Method for shifting a shortcut in an electronic device, a display unit of the device, and an electronic device

• US 20070013665A1
• Filed: 10/07/2004
• Published: 01/18/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Autio, Markku, Vetelainen, Asko
• Application Number:
  US10/575,053
• Publication Number:
  US 20070013665A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 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

Abstract

The object of the invention is a method for shifting the contents of a first shortcut key (e.g. 26) belonging to the shortcut menu of the user interface of an electronic device to become the contents of a second shortcut key (e.g. 22) belonging to the same shortcut menu. An object of the invention is also an electronic device, a touch display used in the device, and an application program utilised in the device. In the method according to the invention the contents of a shortcut key (26) on the display (20) of an electronic device can be shifted to become the contents of a second shortcut key (22) using the drag and drop method.

Claims

1. A method for shifting the contents of a first shortcut key and a second shortcut key belonging to the user interface of an electronic device, characterised in that the contents of the first shortcut key and the second shortcut key is shifted between each other with the aid of a drag and drop method.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterised in that one of the following is used as the electronic device:

a cellular network terminal, a PC, a portable computer or a palm computer.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterised in that a touch screen is used as the display unit of the electronic device, whereby a shortcut menu is created on the touch screen.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterised in that the first shortcut key to be shifted is selected to become the shifted shortcut key by pressing the touch screen with the aid of an object at the position of the first shortcut key.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterised in that the contents of the first shortcut key is shifted to become the contents of the second shortcut key by moving the object used in the selection on the touch screen from a position above the first shortcut key to a position over the second shortcut key, where the object is raised from the touch screen, whereby the raising of the object initiates the shifting of the contents of the first shortcut key to become the contents of the second shortcut key.

6. The method according to claim 4, characterised in that the function attached to the first shortcut key is executed if the object used to select the shortcut key is raised from the touch screen above the first shortcut key.

7. The method according to claim 4, characterised in that the raising of the object used to select the shortcut key from the touch screen somewhere else than above a shortcut key cancels the initiated shifting of the contents of the first shortcut key.

8. The method according to claim 2, characterised in that the first shortcut key is selected to become shifted by selecting it among the shortcut keys on the display of the electronic device with the button of a mouse belonging to the user interface of the electronic device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterised in that the contents of the first shortcut key is shifted to become the contents of the second shortcut key by moving a cursor connected to the mouse on the display of the electronic device from a position above the first shortcut key to a position above the second shortcut key, where the mouse button is released, whereby the releasing of the mouse button initiates the shifting of the contents of the first shortcut key to become the contents of the second shortcut key.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterised in that if the mouse button used to select the shortcut key is released on the display of the electronic device somewhere else than above a shortcut key, then the initiated shifting of the contents of the first shortcut key is cancelled.

11. The method according to claim 9, characterised in that the shifting of a shortcut key made on the display of the electronic device further causes the functions attached to a first key belonging to the physical keyboard of the electronic device to be shifted to a second key of the keyboard.

12. The method according to claim 5, characterised in that the contents of a shortcut key means a function defined for a shortcut key.

13. A touch screen having a shortcut menu comprising at least two separate shortcut keys, a first and a second shortcut key with interchangeable contents, characterised in that the shift of the contents of the first shortcut key and the second shortcut key between each other is arranged to be made with the drag and drop method.

14. The touch screen according to claim 13, characterised in that the first shortcut key is selected to become shifted by pressing the touch screen with an object at the first shortcut key.

15. The touch screen according to claim 14, characterised in that the contents of the first shortcut key is arranged to be changed to become the contents of the second shortcut key by moving the object used for selecting on the touch screen from a position above the first shortcut key to a position above the second shortcut key, where raising of the object from the touch screen is arranged to initiate the shifting of the contents of the first shortcut key to become the contents of the second shortcut key.

16. The touch screen according to claim 14, characterised in that the function attached to the first shortcut key is arranged to be executed if the object used to select the shortcut key is raised from the touch screen above the first shortcut key.

17. The touch screen according to claim 14, characterised in that the raising of the object used to select the shortcut key from the touch screen somewhere else than above a shortcut key is arranged to cancel the initiated shifting of the contents of the first shortcut key.

18. The touch screen according to claim 15, characterised in that the contents of a shortcut key is a function defined to be executed by the shortcut key.

19. An electronic device with a user interface comprising at least two separate shortcut keys, a first and a second shortcut key with interchangeable contents, characterised in that a shift of the contents of the first shortcut key and the second shortcut key between each other is arranged to be made with the drag and drop method.

20. The electronic device according to claim 19, characterised in that the electronic device comprises a touch screen, on which there is formed a shortcut menu with at least two shortcut keys with interchangeable contents.

21. The electronic device according to claim 20, characterised in that the contents of a shortcut key is a function defined to be executed by a shortcut key.

22. The electronic device according to claim 21, characterised in that it is one of following:

a cellular network terminal, a portable computer or a palm computer.

23. An application program in an electronic device for shifting the contents of a first shortcut key and a second shortcut key belonging to the device'"'"'s user interface, characterised in that the application program comprises software means for executing the shift of the contents of the shortcut keys between each other utilising the drag and drop method.

24. The application program according to claim 23, characterised in that it comprises software means for changing the shortcut keys in a shortcut menu created on a touch screen, which belongs to a portable device.

25. The application program according to claim 24, characterised in that said software means realise

a step for selecting a first shortcut key, whereby the selection is made by pressing the touch screen with an object,

a step for detecting whether the object is raised from the touch screen at the position of the selected first shortcut key, and if the object is not raised at the position of the selected first shortcut key it further comprises

a step for detecting the movement of the object on the surface of the touch screen away from the position above the first shortcut key

a step for detecting whether the object is raised from the surface of the touch screen at the position of a second shortcut key and

a step where the contents of the first shortcut key and the second shortcut key are interchanged.

26. The application program according to claim 25, characterised in that it further comprises a step, in which the function connected to the first shortcut key is executed, if the object is raised from the touch screen at the position of the first shortcut key.

27. The application program according to claim 25, characterised in that it further comprises a step, where the shifting of the contents of the first shortcut key is cancelled, if the object is raised from the touch screen in an area, which is not defined to belong to a shortcut key.

28. The application program according to claim 27, characterised in that the contents of a shortcut key is a function defined to be executed by the shortcut key.

29. The application program according to claim 28, characterised in that it is arranged to be used in one of the following devices:

a cellular network terminal, a portable computer or a palm computer.

30. A computer program on a data storage means, characterised in that it comprises software means, whereby the use of these software means makes it possible to shift the contents of a first shortcut key and a second shortcut key on the display of an electronic device between each other by utilising the drag and drop method.