Scrolling list with floating adjacent index symbols

• US 9,354,803 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2010
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas, Lemay, Stephen O., Christie, Greg, Chaudhri, Imran
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Takele, Meseker
• Application Number:
  US12/891,705
• Publication Number:
  US 20110022985A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,073 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715/784, 715/786, 345/156
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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

Abstract

Movement of a user'"'"'s point of contact with a touch-sensitive display is determined. In response to the movement, a list of information items on the touch-sensitive display is scrolled. The list of information items may include a sequence of information item subsets corresponding to a sequence of index items. While scrolling through respective information subsets, an index symbol is displayed in conjunction with each respective information item subset.

Claims

1. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the programs including instructions for;

displaying on the touch-sensitive display;

an index that includes a sequence of index items, and

a list of information items that includes;

a sequence of information item subsets corresponding to the sequence of index items, the sequence of information item subsets including at least one subset containing two or more information items; and

a corresponding index symbol, distinct from the index that includes the sequence of index items, for each respective information item subset;

detecting a first point of contact of a user over the index displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

determining a respective index item that corresponds to the first point of contact and displaying a respective information item subset that corresponds to the respective index item;

determining movement of a second point of contact of the user over the list of information items displayed on the touch-sensitive display and scrolling the list of information items on the touch-sensitive display in response to the movement; and

displaying, while scrolling through respective information subsets, in conjunction with each respective information item subset the corresponding index symbol, wherein the corresponding index symbol moves on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset, and wherein moving the corresponding index symbol on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset includes;

in response to an upward swipe on the touch-sensitive display, moving an index symbol upward to an upper edge of a window and maintaining display of the index symbol at the upper edge of the window adjacent to a first displayed item of a corresponding information item subset as the corresponding information item subset scrolls until an end of the corresponding information item subset is reached when the respective information item subset contains two or more information items.

2. The portable electronic device of claim 1, including instructions for detecting a third point of contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to user selection of a respective information item in the list of information items and displaying on the touch-sensitive display information corresponding to the respective information item.

3. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the corresponding index symbol is displayed translucently over the respective information item subset.

4. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the corresponding index symbol is displayed in a banner.

5. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the sequence of index items includes alphabetical index items.

6. The portable electronic device of claim 1, including instructions for:

when the list of information items contains no items for a particular index symbol, the displaying includes displaying a first index symbol preceding the particular index symbol and then a second index symbol following the index symbol, in conjunction with scrolling the list of information items from the information subset corresponding to the first index symbol to the information subset corresponding to the second index symbol, without displaying the particular index symbol in conjunction with the displayed text of the scrolling list of information items during the scrolling.

7. The portable electronic device of claim 1, wherein the index symbol upward is moved from a lower edge of the window to an upper edge of the window.

8. A method, comprising:

at a portable electronic device with a touch-sensitive display;

displaying on the touch-sensitive display;

an index that includes a sequence of index items, and

a list of information items that includes;

a sequence of information item subsets corresponding to the sequence of index items, the sequence of information item subsets including at least one subset containing two or more information items; and

a corresponding index symbol, distinct from the index that includes the sequence of index items, for each respective information item subset;

detecting a first point of contact of a user over the index displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

determining a respective index item that corresponds to the first point of contact and displaying a respective information item subset that corresponds to the respective index item;

determining movement of a second point of contact of the user over the list of information items displayed on the touch-sensitive display and scrolling the list of information items on the touch-sensitive display in response to the movement; and

displaying, while scrolling through respective information subsets, in conjunction with each respective information item subset the corresponding index symbol, wherein the corresponding index symbol moves on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset, and wherein moving the corresponding index symbol on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset includes;

in response to an upward swipe on the touch-sensitive display, moving an index symbol upward to an upper edge of a window and maintaining display of the index symbol at the upper edge of the window adjacent to a first displayed item of a corresponding information item subset as the corresponding information item subset scrolls until an end of the corresponding information item subset is reached when the respective information item subset contains two or more information items.

9. The method of claim 8, including detecting a third point of contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to user selection of a respective information item in the list of information items and displaying on the touch-sensitive display information corresponding to the respective information item.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the corresponding index symbol is displayed translucently over the respective information item subset.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the corresponding index symbol is displayed in a banner.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the sequence of index items includes alphabetical index items.

13. The method of claim 8, including:

when the list of information items contains no items for a particular index symbol, the displaying includes displaying a first index symbol preceding the particular index symbol and then a second index symbol following the index symbol, in conjunction with scrolling the list of information items from the information subset corresponding to the first index symbol to the information subset corresponding to the second index symbol, without displaying the particular index symbol in conjunction with the displayed text of the scrolling list of information items during the scrolling.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the index symbol upward is moved from a lower edge of the window to an upper edge of the window.

15. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the portable electronic device to:

display on the touch-sensitive display;

an index that includes a sequence of index items, and

a list of information items that includes;

a sequence of information item subsets corresponding to the sequence of index items, the sequence of information item subsets including at least one subset containing two or more information items; and

a corresponding index symbol, distinct from the index that includes the sequence of index items, for each respective information item subset;

detect a first point of contact of a user over the index displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

determine a respective index item that corresponds to the first point of contact and displaying a respective information item subset that corresponds to the respective index item;

determine movement of a second point of contact of the user over the list of information items displayed on the touch-sensitive display and scrolling the list of information items on the touch-sensitive display in response to the movement; and

display, while scrolling through respective information subsets, in conjunction with each respective information item subset the corresponding index symbol, wherein the corresponding index symbol moves on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset, and wherein moving the corresponding index symbol on the touch-sensitive display in accordance with the respective information item subset includes;

in response to an upward swipe on the touch-sensitive display, moving an index symbol upward to an upper edge of a window and maintaining display of the index symbol at the upper edge of the window adjacent to a first displayed item of a corresponding information item subset as the corresponding information item subset scrolls until an end of the corresponding information item subset is reached when the respective information item subset contains two or more information items.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, including instructions that cause the device to detect a third point of contact with the touch-sensitive display corresponding to user selection of a respective information item in the list of information items and display on the touch-sensitive display information corresponding to the respective information item.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the corresponding index symbol is displayed translucently over the respective information item subset.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the corresponding index symbol is displayed in a banner.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the sequence of index items includes alphabetical index items.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, including instructions that cause the device to:

when the list of information items contains no items for a particular index symbol, the displaying includes displaying a first index symbol preceding the particular index symbol and then a second index symbol following the index symbol, in conjunction with scrolling the list of information items from the information subset corresponding to the first index symbol to the information subset corresponding to the second index symbol, without displaying the particular index symbol in conjunction with the displayed text of the scrolling list of information items during the scrolling.

21. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the index symbol upward is moved from a lower edge of the window to an upper edge of the window.