Method and apparatus for modifying a scrollbar handle according to characteristics of displayed items being scrolled

• US 9,207,840 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Grdenfors, Dan Zacharias
• Primary Examiner(s): SAMS, MICHELLE L
• Application Number:
  US13/543,534
• Publication Number:
  US 20140009490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619, 715/786
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A method of navigating content items presented in a graphical user interface of an electronic device is provided. The content items of a content item list are displayed on the electronic device with a navigation list associated with a characteristic defined in each of the content items. The content list is sorted by the characteristics, for example by time, alphabetically or numerically. A navigation element in the navigation list is modified based upon the measure of the displayed content items within the content item list providing a sense of measure relative to the overall navigation list.

Claims

1. A method on an electronic device, the method comprising:

displaying content items each having an associated common property in a graphical user interface on a display of the electronic device;

displaying an indicia in association with the displayed content items, the indicia for identifying a position of the displayed content items relative to the associated common property by which the content items are ordered for display within the graphical user interface;

determining a measure of the common property associated with the displayed content items; and

automatically modifying, by the electronic device, a display element of the indicia corresponding at least in part to a distribution of the measure of the common property associated with the displayed content items, the modifying the display element of the indicia in response to change in the measure of the common property based upon positions of each of the content items displayed within the graphical user interface.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the common property is presented by a navigation list, and wherein a range of the common property shown by the navigation list is larger than the range defined by the content items.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the common property associated with time, date, distance, size, rank, score or differential thereof.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the display element is defined by a length, color, transparency, height or width of the indicia.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein displayed content items are a subset of a plurality of content items.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the display element is based upon the distribution of the subset of content items.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the indicia can be moved relative to the common property to control the display of the subset of content items on the display of the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising displaying a navigation element in association with the indicia, the navigation element providing an indication of the relative position of the content items relative to each of the associated common properties of the content items, where movement of the navigation element moves the displayed content items.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein a position of the indicia with respect to the navigation element providing an indication of the relative positions of the displayed content items in relation to the position of all content items.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the content items that are displayed graphically are determined based upon the position of the indicia with respect to the navigation element.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the indicia having a second display element corresponding at least in part to a distribution of a second measure.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the second measure is a second common property associated with each of the content items.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the second measure being derived at least in part from the measure of the common property of the content items.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the common property is defined as a time associated with each content item, the indicia identifying a position of the displayed content items along a timeline of all the content items, the display element changing in length along the timeline based upon the measure of time between content items relative to a displayed subset of content items, wherein movement of the content items within the user interface changes the position of the indicia along the timeline and movement of the indicia along the timeline changes the position of the displayed content items where only a subset of content items are displayed at any time.

15. An electronic device for navigating a plurality of content items in a graphical user interface, the electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display for presenting the graphical user interface;

a processor coupled to the touch-sensitive display; and

a memory containing instructions for execution by the processor, the instructions for

displaying content items each having an associated common property in the graphical user interface on the display of the electronic device;

displaying an indicia in association with the displayed content items, the indicia for identifying a position of the displayed content items relative to the associated common property by which the content items are ordered for display within the graphical user interface;

determining a measure of the common property associated with the displayed content items; and

automatically modifying, by the electronic device, a display element of the indicia corresponding at least in part to the distribution of a measure of the common property associated with the displayed content items, the modifying the display element of the indicia in response to change in the measure of the common property based upon positions of each of the content items displayed within the graphical user interface.

16. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein displayed content items are a subset of a plurality of content items.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 wherein the display element is based upon the distribution of the subset of content items.

18. The electronic device of claim 16 wherein the indicia can be moved relative to the common property to control the display of the subset of content items on the display of the electronic device.

19. The electronic device of claim 15 further comprising displaying a navigation element in association with the indicia, the navigation element providing an indication of the relative position of the content items relative to each of the associated common properties of the content items, where movement of the navigation element moves the displayed content items.

20. The electronic device of claim 19 wherein a position of the indicia with respect to the navigation element providing an indication of the relative positions of the displayed content items in relation to the position of all content items.

21. The electronic device of claim 19 wherein the content items that are displayed graphically are determined based upon the position of the indicia with respect to the navigation element.

22. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the indicia having a second display element corresponding at least in part to a distribution of a second measure.

23. The electronic device of claim 22 wherein the second measure is a second common property associated with each of the content items.

24. The electronic device of claim 23 wherein the second measure being derived at least in part from the measure of the common property of the content items.

25. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the display element is defined by a length, color, transparency, height or width of the indicia.

26. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the common property is presented by a navigation list, and wherein a range of the common property shown by the navigation list is larger than the range defined by the content items.

27. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the common property is defined as a time associated with each content item, the indicia identifying a position of the displayed content items along a timeline of all the content items, the display element changing in length along the timeline based upon the measure of time between content items relative to a displayed subset of content items, wherein movement of the content items within the user interface changes the position of the indicia along the timeline and movement of the indicia along the timeline changes the position of the displayed content items where only a subset of content items are displayed at any time.

28. The electronic device of claim 15 wherein the common property associated with time, date, distance, size, rank, score or differential thereof.

29. A non-transitory computer readable memory containing instructions for navigating a plurality of content item in a graphical user interface of an electronic device, the instructions when executed by a processor perform:

displaying content items each having an associated common property in the graphical user interface on a display of the electronic device;

displaying an indicia in association with the displayed content items, the indicia for identifying a position of the displayed content items relative to the associated common property by which the content items are ordered for display within the graphical user interface;

determining a measure of the common property associated with the displayed content items; and

automatically modifying, by the electronic device, a display element of the indicia corresponding at least in part to a distribution of the measure of the common property associated with the displayed content items, the modifying the display element of the indicia in response to change in the measure of the common property based upon positions of each of the content items displayed within the graphical user interface.