Portable electronic device and method of controlling same

• US 9,665,250 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Bos, Jeffrey Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): BADAWI, ANGIE M
• Application Number:
  US13/022,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20120204127A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,304 Days
• Field of Search: 715784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A method of selecting text when an indicator is in a text field includes: receiving a scrolling input at a navigation device; and selecting the text field when the scrolling input moves beyond a boundary of the text field at a location where a tab function is unavailable.

Claims

1. A method of selecting text displayed on a display of an electronic device, comprising:

in response to receiving a scrolling input at a navigation device of the electronic device when an indicator is located in a text field including a plurality of strings and a plurality of spaces entered therein such that the strings are separated by the spaces, the text field comprising left, right, top and bottom boundaries and the indicator is not located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries, scrolling the indicator through the text field without selecting any of the strings or spaces;

in response to receiving a single scrolling input at a navigation device of the electronic device when the indicator is located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries;

identifying a direction of the scrolling input, the direction being toward the one of the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries that the indicator is adjacent to;

determining, at a processor of the electronic device, if an adjacent text field is present adjacent to the text field in the direction of the single scrolling input;

identifying the single scrolling input as a tab function to move the indicator from the text field to the adjacent text field when the adjacent text field is present and moving the indicator from the text field to the adjacent text field in response to receipt of the single scrolling input;

determining that the single scrolling input is not a tab function when no adjacent text field is present; and

in response to receiving the single scrolling input when the indicator is located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries, identifying the direction of the single scrolling input as toward the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries, and determining that the single scrolling input is not a tab function;

selecting all characters of the text field wherein no strings or spaces are selected prior to receipt of the single scrolling input and all of the plurality of strings and the plurality of spaces in the text field are selected in response to the single scrolling input toward the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries adjacent the indicator, such that no characters in the text field are selected in response to a scrolling input to cause the indicator to scroll through the text field and all characters in the text field are selected in response to a single scrolling input when the indicator abuts a boundary of the text field and no adjacent field is present.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a left boundary at a beginning of the text field and the single scrolling input moves to the left.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a right boundary at an end of the text field and the single scrolling input moves to the right.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a top boundary and the single scrolling input moves up.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a bottom boundary and the single scrolling input moves down.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the navigation device comprises one of a touch-sensitive track pad, a trackball, and an optical joystick.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein selecting all characters of the text field comprises highlighting all characters of the text field.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a portion of the text field is displayed, an arrow indicates that text not displayed has been selected.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indicator is movable to any one of a plurality of text fields.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display is a touch-sensitive display.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display is a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD).

12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of a portable electronic device to;

in response to receiving a scrolling input at a navigation device of the electronic device when an indicator is located in a text field including a plurality of strings and a plurality of spaces entered therein such that the strings are separated by the spaces, the text field comprising left, right, top and bottom boundaries and the indicator is not located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries, scrolling the indicator through the text field without selecting any of the strings or spaces;

in response to receiving a single scrolling input at a navigation device of the electronic device when the indicator is located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries;

identifying a direction of the scrolling input, the direction being toward the one of the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries that the indicator is adjacent to;

determining, at a processor of the electronic device, if an adjacent text field is present adjacent to the text field in the direction of the single scrolling input;

identifying the single scrolling input as a tab function to move the indicator from the text field to the adjacent text field when the adjacent text field is present and moving the indicator from the text field to the adjacent text field in response to receipt of the single scrolling input;

determining that the single scrolling input is not a tab function when no adjacent text field is present; and

in response to receiving the single scrolling input when the indicator is located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries, identifying the direction of the single scrolling input as toward the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries, and determining that the single scrolling input is not a tab function;

selecting all characters of the text field wherein no strings or spaces are selected prior to receipt of the single scrolling input and all of the plurality of strings and the plurality of spaces in the text field are selected in response to the single scrolling input toward the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries adjacent the indicator, such that no characters in the text field are selected in response to a scrolling input to cause the indicator to scroll through the text field and all characters in the text field are selected in response to a single scrolling input when the indicator abuts a boundary of the text field and no adjacent field is present.

13. A portable electronic device comprising:

a display operable to display a text field including a plurality of strings and a plurality of spaces entered therein such that the strings are separated by the spaces, the text field comprising left, right, top and bottom boundaries;

a navigation device operable to move an indicator, the indicator within the text field and to a location adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries of the text field; and

a processor operably coupled to the navigation device and display to;

detect a single scrolling input and identify a direction of the single scrolling input,

in response to detecting the single scrolling input when the indicator is located in the text field and the indicator is not located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries, scroll the indicator through the text field without selecting any of the strings or spaces,

in response to receiving a single scrolling input at the navigation device of the electronic device when the indicator is located adjacent to one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries and the direction is toward the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries that the indicator is adjacent to;

determine that the single scrolling input is a tab function to move the indicator from the text field to an adjacent text field when an adjacent text field is present and move the indicator from the text field to the adjacent text field,

determine that the single scrolling input is not a tab function when no adjacent text field is present and, select all characters of the text field wherein no strings or spaces are selected prior to receipt of the single scrolling input and all of the plurality of strings and the plurality of spaces in the text field are selected in response to the single scrolling input toward the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries adjacent the indicator, such that no characters in the text field are selected in response to a scrolling input to cause the indicator to scroll through the text field and all characters in the text field are selected in response to a single scrolling input when the indicator abuts a boundary of the text field and no adjacent field is present.

14. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a left boundary at a beginning of the text field and the single scrolling input moves to the left.

15. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a right boundary at an end of the text field and the single scrolling input moves to the right.

16. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a top boundary and the single scrolling input moves up.

17. A portable electronic device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the one or more of the left, right, top and bottom boundaries is a bottom boundary and the single scrolling input moves down.