Extendable Toolbar for Navigation and Execution of Operational Functions

• US 20090113333A1
• Filed: 10/26/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dellinger, Richard, Finkelstein, Jeffrey, Crowley, Matthew W.
• Application Number:
  US11/925,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20090113333A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/771
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1671 Special purpose buttons or auxiliary keyboards, e.g. retractable mini keypads, keypads or buttons that remain accessible at closed laptop G06F1/1666 takes precedence
• 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 3/0338 with detection of limited linear or angular displacement of an operating part of the device from a neutral position, e.g. isotonic or isometric joysticks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• 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: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A navigation and execution mechanism for a computing device includes a navigation interface and a toolbar. The navigation mechanism includes a center selectable switch bounded by first and second selectable switches opposite each other and third and fourth selectable switches opposite each other and adjacent to the first and the second selectable switches. The toolbar is displayed on a screen of the computing device in response to execution of an application within the computing device. The toolbar is configured to display a set of operations corresponding to the application, the toolbar further configured to execute a first operation in response to triggering the center selectable switch, a second operation in response to triggering the first selectable switch, a third operation in response to triggering the second selectable switch. Further, the toolbar is extendable to include two additional toolbars accessible directly through the a single action of the navigation mechanism.

Claims

1. A navigation and execution mechanism for a computing device comprising:

a navigation interface, the navigation mechanism having a center selectable switch bounded by a first and a second selectable switches opposite each other and a third and a fourth selectable switches opposite each other and adjacent to the first and the second selectable switches;

a toolbar displayed on a screen of the computing device in response to execution of an application within the computing device, the toolbar configured to display a set of operations corresponding to the application, the toolbar further configured to execute a first operation in response to triggering the center selectable switch, a second operation in response to triggering the first selectable switch, a third operation in response to triggering the second selectable switch.

2. The navigation and execution system of claim 1, further comprising a second toolbar having a second set of triggerable operations, the second toolbar displayed in response to triggering the third selectable switch when the toolbar is displayed, from the second set of triggerable operations the second toolbar further configured to execute a first operation in response to triggering the center selectable switch, a second operation in response to triggering the first selectable switch, and a third operation in response to triggering the second selectable switch.

3. The navigation and execution system of claim 2, further comprising a third toolbar having a third set of triggerable operations, the third toolbar displayed in response to triggering the fourth selectable switch when the toolbar is displayed, from the third set of triggerable operations the third toolbar further configured to execute a first operation in response to triggering the center selectable switch, a second operation in response to triggering the first selectable switch, a third operation in response to triggering the second selectable switch.

4. The navigation and execution system of claims 3, wherein the control parameters and a template for the toolbar are stored in a system database and retrieved by the application further in response to execution of the application.

5. The navigation and execution system of claim 4, wherein the application comprises one of an audio application, a video application, and an image viewer application.

6. The navigation and execution system of claim 4, wherein the application comprises one of a phone application.

7. The navigation and execution system of claim 3, wherein the first selectable switch is a left selectable switch, the second selectable switch is a right selectable switch, the third selectable switch is an up selectable switch and the fourth selectable switch is a down selectable switch.

8. A mobile computing device including a navigation and execution mechanism, the mobile computing device comprising:

a navigation interface, the navigation mechanism having a center selectable switch bounded by a first and a second selectable switches opposite each other and a third and a fourth selectable switches opposite each other and adjacent to the first and the second selectable switches;

a toolbar manager configured to store a plurality of toolbars for use with a plurality of applications, each toolbar displayable on a screen of the computing device in response to execution of an application within the computing device, each toolbar configured to display a set of operations corresponding to the application, at least one toolbar further configured to execute a first operation in response to triggering the center selectable switch, a second operation in response to triggering the first selectable switch, a third operation in response to triggering the second selectable switch.

9. The mobile computing system of claim 8, further comprising a second toolbar having a second set of triggerable operations, the second toolbar displayed in response to triggering the third selectable switch when the toolbar is displayed, from the second set of triggerable operations the second toolbar further configured to execute a first operation in response to triggering the center selectable switch, a second operation in response to triggering the first selectable switch, and a third operation in response to triggering the second selectable switch.

10. The mobile computing system of claim 9, further comprising a third toolbar having a third set of triggerable operations, the third toolbar displayed in response to triggering the fourth selectable switch when the toolbar is displayed, from the third set of triggerable operations the third toolbar further configured to execute a first operation in response to triggering the center selectable switch, a second operation in response to triggering the first selectable switch, a third operation in response to triggering the second selectable switch.

11. The mobile computing system of claim 8, wherein the first selectable switch is a left selectable switch, the second selectable switch is a right selectable switch, the third selectable switch is an up selectable switch and the fourth selectable switch is a down selectable switch.

12. The mobile computing system of claim 11, wherein the application comprises one of an audio application, a video application, and an image viewer application.

13. The mobile computing system of claim 11, wherein the application comprises one of a phone application.

14. A computer readable medium storing instructions thereon, the instructions when executed by a processor cause the processor to:

execute an application;

retrieve a toolbar set corresponding to the application, the toolbar set comprising a plurality of discrete toolbars;

display for view the a primary toolbar of the plurality of discrete toolbars, the remainder of the plurality of toolbars initially hidden from view;

receive a trigger signal corresponding to display of a second toolbar; and

remove the primary toolbar from view and display for view the second toolbar of the plurality of toolbars in response to the received trigger signal.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, further comprising instructions that cause the processor to

receive a trigger signal corresponding to display of the primary toolbar;

and

remove the second toolbar from view and display for view the primary toolbar in response to the received trigger signal.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the received trigger signal corresponds to trigger of a switch along a positive y-axis in an x-y plane.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the received trigger signal corresponds to trigger of a switch along a negative y-axis in an x-y plane.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the view of at least one toolbar of the plurality of toolbars displayed includes at least one function hidden from view on the screen and wherein the instructions further comprise instructions that cause the processor to receive a trigger signal to access the at least one function hidden from the view.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the received trigger signal corresponds to trigger of a switch along a positive x-axis in an x-y plane.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the received trigger signal corresponds to trigger of a switch along a negative x-axis in an x-y plane.