Handheld electronic device having facilitated input and associated method

• US 7,598,946 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bumiller, George B.
• Primary Examiner(s): OSORIO, RICARDO
• Application Number:
  US12/266,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20090089655A1
• Time in Patent Office: 333 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/174 Form filling; Merging

Abstract

An improved handheld electronic device and an improved method facilitate the entry of data when the data is to be of a particular arrangement of alphabetic (A) and/or numeric (N) and/or other characters. In the depicted exemplary embodiment, the handheld electronic device includes a user interface that facilitates the entry of postal codes, zip codes, and the like that vary from country to country by processing key inputs according to a data format that has been selected on the basis of its correspondence with a country. In the example of address data, the handheld electronic device detects the entry of country-specific data, such as the name of the country or one of its geographic regions, and selects a corresponding data format for processing keystrokes during entry of postal codes, zip codes, or other codes.

Claims

1. A method of enabling data entry into a handheld electronic device, said data entry including a plurality of data elements, said method comprising:

providing a database having data representing a plurality of geographic regions wherein each geographic region has a corresponding postal code format;

displaying a geographic region field, said geographic region field structured to receive input;

displaying a postal code field, said postal code field structured to receive input;

detecting a first input in said geographic region field;

identifying a geographic region based on said first input;

automatically selecting, based on said database, the postal code format corresponding to the geographic region;

detecting a second input in said postal code field; and

processing said detected second input according to said selected corresponding postal code format to obtain a second of said data elements, said second of said data elements conforming to said selected postal code format.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining said second of said data elements including at least a first character, said at least a first character being one of numeric and alphabetic according to said selected postal code format.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining said second of said data elements including a plurality of characters, each one of said characters being one of numeric and alphabetic according to said selected postal code format.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating a routine to process said detected second input according to said selected postal code format.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting a number of key inputs within said postal code field and processing each one of said detected key inputs to obtain a number of processed key outputs conforming to said selected postal code format.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising outputting each one of said processed key outputs to correspond with a corresponding one of said detected key inputs.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising outputting at least one of said processed key outputs that otherwise in the absence of said selected corresponding postal code format could be obtained from said corresponding one of said detected key inputs in combination with another detected key input.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising outputting at least one of said processed key outputs that otherwise, in the absence of said selected corresponding postal code format, could represent a character that is one of alphabetic and numeric and that could represent a character that is the other of said one of alphabetic and numeric when said corresponding one of said detected key inputs is combined with one of a detected <

ALT>

key input and a detected <

SHIFT>

key input.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising outputting said at least one of said processed key outputs to represent a character that is the other of said one of alphabetic and numeric.

10. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

outputting as a numeric character at least one of said processed key outputs that otherwise in the absence of said selected corresponding postal code format could represent a character that is alphabetic and that could represent a character that is numeric when said corresponding one of said detected key inputs is combined with one of a detected <

ALT>

key input and a detected <

SHIFT>

key input;

employing another one of said processed key outputs that corresponds with another corresponding one of said detected key inputs; and

outputting as an alphabetic character said another one of said processed key outputs that otherwise in the absence of said selected corresponding postal code format could represent a character that is alphabetic and that could represent a character that is numeric when said another corresponding one of said detected key inputs is combined with one of a detected <

ALT>

key input and a detected <

SHIFT>

key input.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

detecting an input in said postal code field;

determining that an input in said geographic region field has not yet been detected; and

displaying a prompt to enter an input in said geographic region field.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of identifying said geographic region includes identifying one of a country and a sub-country.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said step of identifying said geographic region includes identifying said geographic region as one of Canada and the United States if said first input is one of a representation of a Canadian province and a representation of an American state, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein said step of selecting the postal code format includes selecting one of a Canadian postal code format and an American zip code format if the identified geographic region is one of Canada and the United States, respectively.

15. A handheld electronic device structured to enable data entry, said data entry including a plurality of data elements, said handheld electronic device comprising:

a keyboard including a plurality of keys;

a display;

a processor including a memory, a database and a routine;

said database having data representing a plurality of geographic regions wherein each geographic region has a corresponding postal code format;

said routine being adapted to respond to input signals from said keys and to generate output signals to said display;

said routine being adapted to display a geographic region field and a postal code field, said geographic region field structured to receive input, and said postal code structured to receive input;

said routine being adapted to detect a first input in said geographic region field and to process said first input to identify a geographic region based on said first input;

said routine being further adapted to automatically select, based on said database, the postal code format corresponding to the geographic region;

said routine being adapted to generate a first of said output signals to said display in response to detecting said first input;

said routine being adapted to generate a first of said output signals to said display in response to detecting said first input;

said routine being adapted to detect a second input from said keys; and

responsive to said detected second input, said routine being adapted to process said detected second input according to said corresponding postal code format to obtain a second of said data elements and to generate a second of said output signals to said display.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein said routine is further adapted to generate said second of said output signals to represent a plurality of characters, each one of said characters being one of numeric and alphabetic according to said selected corresponding postal code format.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein said routine is further adapted to compare said detected first input with a data set including a plurality of data records in said memory and to identify one of said data records to identify a geographic region.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein said routine is further adapted to detect a number of key inputs, to process each one of said detected key inputs to obtain a number of processed key outputs that conform to said selected corresponding postal code format, and to output each one of said processed key outputs to correspond with a corresponding one of said detected key inputs.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 18 wherein said routine is further adapted to output at least one of said processed key outputs that otherwise in the absence of said selected corresponding postal code format could be obtained from said corresponding one of said detected key inputs and another detected key input.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 19 wherein:

said corresponding one of said detected key inputs represents a character that is one of alphabetic and numeric;

wherein said corresponding one of said detected key inputs in combination with one of a detected <

ALT>

key input and a detected <

SHIFT>

key input represents a character that is the other of said one of alphabetic and numeric; and

wherein said routine is further adapted to output said at least one of said processed key outputs to represent said character that is the other of said one of alphabetic and numeric.

21. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein said routine is further adapted to:

detect an input in said postal code field;

determine that said an input has not yet been detected in said geographic region field; and

to display a prompt to enter said first input.

22. The handheld electronic device of claim 15 wherein, during the identification of said geographic region, said routine is adapted to identify one of a country and a sub-country.