LIST-POSITION LOCATOR

• US 20090249252A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Lundy, Michael T., Annan, Brandon Christopher, Van Orden, Mathew Jay
• Granted Patent: US 8,627,231 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/817
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72484 wherein functions are triggered by incoming communication events
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A method, system, and medium are provided for efficiently locating a desired item within an ordered list of items, such as a list of contacts, pictures, or football teams. An illustrative method includes presenting a selectable option on a mobile device'"'"'s display, presenting a positional indicator on the display when the selectable option has been selected that indicates to the user its position within the ordered list of items, and if the selectable option is moved, dynamically indicating the positional indicator'"'"'s position among the list of items. The selection of the selectable option may be made by any object, such as a finger or stylus. Further, releasing the selection of the selectable option, such as removing the object used from the display, allows for a display of an item in the ordered list of items that corresponds to the position of the positional indicator.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of reaching a position in an ordered list of items on a display that are stored in a mobile communications device, the method comprising:

presenting a selectable option on a display of the mobile communications device, wherein the selectable option is selectable by way of a touch action to the selectable option;

incident to receiving an indication that the selectable option is selected, presenting a positional indicator that indicates a current position within the list;

incident to moving the selectable option in a first dimension, the positional indicator indicating a position among the items such that reversing the touch action will cause an item in the list to be presented, wherein the item is categorized in the list at a position consistent with the positional indicator.

2. The media of claim 1, wherein a length or width of the positional indicator is greater than a majority of a length or width of the display.

3. The media of claim 1, further comprising:

dimming a majority of the display, other than the positional indicator, incident to presenting the positional indicator.

4. The media of claim 1, wherein the ordered list of items, as displayed incident to receiving an indication that the selectable option is selected, remains constant until the touch action is reversed.

5. The media of claim 1, wherein the item comprises a subset list of items.

6. The media of claim 5, further comprising:

incident to receiving an indication that the selectable option is selected by way of the touch action, presenting the positional indicator that indicates a current position among the subset list of items.

7. The media of claim 6, further comprising:

incident to moving the selectable option in a second dimension, the positional indicator indicating a position among the subset list of items such that reversing the touch action will cause an item in the subset list to be presented, wherein the item is categorized in the subset list at a position consistent with the positional indicator.

8. The media of claim 1, wherein the item that is presented is a first item in a category of items represented by the position of the positional indicator at the time that the touch action is reversed.

9. A mobile communications device that includes the computer-useable instructions of claim 1.

10. One or more computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of reaching a position in an ordered list of items that are stored in a mobile communications device having a display, the method comprising:

presenting a selectable option on a touchscreen of the mobile communications device, wherein the selectable option can be interacted with via the touchscreen, and wherein the selectable option is selectable via a touch action to the selectable option; and

as the selectable option is moved in a first direction, presenting a positional indicator that indicates a corresponding position within the ordered list,

wherein the positional indicator is of a size having a length and a width, referred to herein as a positional-indicator length and a positional-indicator width,

wherein the positional indicator is presented on the display, which has a length and a width, referred to herein as a display length and a display width, and

wherein the size of the positional indicator is characterized by one or more of the following;

the positional-indicator length consumes a majority of the display length; and

the positional-indicator width consumes a majority of the display width.

11. The media of claim 10, further comprising:

incident to moving the selectable option in the first direction, the positional indicator indicating a position among the items such that reversing the touch action causes an item in the list to be presented, wherein the item is categorized in the list at a position consistent with the positional indicator.

12. The media of claim 10, further comprising:

incident to presenting the positional indicator, gradually dimming a portion of the display other than the positional indicator.

13. The media of claim 10, wherein the ordered list of items, as displayed incident to receiving an indication that the selectable option is selected, remains constant until the touch action is reversed.

14. The media of claim 11, wherein the item comprises a subset list of items.

15. The media of claim 14, further comprising:

incident to receiving an indication that the selectable option is selected by way of the touch action, presenting the positional indicator that indicates a current position within the subset list of items; and

incident to moving the selectable option in a second direction, the positional indicator indicating a position among the subset list of items such that reversing the touch action will cause an item in the subset list to be presented, wherein the item is categorized in the subset list at a position consistent with the positional indicator.

16. The media of claim 11, wherein the item that is presented is a first item within a plurality of items corresponding to the position of the positional indicator incident to the touch action being reversed.

17. A mobile communications device that includes the computer-useable instructions of claim 10.

18. A mobile communications device comprising:

a first storage component that stores a list of items that can be organized consistent with an ordered list;

a touchscreen, that receives input by way of touch actions, and that presents a user interface; and

a set of computer-useable instructions embodied in a second storage component that provides for a presentation of a selectable option that, when motivated to be moved within the user interface, causes a presentation of a positional indicator to be presented on the user interface, wherein the positional indicator indicates a position corresponding to a location within the list of items, and wherein at least a length or width of the positional indicator is greater than a majority of a length or width of the user interface.

19. The mobile communications device of claim 18, wherein reversing the touch action causes an item in the list of items to be presented, and wherein the item is categorized in the list of items at a position consistent with the positional indicator.

20. The mobile communications device of claim 18, wherein the first storage component is the same as the second storage component.