Electronic device and method providing improved alarm clock feature and facilitated alarm editing mode

• US 8,963,894 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2009
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Klassen, Gerhard Dietrich, Kalu, Kalu Onuka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesgh
• Assistant Examiner(s): CRAWLEY, KEITH L
• Application Number:
  US12/463,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20090284389A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,115 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345161-162, 345167-169, 345172-173, 345/184, 455/556.2, 455/90.1, 715/703, 715/780, 715/864, 715/788, 715/800, 368/10, 368 12- 13, 368 21- 22, 368/109, 368243-251, 368261-263, 368266-267, 368/72
• US Class Current: 345/184
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 11/00 Producing optical signals at preselected times
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/02 at preselected times, e.g. alarm clocks
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/026 acting at a number of different times

Abstract

An improved electronic device and method provide an improved clock feature that includes an improved alarm clock function and a BEDTIME mode that is initiated by execution of a BEDTIME mode routine. The alarm clock function enables an alarm to be edited very easily.

Claims

1. A method on an electronic device that comprises a display, the method comprising:

displaying an alarm time, and a current time with use of a visual object having a size in one dimension that is at least about one-half as long as a physical length of the display in the one dimension;

responsive to an actuation of a first input, displaying in place of the alarm time, an interaction component having a plurality of fields comprising alterable elements of an alarm, the interaction component and the current time being visible at the same time;

altering at least one of the plurality of alterable elements highlighted on the display in response to receipt of at least one second input to the interaction component;

moving a focus on the display to highlight at least one other of the plurality of alterable elements on the display after altering a previous one of the plurality of alterable inputs, the altering and moving comprising modifying the interaction component on the display while continuing to display the current time; and

updating the alarm time and replacing the interaction component with an updated alarm time after detecting a termination input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the termination input is an explicit termination input.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein altering comprises outputting in the at least one field an altered version of the alterable element.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein actuation of the first input comprises actuation of a multiple-axis input device;

and

wherein the method further comprises;

detecting receipt of a navigational input of the multiple-axis input device as a second input; and

responsive thereto, altering a respective alterable element.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the electronic device further comprises a processor, and wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to the actuation of the first input, directing the focus onto the at least one field; and

detecting as the navigational input a navigational input within the at least one field among a number of selectable choices comprising one or more of;

an “

ON”

selectable choice, or

an “

OFF”

selectable choice.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising detecting as the navigational input a navigational input within the at least one field among a number of selectable choices comprising:

an “

ON”

selectable choice,

an “

OFF”

selectable choice, or

an “

ON”

selectable choice as to all weekdays.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the electronic device further comprises a processor, and wherein the method further comprises:

directing the focus onto the at least one field;

detecting as the navigational input a navigational input in a first direction;

detecting another navigational input of the multiple-axis input device in a second direction different from first direction; and

responsive to the detecting of the another navigational input, shifting the focus from the at least one field onto another field of the interaction component.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising outputting the another field at a location disposed in the second direction from the at least one field.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises outputting as the interaction component an enlarged version of the alarm time in place of the alarm time.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

detecting as an input an alteration of the alarm time to a different alarm time; and

outputting in place of the alarm time the different alarm time.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a processor;

a display; and

a memory, the memory having stored therein a number of instructions which, when executed on the processor, causes the electronic device to perform operations comprising;

displaying an alarm time, and a current time with use of a visual object having a size in one dimension that is at least about one-half as long as a physical length of the display in the one dimension;

responsive to an actuation of a first input, displaying in place of the alarm time, an interaction component having a plurality of fields comprising alterable elements of an alarm, the interaction component and the current time being visible at the same time;

altering at least one of the plurality of alterable elements highlighted on the display in response to receipt of at least one second input to the interaction component;

moving a focus on the display to highlight at least one other of the plurality of alterable elements on the display after altering a previous one of the plurality of alterable inputs, the altering and moving comprising modifying the interaction component on the display while continuing to display the current time; and

updating the alarm time and replacing the interaction component with an updated alarm time after detecting a termination input.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the termination input is an explicit termination input.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein altering comprises outputting in the at least one field an altered version of the alterable element.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein actuation of the first input comprises actuation of a multiple-axis input device;

and

wherein the operations further comprise;

detecting receipt of a navigational input of the multiple-axis input device as the second input; and

responsive thereto, altering a respective alterable element.

15. The electronic device of claim 14 wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to the actuation of the first input, directing the focus onto the at least one field; and

detecting as the navigational input a navigational input within the at least one field among a number of selectable choices comprising one or more of;

an “

ON”

selectable choice, or

an “

OFF”

selectable choice.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise detecting as the navigational input a navigational input within the at least one field among a number of selectable choices comprising:

an “

ON”

selectable choice,

an “

OFF”

selectable choice, or

an “

ON”

selectable choice as to all weekdays.

17. The electronic device of claim 14 wherein the operations further comprise:

directing the focus onto the at least one field;

detecting as the navigational input a navigational input in a first direction;

detecting another navigational input of the multiple-axis input device in a second direction different from first direction; and

responsive to the detecting of the another navigational input, shifting the focus from the at least one field onto another field of the interaction component.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprise outputting the another field at a location disposed in the second direction from the at least one field.

19. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein executing the electronic device comprises outputting as the interaction component an enlarged version of the alarm time in place of the alarm time.

20. The electronic device of claim 11 wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting as an input an alteration of the alarm time to a different alarm time; and

outputting in place of the alarm time the different alarm time.