ENTERING AN OBJECT INTO A MOBILE TERMINAL

• US 20090327966A1
• Filed: 06/30/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Paajanen, Timo
• Application Number:
  US12/164,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327966A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

A mobile terminal for entering an object from a set of objects into the mobile terminal. The mobile terminal can include: a display configured to display, in a first display state, a display area that is divided into a plurality of individually selectable fields that are arranged in a first matrix pattern, and further configured to display, within each of the individually selectable fields of only one of the rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a plurality of objects such that all the objects together form a second matrix pattern, wherein each of the individually selectable fields represent a particular object having a position within the second matrix pattern which corresponds to the position of the individually selectable field within the first matrix pattern; and an input device configured to determine a position of a pointer with respect to the plurality of individually selectable fields, wherein the pointer is moveable to either of the individually selectable fields for selection of the object represented by the selected field. A corresponding method, computer program product and user interface are also presented.

Claims

1. A method for entering an object from a set of objects into a mobile terminal, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of the mobile terminal, a display area that is divided into a plurality of individually selectable fields that are arranged in a first matrix pattern having rows and columns;

presenting in a first display state, within each of the individually selectable fields of only one of the rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a plurality of objects such that all the objects together form a second matrix pattern having rows and columns, wherein each of the individually selectable fields represent a particular object having a position within the second matrix pattern which corresponds to the position of the individually selectable field within the first matrix pattern;

moving a pointer to either of the individually selectable fields for thereby selecting the object represented by the selected field.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising performing an entry into the mobile terminal of the selected object.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns and, likewise, the second matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns, and wherein m and n are integers.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the object is a graphical character.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object is associated with software code and the method further comprises invoking the software code of the selected object associated with the software code.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said invoking software code involves invoking software code for allowing movement to a second display state, which is different from the first display state.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the object is a subset of individual objects and the step of moving comprises moving the pointer to either of the individually selectable fields for thereby selecting the subset of individual objects represented by the selected field, and the method further comprising, in response thereto:

presenting in a second display state, within each of the individually selectable fields of said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, an individual object such that all the individual objects of the selected subset of individual objects together form, within said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a row or column corresponding to the row or column of the selected subset of individual objects, wherein each of the individually selectable fields of said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern represent a particular individual object having a position within the row or column of the selected subset of individual objects which corresponds to the position of the individually selectable field within the said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern; and

moving a pointer to either of the individually selectable fields of said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern for selection of the individual object represented by the selected field.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

performing an entry into the mobile terminal of the selected individual object.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns and, likewise, the second matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns, and wherein m and n are integers.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein the set of individual objects is a set of graphical characters arranged in a row or column.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein an individual object is an individual graphical character.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein an individual object is associated with software code and the method further comprises invoking the software code of the selected individual object associated with the software code.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein said invoking software code involves invoking software code for allowing movement to a third display state, which is different from the first and second display states.

14. A computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed in a controller of a mobile terminal, performs the method according to claim 1.

15. A mobile terminal for entering an object from a set of objects into the mobile terminal, comprising:

a display operative to display, in a first display state, a display area that is divided into a plurality of individually selectable fields that are arranged in a first matrix pattern having rows and columns, and further operative to display, within each of the individually selectable fields of only one of the rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a plurality of objects such that all the objects together form a second matrix pattern having rows and columns, wherein each of the individually selectable fields represent a particular object having a position within the second matrix pattern which corresponds to the

position of the individually selectable field within the first matrix pattern; and

an input device operative to determine a position of a pointer with respect to the plurality of individually selectable fields, wherein the pointer is moveable to either of the individually selectable fields for selection of the object represented by the selected field.

16. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein the input device is configured to perform an entry into the mobile terminal of the selected object.

17. The mobile terminal according to claim 16, wherein the first matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns and, likewise, the second matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns, and wherein m and n are integers.

18. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein the object is a graphical character.

19. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein the object is associated with software code and a controller of the mobile terminal is operative to invoke the software code of the selected object associated with the software code.

20. The mobile terminal according to claim 19, wherein said controller of the mobile terminal is configured to invoke said invoking software code for allowing movement to a second display state, which is different from the first display state.

21. The mobile terminal according to claim 15, wherein the object is a subset of individual objects, and wherein

the input device is further configured to determine a position of a pointer with respect to the plurality of individually selectable fields, for in dependence of the position of the pointer causing the display to display in a second display state, within each of the individually selectable fields of said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, an individual object of the selected subset of individual objects such that all the individual objects of the selected subset of individual objects together form, within said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a row or column corresponding to the row or column of the selected subset of individual objects, wherein each of the individually selectable fields of said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern represent a particular individual object having a position within the row or column of the selected subset of individual objects which corresponds to the position of the individually selectable fields within the said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern;

and wherein

the pointer is further moveable to a either of the individually selectable fields for selection of the individual object represented by the selected field.

22. The mobile terminal according to claim 21, wherein the input device is configured to perform an entry into the mobile terminal of the selected individual object.

23. The mobile terminal according to claim 22, wherein the first matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns and, likewise, the second matrix pattern is a m×

n matrix with m number of rows and n number columns, and wherein m and n are integers.

24. The mobile terminal according to claim 22, wherein the set of individual objects is a set of graphical characters arranged in a row or column.

25. The mobile terminal according to claim 24, wherein an individual object is an individual graphical character.

26. The mobile terminal according to claim 21, wherein an individual object is associated with software code and a controller of the mobile terminal is configured to invoke the software code of the selected object associated with the software code.

27. The mobile terminal according to claim 26, wherein said controller of the mobile terminal is configured to invoke said invoking software code for allowing movement to a third display state, which is different from the first and second display states.

28. A user interface for entering an object from a set of objects into a mobile terminal, comprising:

a display configured to display, in a first display state, a display area that is divided into a plurality of individually selectable fields that are arranged in a first matrix pattern having rows and columns, and further configured to display, within each of the individually selectable fields of only one of the rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a plurality of objects such that all the objects together form a second matrix pattern having rows and columns, wherein each of the individually selectable fields represent a particular object having a position within the second matrix pattern which corresponds to the position of the individually selectable field within the first matrix pattern; and

an input device configured to determine a position of a pointer with respect to the plurality of individually selectable fields, wherein the pointer is moveable to either of the individually selectable fields for selection of the object represented by the selected field.

29. A user interface for entering an object from a set of objects into a mobile terminal, comprising:

a display configured to display, in a first display state, a display area that is divided into a plurality of individually selectable fields that are arranged in a first matrix pattern having rows and columns, and further operative to display, within each of the individually selectable fields of only one of the rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a plurality of subset of objects such that all the subsets of objects together form a second matrix pattern having rows and columns, wherein each of the individually selectable fields represent a particular subset of objects having a position within the second matrix pattern which corresponds to the position of the individually selectable field within the first matrix pattern; and

an input device configured to determine a position of a pointer with respect to the plurality of individually selectable fields, for in dependence of the position of the pointer causing the display to display in a second display state, within each of the individually selectable fields of said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, an individual object such that all the individual objects of the selected subset of objects together form, within said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern, a row or column corresponding to the row or column of the selected subset of objects, wherein each of the individually selectable fields of said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern represent a particular individual object having a position within the row or column of the selected subset of objects which corresponds to the position of the individually selectable fields within the said only one of said rows or columns of the first matrix pattern; and

wherein

the pointer is moveable to a either of the individually selectable fields for selection of the subset of objects or individual object represented by the selected field.