Mobile telephone having a rotator input device

• US 20060217144A1
• Filed: 03/30/2004
• Published: 09/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pedersen, Thomas, Stagsted, Lone, Christjansen, Rasmus, Balle, Henrik, Bonnelykke Kristensen, Jakob, Jakobsen, Janne Juul, Knudsen, Christian Saxe
• Granted Patent: US 7,395,081 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0234 using switches operable in different directions
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/23 Construction or mounting of dials or of equivalent devices; Means for facilitating the use thereof by improving visibility H04M1/22
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/233 including a pointing device, e.g. roller key, track ball, rocker switch or joystick constructional details of pointing devices per se G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/70 methods for entering alphabetical characters, e.g. multi-tap or dictionary disambiguation methods for entering alphabetical characters per se G06F3/0237

Abstract

A mobile telephone has a display (240) and a rotator input device (250) comprising a rotatable element and capable of generating commands for browsing and selecting objects on the display. It also has a wireless telecommunication interface to a mobile telecommunications network. A processing device is coupled to the display, the rotator input device and the wireless telecommunication interface. A text-handling software application is executable by the processing device. The processing device is configured, in a first operating mode, to provide first user input by way of the rotator input device (250), said first user input including a number sequence representative of a desired telephone number which is to be reached over the mobile telecommunications network, and to use said first user input when establishing a telephone call connection through the wireless telecommunication interface. Moreover, the processing device is configured, in a second operating mode, to provide second user input by way of the rotator input device, said second user input including a character sequence representative of a desired text, and to forward said second user input to the text-handling software application No numeric or alphanumeric character keyboard is involved in neither of the first and second operating modes.

Claims

1. A mobile telephone having

a display;

a rotator input device comprising a rotatable element and capable of generating commands for browsing and selecting objects on said display;

a wireless telecommunication interface to a mobile telecommunications network;

a processing device coupled to said display, said rotator input device and said wireless telecommunication interface; and

a text-handling software application which is executable by said processing device,

wherein

the processing device is configured, in a first operating mode, to provide first user input by way of said rotator input device, said first user input including a number sequence representative of a desired telephone number which is to be reached over said mobile telecommunications network, and to use said first user input when establishing a telephone call connection through said wireless telecommunication interface; and

in that

wherein the processing device is configured, in a second operating mode, to provide second user input by way of said rotator input device, said second user input including a character sequence representative of a desired text, and to forward said second user input to said text-handling software application;

wherein no numeric or alphanumeric character keyboard is involved in said first and second operating modes.

2. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured, in said first operating mode, to provide said first user input by displaying numbers on said display and receiving commands from said rotator input device for browsing said numbers and for selecting, in successive order, individual numbers that constitute said number sequence.

3. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured, in said second operating mode, to provide said second user input by displaying characters on said display and receiving commands from said rotator input device for browsing said characters and for selecting, in successive order, individual characters that constitute said character sequence.

4. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein said mobile telephone has a front housing surface, said rotatable element of said rotator input device being rotatable in a plane substantially parallel to said front housing surface and being depressible so as to allow generation of said commands for browsing and selecting.

5. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotatable element of said rotator input device is depressible in a direction substantially perpendicular to said front housing surface.

6. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 4, wherein said rotatable element of said rotator input device is tiltably depressible at a plurality of positions along its periphery so as to allow generation of different commands for browsing and selecting for different ones of said plurality of positions.

7. A mobile telephone as defined claim 1, wherein said rotator input device has, in addition to said rotatable element, at least one depressible element, thereby allowing generation of said commands for browsing and selecting by rotation of said rotatable element and depression of said depressible element.

8. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 7, wherein the rotatable element of said rotator input device comprises a ring with a center opening and wherein said at least one depressible element includes a depressible center key which is positioned in said center opening.

9. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 8, wherein said depressible center key is a four-way or five-way navigation key.

10. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 8, wherein said at least one depressible element further comprises functional keys or soft keys disposed adjacently to said rotatable element.

11. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein said rotator input device has a dynamic or selectable resolution for angular movement of said rotatable element, so that a given amount of angular movement will result in a corresponding amount of browsing or scrolling on said display which depends on an adjustable resolution setting.

12. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 11, wherein said resolution setting is adjustable by at least one of the following:

a user of the mobile telephone, an operating system in the mobile telephone, or a software application in the mobile telephone.

13. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 3, further comprising a text prediction engine, wherein the processing device is configured, in said second operating mode, to display on said display a group of predicted characters that are available for browsing and selecting by way of said rotator input device.

14. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 13, wherein said text prediction engine is configured to decide said group of predicted characters in response to a recently made user input and in accordance with a predefined inference logic.

15. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 14, wherein

said recently made user input is a partial word;

said predefined inference logic involves matching said partial word with a database of known and/or common words to predict most likely words that said partial word is part of; and

said group of predicted characters, that is displayed on said display, is formed by a respective next character, following said partial word, in respective ones of said predicted most likely words.

16. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 3, wherein the processing device is configured, in said second operating mode, to display on said display, in addition to said characters, at least one control symbol that is available for browsing and selecting by way of said rotator input device, and wherein said at least one control symbol represents a user interface action that is performed upon selection of said control symbol.

17. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 16, wherein said at least one control symbol represents at least one user interface action among the following:

activating text prediction, deactivating text prediction, selecting a character set and selecting a cursor movement mode.

18. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein the processing device is adapted to provide navigation within graphical data, which requires a larger presentation area than is available on said display, by:

accepting a first rotational input made by way of said rotator input device as a desired pan direction for a sub area within said graphical data;

accepting a second rotational input made by way of said rotator input device as a desired scrolling distance for said sub area in the selected pan direction within said graphical data; and

presenting said sub area on said display.

19. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein said telephone call connection includes at least one of the following:

a voice call connection, a facsimile transmission connection and a data communication connection.

20. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein said text-handling software application includes at least one of the following:

a messaging application, a phonebook application, a calendar application, a notepad application, an Internet browser application, a WWW browser application, a WAP browser application, a contacts application, a camera application, an image recordal application, a video recordal application, an organizer application, a video game application, a calculator application, a voice memo application, an alarm clock application, a word processing application, a code memory application, a music player application, a media streaming application, and a control panel application, or any other application which uses at least one field for text input.

21. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 1, wherein the processing device is configured to control a user interface of said mobile telephone essentially only based on user input made by way of said rotator input device.

22. A mobile telephone as defined in claim 21, wherein the processing device is configured to control, based on user input made by way of said rotator input device, at least one of the following user interface actions:

entering said first operating mode, exiting said first operating mode, entering said second operating mode and exiting said second operating mode.