Dynamic bar oriented user interface

• US 11,126,323 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2016
• Issued: 09/21/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Scott, Sherryl Lee Lorraine
• Primary Examiner(s): Salomon, Phenuel S
• Application Number:
  US15/083,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20160210002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,002 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

Method and user interface for controlling an apparatus are provided. In accordance with one embodiment, the method comprises: displaying a dynamic bar on a display of a mobile electronic device, the dynamic bar having an appearance that updates dynamically to reflect a change to information managed by an executable running on the mobile electronic device, wherein the dynamic bar includes a label portion and an icon menu comprising a plurality of icons, each icon in the plurality of icons being associated with a respective application or function; and displaying a dialog for configuring options associated with a particular application or function, the dialog displayed in response to selection of a respective icon of the plurality of icons in the icon menu associated with the particular application or function.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying, on a display of a mobile electronic device, a user interface screen including a status bar with a plurality of status icons providing status information of the mobile electronic device, wherein the user interface screen includes a dynamic bar located below the status bar, wherein the dynamic bar comprises an icon array, wherein the icon array comprises a plurality of icons, wherein each icon in the plurality of icons in the icon array is associated with a respective application or function of the mobile electronic device and has an icon appearance representing a value of an option associated with the respective application or function;

receiving, via an input device of the mobile electronic device, a first input to invoke a dialog for configuring options associated with a particular application or function associated with a particular icon in the plurality of icons in the icon array of the dynamic bar, wherein the first input comprises selecting the particular icon associated with the particular application or function of the mobile electronic device from the plurality of icons in the icon array of the dynamic bar;

in response to receiving the input to invoke the dialog;

displaying, on the display of the mobile electronic device, the dialog for configuring options such that the dialog overlays at least a portion of the user interface screen displayed on the display of the mobile electronic device, wherein the dialog includes a plurality of user interface elements each corresponding to one of a plurality of options that are configurable for the particular application or function corresponding to the particular icon, wherein the plurality of user interface elements comprise a particular user interface element corresponding to the option associated with the particular application or function, and wherein a user interface element appearance of the particular user interface element is based on the option associated with the particular application or function;

updating the user interface element appearance of the particular user interface element in the dialog in response to receiving, via the input device of the mobile electronic device, a second input to change the value of the option associated with the particular application or function from a first value of the option to a second value of the option;

removing the dialog for configuring options in response to receiving, via the input device of the mobile electronic device, input to close the dialog; and

updating an icon appearance of the particular icon in the plurality of icons in the icon array of the dynamic bar from a first state corresponding to the first value of the option to a second state corresponding to the second value of the option while the icon appearance of the other icons in the plurality of icons in the icon array remain unchanged; and

responsive to receiving a third input to preview items associated with the dynamic bar, expanding the dynamic bar to display a pop-up interface overlaying at least the portion of the user interface screen, wherein the pop-up interface includes a preview of email messages recently received via the mobile electronic device, wherein the preview includes a subject of each email message and a name of a sender of each email message, wherein the preview further includes a first quantity, and wherein the first quantity corresponds to a number of unread email messages.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dialog is positioned over at least a portion of the dynamic bar.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dialog is displayed in association with its respective icon.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective icon is located at a margin of the dialog.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the second input changing the value of the option associated with the particular application or function.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the changed value of the option associated with the particular application or function in response to the input.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon array of the dynamic bar is an expansion interface of the dynamic bar.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

expanding the dynamic bar to display the icon array as an expansion interface in response to an input.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic bar has an expanded state and an unexpanded state.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

expanding the dynamic bar from the unexpanded state in which the dynamic bar consists of a label portion to the expanded state in which the dynamic bar consists of the label portion and the icon array as an expansion interface in response to input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic bar is part of a main screen of a graphical user interface (GUI) for controlling the mobile electronic device, and wherein the pop-up interface overlays at least part of the main screen.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dynamic bar is one of a plurality of dynamic bars on the main screen.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein each icon in the icon array has a text label.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each icon in the dynamic bar has a label located below the respective icon.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a fourth input from the input device to change the functional category in the dynamic bar, and modifying the icons in the icon array in the dynamic bar to correspond with the changed functional category.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the preview further includes a second quantity, and wherein the second quantity corresponds to a number of available email messages.

