Email client mode transitions in a smartpad device

• US 9,208,477 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2011
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Webber, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): DRAGOESCU, CLAUDIA B
• Application Number:
  US13/299,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20120240056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,482 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/0464 Positioning
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/145 related to small screens
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/38 with means for controlling the display position
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 : for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

Methods and devices for selectively presenting a user interface for an email application are provided. More particularly, a change in the operating mode of a multiple virtual display smartpad device from a multiple virtual display operating mode to a single virtual display operating mode, or from a single virtual display operating mode to a multiple virtual display operating mode, can be determined. Moreover, a change in the operating mode can effect a change in a presentation of a user interface associated with an email application. More particularly, a presentation of a user interface can be retained, where the number of virtual displays of the device in view of the user is changed, provided a user interface for the email application remains in view of the user after the change in operating mode.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing a smartpad device having a first touch screen, wherein the first touch screen is configured into a first and a second virtual display;

executing an email application on a dual touch screen device at least partially docked within the smartpad, wherein the email application executing on the docked dual-screen device has at least two application modes;

in a first display mode and a first email application mode, presenting at least a first user interface for the email application on the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device, wherein the first display mode includes displaying content in a landscape orientation of the smartpad, the orientation of the smartpad determined by an accelerometer on the docked dual screen device, and displaying content on the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device;

receiving input from a user on one or more of the touch screen and an off-screen gesture capture area of the smartpad device, wherein the input includes a change in the email application mode;

determining a second display mode, wherein the second display mode includes displaying the first user interface in the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device and a second user interface in the second virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device;

in response to the change in the email application mode, presenting the first user interface on the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device; and

in response to the change in the email application mode, presenting the second user interface on the second virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device, wherein the second user interface is also associated with the email application;

wherein when changing to the second display mode the email application program on the smartpad display is further operable to change at least one of a size, an orientation, a position or an aspect ratio of at least one user interface object in the first user interface or the second user interface; and

wherein when changing to the second display mode the email application program on the smartpad display is further operable to at least one of open a new child window, expand the email application program window across both displays, expand a keyboard across both virtual displays, or maintain the email application program window in the set virtual display portion and show other content from another application or the desktop in the other virtual display portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface and the second user interface present different content.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second user interface is a child window of the first user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second email application mode includes the first user interface associated with a combined inbox mode and the second user interface in an email detail mode.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the first email application mode is one of a first run experience mode, an application settings mode, an email accounts mode, a combined inbox mode, an email detail mode, or a compose email mode.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first user interface includes one or more of an annunciator bar, a header bar, a text tab bar, a content area, or an action menu bar.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the input from the user is the user making a gesture in a gesture capture region.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the input from the user is the user selecting a user interface device in the first virtual display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

executing the email application;

receiving a manifest;

setting a display binding for the email application based on the first display mode; and

providing the display binding to the email application.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a manifest, in response to the change in the email application mode;

setting a second display binding in response to the change in the email application mode; and

providing the second display binding to the email application to present the second user interface.

11. A smartpad device, comprising:

a first touch screen, the first touch screen including a touch sensitive display area and configured to provide a first and second virtual display, wherein in a first display mode the first virtual display presents content from a dual touch screen device at least partially docked within the smartpad;

a memory;

a processor;

an email application program stored in the memory and executed by the processor, wherein the email application has at least two application modes, wherein the email application program is operable to;

execute a first email application mode;

in a first display mode and a first email application mode, present at least a first user interface for the email application on the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device, wherein the first display mode includes displaying content in a landscape orientation of the smartpad, the orientation of the smartpad determined by an accelerometer on the docked dual screen device, and displaying content on the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device;

receive input from a user on one or more of the touch screen and an off-screen gesture capture area of the smartpad device, wherein the input includes a change in the email application mode;

determine a second display mode, wherein the second display mode includes displaying the first user interface in the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device and a second user interface in the second virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device;

change to a second email application mode;

in response to the change in the email application mode, present at least the first user interface in the first virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device and a second user interface in the second virtual display of the first touch screen of the smartpad device, in the second display mode, wherein the second user interface is also associated with the email application;

wherein when changing to the second display mode the email application program on the smartpad display is further operable to change at least one of a size, an orientation, a position or an aspect ratio of at least one user interface object in the first user interface or the second user interface;

wherein when changing to the second display mode the email application program on the smartpad display is further operable to at least one of open a new child window, expand the email application program window across both displays, expand a keyboard across both virtual displays, or maintain the email application program window in the set virtual display portion and show other content from another application or the desktop in the other virtual display portion.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein in the second email application mode the first user interface is associated with a third email application mode and the second user interface is associated with a fourth email application mode.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the email application program is further operable to present the first user interface in both the first virtual display and the second virtual display in the second email application mode, when the smartpad device changes to a different display mode.

14. The device of claim 11, wherein the first user interface and the second user interface have different orientations in the second display mode.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions, the computer executable instructions causing a processor to execute a method for providing a user interface for an email application in a smartpad device, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

instructions to execute the email application in a first email application mode;

instructions to determine a configuration for the smartpad device, wherein the configuration includes at least two virtual displays on a touch screen of the smartpad device configured to display content from a dual touch screen device docked with the smartpad;

instructions to determine a first display mode for the smartpad device, wherein the first display mode includes displaying content in a landscape orientation of the smartpad, the first display mode at least partially based on an orientation of the smartpad determined by an accelerometer on the dual touch screen device;

instructions to generate a first user interface for a first virtual display of the touch screen of the smartpad device, wherein the first user interface conforms to the first display configuration;

instructions to receive a change request from the first email application mode to a second email application mode from one or more of the touch screen and an off-screen gesture capture area of the smartpad device;

in response to receiving the change in the email application mode, instructions to generate a first user interface for the first virtual display of the touch screen of the smartpad device, and a second user interface for the second virtual display of the touch screen of the smartpad device, wherein the first user interface and the second user interface conform to the second preferred display configuration, wherein the second user interface is also associated with the email application;

wherein when changing to the second display mode the email application program on the smartpad display is further operable to change at least one of a size, an orientation, a position or an aspect ratio of at least one user interface object in the first user interface or the second user interface;

wherein when changing to the second display mode the email application program on the smartpad display is further operable to at least one of open a new child window, expand the email application program window across both displays, expand a keyboard across both virtual displays, or maintain the email application program window in the set virtual display portion and show other content from another application or the desktop in the other virtual display portion.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein both the first user interface and the second user interface are associated with the email application.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

in response to receiving the first display binding, instructions to alter a display mode for the smartpad device; and

in response to altering the display mode, instructions to generate the second user interface for the altered mode.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first user interface is an email detail view.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the second user interface is a combined inbox view.