Apparatus and a method for providing information to a user

• US 7,113,809 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pichler, Bruno, Noesgaard, Mads Osterby
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng, George
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIM, WESLEY LEO
• Application Number:
  US10/322,551
• Publication Number:
  US 20040121823A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,377 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.1, 455/566, 455/574, 455/418, 455/419, 345/211, 345/212, 345/213, 715/867
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72451 according to schedules, e.g. using calendar applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/027 by controlling a display operation or backlight unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A screen saver for a wireless terminal, such as a mobile telephone, calendar or the like. The screen saver derives information from the applications of the terminal and shows calendar items, to-do-items, mails/SMS'"'"'es/MMS'"'"'es, and other items to the user during the idle state of the terminal. The user may define which information is shown or not shown. New applications added may subscribe to the screen saver and there through show information on the screen saver.

Claims

1. A wireless terminal comprising:

a display for providing display information, including data or video to a user,

at least one central processing unit for executing applications, the applications including an idle state display handling application and one or more additional applications;

a memory for holding application information stored therein by the applications; and

wherein the at least one central processing unit executes, during an idle state, the idle state display handling application for deriving screen saver information from the memory, at least one of the additional applications provides deriving information for deriving the screen saver information relating to the application information to be derived from the at least one additional application, and the at least one additional application provides, as part of the deriving information relating to the application information, instructions to the at least one processing unit as to how to provide the screen saver information.

2. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of the additional applications comprise applications relating to receiving input information from the user.

3. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the idle state is a state wherein no input information has been received from the user in a predetermined period of time.

4. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the application information stored by each of the applications is stored in a subsequent manner.

5. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the idle display handling application requests the deriving information for deriving the screen saver information.

6. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one additional application informs the idle display handling application that no screen saver information is to be derived from the application.

7. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one additional application provides, as the deriving information, memory information relating to a position in the memory of the application information to be derived.

8. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the at least one additional application provides instructions that the at least one central processing unit is to provide the screen saver information until a predetermined action has taken place.

9. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, wherein the deriving instructions related to a priority of the application information.

10. A wireless terminal according to claim 1, comprising means for providing predetermined display information as the derived screen saver information in one predetermined manner during the idle state and the predetermined display information in another manner during a state other than the idle state.

11. A method for providing information to a user on a wireless terminal comprising a display for providing information, including data or video, to a user, the method comprising the steps of:

executing, on at least one central processing unit, applications, the applications including an idle state display handling application and one or more additional applications;

a plurality of the additional applications storing application information and providing instructions as to how to provide the application information while in an idle state; and

at least one of the at least one central processing unit executing, during the idle state, the idle state display handling application for deriving screen saver information from the application information stored in the memory for at least one of the plurality of additional applications according to the instructions provided by the at least one of the plurality of additional applications, providing the derived screen saver information on the display.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein, for the step of executing the applications, the additional applications comprise applications relating to receiving input information from the user.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the idle state is a state wherein no input information has been received from the user in a predetermined period of time.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein the providing the derived screen saver information comprises providing the derived screen saver information derived from the application information stored by each of the plurality of additional applications in a subsequent manner.

15. A method according to claim 11, wherein the instructions as to how to provide the application information while in the idle state comprises information for deriving the screen saver information from the application information for the at least one of the plurality of additional applications.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the idle state handling application requests the information for the deriving the screen saver information from the at least one of the plurality of additional applications.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the information for the deriving the screen saver information comprises that no information is to be derived from the at least one of the plurality of addition applications.

18. A method according to claim 15, wherein the information for the deriving the screen saver information comprises information relating to a position in the memory of the application information to be derived.

19. A method according to claim 11, wherein the instructions as to how to provide the application information while in an idle state comprises instructions to provide the screen saver information until a predetermined action has taken place.

20. A method according to claim 19, further comprising receiving input from a user identifying which application information from at least one of the additional applications is to be provided during the idle state.

21. A method according of claim 19, further comprising providing predetermined information, as screen saver information, in one predetermined manner during the idle state and the predetermined information in another manner during a state other than the idle state.

22. A method according to claim 11, wherein the instructions as to how to provide the application information while in an idle state comprises information relating to a priority of the application information.

23. A method according to any of claim 22, further comprising providing predetermined information, as screen saver information, in one predetermined manner during the idle state and the predetermined information in another manner during a state other than the idle state.

24. A method according to claim 11, further comprising receiving input from a user identifying which application information from at least one of the additional applications is to be provided during the idle state.

25. A method according to claim 11, further comprising providing predetermined information, as screen saver information, in one predetermined manner during the idle state and the predetermined information in another manner during a state other than the idle state.

26. An apparatus for displaying, during an idle state, information derived from one or more non-screen saver applications, the apparatus comprising:

a memory device;

a processor coupled to the memory device that performs steps comprising;

storing, in the memory device, information to be displayed during the idle state from the one or more non-screen saver applications;

receiving first data from the one or more non-screen saver applications informing that the one or more non-screen saver applications have the information to be displayed during the idle state;

receiving second data from the one or more non-screen saver applications as to how to provide the information;

executing a screen saver program during the idle state;

deriving screen saver information based on the first and second data; and

displaying the screen saver information during the idle state.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, further comprising:

receiving third data from the one or more non-screen saver applications informing that the one or more non-screen saver applications no longer has the information to be displayed during the idle state; and

based on receiving the third data, failing to perform the step of displaying the saver information.

28. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the first information comprises positions in the memory device of the information to be displayed during the idle state.

29. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the apparatus comprises a wireless communication device.