Navigating through a menu of a handheld computer using a keyboard

• US 6,957,397 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2001
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Jeffrey C., Kruglikov, Vitaly, Rees, William B., Haitani, Robert Y., Chyi, Debbie O.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TING ZHOU
• Application Number:
  US09/976,333
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 345/864, 345/157, 345/169, 345/168, 345/810, 455/3.01, 455/557, 715/856, 715/864, 715/810
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/575 Means for retrieving and displaying personal data about calling party
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72433 for voice messaging, e.g. dictaphones for answering incoming calls H04M1/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/16 including more than one display unit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/60 logging of communication history, e.g. outgoing or incoming calls, missed calls, messages or URLs logging of telephone numbers H04M1/56, H04M1/57

Abstract

A technique to navigate through one or more menus of a handheld computer is disclosed. In one embodiment, the technique uses a handheld device having a first button to cause a cursor to navigate through a plurality of menu items and to highlight a desired menu item. The device also has a second button to cause the cursor to navigate through a plurality of menus when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a first menu item, and to cause the cursor to highlight a previous menu item when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item.

Claims

1. A handheld device for navigating among a plurality of menus and within individual menus, each menu comprising at least one menu item, the device comprising:

a first button to cause a cursor to navigate within a menu when no selection command has been received for the menu and to highlight a desired menu item within the menu; and

a second button, wherein;

when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus, the second button causes the cursor to navigate from one menu to another; and

when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus, and no selection command has been received for the menu, the second button causes the cursor to navigate within the menu.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a third button to cause the device to display the plurality of menus.

3. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

an execute button to execute the highlighted item.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the highlighted item is a telephone number.

5. The device of claim 4 further comprising:

a button to dial the telephone number.

6. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the first button is a scroll-up button.

7. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the second button is a scroll-down button.

8. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the first button is right arrow button.

9. The handheld device of claim 1, wherein the second button is a left arrow button.

10. A handheld device for navigating among a plurality of menus and within individual menus, each menu comprising at least one menu item, the device comprising:

first means for causing a cursor to navigate within a menu when no selection command has been received for the menu and to highlight a desired menu item within the menu; and

second means for causing the cursor to navigate from one menu to another when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus and for causing the cursor to navigate within the menu when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus and no selection command has been received from the menu.

11. The device of claim 10 further comprising:

third means for causing the device to display the plurality of menus.

12. The device of claim 10 further comprising:

execute means for executing the highlighted item.

13. The device of claim 10 wherein the highlighted item is a telephone number.

14. The device of claim 13 further comprising:

means for dialing the telephone number.

15. A method performed by a handheld device for navigating among a plurality of menus and within individual menus, each menu comprising at least one menu item, the method comprising:

using a first button to cause a cursor to navigate within a menu when no selection command has been received for the menu and to highlight a desired menu item within the menu; and

using a second button to cause the cursor to navigate from one menu to another when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus and for causing the cursor to navigate within the menu when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus and no selection command has been received from the menu.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

using a third button to display the plurality of menus.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

using an execute button to execute the highlighted item.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the highlighted item is a telephone number.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

using a button to dial the telephone number.

20. An apparatus for navigating among a plurality of menus, the apparatus comprising:

a menu bar including a plurality of menus;

a set of items associated with each menu of the plurality of menus;

a display button to cause the menu bar including the plurality of menus to be displayed;

a first scroll button to cause a cursor to navigate within a menu when no selection command has been received for the menu and to highlight a desired menu item within the menu; and

a second scroll button, wherein;

when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus, the second button causes the cursor to navigate from one menu to another; and

when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus, and no selection command has been received for the menu, the second button causes the cursor to navigate within the menu.

21. A handheld device for navigating among a plurality of menus and within individual menus, each menu comprising at least one menu item, the device comprising:

a first button to cause a cursor to navigate within a menu when no selection command has been received for the menu and to highlight a desired menu item within the menu; and

a second button, wherein;

when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a last menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus, the second button causes the cursor to navigate from one menu to another; and

when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus and no selection command has been received for the menu, the second button causes the cursor to navigate within the menu.

22. The handheld device of claim 21, wherein the first button is a scroll-up button.

23. The handheld device of claim 21, wherein the second button is a scroll-down button.

24. The handheld device of claim 21, wherein the first button is right arrow button.

25. The handheld device of claim 21, wherein the second button is a left arrow button.

26. A handheld device for navigating among a plurality of menus and within individual menus, each menu comprising at least one menu item, the device comprising:

a first button, wherein;

when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a last menu item in a menu, the first button causes the cursor to navigate from one menu to another; and

when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus and no selection command has been received for the menu, the first button causes the cursor to navigate within the menu; and

a second button, wherein;

when the cursor is highlighting one of the menus or a first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus, the second button causes the cursor to navigate from one menu to another; and

when the cursor is highlighting a menu item other than the first menu item in a menu of the plurality of menus, and no selection command has been received for the menu, the second button causes the cursor to navigate within the menu.

27. The handheld device of claim 26, wherein the first button is a scroll-up button.

28. The handheld device of claim 26, wherein the second button is a scroll-down button.

29. The handheld device of claim 26, wherein the first button is right arrow button.

30. The handheld device of claim 26, wherein the second button is a left arrow button.