SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SCROLLING THROUGH A LIST

• US 20090049407A1
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Published: 02/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Casto, Paul D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,937,672 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/828
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A system and method for scrolling through a list uses control and display algorithms for scrolling through a long list of text strings. The control algorithm interfaces to the user via a rate-based scheme to switch the display through various levels of abstraction where higher levels of abstraction are displayed “in-situ” on the single-line display. These higher levels of abstraction display as starting characters or words that are common to a group of entries in the alphabetized list. Multiple levels of abstraction are supported, where lower levels of abstraction are displayed as longer strings of characters, representing smaller groups of entries in the given list of text strings. Higher levels of abstraction are displayed as shorter character strings. The rate of user movement is detected for the display to change to a previous or next item in the list if below a predetermined threshold while increasing the abstraction level if the user rapidly selects different options.

Claims

1. A method for scrolling through a list in an electronic device comprising the steps of:

providing a display having a single line of alphanumeric text for displaying one entry of an alphabetized list; and

replacing the display with a text phrase representing a cluster of items in the alphabetized list when the user requests a higher level of abstraction such that the text phase consists of at least one character that forms a common starting phrase of the group of alphabetized entries of which the currently displayed entry is a member.

2. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing a condition indicator for alerting the user that the display is only a partial representation of a group of entries.

3. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 2, wherein the condition indicator is a terminating character string.

4. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 3, wherein the terminating character string is represented by the symbols “

. . . ”

.

5. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 1, further including the step of:

navigating though multiple levels of abstraction using a control algorithm such that each higher level of abstraction displays shorter text strings which represent a larger number of individual entries in the original list of text strings.

6. A method for scrolling through a list in an electronic device including the steps of:

providing a display having a single line of alphanumeric text for displaying one entry of an alphabetized list;

replacing the display with a text phrase representing a cluster of items in the alphabetized list when the user requests a higher level of abstraction such that the text phase consists of at least one character that forms a common starting phrase of the group of alphabetized entries of which the currently displayed entry is a member; and

utilizing a rate-based control algorithm such that if a user advances through the alphabetized list at a rate faster than a predetermined value the level of abstraction is increased by one or if at a slower rate than a predetermined value the displayed is changed to the next or next item in the alphabetized list; and

updating the display using a common starting phrase of the group of alphabetized entries of which the current displayed entry or cluster is a member.

7. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 6, wherein the predetermined value can be selected by the user.

8. A method for scrolling through a list in an electronic device as in claim 6, further comprising the step of:

allowing the user to manually select a higher level of abstraction on the current entry/cluster displayed.

9. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 6, further comprising the step of:

providing a condition indicator for alerting the user that the display is only a partial representation of a group of entries.

10. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 9, wherein the condition indicator is a terminating character string.

11. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 10, wherein the terminating character string is represented by the symbols “

. . . ”

.

12. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 6, further including the step of:

navigating though multiple levels of abstraction using a control algorithm such that each higher level of abstraction displays shorter text strings which represent a larger number of individual entries in the original list of text strings.

13. A method for scrolling through a list in an electronic device including the steps of:

providing a display having a single line of alphanumeric text for displaying one entry of an alphabetized list;

replacing the display with a text phrase representing a cluster of items in the alphabetized list when the user requests a higher level of abstraction such that the text phase consists of at least one character that forms a common starting phrase of the group of alphabetized entries of which the currently displayed entry is a member;

utilizing a rate-based control algorithm such that if a user advances through the alphabetized list at a rate faster than a predetermined value, the level of abstraction is increased by one or if at a slower rate than a predetermined value the displayed is changed to the previous or next item in the alphabetized list;

updating the display using a common starting phrase of the group of alphabetized entries of which the current displayed entry or cluster is a member; and

reducing the abstraction level of the display if the user does not scroll a displayed entry for a predetermined period.

14. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 13, further comprising the step of:

reducing the displayed text string until the text string gets progressively shorter until it is a single character.

15. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 13, wherein the predetermined value can be selected by the user.

16. A method for scrolling through a list in an electronic device as in claim 13, further comprising the step of:

allowing the user to manually select a higher level of abstraction on the current entry displayed.

17. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 13, further comprising the step of:

providing a condition indicator for alerting the user that the display is only a partial representation of a group of entries.

18. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 17, wherein the condition indicator is a terminating character string.

19. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 18, wherein the terminating character string is represented by the symbols “

. . . ”

.

20. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 13, further including the step of:

navigating though multiple levels of abstraction using a control algorithm such that each higher level of abstraction displays shorter text strings which represent a larger number of individual entries in the original list of text strings.

21. A method for scrolling through a list in an electronic device including the steps of:

determining if there is any user input for the electronic device;

decreasing an abstraction level of the list if there is no user input;

changing an abstraction level as requested if there is user input;

displaying the selection in the list;

determining the rate of movement of the user input;

changing the display to a previous or subsequent item in the list if the rate of movement is below a predetermined threshold; and

increasing the abstraction level by one if the user input rate is above a predetermined threshold.

22. A method for scrolling through a list as in claim 21, wherein the step of changing the abstraction level includes the step of;

displaying a common starting phrase of a word group and identification symbols for indicating the presence of a word group when the abstraction level is increased; and

displaying the full text of the current selection in the word group when the abstraction level is decreased to the lowest level.