Method and handheld electronic device for improved calendar user interface navigation

• US 8,674,944 B2
• Filed: 09/06/2007
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/06/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bells, Matthew, May, Darrell
• Primary Examiner(s): Pervan, Michael
• Application Number:
  US11/850,964
• Publication Number:
  US 20090066650A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,385 Days
• Field of Search: 345/167, 345/157, 345/160, 345173-178, 345/156, 345158-159, 178 1801- 1907, 715700-866
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A method, handheld electronic device and computer program product for inputting calendar information using a graphical user interface (GUI) of a calendar application are provided. The GUI is displayed on a display screen of the handheld electronic device which comprises a navigational input device for receiving navigational input in a first and a second direction. The method comprises: displaying a calendar event user interface screen on the display screen of the handheld electronic device, the calendar event user interface screen comprising a primary field having at least two subfields; invoking an edit mode of the primary field in response to predetermined user selection input; redisplaying the calendar event user interface screen to provide a visual indication that the edit mode is currently invoked for the primary field; changing the logical value of a selected subfield in response to navigational input in the first direction and redisplaying the changed value of the selected subfield in the calendar event user interface screen; and selecting an adjacent subfield in response to navigational input in the second direction and redisplaying the adjacent subfield to provide a visual indication that the adjacent subfield is the selected subfield in the calendar event user interface screen.

Claims

1. A method of editing calendar information on handheld electronic device comprising a display screen and a touchpad for receiving navigational input in a first and a second direction, the method comprising:

displaying a calendar event user interface on the display screen, the calendar event user interface comprising a first field and an adjacent second field;

while in an edit mode, displaying an indicator indicating selection of the first field, and changing a value of the first field in response to receiving at the touchpad a navigational input in a first direction; and

displaying an indicator indicating selection of the adjacent second field for editing in response to receiving at the touchpad a navigational input in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a selection icon is displayed within the calendar event user interface as the indicator indicating selection of the first field or the second field.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

terminating the edit mode in response to receiving at the touchpad a predetermined selection input, and displaying the calendar event user interface without any indicator indicating selection of the first field or second field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first direction of navigational input is an up-down direction relative to a front face of the device, and wherein the second direction of navigational input is a left-right direction relative to the front face of the device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein when the indicator indicating selection of one of the fields is displayed, receiving upward movement on the touchpad relative to a front face of the device increases the value of the selected field and receiving downward movement on the touchpad relative to the front face of the device decreases the value of the selected field, and wherein, when the indicator is displayed in the first field, receiving leftward movement on the touchpad relative to the front face of the device causes display of the indicator indicating selection of the adjacent second field to a left of the first field and receiving rightward movement on the touchpad relative to the front face of the device causes display of an indicator indicating selection of an adjacent third field to a right of the first field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicator indicating selection of the first field or the second field is a border presented around the first or second field, respectively.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a fill area within the border has a different colour than a main background colour of the calendar event user interface.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein text within the border has a different text colour than a main text colour of the calendar event user interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second fields each comprise a respective one of the following:

a month field, day field, year field, hour field, minute field, and an AM/PM indicator field.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second fields are presented within a single line within the calendar event user interface.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the touchpad is a four-way optical sensor.

12. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a processor for controlling the operation of the handheld electronic device;

a display screen connected to the processor;

a touchpad connected to the processor for receiving navigational input in a first and a second direction;

a case dimensioned to be held in a hand, the case having a front face and housing the processor, and wherein the touchpad, and display screen are positioned on the front face of the case;

a memory housed within the case and connected to the processor, the memory having data and instructions stored thereon, the data and instructions configuring the processor to;

display a calendar event user interface on the display screen, the calendar event user interface comprising a first field and an adjacent second field;

while in an edit mode, display an indicator indicating selection of the first field, and change a value of the first field in response to receiving at the touchpad a navigational input a first direction; and

display an indicator indicating selection of the adjacent second field for editing in response to receiving at the touchpad a navigational input in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.

13. The handheld electronic device of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to display a selection icon as the indicator indicating selection of the first filed or the second field.

14. The handheld electronic device of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to terminate the edit mode in response to receiving at the touchpad a predetermined selection input, and display the calendar event user interface without any indicator indicating election of the first field or second field.

15. The handheld electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first direction of navigational input is an up-down direction relative to the front face of the case, and wherein the second direction of navigational input is a left-right direction relative to the front face of the case.

16. The handheld electronic device of claim 12, wherein when the indicator indicating selection of one of the fields is displayed, receiving upward movement on the touchpad relative to the front face of the case increases the value of the selected field and receiving downward movement on the touchpad relative to the front face of the case decreases the value of the selected field, and wherein, when the indicator is displayed in the first field, receiving leftward movement on the touchpad relative to the front face of the case causes display of the indicator indicating selection of the adjacent second field to a left of the first field and receiving rightward movement on the touchpad relative to the front face of the case causes display of an indicator indicating selection of an adjacent third field to a right of the first field.

17. The handheld electronic device of claim 12, wherein the indicator indicating selection of the first field or the second field is a border presented around the selected field.

18. The handheld electronic device of claim 17, wherein a fill area within the border has a different colour than a main background colour of the calendar event user interface.

19. The handheld electronic device of claim 12, wherein the first and second fields each comprises a respective one of the following:

a month field, day field, year field, hour field, minute field, and an AM/PM indicator field.

20. The handheld electronic device of claim 12 wherein the touchpad is a four-way optical sensor.

21. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer program instructions for implementing a method of editing calendar information on a handheld electronic device comprising a display screen and a touchpad for receiving navigational input in a first and a second direction, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

displaying a calendar event user interface on the display screen, the calendar event user interface comprising a first field and an adjacent second field;

while in an edit mode, displaying an indicator indicating selection of the first field, and changing a value of the first field in response to receiving at the touchpad a navigational input in a first direction; and

displaying an indicator indicating selection of the adjacent second field for editing, in response to receiving at the touchpad, a navigational input in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction.