Method and system for presenting menu commands for selection

• US 7,546,548 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2002
• Issued: 06/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Maguire, Justin M., Chew, Chee H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu; Tadesse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Roswell; Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/187,195
• Publication Number:
  US 20040001105A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,538 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/817, 715/835, 715/838, 715/840, 715/813, 715/843, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

A system and method on a computing device that significantly reduces the average time required to locate and select a desired command of the device. A two-dimensional menu (grid) of commands is provided, in combination with improved selection techniques including simultaneous hardware button usage. Pressing and holding a menu button causes display of the command menu, with the center, default item initially selected. A directional control button may be used to change the selection, and scroll the display if more commands are available than presently displayed. When the menu invoke button is released, the currently selected item is invoked, thereby rapidly enabling selection and invocation of a command. The method and system may be enhanced with a menu locking feature to facilitate single-handed command selection.

Claims

1. In a computing device, a method comprising:

receiving a first actuation of a menu button mechanism, the actuation comprising depressing the menu button;

after receiving the first actuation of the menu button mechanism, activating a menu that includes a two-dimensional grid of commands, wherein the menu, including the two-dimensional grid, is activated in response to receiving the first actuation of the menu button mechanism;

for the first actuation of the menu button mechanism, selecting which of two or more possible menu related commands to execute, based on a duration during which the menu button remains depressed, including;

following depression of the menu button and the subsequent activation of the menu that includes the two-dimensional grid of commands, waiting for a next event that is either a release of the menu button or a timeout during which the menu button remains depressed, wherein the timeout is an elapse of a predetermined amount of time from the depression of the menu button without the menu button being released; and

selecting a menu related event for a single depression of the menu button such that;

when the next event is a release of the menu button, invoking a selected command in the two-dimensional grid; and

when the next event is a timeout during which the menu button is not released within the predetermined amount of time, ignoring any subsequent release of the menu button and locking the menu to maintain the two-dimensional grid of commands active, such that any release after the predetermined amount of time locks the menu.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the menu button mechanism comprises a single hardware key which is not on a touch screen display, wherein receiving a first actuation comprises receiving an indication that the key was pressed, and wherein receiving a second actuation comprises receiving an indication that the key was released.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein activating the two-dimensional grid of commands comprises displaying the grid.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the two-dimensional grid is activated with omitted commands.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, selecting a default command as the selected command upon activating the two-dimensional grid of commands.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the default command is centered within the two-dimensional grid of commands.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising, receiving an actuation of a directional control button, and in response, changing the selected command to another command.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising, updating a display to indicate that the other command is the selected command.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising, updating a display to scroll to a subset of commands in the grid.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising, outputting visual information indicative of where the user has scrolled within the grid.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising, providing a user of the computing system with an indicator when a scroll limit has been reached.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the selected command within the two-dimensional grid of commands corresponds to a cancel command, and wherein invoking the selected command comprises deactivating the two-dimensional grid of commands.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein when the next event is a timeout, allowing invocation of the selected command by a second depressing of the menu button.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing to a user of the computing device an indicator that the two-dimensional grid has entered into lock mode.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein a command displayed in the two-dimensional grid of commands, when invoked, places the two-dimensional grid of commands in lock mode.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the set of at least one directional control button comprises a set of numeric keys, and wherein each command in the two-dimensional grid of commands displays a number corresponding to one key of the set of numeric keys which can be used to select the command.

18. In a computing device, a system comprising:

a menu button mechanism configured to indicate actuations thereof;

a set of directional control buttons each configured to indicate requests to move in a direction associated with at least one of two dimensions;

a display having a two-dimensional grid of menu commands represented thereon, the two-dimensional grid being activated upon depression of a menu button of the menu button mechanism; and

a process that operates on the depression of the menu button of the menu button mechanism, the process connected to receive indications of at least one other actuation from the menu button mechanism and to receive from the set of directional control buttons indications of requests to move and select a menu command from the two-dimensional grid of menu commands, the process being configured to;

1) control the display output to represent a selected one of the menu commands in the grid;

