Method, device and computer software product for controlling user interface of electronic device

• US 8,826,159 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2006
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Nurmi, Mikko
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Linh K
• Application Number:
  US11/922,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,001 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/778, 715/810, 715/823, 455/456, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1677 for detecting open or closed state or particular intermediate positions assumed by movable parts of the enclosure, e.g. detection of display lid position with respect to main body in a laptop, detection of opening of the cover of battery compartment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0245 using open/close detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit

Abstract

The invention relates to controlling of a user interface of an electronic device (100). On a secondary display (104) of the electronic device (100), a list of executable applications is displayed. A selection for selecting a specific application is received from the user. When the user mechanically sets the electronic device (100) from transport state to principal operational state, a primary display of the electronic device (100) is taken into use. In principal operational state, a predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection is performed in the electronic device (100), whereby information relating to the procedure is displayed on the primary display of the electronic device (100).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a selection from a user of an application from a list of executable applications on a secondary display of an electronic device;

in response to recognition of physical movement of at least a portion of the electronic device, wherein recognition of the physical movement sets the device to a principal operational state, displaying on a primary display of the electronic device information relating to the selected application, where the displayed information on the primary display differs from the list of executable applications on the secondary display and comprises an interface for the selected application; and

performing in the electronic device a predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection, whereby information relating to the predetermined function is displayed on the primary display of the electronic device.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising displaying on the primary display of the electronic device same information that was displayed on the secondary display before setting the electronic device from the transport state to the principal operational state.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising arranging the list of executable applications displayed on the secondary display of the electronic device according to a criterion including one of the following criteria:

significance of applications, application execution history.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising dividing the executable applications into categories to shorten the length of the list displayed on the secondary display.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined function comprises:

displaying a list of executable applications to the user on the primary display of the electronic device.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined function comprises:

starting the application the user has selected in the electronic device and displaying information relating to the application at least on the primary display of the electronic device.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

starting the application the user has selected in the electronic device when a selection has been received from the user for selecting an application, before taking the primary display of the electronic device into use.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying information relating to the predetermined function on the secondary display of the electronic device when the predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection is performed in the electronic device.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

displaying on the secondary display of the electronic device the same list of executable applications that was displayed when a selection was received from the user for selecting an application, when the user mechanically sets the electronic device from principal operational state to transport state.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

taking the primary display of the electronic device into use when the user opens a cover of the primary display of the electronic device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the transport state less than all functions of the electronic device are available and in the principal operational state all functions of the electronic device are available to the user.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the selection triggers the electronic device to be mechanically set from transport state to principal operational state comprising exposing a primary display to the user.

13. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

memory storing a program of instructions;

wherein the memory storing the program of instructions is configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least;

configure a principal operational state for an electronic device, wherein a primary display is operational when the electronic device is in the principal operational state;

configure a transport state for the electronic device, wherein a secondary display is operational at least when the electronic device is in transport state;

recognize inputs of the user entered at an input unit; and

display information relating to the selected application on the primary display of the electronic device in response to mechanical setting of the electronic device from transport state to principal operational state, where the displayed information on the primary display differs from the list of executable applications on the secondary display and comprises and interface for the selected application, and to perform a predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection from the list of executable applications on the secondary display in the electronic device, whereby, controlled by the processing unit, information relating to the predetermined function is displayed on the primary display of the electronic device.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to display on the primary display of the electronic device same information displayed on the secondary display before setting the electronic device from the transport state to the principal operational state.

15. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to arrange the list of executable applications displayed on the secondary display of the electronic device according to a criterion including one of the following criteria:

significance of applications, application execution history.

16. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to divide the executable applications into categories to shorten the length of the list displayed on the secondary display.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to display the list of executable applications to the user on the primary display of the electronic device as a predetermined function.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to start the application the user has selected in the electronic device as a predetermined function and to display information relating to the application at least on the primary display of the electronic device.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 18, wherein the processing unit is configured to start the application the user has selected in the electronic device when the selection is received from the user for selecting an application, before the primary display of the electronic device is taken into use.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to display information relating to the predetermined function also on the secondary display when it performs the predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection in the electronic device.

21. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to display on the secondary display the same list of executable applications that was displayed when a selection was received from the user for selecting an application, when the user mechanically sets the electronic device from principal operational state to transport state.

22. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the electronic device also comprises a selection component, which is applicable at least when the electronic device is in transport state and by which the user can move a cursor on the secondary display of the electronic device and select an application.

23. The apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the selection component comprises a push button movable in the direction of the surface of an outer cover of the electronic device.

24. The apparatus as claimed in claim 23, wherein the push button is movable in order to move the cursor on the secondary display of the electronic device and that by pressing the push button an application displayed on the secondary display may be selected and the setting of the electronic device from transport state to principal operational state is triggered.

25. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the electronic device has two parts and comprises a connecting mechanism between parts, allowing the electronic device to be set mechanically from transport state to principal operational state and from principal operational state to transport state.

26. The apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein, when the electronic device is set from principal operational state to transport state, the first part of the device serves as a cover for the primary display in the second part of the device.

27. The apparatus as claimed in claim 26, wherein the processing unit is configured to take the primary display of the electronic device into use when the user opens the cover of the primary display of the electronic device.

28. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein in the transport state less than all functions of the electronic device are available and in the principal operational state all functions of the electronic device are available to the user.

29. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the selection from the user triggers the electronic device to be mechanically set from transport state to principal operational state exposing the primary display to the user.

30. An apparatus comprising:

at least one memory including computer program code; and

at least one processor configured to, with the at least one memory and the computer program code, cause the apparatus at least to

configure a principal operational state for an electronic device, wherein a primary display is operational when the electronic device is in the principal operational state;

configure a transport state for the electronic device, wherein a secondary display is operational at least when the electronic device is in transport state;

recognize inputs of the user entered at an input unit;

receive via the user input unit a selection from a user for selecting at least one application from a list of executable applications on the secondary display;

display information relating to the selected application on the primary display in response to recognition of physical movement of at least a portion of the electronic device, wherein recognition of the physical movement sets the device to a principal operational state, where the displayed information on the primary display differs from the list of executable applications on the secondary display and comprises an interface for the selected application; and

perform a predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection from the list of executable applications on the secondary display, whereby information relating to the predetermined function is displayed on the primary display.

31. The apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the processor and memory are further configured to cause the apparatus to display information relating to the predetermined function on the secondary display when the predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection is performed in the apparatus.

32. A non-transitory computer-readable storage storing a program of instructions, execution of which by a processor configures an apparatus to at least:

receive a selection from a user for selecting an application from a list of executable applications on a secondary display of an electronic device;

in response to recognition of physical movement of at least a portion of the electronic device, wherein the physical movement sets the device to a principal operational state, display information relating to the selected application on a primary display of the electronic device where the displayed information on the primary display differs from the list of executable applications on the secondary display and comprises an interface for the selected application; and

perform in the electronic device a predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection, whereby information relating to the predetermined function is displayed on the primary display of the electronic device.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 32, execution of the program of instructions by the processor further configures the apparatus to:

display information relating to the predetermined function on the secondary display when the predetermined function relating to the user'"'"'s selection is performed in the electronic device.