Method and handheld electronic device having a graphical user interface which arranges icons dynamically

• US 9,280,261 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2012
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Yach, David Paul, Lazaridis, Mihal
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Tuyetlien T
• Assistant Examiner(s): DUCKWORTH, JIANMEI F
• Application Number:
  US13/548,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20120284620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 715/744
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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 3/04886 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: 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 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a media player application is described. A method is provided comprising: determining a screen orientation of the GUI in accordance with a device orientation; rendering a first user interface screen in a portrait screen orientation comprising an album list when the screen orientation is a portrait screen orientation; rendering a second user interface screen in a landscape screen orientation comprising an array of album art images arranged in rows and columns when the screen orientation is a landscape screen orientation; and displaying the rendered first or second user interface screen on the display.

Claims

1. A method for providing an icon menu with dynamic icon arrangement on a main user interface screen within a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a display of a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

determining a screen orientation of the GUI in accordance with a device orientation;

displaying a first main user interface screen in a portrait screen orientation when a screen orientation of the GUI is a portrait screen orientation, the first main user interface screen comprising a reduced icon menu having a plurality of icons, at least some of the plurality of icons for starting applications, the icons arranged in an array of rows and columns, and an input area adjacent to the reduced icon menu, the input area for displaying a scrollable second menu different than the reduced icon menu and for receiving touch input; and

displaying a second main user interface screen in a landscape screen orientation when the screen orientation of the GUI is a landscape screen orientation, the second main user interface screen comprising a first expanded icon menu having a plurality of icons, at least some of the plurality of icons for starting applications, the icons arranged in an array of rows and columns, wherein the first expanded icon menu includes the array of icons of the reduced icon menu and one or more additional rows of icons, wherein the first expanded icon menu is larger than the reduced icon menu and the first expanded icon menu includes one or more icons not available in the first main user interface;

wherein the first expanded icon menu is scrollable to display additional icons of the first expanded icon menu in response to respective directional input and the reduced icon menu is non-scrollable; and

wherein the reduced icon menu is displayed over a minority of the first main user interface screen and changing the screen orientation of the GUI to the landscape screen orientation causes display of the first expanded icon menu over a majority of the second main user interface screen.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reduced icon menu includes one or more commonly used icons.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the commonly used icons of the reduced icon menu are configurable.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the array of icons of the reduced icon menu has one or two rows of icons and the array of icons of the first expanded icon menus has three or more rows of icons.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is performed in response to a change in device orientation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the method is performed when the change in device orientation matches a rule for a screen orientation which is different from the current screen orientation.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when the first main user interface screen is displayed on the display, displaying a third main user interface screen when input is detected in the input area, wherein the third main user interface screen comprises a second expanded icon menu having a plurality of icons arranged in an array of rows and columns, wherein the second expanded icon menu includes the array of icons of the reduced icon menu and one or more additional rows of icons, wherein the second expanded icon menu is larger than the reduced icon menu.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, in the first main user interface screen, the reduced icon menu is located at a bottom of the first main user interface screen and the input area is located above the reduced icon menu in the first main user interface screen,

wherein, in the second main user interface screen, the first expanded icon menu is located at a bottom of the second main user interface screen, and

wherein, in the third main user interface screen, the second expanded icon menu is located at a bottom of the third main user interface screen, wherein the icons of the reduced icon menu are displayed in the third main user interface screen in the same portion of the display as the input area of the first main user interface screen, and wherein additional icons are displayed in the third main user interface screen in the same portion of the display as the reduced icon menu of the first main user interface screen.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second expanded icon menu is scrollable to display additional icons of the second expanded icon menu in response to respective directional input, and the reduced icon menu is non-scrollable.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the array of icons of the reduced icon menu has one or two rows of icons and the array of icons of the second expanded icon menus have three or more rows of icons.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the array of icons of the first expanded icon menus has three or more rows of icons.

12. A handheld electronic device, comprising:

a controller;

a display coupled to the controller;

a memory coupled to the controller, the memory having stored therein a user interface module for generating a main user interface screen in a graphical user interface (GUI) on the display; and

a sensor coupled to the controller for generating an orientation signal;

wherein the controller is configured by the user interface module to;

determine a screen orientation of the GUI in accordance with the orientation signal;

display a first main user interface screen in a portrait screen orientation when a screen orientation of the GUI is a portrait screen orientation, the first main user interface screen comprising a reduced icon menu having a plurality of icons, at least some of the plurality of icons for starting applications, the icons arranged in an array of rows and columns and an input area adjacent to the reduced icon menu, the input area for displaying a scrollable second menu different than the reduced icon menu and for receiving touch input; and

display a second main user interface screen in a landscape screen orientation when the screen orientation of the GUI is a landscape screen orientation, the second main user interface screen comprising a first expanded icon menu having a plurality of icons, at least some of the plurality of icons for starting applications, the icons arranged in an array of rows and columns, wherein the first expanded icon menu includes the array of icons of the reduced icon menu and one or more additional rows of icons, wherein the first expanded icon menu is larger than the reduced icon menu and the first expanded icon menu includes one or more icons not available in the first main user interface;

wherein the first expanded icon menu is scrollable to display additional icons of the first expanded icon menu in response to respective directional input and the reduced icon menu is non-scrollable; and

wherein the reduced icon menu is displayed over a minority of the first main user interface screen and changing the screen orientation of the GUI to the landscape screen orientation causes display of the first expanded icon menu over a majority of the second main user interface screen.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for providing an icon menu with dynamic icon arrangement on a main user interface screen within a graphical user interface (GUI) displayed on a display of a handheld electronic device, the method comprising:

determining a screen orientation of the GUI in accordance with a device orientation;

displaying a first main user interface screen in a portrait screen orientation when a screen orientation of the GUI is a portrait screen orientation, the first main user interface screen comprising a reduced icon menu having a plurality of icons, at least some of the plurality of icons for starting applications, the icons arranged in an array of rows and columns and an input area adjacent to the reduced icon menu, the input area for displaying a scrollable second menu different than the reduced icon menu and for receiving touch input; and

displaying a second main user interface screen in a landscape screen orientation when the screen orientation of the GUI is a landscape screen orientation, the second main user interface screen comprising a first expanded icon menu having a plurality of icons, at least some of the plurality of icons for starting applications, the icons arranged in an array of rows and columns, wherein the first expanded icon menu includes the array of icons of the reduced icon menu and one or more additional rows of icons, wherein the first expanded icon menu is larger than the reduced icon menu and the first expanded icon menu includes one or more icons not available in the first main user interface;

wherein the first expanded icon menu is scrollable to display additional icons of the first expanded icon menu in response to respective directional input and the reduced icon menu is non-scrollable; and

wherein the reduced icon menu is displayed over a minority of the first main user interface screen and changing the screen orientation of the GUI to the landscape screen orientation causes display of the first expanded icon menu over a majority of the second main user interface screen.