Trackball for a mobile device

• US 7,782,302 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2006
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lee, Chunkwok, Gong, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAWFORD, JACINTA M
• Application Number:
  US11/484,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20080007571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,506 Days
• Field of Search: 715781-800, 715/700, 715/856, 715/835, 715/810, 345/167
• US Class Current: 345/167
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0235 Slidable or telescopic telephones, i.e. with a relative translation movement of the body parts; Telephones using a combination of translation and other relative motions of the body parts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A graphical user interface which employs logical barriers for temporarily preventing cursor movement between graphical elements under certain circumstances. For example, one embodiment of the invention comprises a data processing device having a memory for storing program code and a processor for processing the program code to generate a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising: a first predefined region including of a first plurality of selectable graphical elements; a second predefined region including a second plurality of selectable graphical elements; and a logical barrier between the first predefined region and the second predefined region, the logical barrier configured to temporarily prevent movement from a graphical element in the first predetermined region to a graphical element in the second predetermined region in response to a user input directed towards graphical element in the second predetermined region, the logical barrier temporarily preventing the movement for either a specified period of time and/or a specified amount of movement generated by a user input device.

Claims

1. A device having a memory for storing program code and a processor for processing the program code to generate a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising:

a first predefined display region;

a second predefined display region; and

a logical barrier between the first predefined display region and the second predefined display region, the logical barrier configured to temporarily prevent movement from a selectable graphical element in the first predefined display region to a selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region responsive to input from a trackball directed towards the selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region, the logical barrier temporarily preventing the movement for a specified amount of rotation of the trackball directed towards the selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region, the second predefined display region not visible when the first predefined display region is visible on a display of the device, and the first predefined display region not visible when the second predefined display region is visible on the display of the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first predefined display region and the second predefined display region each individually occupy the entire display of the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the first predefined display region comprises a first month within a graphical calendar interface, and the selectable graphical element in the first predefined display region comprises a calendar entry in the first month within the graphical calendar interface; and

the second predefined display region comprises a second month within the graphical calendar interface, and the selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region comprises a calendar entry in the second month within the graphical calendar interface.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein:

the first predefined display region comprises a first menu, and the selectable graphical element in the first predefined display region comprises a selectable menu element; and

the selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region comprises a selectable sub-element associated with the selectable menu element.

5. A method for navigating through a graphical user interface displayed on a display device, the method implemented in a computer device that includes at least a memory and a processor, the method comprising:

providing a first predefined display region;

providing a second predefined display region; and

temporarily preventing movement from a selectable graphical element in the first predefined display region to a selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region responsive to input from a trackball directed towards the graphical element in the second predefined display region, the movement being prevented for a specified amount of rotation of the trackball directed towards the selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region, the second predefined display region not visible when the first predefined display region is visible on the display device, and the first predefined display region not visible when the second predefined display region is visible on the display device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first predefined display region and the second predefined display region each individually occupy the entire display of the display device.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein:

the first predefined display region comprises a first month within a graphical calendar interface, and the selectable graphical element in the first predefined display region comprises a calendar entry in the first month within the graphical calendar interface; and

the second predefined display region comprises a second month within the graphical calendar interface, and the selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region comprises a calendar entry in the second month within the graphical calendar interface.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the first predefined display region comprises a first menu, and the first plurality of selectable graphical element in the first predefined display region comprises a selectable menu element; and

the selectable graphical element in the second predefined display region comprises a selectable sub-element associated with the selectable menu element.