Controlling a message display in an electronic device

• US 8,146,014 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2006
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: ZINN, RONALD SCOTTE
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, RUAY L
• Application Number:
  US11/468,931
• Publication Number:
  US 20080055284A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,035 Days
• Field of Search: 715200-277, 700701-799, 700800-866, 709201-229, 705 50- 79, 345 30-111, 348206-2319
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0442 Handling or displaying different aspect ratios, or changing the aspect ratio
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A method of controlling a display of an electronic device for displaying a list of electronic messages. The method includes comparing a width of a designated space for a field of the electronic messages to a minimum width to determine if the width is sufficient, and if the width is determined to be sufficient, maintaining the width of the designated space, otherwise increasing the width of the designated space.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a display of an electronic device for displaying a list of electronic messages, the method comprising:

comparing a width of a designated space for displaying data from a field of said electronic messages to a designated column width for an address field to determine if said width is sufficient;

if said width is determined to be sufficient, maintaining said width of said designated space,

otherwise increasing said width of said designated space; and

displaying said list with said data displayed in said designated space for each of said electronic messages.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said width is determined to be sufficient if a test case string fits within said designated space.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said comparing comprises comparing a given width of said test case string to said designated column width for said address field.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising determining said width of said designated space prior to said comparing.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein if said designated space for said field is determined to be insufficient, said method further comprises for each electronic message of said list, displaying said field on one line and displaying a further field on a next line in said list.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said displaying said field on one line comprises displaying an address field on said one line and said displaying said further field comprises displaying said subject field on said next line in said list.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein said displaying said further field comprises determining a left edge of said field in said one line in relation to said display of said electronic device and locating a left edge of said further field on said next line based on said left edge of said field in said one line.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein if said left edge of said field in said one line falls within a predetermined first portion of said display of said electronic device, said further field is located to align the left edge of said further field with said left edge of said field in said one line.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein if said field in said one line does not fall within said predetermined first portion of said display of said electronic device, said further field is located such that said left edge of said further field is left of alignment with said field in said one line.

10. The method according to claim 5, wherein displaying said field in said one line comprises displaying said field in said one line with a first display attribute and displaying said further field on said next line comprises displaying said further field with a second display attribute.

11. The method according to claim 10 wherein said first display attribute comprises at least one of font family, font size, font style and colour, and said second display attribute comprises at least one of font family, font size, font style and colour.

12. The method according to claim 5, further comprising displaying all said fields of one of said electronic messages on a single line in said list after user opening of said one of said messages.

13. An electronic device comprising:

a memory for storage of electronic messages;

a communications device for receiving and sending said electronic messages;

a display device for displaying said electronic messages in a list;

a user input device for user selection and manipulation of said electronic messages; and

a processor for comparing a width of a designated space for displaying data from a field of said electronic messages to a designated column width for an address field to determine if said width is sufficient, if said width is determined to be sufficient, maintaining said width of said designated space, otherwise increasing said width of said designated space, and causing said display device to display said list with said data displayed in said designated space for each of said electronic messages.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein if a test case string does not fit within said designated space, said processor causes said display device to display said field in one line and to display a further field on a next line for each of said electronic messages in said list.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein said processor causes said field in said one line to be displayed with a first display attribute and said further field to be displayed with a second display attribute.

16. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein said designated space for said field comprises a column for said address field in said list.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein if said test string does not fit within said column, said processor causes said display device to display a subject field on a next line in said list.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein said processor causes a left edge of said subject field to be displayed in a location on said next line based on a left edge of said address field in said one line.

19. The electronic device according to claim 18, wherein said processor causes said left edge of said subject field to be displayed in alignment with said left edge of said address field when said left edge of said address field falls within a predetermined first portion of said display device of said electronic device, and said processor causes said left edge of said subject field to be displayed to the left of alignment with said left edge of said address field when said left edge of said address field does not fall within said predetermined first portion of said display device of said electronic device.

20. A computer program product for displaying a list of electronic messages on a display of an electronic device, said computer program product comprising a computer-readable medium having computer-readable code embodied therein for:

comparing a width of a designated space for displaying data from a field of said electronic messages to a designated column width for an address field to determine if said width is sufficient;

if said width is determined to be sufficient, maintaining said width of said designated space,

otherwise increasing said width of said designated space; and

displaying said list with said data displayed in said designated space for each of said electronic messages.

21. A method of controlling a display of an electronic device for displaying a list of electronic messages, the method comprising:

comparing a width of a designated space, for displaying data from an address field of said electronic messages, to a designated column width for an address field determine if said width is sufficient for displaying said data;

if said width is determined to be sufficient, maintaining said width of said designated space,

otherwise increasing said width of said designated space to a remainder of a width of said display such that said data can be displayed; and

displaying said list with said data displayed in said designated space for each of said electronic messages.