Application user interface with navigation bar showing current and prior application contexts

• US 8,589,823 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lemay, Stephen O., Forstall, Scott, Christie, Greg, Ording, Bas, Chaudhri, Imran, Anzures, Freddy Allen, Van Os, Marcel
• Primary Examiner(s): TILLERY, RASHAWN N
• Application Number:
  US12/547,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,547 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/752, 715/764, 715/779, 715/810, 715/817, 715/818, 715/819, 715/820, 715/853, 715/854, 715/855
• US Class Current: 715/854
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A graphical user interface for a portable electronic device includes an application display region that displays a current application context of an application and a navigation bar adjacent to the application display region. The navigation bar includes two horizontally adjacent regions, comprising a current context region for displaying an indicator of the current application context and a prior context region for displaying an indicator of an application context preceding the current application context. The application display region simulates shifting of the application display in a first direction upon detecting user selection of the prior context region, and simulates shifting of the application display in a second direction, opposite the first direction, upon detecting user selection of an application context different from the current application context and the prior application context.

Claims

1. A method of navigating between application contexts in a portable device, comprising:

displaying a current application context of a messaging application in an application display region of a display, wherein the current application context is a current mailbox context;

displaying a navigation bar adjacent to the application display region, the navigation bar including at least three horizontally adjacent regions, comprising a current context region for displaying an indicator of a second application context comprising the current application context, a prior context region for displaying an indicator of a first application context comprising an application context preceding the second application context, and a link region, wherein the navigation bar maintains a fixed location on the display;

upon detecting user selection of the prior context region, shifting operation of the portable device to the first application context, including changing display in the prior context region of the navigation bar from the indicator of the first application context to an indicator of a fourth application context comprising an application context of the messaging application that preceded the first application context, the indicator of the fourth application context being distinct from the indicator of the first application context; and

upon detecting user selection of the link region, changing a message displayed in the current mailbox context.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the message displayed in the current mailbox context includes replacing display of a first message in the current mailbox context with display of a second message in the current mailbox context.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the link region includes a previous icon and a next icon;

the detecting user selection of the link region includes detecting selection of the next icon;

the first message is a current message; and

the second message is a next message.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the link region includes a previous icon and a next icon;

the detecting user selection of the link region includes detecting selection of the previous icon;

the first message is a current message; and

the second message is a previous message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein shifting operation of the portable device includes simulating shifting of the application display region in a first direction upon detecting user selection of the prior context region.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein shifting operation of the portable device includes simulating shifting of the application display region to the right upon detecting user selection of the prior context region.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying in the prior context region a first label corresponding to the first application context; and

displaying in the current context region a second label corresponding to the second application context.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the current context region maintains a fixed location on the display.

8. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a display;

memory;

a messaging application stored in the memory;

one or more processors; and

one or more modules stored in the memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more modules comprising instructions for;

displaying a current application context of the messaging application in an application display region of the display, wherein the current application context is a current mailbox context;

displaying a navigation bar adjacent to the application display region, the navigation bar including at least three horizontally adjacent regions, comprising a current context region for displaying an indicator of a second application context comprising the current application context, a prior context region for displaying an indicator of a first application context comprising an application context preceding the second application context, and a link region, wherein the navigation bar maintains a fixed location on the display;

shifting operation of the portable device, upon user selection of the prior context region, to the first application context, including instructions to change display in the prior context region of the navigation bar from the indicator of the first application context to an indicator of a fourth application context comprising an application context of the messaging application that preceded the first application context, the indicator of the fourth application context being distinct from the indicator of the first application context; and

changing a message displayed in the current mailbox context upon detecting user selection of the link region.

9. The portable electronic device of claim 8, wherein the instructions for changing the message displayed in the current mailbox context include instructions for replacing display of a first message in the current mailbox context with display of a second message in the current mailbox context.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

the link region includes a previous icon and a next icon;

the instructions for detecting user selection of the link region include instructions for detecting selection of the next icon;

the first message is a current message; and

the second message is a next message.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 9, wherein:

the link region includes a previous icon and a next icon;

the instructions for detecting user selection of the link region include instructions for detecting selection of the previous icon;

the first message is a current message; and

the second message is a previous message.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 8, further including instructions for simulating shifting of the application display region in a first direction upon detecting user selection of the prior context region.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 8, further including instructions for simulating shifting of the application display region to the right upon detecting user selection of the prior context region.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 8, further comprising instructions for:

displaying in the prior context region a first label corresponding to the first application context; and

displaying in the current context region a second label corresponding to the second application context.

22. The device of claim 8, wherein the current context region maintains a fixed location on the display.

15. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable device, cause the device to:

display a current application context of a messaging application in an application display region of a display, wherein the current application context is a current mailbox context;

display a navigation bar adjacent to the application display region, the navigation bar including at least three horizontally adjacent regions, comprising a current context region for displaying an indicator of a second application context comprising the current application context, a prior context region for displaying an indicator of a first application context comprising an application context preceding the second application context, and a link region, wherein the current navigation bar maintains a fixed location on the display;

upon detecting user selection of the prior context region, shift operation of the portable device to the first application context, including changing display in the prior context region of the navigation bar from the indicator of the first application context to an indicator of a fourth application context comprising an application context of the messaging application that preceded the first application context, the indicator of the fourth application context being distinct from the indicator of the first application context; and

upon detecting user selection of the link region, change a message displayed in the current mailbox context.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein changing the message displayed in the current mailbox context includes replacing display of a first message in the current mailbox context with display of a second message in the current mailbox context.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein:

the link region includes a previous icon and a next icon;

the detecting user selection of the link region includes detecting selection of the next icon;

the first message is a current message; and

the second message is a next message.

23. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the current context region maintains a fixed location on the display.

18. A graphical user interface for a portable electronic device with memory and one or more processors to execute one or more programs stored in the memory, the graphical user interface comprising:

an application display region that displays a current application context of a messaging application, wherein the current application context is a current mailbox context;

a navigation bar adjacent to the application display region, the navigation bar including at least three horizontally adjacent regions, comprising a current context region for displaying an indicator of the current application context, a prior context region for displaying an indicator of an application context preceding the current application context, and a link region, wherein the navigation bar maintains a fixed location on the display;

upon detecting user selection of the prior context region, shifting operation of the portable device to the first application context, including changing display in the prior context region of the navigation bar from the indicator of the first application context to an indication of a fourth application context comprising an application context of the messaging application that preceded the first application context, the indicator of the fourth application context being distinct from the indicator of the first application context; and

upon detecting user selection of the link region, changing a message displayed in the current mailbox context.

19. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein changing the message displayed in the current mailbox context includes replacing display of a first message in the current mailbox context with display of a second message in the current mailbox context.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein:

the link region includes a previous icon and a next icon;

the detecting user selection of the link region includes detecting selection of the next icon;

the first message is a current message; and

the second message is a next message.

24. The graphical user interface of claim 18, wherein the current context region maintains a fixed location on the display.