Shortcut system for use in a mobile electronic device and method thereof

• US 7,735,021 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2001
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tenenbaum, Jessie D., Padawer, Andrew D.
• Primary Examiner(s): PESIN, BORIS M
• Application Number:
  US09/862,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20020115476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,305 Days
• Field of Search: 345/733, 345/742, 345/847, 455/563, 715/810, 715/831
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/271 controlled by voice recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A shortcut system for use in a mobile electronic device having several types of shortcuts allows a user to execute shortcuts of different types using a single mechanism. The shortcut system includes a display, an operating system, a shortcut data store, and one or more applications, including a shortcut application used to create shortcuts and edit shortcut information contained in the shortcut data store. The shortcut data store contains target information associated with applications of various types, indexed by a shortcut tag. When a new application is installed in the mobile electronic device, the user can add shortcut information associated with the new application to the shortcut data store. The target information can define content associated with an application. When a shortcut to content is executed, the associated application is launched and begins operating on the content data. Further, the shortcuts can be created with different types of tags.

Claims

1. A method for providing shortcuts in a mobile telephone, the method comprising:

providing an application neutral shortcut application, wherein the application neutral shortcut application is independently accessible from a plurality of user application statuses from a plurality of user applications of the mobile telephone, wherein the application neutral shortcut application includes a user interface that is independently accessible from the plurality of user application statuses from a plurality of user applications of the mobile telephone, wherein the user interface includes a list of editable shortcuts associated with the user applications of the mobile telephone, wherein the user interface includes a shortcut tag type indication associated with each of the editable shortcuts that indicates the type of shortcut tag for accessing a target of one of the applications of the mobile telephone;

linking the application neutral shortcut application to a collective application neutral shortcut data store that maintains shortcut data for a plurality of application types, wherein the shortcut data store includes a lookup table that links a plurality of different shortcut tag types to different types of targets, wherein the targets comprise application targets and content targets, wherein the shortcut tag types include a speed dial shortcut tag, a voice shortcut tag, a menu item shortcut tag and an icon shortcut tag;

monitoring user inputs to the mobile telephone from the application neutral shortcut application, wherein monitoring user input includes monitoring speed dial selection inputs, voice tag inputs, menu item selection inputs and icon selection inputs;

determining whether the user input is a shortcut input, wherein the shortcut input comprises a shortcut tag associated with a application neutral shortcut application, and further wherein the shortcut tag corresponds to a shortcut target in the lookup table of the collective application neutral shortcut data store;

locating the shortcut target in the lookup table based on the shortcut tag when the user input is a shortcut input;

executing the application of the mobile telephone associated with the target when the located shortcut target is an application; and

executing the application of the mobile telephone associated with the target and automatically opening the content data when the shortcut target is a content target.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the types of targets include at least one selected from a group comprising:

telephone numbers, email addresses, uniform resource locators (URLs), and contact cards.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shortcut input comprises more than one type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the types of shortcut input include at least one selected from a group comprising:

a speed dial input, a voice input, a menu item selection input, and an icon selection input.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed dial shortcut tag includes a digital sequence of keys.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the speed dial shortcut tag includes a key activation for a predetermined duration.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the lookup table is indexed by shortcut tag type.

5. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

providing an application neutral shortcut application, wherein the application neutral shortcut application is independently accessible from a plurality of user application statuses from a plurality of user applications of the mobile telephone, wherein the application neutral shortcut application includes a user interface that is independently accessible from the plurality of user application statuses from a plurality of user applications of the mobile telephone, wherein the user interface includes a list of editable shortcuts associated with the user applications of the mobile telephone, wherein the user interface includes a shortcut tag type indication associated with each of the editable shortcuts that indicates the type of shortcut tag for accessing a target of one of the applications of the mobile telephone;

linking the application neutral shortcut application to a collective application neutral shortcut data store that maintains shortcut data for a plurality of application types, wherein the shortcut data store includes a lookup table that links a plurality of different shortcut tag types to different types of targets, wherein the targets comprise application targets and content targets, wherein the shortcut tag types include a speed dial shortcut tag, a voice shortcut tag, a menu item shortcut tag and an icon shortcut tag;

monitoring user inputs to the mobile telephone from the application neutral shortcut application, wherein monitoring user input includes monitoring speed dial selection inputs, voice tag inputs, menu item selection inputs and icon selection inputs;

determining whether the user input is a shortcut input, wherein the shortcut input comprises a shortcut tag associated with a application neutral shortcut application, and further wherein the shortcut tag corresponds to a shortcut target in the lookup table of the collective application neutral shortcut data store;

locating the shortcut target in the lookup table based on the shortcut tag when the user input is a shortcut input;

executing the application of the mobile telephone associated with the target when the located shortcut target is an application; and

executing the application of the mobile telephone associated with the target and automatically opening the content data when the shortcut target is a content target.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the types of targets include at least one selected from a group comprising:

telephone numbers, email addresses, URLs, and contact cards.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the shortcut input comprises more than one type.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the types of shortcut input include at least one selected from a group comprising:

a speed dial input, a voice input, a menu item selection input, and an icon selection input.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the speed dial shortcut tag includes a digital sequence of keys.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the speed dial shortcut tag includes a key activation for a predetermined duration.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the lookup table is indexed by shortcut tag type.

9. A handheld mobile telephone device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer executable instructions are configured for;

providing an application neutral shortcut application, wherein the application neutral shortcut application is independently accessible from a plurality of user application statuses from a plurality of user applications of the mobile telephone device, wherein the application neutral shortcut application includes a user interface that is independently accessible from the plurality of user application statuses from a plurality of user applications of the mobile device, wherein the user interface includes a list of editable shortcuts associated with the user applications of the mobile device, wherein the user interface includes a shortcut tag type indication associated with each of the editable shortcuts that indicates the type of shortcut tag for accessing a target of one of the applications of the mobile device;

providing shortcuts to a plurality of targets in a lookup table of the application neutral shortcut data store that maintains shortcut data for a plurality of application types, wherein the lookup table includes a plurality of shortcut tag types associated with different types of targets, and further wherein the targets comprise application targets and content targets, wherein the shortcut tag types include a speed dial shortcut tag, a voice shortcut tag, a menu item shortcut tag and an icon shortcut tag;

monitoring user input to the mobile telephone device from the application neutral shortcut application, wherein monitoring user input includes monitoring speed dial selection inputs, voice tag inputs, menu item selection inputs and icon selection inputs;

determining whether the user input is a shortcut input, wherein the shortcut input comprises a shortcut tag, and further wherein the shortcut tag corresponds to a shortcut target in the lookup table;

locating the shortcut target in the lookup table based on the shortcut tag; and

executing the application of the mobile telephone device associated with the target, wherein the content is accessed when the located shortcut target is a content target.

10. The handheld mobile telephone device of claim 9, wherein the types of targets include at least one selected from a group comprising:

telephone numbers, email addresses, URLs, and contact cards.

11. The handheld mobile telephone device of claim 9, wherein the shortcut input comprises more than one type.

12. The handheld mobile telephone device of claim 11, wherein the types of shortcut input include at least one selected from a group comprising:

a speed dial input, a voice input, a menu item selection input, and an icon selection input.

13. The handheld mobile telephone device of claim 9, wherein the speed dial shortcut tag includes a digital sequence of keys.

14. The handheld mobile telephone device of claim 9, wherein the speed dial shortcut tag includes a key activation for a predetermined duration.