Handheld electronic device having facilitated telephone dialing with audible sound tags, and associated method

• US 8,400,433 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2004
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Research In Motion Limited (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Griffin, Jason T., Lazaridis, Mihal, Paas, Julian, Steele, Jay D., Ranta, Craig E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kevin M
• Application Number:
  US10/894,540
• Publication Number:
  US 20060019707A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,164 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/168, 345/169, 345/184, 701/1, 701/36, 701/49, 701/131
• US Class Current: 345/184
• 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 1/2474 Telephone terminals specially adapted for disabled people user interfaces for cordless or mobile telephones specially adapted for disabled users H04M1/72475; network based special services or facilities for hearing-impaired persons H04M3/42391; devices for conversing with the deaf-blind G09B21/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2747 Scrolling on a display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/56 Arrangements for indicating or recording the called number at the calling subscriber's set
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/578 associated with a synthesized vocal announcement
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72481 for visually impaired users

Abstract

An improved hand held electronic device and an associated method provide facilitated telephone dialing by providing audible sound tags in the form of spoken words representative of numbers that can be selected by a user for dialing. The handheld electronic device includes an input apparatus that can generate a plurality of navigational inputs and at least a first selecting input. The input apparatus may include a rotatable dial, the rotation of which provides navigational inputs, and the dial may be translatable, with the translation generating a selecting input. When a processor of the handheld electronic device detects one of the navigational inputs, the handheld electronic device outputs an audible sound in the form of a spoken word of the digit that corresponds with that navigational input.

Claims

1. A method of enabling input into a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device including an input apparatus having at least one input member that is movable in a first direction and in a second direction to generate a plurality of navigational inputs, the input apparatus being adapted to generate at least one selecting input to said handheld electronic device, said method comprising:

detecting a plurality of said navigational inputs from said at least one input member;

detecting which of movement of said at least one input member in said first direction and movement of said at least one input member in said second direction generated each of said navigational inputs;

outputting for each of at least some of the navigational inputs an audible sound tag representing a spoken word that corresponds with the navigational input;

with respect to each of a plurality of the navigational inputs for which an audible sound tag was output;

detecting a selecting input,

storing a value represented by the audible sound tag;

responsive to a predetermined input, processing the stored values; and

further comprising again outputting an audible sound tag after expiration of a predetermined period of time during which neither a navigational input nor a selecting input is detected.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising employing as said performing an enter operation dialing a telephone number that corresponds with said stored values.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising incrementing a counter when one of said navigational inputs results from movement of said at least one input member in said first direction, and decrementing said counter when one of said navigational inputs results from movement of said at least one input member in said second direction.

4. A method of enabling input into a handheld electronic device, the handheld electronic device including an input apparatus having at least one input member that is movable to generate a plurality of navigational inputs, said method comprising:

detecting a plurality of said navigational inputs from said at least one input member, the plurality of navigational inputs comprising a number of intermediate navigational inputs and a final navigational input;

detecting the final navigational input within a predetermined period of time after detection of at least one of the number of intermediate navigational inputs, and outputting an audible sound tag representing a spoken word that corresponds with said final navigational input without outputting an audible sound tag corresponding with the at least one of the number of intermediate navigational inputs.

5. A handheld electronic device comprising:

a processor apparatus;

an input apparatus cooperating with said processor apparatus, said input apparatus including at least one input member that is movable in a first direction and in a second direction to generate a plurality of navigational inputs, the input apparatus being adapted to generate at least one selecting input to said processor apparatus;

a memory cooperating with said processor apparatus; and

an audible output transducer cooperating with said processor apparatus,

wherein said processor apparatus detects a plurality of said navigational inputs from said at least one input member, detects which of movement of said at least one input member in said first direction and movement of said at least one input member in said second direction generated each of said navigational inputs, and for each of at least some of the navigational inputs obtains from said memory a corresponding signal,

wherein said audible output transducer responsive to each of at least some of the signals outputs a sound corresponding with a spoken word;

wherein with respect to each of a plurality of the navigational inputs for which a sound corresponding with a spoken word was output the processor apparatus;

detects a selecting input, and stores a value represented by the spoken word;

wherein responsive to a predetermined input, the processor apparatus processes the stored values;

wherein said processor apparatus includes a counter, wherein said processor apparatus increments said counter when one of said navigational inputs results from movement of said at least one input member in said first direction, and wherein said processor apparatus decrements said counter when one of said navigational inputs results from movement of said at least one input member in said second direction.

6. The handheld electronic device of claim 5 wherein said enter operation includes dialing a telephone number that corresponds with the stored values.