:

a moving message bubble;

a message displayed within the moving message bubble, the message derived from a message source; and

a tripwire across the screen saver display,

wherein the message is replaced by a subsequent message derived from the message source upon the moving message bubble reaching the tripwire.

2. The screen saver display of claim 1, wherein the message is replaced by the subsequent message derived from the message source upon reaching a predetermined time period prior to a time period associated with the first message.

3. The screen saver display of claim 1, wherein the message source is at least one of:

an entry of a calendar program running in the electronic device,

an electronic mail message received by the electronic device,

a Short Message Service message received by the electronic device, and

a caller ID program running in the electronic device.

4. The screen saver display of claim 1, wherein the moving message bubble further comprises a visual attribute associated with the message source, the visual attribute dynamically variable based upon a predetermined condition.

5. The screen saver display of claim 1, further comprising:

a status indicator indicative of an internal operating system status of the electronic device.

6. The screen saver display of claim 5, wherein the status indicator is dynamically varied based upon the internal operating system status of the electronic device.

7. A screen saver display for an electronic device having a device display for graphically providing information to a user, the screen saver display comprising:

a moving message bubble;

a message associated with a message source, the message displayed within the moving message bubble; and

a plurality of bands partitioning the screen saver display, each of the plurality of bands representing a predetermined time period,

wherein the message is dynamically varied.

8. The screen saver display of claim 7, wherein the moving message bubble is displayed centered about and is allowed to move along one of the plurality of bands representing a time period associated with the message.

9. The screen saver display of claim 7, wherein the message source is at least one of:

an entry of a calendar program running in the electronic device,

an electronic mail message received by the electronic device,

a Short Message Service message received by the electronic device, and

a caller ID program running in the electronic device.

10. A method for graphically providing information in a screen saver application to a user of an electronic device having a device display, the method comprising:

displaying a screen saver display;

displaying a moving message bubble within the screen saver display;

displaying a message derived from a message source with the moving message bubble;

providing a tripwire across the screen saver display; and

replacing the message with a subsequent message derived from the message source upon the moving message bubble reaching the tripwire.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

replacing the message with the subsequent message derived from the message source upon reaching a predetermined time period prior to a time period associated with the message.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the message source is at least one of:

an entry of a calendar program running in the electronic device,

an electronic mail message received by the electronic device,

a Short Message Service message received by the electronic device, and

a caller ID program running in the electronic device.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying with the moving message bubble a visual attribute associated with the message source; and

dynamically varying the attribute based upon a predetermined condition.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

displaying a status indicator indicative of an internal operating system status of the electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

dynamically varying the status indicator based upon the internal operating system status of the electronic device.

16. A method for graphically providing information in a screen saver application to a user of an electronic device having a device display, the method comprising:

displaying a screen saver display;

partitioning the screen saver display into a plurality of bands;

assigning each of the plurality of bands to a predetermined time period;

displaying a moving message bubble within the screen saver display;

displaying a message derived from a message source within the moving message bubble; and

dynamically varying the message displayed within the moving message bubble.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

displaying the moving message bubble centered about one of the plurality of bands representing a time period associated with the message.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the message source is at least one of:

an entry of a calendar program running in the electronic device,

an electronic mail message received by the electronic devices,

a Short Message Service message received by the electronic device, and

a caller ID program running in the electronic device.