Method and apparatus for controlling a display in an electronic device

• US 8,487,868 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2010
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Scott, Sherryl Lee Lorraine, Paas, Julian, Steele, Joel, Adamczyk, Patryk, Vanden Heuvel, David Noel
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US12/938,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20110045871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 986 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-167, 34820799-376
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• 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 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/52 including functional features of a camera constructional features concerning the integration of cameras in portable phones H04M1/0264

Abstract

A novel method and apparatus for controlling a display of an electronic device is provided. In an embodiment, the device is a portable electronic device with the combined features of wireless email and telephony. The portable electronic device also includes a camera. The device includes a trackball which can be used to control the image shown in the viewfinder when the device is being used as a camera.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the display of a portable electronic device having a camera function;

the portable electronic device including a light-sensitive transducer for receiving a first image and a multi-directional input device operable to receive input in at least three directions;

the method comprising;

setting a default zoom level;

activating a viewfinder by generating a second image on the display that corresponds to the first image;

the second image having a field of view that corresponds to the default zoom level;

receiving input from the multi-directional input device in a substantially cardinal direction;

the input representing an instruction either to zoom-in to or zoom-out from the field of view;

adjusting the zoom level based on whether the instruction indicated zoom-in or zoom-out;

regenerating the second image, on the viewfinder, with an enlarged or reduced field of view according to the zoom level from the adjusting;

receiving an input from the multi-directional input device corresponding to the multi-directional input device being depressed; and

in response to the multi-directional input device being depressed, capturing at least a portion of the first image, the portion corresponding to the second image within the viewfinder according to the zoom level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device includes at least one additional function in addition to the camera function;

the method further comprising, prior to the setting, receiving a request to activate the camera function.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the at least one additional function includes at least one of wireless telephony and wireless email.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the input in a first direction represents zoom-in and the input in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, represents zoom-out.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the multi-directional input device is a trackball, and further comprising generating an icon image of the trackball on the display that corresponds to whether the trackball is in a rest position or is in a rolling position.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the rest position corresponds to the zoom being at any one of a minimum zoom level, an intermediate zoom level and a maximum zoom level;

and the method further comprising generating one of three icon images.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the icon corresponding to the minimum zoom level indicates that only zooming-in is available;

the icon corresponding to the intermediate zoom level indicates that both zooming-in and zooming-out are available; and

the icon corresponding to the maximum zoom level indicates that only zooming-out is available.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the device includes a telephony or instant messaging application, the method further comprising presenting a notification screen, overlaying the viewfinder, indicating that an incoming communication is being received via the telephony or instant messaging application.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the notification screen includes an identifier of an originator of the incoming communication;

the identifier including a photograph of the originator.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the notification screen includes an ignore field and an accept field, and the ignore field is highlighted by default.

11. A portable electronic device comprising:

a processor interconnecting a multi-directional input device operable to receive input in at least three directions, a light-sensitive transducer, a display, a persistent storage device and a volatile storage device;

the processor configured to generate a viewfinder on the display;

the viewfinder reproducing an image, received via the light-sensitive transducer, the image having a field of view;

the processor configured to receive input from the multi-directional input device in a substantially cardinal direction and to enlarge or reduce the field of view of the image on the viewfinder depending on a direction of the input;

the processor further configured to receive input from the multi-directional input device corresponding to the multi-directional input device being depressed; and

in response to the multi-directional input device being depressed, to capture at least a portion of the first image, the portion corresponding to the second image within the viewfinder according to the zoom level.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the input in a first direction represents zooming-in and the input in a second direction, opposite to the first direction, represents zooming-out.

13. The device of claim 11 wherein the multi-directional input device is a trackball, and wherein the processor is further configured to generate, in conjunction with the viewfinder, an icon image of the trackball on the display that corresponds to whether the trackball is in a rest position or is in a rolling position.

14. The device according to claim 13 wherein the rest position corresponds to the zoom being at any one of a minimum zoom level, an intermediate zoom level and a maximum zoom level.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the processor is configured to generate three icons corresponding to the rest position;

a first one of the icons corresponding to the minimum zoom level indicates that only zooming-in is available;

a second one of the icons corresponding to the intermediate zoom level indicates that both zooming-in and zooming-out are available; and

a third one of the icons corresponding to the maximum zoom level indicates that only zooming-out is available.

16. The device of claim 11 wherein the device includes at least one of a telephony application or an instant messaging application;

the processor further configured to generate a notification screen, overlaying the viewfinder, indicating that an incoming communication is being received via the telephony or instant messaging application.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the notification screen includes an identifier of an originator of the incoming communication;

the identifier including a photograph of the originator.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the notification screen includes an ignore field and an accept field, and the ignore field is highlighted by default.

19. A computer program product, for a portable electronic device having a camera function, the portable electronic device including a processor, a light-sensitive transducer for receiving a first image and a multi-directional input device operable to receive input in at least three directions, the computer program product comprising a nontransitory computer storage medium having a computer-readable program code adapted to be executed on said processor to implement a method of controlling the display of the portable electronic device, the method comprising:

setting a default zoom level;

activating a viewfinder by generating a second image on the display that corresponds to the first image;

the second image having a field of view that corresponds to the default zoom level;

receiving input from the multi-directional input device in a substantially cardinal direction;

the input representing an instruction either to zoom-in to or zoom-out from the field of view;

adjusting the zoom level based on whether the instruction indicated zoom-in or zoom-out;

regenerating the second image, on the viewfinder, with an enlarged or reduced field of view according to the zoom level from the adjusting;

receiving an input from the multi-directional input device corresponding to the multi-directional input device being depressed; and

in response to the multi-directional input device being depressed, capturing at least a portion of the first image, the portion corresponding to the second image within the viewfinder according to the zoom level.