2) following activation of the two-dimensional grid of commands, select which of three or more possible menu related commands to execute for a single depression of the menu button, selection being based at least in part on a duration during which the menu button remains depressed, including waiting for a next event, wherein the next event is either a release of the menu button, a request to move received from the set of directional control buttons, or a timeout, wherein the timeout is an elapse of a predetermined amount of time from the depression of the menu button and without the menu button being released;

3) enable invocation of the selected one of the menu commands in the grid; and

4) respond to the next event such that;

when the next event is a release of the menu button, allowing invocation of the selected command in the grid;

when the next event is a request to move received from the set of directional control buttons, changing the selected menu command to select a different command in the grid; and

when the next event is a timeout during which the menu button is not released within the predetermined amount of time, ignoring any subsequent release of the menu button and locking the menu to maintain the two-dimensional grid of commands active, such that any release after the predetermined amount of time locks the menu.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the process initially selects a default command as the selected command.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the default command is centered within the two-dimensional grid of commands.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the process further controls the display to output visual information indicative of the position of the subset that is displayed with respect to the grid.

22. The system of claim 18 wherein the grid has more commands available than are displayed, and wherein the process scrolls a subset of commands into the display.

23. The system of claim 18 wherein the selected command from the two-dimensional grid of menu commands corresponds to a cancel command.

24. The system of claim 18 wherein when the next event is a timeout, the process enables invocation of the selected one of the menu commands by a second pressing of the menu button.

25. The system of claim 18 wherein the grid comprises a three-by-three menu of commands.

26. The system of claim 18 wherein the grid comprises a menu of commands in which only a subset thereof is displayable at one time, the process configured to scroll the subset into the display based on the move request received from the directional control button set.

27. The system of claim 18 wherein the set of directional control buttons comprises a four-way control that indicates each request to move as a request to move in an up, down, left or right direction.

28. The system of claim 18 wherein the set of directional control buttons comprises an eight-way control that indicates each request to move as a request to move in an up, down, left, right, up/left, down/left, up/right or down/right direction.

29. The system of claim 18 further comprising a plurality of physical keys in a two-dimensional arrangement, wherein the process relates at least some of the physical keys to at least some of the menu commands in the grid.

30. In a computing device, a method comprising:

receiving first information indicating that a menu button has been depressed;

in response to receiving the first information, and while the menu button is being held in a depressed state, activating a two-dimensional grid of commands and displaying a first subset of the two-dimensional grid of commands, including one default command highlighted as a selected command and one cancel command, the two-dimensional grid of commands being scrollable to scroll the first subset based on a move request received from a directional control mechanism;

receiving, via the directional control mechanism, at least one request to change the selection of the selected command, and in response, changing the selection of the selected command and updating the displayed grid to highlight the changed selection;

receiving, via the directional control mechanism, at least one move request to scroll the subset of the two-dimensional grid of commands to display a second subset of the two- dimensional grid of commands, wherein the second subset of the two-dimensional grid of commands includes a cancel command, and wherein the full two-dimensional grid of commands has a plurality of cancel commands therein such that regardless of the subset of the two- dimensional grid of commands that is displayed, at least one cancel command is always displayed;

selecting which of three or more possible menu related commands to execute for a single depression of the menu button selection being based at least in part on a duration during which the menu button remains depressed, including waiting for a next event wherein the next event is either a release of the menu button, a request to move received from the set of directional control buttons, or a timeout, wherein the timeout is an elapse of a predetermined amount of time from the depression of the menu button and without the menu button being released; and

responding to the next event such that;

next event is a release of the menu button, allowing invocation of the selected command highlighted in the grid;

when the next event is a request to move received from the set of directional control buttons, changing the selected menu command or scrolling the two-dimensional grid; and

when the next event is a timeout during which the menu button is not released within the predetermined amount of time, ignoring any subsequent release of the menu button and locking the menu to maintain the two-dimensional grid of commands active, such that any release after the predetermined amount of time locks the menu, wherein locking the menu includes providing a visual indicator that the menu is in a lock mode.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the default command is initially centered in the displayed grid.

32. The method of claim 30 further comprising, deactivating and removing from the display the two-dimensional grid of commands in response to receiving the second information indicating that the menu button has been released.

33. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 30.