Method and apparatus for customizing a display screen of a user interface

• US 9,304,668 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Schneider, Guilherme, Prakash, Priya, Rezende, Antonio Pedro
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shrewsbury, Nathan
• Application Number:
  US13/170,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20130002706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,743 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method is provided for controlling and customizing a display screen of a user interface which includes at least two sections of display elements with the display elements of one section being displayed in a different manner, such as being sized greater, than the display elements of another section. The method also defines a spatial relationship of the at least two sections. The method also includes receiving an input indicating a selection of a display element and causing the performance of an operation associated with the display element. A corresponding apparatus and computer program product are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

causing at least one display element to be displayed on a home screen of a device, wherein the display elements that are displayed are divided into at least two sections of the home screen having a predefined spatial relationship there between and wherein the display elements that are displayed within one section are presented with respective titles associated with the display elements and the display elements within the other section are displayed without the respective titles, wherein the display elements displayed in one of the at least two sections of the home screen are determined based on a contextual state of the device;

receiving an input indicating a selection of a display element within one section; and

causing, via a processor, based at least in part on the input, the performance of an operation associated with the display element that has been selected.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein causing the at least one display element to be displayed comprises causing the display of the display elements of one section to be presented in a different ordering than the display elements of another section.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein causing the at least one display element to be displayed comprises causing the display elements of one section to be larger than the display elements of another section.

4. A method according to claim 1 wherein causing the performance of an operation comprises causing the display of a third group of display elements corresponding to the selected display element.

5. A method according to claim 1 wherein causing the performance of an operation comprises enabling the selected display element to be moved on the display.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the contextual state of the device is based on a location of the device.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the contextual state of the device is based on a time.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the display elements displayed in a primary section do not include the respective titles and the display elements displayed in a secondary second include the respective titles.

6. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following;

cause at least one display element to be displayed on a home screen of a device, wherein the display elements that are displayed are divided into at least two sections of the home screen having a predefined spatial relationship therebetween and wherein the display elements that are displayed within one section are presented with respective titles associated with the display elements and the display elements within the other section are displayed without the respective titles, wherein the display elements displayed in one of the at least two sections of the home screen are determined based on a contextual state of the apparatus;

receive an input indicating a selection of a display element within one section; and

cause, based at least in part on the input, the performance of an operation associated with the display element that has been selected.

7. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the at least one memory including computer program code is configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause the at least one display element to be displayed by causing the display of the display elements of one section to be presented in a different ordering than the display elements of another section.

8. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the at least one memory including computer program code is configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause the at least one display element to be displayed by causing the display elements of one section to be larger than the display elements of another section.

9. An apparatus according to claim 6 wherein the at least one memory including computer program code is configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause the performance of an operation by causing the display of a third group of display elements corresponding to the selected display element.

10. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one memory including computer program code is further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to:

cause the selected display element to be removed from at least one group; and

cause the selected display element to be placed in at least another group.

11. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the at least one memory including computer program code is further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause the selected display element to be removed from each of the groups.

17. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the contextual state of the apparatus is based on a location of the device.

18. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the contextual state of the apparatus is based on a time.

22. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the display elements displayed in a primary section do not include the respective titles and the display elements displayed in a secondary second include the respective titles.

12. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and computer executable program code portions stored therein which, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform

causing at least one display element to be displayed on a home screen of a device, wherein the display elements that are displayed are divided into at least two sections of the home screen having a predefined spatial relationship therebetween and wherein the display elements that are displayed within one section are presented with respective titles associated with the display elements and the display elements within the other section are displayed without the respective titles, wherein the display elements displayed in one of the at least two sections of the home screen are determined based on a contextual state of the apparatus;

receiving an input indicating a selection of a display element within one section; and

causing, based at least in part on the input, the performance of an operation associated with the display element that has been selected.

13. A computer program product according to claim 12 wherein the computer executable program code portions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus causes the apparatus to perform causing the display of the display elements of one section to be presented in a different ordering than the display elements of another section.

14. A computer program product according to claim 12 wherein the computer executable program code portions, when executed by at least one processor of an apparatus causes the apparatus to perform causing the display elements of one section to be larger than the display elements of another section.

19. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the contextual state of the apparatus is based on a location of the device.

20. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the contextual state of the apparatus is based on a time.

23. The computer program product according to claim 12, wherein the display elements displayed in a primary section do not include the respective titles and the display elements displayed in a secondary second include the respective titles.