Methods and apparatus for convenient change of display characters on a handheld device

• US 7,429,988 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2006
• Issued: 09/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gonsalves, Brian, Perkins, Kent, Chen, Zesen
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, JIN CHENG
• Application Number:
  US11/368,811
• Publication Number:
  US 20070206015A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 345467-472, 345/169, 345/157, 4554561-4563, 455/566
• US Class Current: 345/472
• 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

Abstract

A method and apparatus for convenient changing of a character display on a handheld device is disclosed. An example handheld device includes a screen to display an alphanumeric character, the alphanumeric character being displayable in at least two different font sizes. A user input device enables selection between the at least two different font sizes. The device includes a processor responsive to the user input device to change the font size of the alphanumeric character. A second user input device is provided to change the brightness of the screen when a user touches the second control device.

Claims

1. A handheld device comprising:

a receiver to receive wireless signals;

a transmitter to send wireless signals;

a screen to display an alphanumeric character, the alphanumeric character being displayable in at least two different font sizes;

a memory to store at least one set of processor instructions involving the display of an alpha numeric character;

a screen light;

a processor coupled to the screen, the screen light, the memory, the receiver and the transmitter, the processor to execute the at least one set of processor instructions;

a first user input device to enable selection between the at least two different font sizes;

a second user input device to increase or decrease the brightness of the screen light; and

wherein the processor is responsive to the first user input device to change the font size of the alphanumeric character and is responsive to the second user input device to increase or decrease the brightness of the screen light;

wherein the screen has multiple displays, each of the displays corresponding to a respective operation of the device, the first and second user inputs being activatable in each of the multiple displays such that the font size and the brightness are each user controllable via a single-touch of a respective one of the first and second input devices from each of the displays, the font size and brightness selected by the user remaining fixed independent of navigation between the displays.

2. The handheld device in claim 1 wherein the screen is a touch screen and the first user input device is an area of the screen.

3. The handheld device in claim 1 further comprising a keypad, wherein the first user input device is a key on the keypad.

4. The handheld device in claim 1 wherein the alphanumeric character has an original font size and wherein the processor is responsive to a first user touch of the first user input device to increase the font size to a first size, and the processor is responsive to a second user touch of the first user input device to increase the character font size to a second size.

5. The handheld device in claim 4 wherein when a user touches the first user input device a third time, the character font size changes to the original font size.

6. The handheld device in claim 1 wherein the handheld device is a telephone.

7. The handheld device in claim 1 wherein the handheld device is a PDA.

8. The handheld device in claim 1 wherein the wireless signals are voice signals.

9. The handheld device in claim 1 wherein the wireless signals are Internet based data.