Method and apparatus for spatially indicating notifications

• US 8,694,916 B2
• Filed: 06/01/2011
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sohn, Timothy Youngjin
• Primary Examiner(s): SONG, DAEHO D
• Application Number:
  US13/150,829
• Publication Number:
  US 20120311493A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,042 Days
• Field of Search: 715/808, 715/835, 715/809
• US Class Current: 715/808
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits

Abstract

An apparatus, method, and computer program product are provided for spatially indicating notifications to a user via display regions that are arranged (e.g., perimeterally) about the display of an apparatus. The apparatus may include a processor and a memory including computer program code which provide for the presentation, in a first display region, of an indication of a notification associated with a first application and provide for the presentation, in a second display region, of a non-pictorial indication of a notification associated with a second application. The first and second display regions may, for example, be arranged along the edges of a polygonal display. As such, a user may be able to quickly discern which application is responsible for a particular notification, and the user'"'"'s view of an underlying application provided on the display may not be obscured or diminished as a result of the issuance of the notification.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least:

provide for presentation, in a first border region of a display of the apparatus, of an indication of a notification, wherein the notification is associated with a first application; and

provide for presentation, in a second border region of the display of the apparatus, of an indication of a notification, wherein the notification is associated with a second application,

wherein the first application is different from the second application,

wherein association of each of the first and the second border regions with a respective application is pre-defined,

wherein each of the first and second border regions extends along an edge of the display of the apparatus, and wherein each indication extends along a length of the respective border region;

wherein the indications are non-pictorial and non-descriptive of the respective applications, and have substantially the same appearance, and

wherein the first border region is disposed in a different location from the second border region with respect to the display of the apparatus, such that a user can visually identify each of the respective applications associated with the corresponding indicated notification based on the location of the border region in which the indication is presented, only.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to provide for presentation of an indication of an absence of notifications in a respective one of the first and second border regions.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each indication of the absence of notifications comprises a straight line.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each indication of the notification comprises a pulse line.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to provide for presentation, in a third border region, of an indication of a notification associated with a third application, and to provide for presentation, in a fourth border region, of an indication of a notification associated with a fourth application.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first border region is located along a first edge of the display, wherein the second border region is located along a second edge of the display, wherein the third border region is located along a third edge of the display, and wherein the fourth border region is located along a fourth edge of the display.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to receive a user input via the user'"'"'s interaction with a respective one of the indications and to provide for presentation of the corresponding notification in response to the input received.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to receive a user input via the user'"'"'s interaction with a respective one of the indications and to provide for presentation of the corresponding application upon the display in response to the input received.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the notification indicated in the first border region is associated with one of a first group of applications and the notification indicated in the second border region is associated with one of a second group of applications.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each indication comprises a line having two free ends.

11. A method comprising:

providing for presentation, via a processor, of an indication of a notification associated with a first application, the indication being presented in a first border region of a display of the apparatus; and

providing for presentation, in a second border region of the display of the apparatus, of an indication of a notification, wherein the notification is associated with a second application,

wherein the first application is different from the second application,

wherein association of each of the first and the second border regions with a respective application is pre-defined,

wherein each of the first and second border regions extends along an edge of the display of the apparatus, and wherein each indication extends along a length of the respective border region;

wherein the indications are non-pictorial and non-descriptive of the respective applications, and have substantially the same appearance, and

wherein the first border region is disposed in a different location from the second border region with respect to the display of the apparatus, such that a user can visually identify each of the respective applications associated with the corresponding indicated notification based on the location of the border region in which the indication is presented, only.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing for presentation of an indication of an absence of notifications in a respective one of the first and second border regions.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising providing for presentation, in a third border region, of an indication of a notification associated with a third application and providing for presentation, in a fourth border region, of an indication of a notification associated with a fourth application.

14. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a user input via the user'"'"'s interaction with a respective one of the indications and providing for presentation of the corresponding notification in response to the input received.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising receiving a user input via the user'"'"'s interaction with a respective one of the indications and providing for presentation of the corresponding application upon the display in response to the input received.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein each indication comprises a line having two free ends.

17. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable program code portions stored therein, the computer-executable program code portions comprising program code instructions for:

providing for presentation, in a first border region of a display of the apparatus, of an indication of a notification, wherein the notification is associated with a first application; and

providing for presentation, in a second border region of the display of the apparatus, of an indication of a notification, wherein the notification is associated with a second application,

wherein the first application is different from the second application,

wherein association of each of the first and the second border regions with a respective application is pre-defined,

wherein each of the first and second border regions extends along an edge of the display of the apparatus, and wherein each indication extends along a length of the respective border region;

wherein the indications are non-pictorial and non-descriptive of the respective applications, and have substantially the same appearance, and

wherein the first border region is disposed in a different location from the second border region with respect to display of the apparatus, such that a user can visually identify each of the respective applications associated with the corresponding indicated notification based on the location of the border region in which the indication is presented, only.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising program code instructions for providing for presentation of an indication of an absence of notifications in a respective one of the first and second border regions.

19. The computer program product of claim 17 further comprising program code instructions for receiving a user input via the user'"'"'s interaction with a respective one of the indications and providing for presentation of the corresponding notification in response to the input received.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein each indication comprises a line having two free ends.