Event-driven graphical user interface for use in a touch-screen enabled handheld portable data terminal

• US 6,820,050 B2
• Filed: 03/29/2001
• Issued: 11/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Metrologic Instruments Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Donahue, Brett, Simmon, Arnulf
• Primary Examiner(s): Broda, Esq., Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, THAI Q
• Application Number:
  US09/821,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20020097273A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 703/2, 703/14, 703/24, 703/25, 703/26, 703/27, 345/169, 345/179, 345/182, 345/183, 709/230, 709/231, 709/234, 709/219
• US Class Current: 703/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/387 for adaptation of different data processing systems to different peripheral devices, e.g. protocol converters for incompatible systems, open system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2213/3814 Wireless link with a computer system port
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/20 for electronic clinical trials or questionnaires
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 10/60 for patient-specific data, e.g. for electronic patient records

Abstract

A graphical user interface for use in a handheld portable data terminal including a display screen and touch screen for sensing location of user contact. The graphical user interface includes a display sequence that displays multiple virtual regions on the display screen, wherein each virtual region corresponds to an event identifier. An event handler identifies one of the virtual regions that corresponds to the location of user contact sensed by the touch screen, determines a specific event identifier corresponding to the identified virtual region, and processes a predetermined sequence for the specific event identifier. The multiple virtual regions displayed on the display screen by the display routine preferably includes one of a virtual keypad for entering symbols associated with keys of the keypad, at least one scroll bar, at least one rolling key, multiple icons, a menu screen and a graphing screen. The predefined processing sequence associated with a given virtual region of the display screen is initiated by the user by contacting the associated virtual region. The predefined processing sequences may involve one of data entry operations, data communication operations, and code scan operations. The graphical user interface may also include a text input mechanism that enables the user to enter at least a portion of a desired text data, that automatically searches data stored in memory to retrieve text data closest to the portion of desired text data, and displays the retrieved text data on the display screen.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface for use in a handheld portable data terminal including a display screen and touch screen for sensing location of user contact, the graphical user interface comprising:

a display sequence displaying multiple virtual regions on the display screen, wherein each virtual region corresponds to an event identifier; and

an event handler for identifying one of the virtual regions that corresponds to the location of user contact sensed by the touch screen, determining a specific event identifier corresponding to the identified virtual region, and processing a predetermined sequence for the specific event identifier;

wherein said multiple virtual regions include a menu screen and a graphing screen, and

wherein each selection from said menu screen corresponds to a virtual region and an associated processing sequence.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein said multiple virtual regions comprise a virtual keypad for entering symbols associated with keys of the keypad.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein said multiple virtual regions comprise at least one scroll bar on said display screen.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein said multiple virtual regions comprise at least one scroll bar format and a rolling key format.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein each said virtual region corresponds to a predefined processing sequence which is initiated by the user by contacting the associated virtual region.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 5, wherein said predefined processing sequence involves one of a data entry operation, a data transmit operation that communicates data stored thereto to another computing device, and a code scan operation for data entry.

7. The graphical user interface of claim 5, wherein said code scan operations comprise optical bar code scanning operations.

8. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein said multiple virtual regions comprise multiple icons.

9. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further comprising a text input mechanism that enables the user to enter at least a portion of a desired text data, that automatically searches data stored in memory to retrieve text data closest to the portion of desired text data, and displays the retrieved text data on said display screen.