17. A device comprising:

a display device;

an input device;

a hardware processor coupled to the display device and the input device, the hardware processor configured to;

display, on the display device, a user interface screen including a status bar with a plurality of status icons providing status information of the device, wherein the user interface screen including a dynamic bar located below the status bar, wherein the dynamic bar comprises an icon array, wherein the icon array comprises a plurality of icons, wherein each icon in the plurality of icons in the icon array is associated with a respective application or function of the mobile electronic device and has an appearance representing a value of an option associated with the respective application or function;

receive, via the input device, a first input to open a dialog for configuring options associated with a particular application or function associated with a particular icon in the plurality of icons in icon array of the dynamic bar, wherein the first input comprises selecting a particular icon associated with the particular application or function of the mobile electronic device from the plurality of icons in the icon array of the dynamic bar;

in response to receiving the input to invoke the dialog;

display, on the display device, the dialog for configuring options such that the dialog overlays at least a portion of the user interface screen displayed on the display device, wherein the dialog includes a plurality of user interface elements each corresponding to one of a plurality of options that are configurable for the particular application or function corresponding to the particular icon, wherein the plurality of user interface elements comprise a particular user interface element corresponding to the option associated with the particular application or function, and wherein a user interface element appearance of the particular user interface element is based on the option associated with the particular application or function;

update the user interface element appearance of the particular user interface element in the dialog in response to receiving, via the input device, a second input to change the value of the option associated with the particular application or function corresponding to the user interface element from a first value of the option to a second value of the option;

remove the dialog for configuring options in response to receiving, via the input device, input to close the dialog; and

update an icon appearance of the particular icon in the plurality of icons in the icon array of the dynamic bar from a first state corresponding to the first value of the option to a second state corresponding to reflect the second value of the option associated with the particular application or function corresponding to the particular user interface element while the icon appearance of the other icons in the plurality of icons in the icon array remain unchanged; and

responsive to receiving a third input to preview items associated with the dynamic bar, expand the dynamic bar to display a pop-up interface overlaying at least the portion of the user interface screen, wherein the pop-up interface includes a preview of email messages recently received via the mobile electronic device, wherein the preview includes a subject of each email message and a name of a sender of each email message, wherein the preview further includes a first quantity, and wherein the first quantity corresponds to a number of unread email messages.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

expand the dynamic bar to display the icon array as an expansion interface in response to an input.

19. The device of claim 17, wherein the dynamic bar has an expanded state and an unexpanded state.

20. The device of claim 19, wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:

expand the dynamic bar from the unexpanded state in which the dynamic bar consists of the label portion to the expanded state in which the dynamic bar consists of the label portion and the icon array as an expansion interface in response to input.

21. A non-transitory, machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a hardware processor of a mobile electronic device, the mobile electronic device comprising a display device, an input device, and a hardware processor coupled to the display device and the input device, cause the hardware processor to:

display, on the display device, a user interface screen including a status bar with a plurality of status icons providing status information of the device, wherein the user interface screen includes a dynamic bar located below the status bar, wherein the dynamic bar comprises an icon array, wherein the icon array comprises a plurality of icons, wherein each icon in the plurality of icons in the icon array is associated with a respective application or function of the mobile electronic device and has an appearance representing a value of an option associated with the respective application or function;

receive, via the input device, a first input to open a dialog for configuring options associated with a particular application or function associated with a particular icon in the plurality of icons in icon array of the dynamic bar, wherein the first input comprises selecting a particular icon associated with the particular application or function of the mobile electronic device from the plurality of icons in the icon array of the dynamic bar;

in response to receiving the input to invoke the dialog;

display, on the display device, the dialog for configuring options such that the dialog overlays at least a portion of the user interface screen displayed on the display device, wherein the dialog includes a plurality of user interface elements each corresponding to one of a plurality of options that are configurable for the particular application or function corresponding to the particular icon, wherein the plurality of user interface elements comprise a particular user interface element corresponding to the option associated with the particular application or function, and wherein a user interface element appearance of the particular user interface element is based on the option associated with the particular application or function;

update the user interface element appearance of the particular user interface element in the dialog in response to receiving, via the input device, a second input to change the value of the option associated with the particular application or function corresponding to the user interface element from a first value of the option to a second value of the option;

remove the dialog for configuring options in response to receiving, via the input device, input to close the dialog; and

update an icon appearance of the particular icon in the plurality of icons in the icon array of the dynamic bar from a first state corresponding to the first value of the option to a second state corresponding to reflect the second changed value of the option associated with the particular application or function corresponding to the particular user interface element while the icon appearance of the other icons in the plurality of icons in the icon array remain unchanged; and

responsive to receiving a third input to preview items associated with the dynamic bar, expand the dynamic bar to display a pop-up interface overlaying at least the portion of the user interface screen, wherein the pop-up interface includes a preview of email messages recently received via the mobile electronic device, wherein the preview includes a subject of each email message and a name of a sender of each email message, wherein the preview further includes a first quantity, and wherein the first quantity corresponds to a number of unread email messages.