SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR INSERTING A GRAPHIC OBJECT IN TO A TEXT BASED MESSAGE

• US 20100031184A1
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Gerhard D. Klassen, Lawrence Edward Kuhl
• Inventors: Kuhl, Lawrence Edward, Klassen, Gerhard Dietrich
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,756 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/773
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0238 Programmable keyboards key guide holders G06F3/0224
• 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 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/126 Character encoding
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72436 for text messaging, e.g. short messaging services [SMS] or e-mails

Abstract

A system and method for selecting graphic objects to insert in a text message when composed on a wireless device, each of the graphic objects representing a set of individual alphanumeric characters. The system comprises an object table for display on a user interface of the device, such that the table is configured for including a first object of the graphic objects associated with a first predefined input and a second object of the graphic objects associated with a second predefined input. The first input is different from the second input. The system also has a first input event component for coupling to the user interface such that the first input event component is configured for mapping to the first predefined input. The system also has a second input event component for coupling to the user interface such that the second input event component is configured for mapping to the second predefined input, the first input event component being different from the second input event component. A user of the device selects one of the graphic objects from the table by employing the respective one of the input event components mapped to the predefined input associated with the graphic object in the table.

Claims

1-19. -19. (canceled)

20. A wireless device comprising:

a first input event component executing a first input event and a second input event;

a user interface displaying a symbol table in response to the first input event, the symbol table comprising a plurality of individual alphanumeric character selections;

the user interface displaying an object table in response to the second input event, the object table comprising a plurality of graphic objects and a plurality of predefined inputs, each of the plurality of predefined inputs associated with each of the plurality of graphic objects; and

a second input event component executing a third input event, the third input event mapped to one of the plurality of predefined inputs;

wherein the third input event selects a graphic object associated with the predefined input from the plurality of graphic objects and inserts the selected graphic object in a message.

21. The wireless device of claim 20, wherein the plurality of graphic objects is selected from the group consisting of:

emoticons;

abbreviated text strings;

icons;

predefined groups of alphanumeric characters and a combination thereof.

22. The wireless device of claim 21, wherein the alphanumeric characters are selected from the group consisting of ASCII characters, Unicode characters, and a combination thereof.

23. The wireless device of claim 20 wherein the first input event component is an input key of a keyboard of the user interface.

24. The wireless device of claim 20, wherein the third input event is executed through a voice command of the user interface.

25. The wireless device of claim 20, wherein the first and second input event components are different input keys of a keyboard.

26. The wireless device of claim 20, wherein the symbol table is a first symbol table of plurality of symbol tables and wherein the first input event comprises a series of events causing each of the plurality of symbol tables to be displayed.

27. A wireless device comprising:

a first input event component executing a first input event to enter a first mode, wherein in the first mode a symbol table is displayed on a user interface of the wireless device, the symbol table comprising a plurality of individual alphanumeric character selections;

the first input event component further executing a second input event to enter a second mode, wherein in the second mode an object table is displayed on the user interface of the wireless device, the object table comprising a plurality of graphic objects and a plurality of predefined inputs, each of the plurality of predefined inputs associated with one of the plurality of the graphic objects;

wherein one of the predefined inputs is used, through an execution of a third input event, to insert the graphic object associated with the one of the plurality of predefined input in a message.

28. The wireless device of claim 27, wherein the plurality of graphic objects is selected from the group consisting of:

emoticons;

abbreviated text strings;

icons;

predefined groups of alphanumeric characters, and a combination thereof.

29. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein the alphanumeric characters are selected from the group consisting of ASCII characters and Unicode characters, and a combination thereof.

30. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein the first input event is executed through an input key of a keyboard of the user interface.

31. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein the third input event is executed through a voice command of the user interface.

32. The wireless device of claim 31, wherein the voice command is displayed in the object table.

33. The wireless device of claim 28, wherein the message is configured for sending to a remote message server.

34. The wireless device of claim 33, wherein the selected graphic object in the message is translated to an equivalent string of the individual alphanumeric characters represented by the selected graphic object.

35. The wireless device of claim 33, wherein the message is transmitted to a server selected from the group consisting of:

an email server;

an instant messaging server; and

a short message service server.

36. A method for selecting graphic objects to insert in a message when composed on a wireless device, the method comprising:

executing a first input event using a first input component to enter a first mode, wherein in the first mode a symbol table is displayed on a user interface of the wireless device, the symbol table comprising a plurality of individual alphanumeric character selections;

executing a second input event using the first input component to enter a second mode, wherein in the second mode an object table is displayed on the user interface of the wireless device, the object table comprising a plurality of graphic objects and a plurality of predefined inputs, each of the plurality of predefined inputs associated with one of the plurality of the graphic objects;

executing a third input event using one of the predefined inputs to insert the graphic object associated with the one of the plurality of predefined input in the message.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the plurality of graphic objects is selected from the group consisting of:

emoticons;

abbreviated text strings;

icons;

predefined groups of alphanumeric characters, and a combination thereof.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the alphanumeric characters are selected from the group consisting of ASCII characters and Unicode characters, and a combination thereof.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the first input event is executed through an input key of a keyboard of the user interface.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the third input event is executed through a voice command of the user interface.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the voice command is displayed in the object table.

42. The method of claim 36, wherein the message is configured for sending to a remote message server.

43. The method of claim 42, further comprising translating the selected graphic object in the message to an equivalent string of the individual alphanumeric characters represented by the selected graphic object.

44. The method of claim 42, further comprising transmitting the message to a server selected from the group consisting of:

an email server;

an instant messaging server; and

a short message service server.