Key functionality for communication terminal

• US 20060097993A1
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Published: 05/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Autio, Markku, Hietala, Nigel, Saarinen, Kalle Sakari
• Granted Patent: US 7,450,111 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1632 Pen holder integrated in the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• 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 multimedia terminal has a touch sensitive display that displays information and receives user inputs. A control unit controls the operation of the terminal in accordance with user inputs received by the touch sensitive display and selectively executes at least one audio application and at least one video application. There are a plurality of user keys. One of the keys changes an audio/video output of the terminal depending on the application being executed by the control unit at the time that the key is selected.

Claims

1. A multimedia terminal comprising:

a touch sensitive display;

a control unit adapted to control the operation of the terminal and to selectively execute at least one audio application and at least one video application; and

a plurality of user keys, a first one of said keys, when selected by the user, performing a first function on an audio output or a video output on said touch sensitive display, the first function depending on the application being executed by the control unit when said first one of the plurality of keys is selected.

2. A multimedia terminal according to claim 1, wherein said first function performed by said first one of the keys comprises a zoom function of at least a portion of the video output on said touch sensitive display.

3. A multimedia terminal according to claim 2, wherein a digital camera application is being executed by the control unit when said first one of the plurality of keys is selected, at least a portion of said touch sensitive display functioning as a viewfinder in said digital camera application, and the zoom function is performed on said camera and on the portion of said touch sensitive display functioning as the viewfinder.

4. A multimedia terminal according to claim 2, wherein said zoom function rearranges said portion of the video output on said touch sensitive display.

5. A multimedia terminal according to claim 2, wherein said zoom function reformats said portion of the video output on said touch sensitive display.

6. A multimedia terminal according to claim 2, wherein a second one of said keys, when selected by the user, performs a second function on an audio output or a video output on said touch sensitive display, the second function depending on the application being executed by the control unit when said second one of the plurality of keys is selected.

7. A multimedia terminal according to claim 6, wherein said first one and said second one of said keys are associated with each other on the terminal.

8. A multimedia terminal according to claim 7, wherein said first one and said second one of said keys are associated with each other on the terminal.

9. A multimedia terminal according to claim 6, wherein the second function performed by said second one of said keys comprises a switch view function that switches at least a portion of the video output on said touch sensitive display from a first view to a second view.

10. A multimedia terminal according to claim 9, wherein the zoom function performed in the first view when said first one of said keys is selected is different than the zoom function performed in the second view when said first one of said keys is selected.

11. A multimedia terminal according to claim 6, wherein said first function is a zoom function and said second function is a switch view function when a first application is being executed and wherein said first function and said second function are game functions when a Java game application is being executed.

12. A multimedia terminal according to claim 6, wherein said first function performed by said first one of said keys and said second function performed by said second one of said keys further depends upon the state of said application being executed by said control unit when said first one of said keys and said second one of said keys is selected.

13. A multimedia terminal according to claim 12, wherein the application being executed by said control unit is a telephone application, the first function is a zoom function and the second function is a switch view function before a telephone call is established, and the first and second functions are to increase and decrease the audio of the telephone call after a telephone call is established.

14. A communication terminal comprising:

a control unit adapted to control the operation of said communication terminal in response to user inputs, and to execute a plurality of audio applications; and

a plurality of user keys, one of said keys being an audio key that performs one of a plurality of different functions depending upon the operation of the audio key and the audio application being executed by the control unit when said audio key is operated.

15. A communication terminal according to claim 14, wherein a first function is performed if said audio key is pressed during a telephone call, a second function is performed if said audio key is pressed for a short period of time when no audio application is being executed, and a third function is performed if said audio key is pressed for a long period of time when no audio application is being executed.

16. A communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein said first function comprises switching the audio of said telephone call between a loudspeaker and an earpiece.

17. A communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein said second function comprises audio recording.

18. A communication terminal according to claim 15, wherein said third function comprises voice dialing.

19. A communication terminal according to claim 14, wherein said audio key is located amongst a group of call handling keys.

20. A software program recorded on a tangible medium, said software program when executed on a multimedia communication terminal causing said multimedia communication terminal to perform a zoom function on at least a portion of a video output on a touch sensitive display of said terminal when a first one of a plurality of user keys is selected by the user.

21. A software program according to claim 20, wherein the terminal includes a camera and the software program comprises a digital camera application, and at least a portion of said touch sensitive display functions as a viewfinder, and the zoom function is performed on said camera and on the portion of said touch sensitive display functioning as the viewfinder.

22. A software program according to claim 20, wherein a switch view function is performed on at least a portion of a video output on said touch sensitive display when a second key is selected.