System and method for panning and zooming an image on a display of a handheld electronic device

• US 8,234,588 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2010
• Issued: 07/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Matthew Richard, Butt, Fahd Sohail, Talukdar, Taneem
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hope, Darrin
• Application Number:
  US12/854,742
• Publication Number:
  US 20100306697A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• Field of Search: 715/864, 715/800, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/825
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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

Abstract

Method and arrangement for panning and zooming a displayed image on a display screen of a handheld electronic device 300 using the same auxiliary user input device 328 is described. The displayed image can be toggled between panning and zooming modes that respectively pan and zoom the displayed image by successively actuating the auxiliary user input device 328.

Claims

1. A method of panning and zooming a displayed image on a display screen of an electronic device using an auxiliary input device on the electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying an image on the display screen;

toggling between a pan mode and a zoom mode that respectively pan and zoom the displayed image in response to detection of successive depression of the auxiliary input device;

displaying an abbreviated menu having a short list of menu options which is a subset of a full menu of options of selectable actions available relative to the displayed image and the selectable actions of the short list of menu options having been assessed a higher probability for being selected than at least a portion of the selectable actions of the full menu of options that are not included in the short list of menu options, and the short list of menu options includes an option for at least one of panning and zooming; and

generating the short list of menu options to include a default-designated option for one of the pan mode and the zoom mode, where the pan mode is the default-designated option when the mode immediately before was the zoom mode and the zoom mode is the default-designated option when the mode immediately before was the pan mode.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the short list of menu of options further comprises a rotate option.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the short list of menu of options further comprises a reset option.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the zoom mode comprises displaying an indication of a degree of zoom.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary input device is manipulated using an up-and-down motion to provide in-and-out zooming of the displayed image in the zoom mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary input device is manipulated using up-and-down and right-and-left motion to pan the displayed image in the pan mode according to a respective direction of the received up-and-down and right-and-left motion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises a wireless communication device that transmits data to, and receives data from, a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals.

8. An electronic device programmed to pan and zoom a displayed image on a display screen of the electronic device using an auxiliary input device, the electronic device comprising:

the display screen on which an image is displayed, the image being configured to pan and zoom;

the auxiliary input device capable of generating signals to both pan and zoom the image;

a microprocessor having a control program associated therewith executable instructions for controlling operation of the electronic device responsive to actuation of the auxiliary input device, the microprocessor being configured to;

toggle between a pan mode and a zoom mode that respectively pan and zoom the displayed image in response to successive depression of the auxiliary input device;

display menu options of selectable actions associated with the displayed image;

display an abbreviated menu having a short list of menu options which is a subset of a full menu of options of selectable actions of the short list of menu options having been assessed a higher probability for being selected than at least a portion of the selectable actions of the full menu of options that are not included in the short list of menu options, the short list of menu options including an option for at least one of panning and zooming the displayed image; and

generate the short list of menu options to include a default-designated option for one of the pan mode and the zoom mode, where the pan mode is the default-designated option when the mode immediately before was the zoom mode and the zoom mode is the default-designated option when the mode immediately before was the pan mode.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the display screen comprising a touchscreen.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the touchscreen comprises one of a resistive touchscreen, a capacitive touchscreen, a projected capacitive touchscreen, an infrared touchscreen and a surface acoustive wave touchscreen.

11. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising an input portion at least partially constituted by virtual representations of physical keys on the display screen.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary input device receives an up-and-down motion thereon and generates signals to perform in-and-out zooming of the displayed image.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary input device receives up-and-down and right-and-left motion thereon and generates signals to perform panning of the displayed image in the pan mode according to a respective direction of the received up-and-down and right-and-left motion.

14. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the electronic device further comprises a wireless communication device that transmits data to, and receives data from, a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the data comprises at least one of voice data and text data.

16. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary input device comprises a joystick.

17. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary input device comprises a thumbwheel.

18. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary input device comprises a navigation pad.

19. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary input device comprises a trackball assembly.

20. A computer program product for execution on an electronic device including a display and an auxiliary input device, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium including computer instructions stored thereon which, when executed on the electronic device;

cause an image to be displayed on the display;

cause the electronic device to toggle between a pan mode and a zoom mode that respectively pan and zoom the displayed image in response to detection of successive depression of the auxiliary input device;

cause the electronic device to display menu options of selectable actions associated with the displayed image in response to detection of actuation of the auxiliary input device;

the displayed menu options including;

an abbreviated menu having a short list of menu options which is a subset of a full menu of options of selectable actions available relative to a selected application, the selectable actions of the short list of menu options having been assessed a higher probability for being selected than at least a portion of the selectable actions of the full menu of options that are not included in the short list of menu options, the short list of menu options including an option for performing at least one of panning and zooming the image, and the short list of menu options comprising a default-designated option for one of a pan mode and a zoom mode, where the pan mode is the default-designated option when the mode immediately before was the zoom mode and the zoom mode is the default-designated option when the mode immediately before was the pan mode.