Navigation graphical interface for small screen devices

• US 6,606,082 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1998
• Issued: 08/12/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: DuVal, Cynthia, Rabelos, Benjamin N., Zuberec, Sarah E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Saras, Steven
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alphonse, Fritz
• Application Number:
  US09/191,046
• Time in Patent Office: 1,734 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/160, 345/157, 345/168, 345/169, 345/173, 340/990, 340/995
• US Class Current: 345/156
• 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

Abstract

An electronic device has a small-area screen to display items from a navigatable set of items and an input mechanisms (e.g., keys, joystick, spin dial, etc.) that enable a user to navigate through the navigatable items. An operator interface includes a navigation glyph having multiple elements that correspond to actions of the input mechanism. Different sets of the navigation glyph elements are illuminated to indicate which user-actions on the input mechanism are presently available to navigate from a current location to another location in the navigatable set of items.

Claims

1. An electronics device, comprising:

an input mechanism that enables a user to enter multiple different navigation commands;

a screen comprising a display area for displaying no more than three lines of alphanumeric characters;

a processing unit coupled to the input mechanism and the screen, the processing unit displaying on the screen a current item from a navigatable set of items and in response to navigation commands entered via the input mechanism, changing to a new item in the navigatable set; and

a navigation glyph for presentation on the screen, the navigation glyph comprising individual elements that are selectively displayed, on the screen to indicate which of the different navigation commands are available for entry via the input mechanism to navigate from the current item to the new item, only the navigational glyph elements that are selectively displayed being presented, each selectively displayed navigation glyph element representing a respective navigation command that can be expected to presently assist in navigation through one or more of the navigatable items.

2. An electronics device as recited in claim 1, wherein the input mechanism comprises individual keys and the navigation glyph comprises individual elements that are selectively illuminated to represent which of the keys are available to navigate from the current item to the new item.

3. A vehicle computer system comprising:

a computer;

an open platform operating system executing on the computer, the operating system being configured to support multiple applications;

an operator interface that is mountable for viewing by an operator, the operator interface presenting navigatable items from a hierarchical list supported by at least one of the operating system or an application, the operator interface comprising presentation area for displaying only one or two alphanumeric lines of information;

an input mechanism to enable a user to navigate through the navigatable items on the operator interface; and

a navigation glyph presented on the operator interface, the navigation glyph having multiple elements that correspond to actions of the input mechanism that cause navigation through the navigatable items, the navigation glyph illuminating different sets of the elements to indicate which actions of the input mechanism are presently available to navigate through the navigatable items, only illuminated navigational glyph elements being presented on the operator interface.

4. A vehicle computer as rested in claim 3, wherein the input mechanism comprises individual keys and the navigation glyph comprises individual elements that are selectively illumainated to represent which of the keys are available to navigate through the navigatable items.

5. An operator interface for an electronic device, the electronic device having an input mechanism that enables a user to enter navigation commands, comprising:

a screen to display at least one current item from a navigatable set of items; and

a navigation glyph presented on the screen, the navigation glyph comprising individual elements that are selectively illuminated to indicate which of the navigation commands are presently available for entry via the input mechanism to navigate from the current item on the screen to another item, only individually illuminated navigational glyph elements being presented on the operator interface.

6. An operator interface as recited in claim 5, wherein the navigation glypl comprises individual elements representing direction and entry functions provided by the input mechanism.

7. An operator interface as recited in claim 6, wherein the elements representing direction are a first color and the element representing entry is a second color different than the first color.

8. A method for operating a visual interface in an electronics device, the electronic device having an input mechanism that enables a user to enter navigation commands, comprising the following steps:

determining a current location within a navigatable set of items;

presenting a first permutation of a navigational glyph on the visual interface, the navigational glyph comprising a plurality of individual elements, the first permutation comprising a first set of selected ones of the individual elements, the first permutation representing corresponding actions of the input mechanism that cause navigation from a current location to another location in the navigatable set of items;

receiving a navigation command as a result of user actuation of the input mechanism, the.navigation command causing a change from the current location to a new location in the navigatable set of items; and

presenting a second permutation of the navigational glyph on the visual interface, the second permutation comprising a second set of selected ones of the individual elements, the first set not being equivalent to the second set, the second permutation only representing corresponding actions of the input mechanism that can presently cause navigation from the new location to another location in the navigatable set of items.

9. A method as recited in claim presenting step 8, wherein the first and second permutations of the navigation glyph comprise sets of one or more elements, and the presenting step comprises the step of selectively illuminating ones of the elements.

10. A method as recited in claim presenting step 8, wherein the first and second permutations of the navigation glyph comprise sets of one or more elements, and the presenting step comprises the step of illuminating the elements in two different colors.

11. A method for operating a visual interface in an electronics device, the electronic device having an input mechanism that enables a user to enter navigation commands, comprising the following steps:

determining a current location within a navigatable set of items;

evaluating whether navigation in a left direction from the current location is possible and if so, activating a corresponding element in a navigation glyph that represents actuation of the input mechanism to cause navigation in the left direction;

evaluating whether navigation in an up direction from the current location is possible and if so, activating a corresponding element in a navigation glyph that represents actuation of the input mechanism to cause navigation in the up direction;

evaluating whether navigation in a right direction from the current location is possible and if so, activating a corresponding element in a navigation glyph that represents actuation of the input mechanism to cause navigation in the right direction;

evaluating whether navigation in a down direction from the current location is possible and if so, activating a corresponding element in a navigation glyph that represents actuation of the input mechanism to cause navigation in the down direction;

evaluating whether an enter operation can be performed from the current location and if so, activating a corresponding element in a navigation glyph that represents actuation of the input mechanism to facilitate the enter operation, the enter operation causing an action corresponding to a navigable item with focus at the current location; and

displaying, with respect to the navigation glyph, only activated elements of the navigation glyph, each activated element representing a presently available navigation command, which if selected by a user will cause navigation through one or more of the navigable items.

12. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions for implementing an operator interface in an electronic device, the electronic device having an input mechanism that enables a user to enter navigation commands, the instructions being executable to perform steps comprising:

determining a current location within a navigatable set of items;

presenting a first permutation of a navigational glyph comprising a plurality of individual elements on the visual interface, the first permutation comprising a first set of selected ones of the individual elements, the first permutation representing corresponding actions of the input mechanism that cause navigation from a current location to another location in the navigatable set of items;

receiving a navigation command as a result of user actuation of the input mechanism, the navigation command causing a change from the current location to a new location in the navigatable set of items; and

presenting a second permutation of the navigational glyph on the visual interface, the second permutation comprising a second set of selected ones of the individual elements, the first set not being equivalent to the second set, the second permutation only representing corresponding actions of the input mechanism that can presently cause navigation from the new location to another location in the navigatable set of items.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing a navigation glyph and instructions for presenting permutations of the navigation glyph on an operator interface of an electronic device, the electronic device having an input mechanism that enables a user to enter navigation commands, comprising:

multiple glyph elements representing corresponding actions of the input mechanism that cause navigation through a set of navigatable items; and

instructions to selectively illuminate individual ones of the glyph elements to represent which actions of the input mechanism are presently appropriate to navigation from a current location to another location within the navigatable items, only illuminated glyph elements being presented on the operator interface.