ON-SCREEN CURSOR NAVIGATION DELIMITING ON A HANDHELD COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20080163129A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/03/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Talukdar, Taneem, Lee, Matthew Richard, Butt, Fahd Sohail
• Granted Patent: US 8,635,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/859
• 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 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03549 Trackballs G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

Abstract

A handheld communication device and method for affecting movement of a highlighting cursor amongst an array of icons on a display screen is described. In an embodiment, the handheld communication device includes a lighted display, a keyboard and an auxiliary user input, e.g. a trackball, located essentially between the display and keyboard. The auxiliary user input is used to move the highlighting cursor from a first icon located on the display screen, to a second icon located on the display screen. In operation, the highlighting cursor is prevented from moving from a first row of icons to a successive second row of icons when a cross-wise directed force is applied to the auxiliary user input and the highlighted cursor has reached a terminal icon of the first row.

Claims

1. A handheld communication device capable of affecting movement of a highlighting cursor amongst an array of icons on a display screen of the handheld communication device, said handheld communication device comprising:

a display suitable for accommodating textual input to the handheld communication device; and

,

an auxiliary user input located essentially between the display and keyboard, said auxiliary user input affecting movement of the highlighting cursor from a first icon located on the display screen to a second icon located on the display screen, wherein said highlighting cursor is prevented from moving from a first row of icons to a successive second row of icons when a force having a substantially cross-wise directed component is asserted upon said auxiliary user input and said highlighted cursor has reached a terminal icon of said first row.

2. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary user input is a trackball.

3. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein movement of said highlighting cursor from said first row of icons to said successive second row of icons is accomplished by asserting a force upon said auxiliary user input having a substantially longitudinal directed component.

4. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, comprising an additional auxiliary input for moving said highlighting cursor from a first icon in a row of icons to a terminal icon in said first row of icons.

5. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 4, wherein said additional auxiliary input is disposed proximate a side of said device.

6. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, comprising an additional auxiliary input for moving said highlighting cursor from a first icon in a first row of icons to a second icon in a second row of icons.

7. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 6, wherein said additional auxiliary input is disposed proximate at least one of a top and bottom of a keyboard of said device.

8. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 1, wherein a commonly utilized icon is disposed at a predetermined location about said display screen of said device.

9. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein said commonly utilized icon is disposed at a corner location amongst said array of icons.

10. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein said commonly utilized icon is disposed along a side location amongst said array of icons.

11. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein a movement of said auxiliary user input, which movement satisfies predetermined criteria, directs said highlighting cursor to said commonly used icon.

12. The handheld communication device as recited in claim 8, wherein said predetermined criteria comprises at least one of an amount of force applied to said auxiliary user input and acceleration of said auxiliary user input.

13. A method for affecting movement of a cursor on a display screen of a handheld communication device from a first icon to a second icon amongst an array of icons, said method comprising:

asserting a force upon said auxiliary user input having a substantially cross-wise or length-wise directed component;

sensing movement of an auxiliary user input of the handheld communication device indicative of the user'"'"'s desire to affect movement of the cursor on the display screen of the handheld communication device;

determining whether said movement contains at least one of a substantially cross-wise component or a substantially lengthwise component;

affecting cross-wise movement of the highlighting cursor from said first icon in a first row of icons to a second icon in said first row of icons when said movement contains a substantially cross-wise component, said highlighted cursor prevented from moving from said first row of icons to a successive second row of icons when said highlighted cursor has reached a terminal icon of said first row.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said auxiliary user input comprises a trackball.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising affecting lengthwise movement of the highlighting cursor from said first icon in a first row of icons to a second icon in a second row of icons when said movement contains a substantially lengthwise-wise component.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a commonly utilized icon is disposed at a predetermined location about said display screen.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said commonly utilized icon is disposed at a corner location amongst said array of icons.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein movement of said auxiliary user input, which movement satisfies predetermined criteria, directs said highlighting cursor to said commonly used icon.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said predetermined criteria comprises at least one of an amount of force applied to said auxiliary user input and acceleration of said auxiliary user input.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein an additional auxiliary input affects movement of said highlighting cursor to said predetermined location.