Method and arrangement for providing a primary actions menu on a wireless handheld communication device

• US 8,904,286 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2006
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lee, Matthew, Bocking, Andrew, Griffin, Jason T., Fyke, Steven, Hickson, Janna Corrine Louise, Major, Harry, Scott, Sherryl Lee, Bells, Matthew, Vuong, Thanh
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIAU, SHEN C
• Application Number:
  US11/423,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,094 Days
• Field of Search: 715/829, 715/841, 715/847, 715/810, 715/811, 715/821, 715/825, 715/828, 715/708, 715/745, 715/789, 715/812, 715/827, 715/846, 715/864
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A method and hierarchical menu is provided for displaying on the screen of a wireless handheld electronic device an extended menu or a short menu, which is a subset of the corresponding extended menu. The method includes displaying a page on a screen and receiving an ambiguous request/selection when no menu is displayed. In response to the ambiguous selection, a short menu corresponding to the displayed page is displayed on the screen. Various short menus are provided with their respective menu items being dependent and adjustable based upon the position of a cursor on the displayed page, the currently opened application, and/or the previous selections. Further, a selection from the short menu is capable of displaying the extended menu corresponding thereto.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a menu on a screen of a wireless handheld electronic device, said method comprising:

displaying a cursor-navigable page on a screen of a wireless handheld electronic device without a menu showing on the cursor-navigable page;

receiving an ambiguous request for display of menu action items corresponding to the cursor-navigable page while a cursor is positioned at a location on the cursor-navigable page;

displaying a short menu in response to the received ambiguous request, said short menu having a first list of menu action items associated with the cursor-navigable page, said first list including items that are a subset of an extended menu having a second list of menu action items that lists all available menu action items associated with the cursor-navigable page and with an application causing display of the cursor-navigable page, said first list of menu action items having been assessed a higher probability for being user-selected than at least some action items of the second list of menu action items not included in said first list of menu action items, said first list including a menu action item for displaying the extended menu; and

displaying the extended menu in response to a selection of a menu action item on the first list of the short menu,

the wireless handheld electronic device being capable of transmitting data to, and receiving data from, a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals, and the data of the short menu is transmitted, via the communication network, to a central location that is separate from the wireless handheld electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating the ambiguous request for display of menu action items by actuating an auxiliary user input device on the wireless handheld electronic device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said auxiliary user input device is a navigation tool that controls movement of the cursor on the screen of the wireless handheld electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said navigation tool comprises at least one of a trackball, a navigation pad, a joy stick and a thumbwheel.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating a non-ambiguous request to display the extended menu associated with the displayed page and responsively displaying the extended menu.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said initiation of a non-ambiguous request to display the extended menu associated with the displayed page is affected by depressing a dedicated input on the wireless handheld electronic device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said dedicated input is a push-button on the wireless handheld electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the short menu with a menu action item that displays the extended menu associated with the displayed page when selected.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said wireless handheld electronic device comprises a dedicated input in the form of a push-button marked with an extended menu insignia which is the same as an extended menu insignia displayed on the menu action item on the short menu that displays the extended menu when selected.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the short menu with a menu action item that closes the short menu.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a menu key for a non-ambiguous request that displays the extended menu associated with the displayed page and displaying the extended menu by activating the menu key.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the short menu overlaps the displayed page on the screen.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the short menu is displayed on the screen in place of the displayed page.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the short menu fills a substantial entirety of the screen.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising grasping said wireless handheld electronic device by a user and cradling the device in the palm of the user'"'"'s grasping hand.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising operating said wireless handheld electronic device using digits of the same hand with which the device is grasped.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising operating said wireless handheld electronic device using the thumb of the same hand with which the device is grasped.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless handheld electronic device further comprises a keyboard suitable for accommodating textual input to the wireless handheld electronic device and a navigation tool located essentially between the keyboard and the screen of the wireless handheld electronic device.

19. The method of claim 18, said keyboard comprising a plurality of keys with which alphabetic letters are associated, one letter per key.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said alphabetic letters are configured in one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.

21. The method of claim 18, said keyboard comprising a plurality of keys with which alphabetic letters are associated and wherein at least a portion of the individual keys has multiple letters associated therewith.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein said alphabetic letters are configured in one of QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein when the extended menu is displayed, the extended menu overlaps the displayed page on the screen and fills less than the entirety of the screen.

24. The method of claim 1, including receiving from the central location, via the communication network, the data of the short menu.

25. A wireless handheld electronic device programmed to display a menu of action items on a screen of the device, said wireless handheld electronic device comprising:

a screen on which cursor-navigable pages are displayed;

a keyboard configured to accommodate textual input to the wireless handheld electronic device; and

a microprocessor, communicatively coupled with the keyboard and the screen, having a control program associated therewith for controlling operation of said wireless handheld electronic device, said control program configured to process an ambiguous request for display of menu action items corresponding to a cursor-navigable page that does not include a displayed menu when the ambiguous request is detected, the ambiguous request occurring while a screen-navigating cursor is positioned at a location on the cursor-navigable page, and, based on said detection of the ambiguous request, said microprocessor;

displaying a short menu having a first list of menu action items associated with the cursor-navigable page, the first list including items that are a subset of an extended menu having a second list of menu action items that lists all available menu action items associated with the currently displayed page and an application running and displayed on the displayed cursor-navigable page, said first list of menu action items having been assessed a higher probability for being user-selected than at least some menu action items of the second list of menu action items not included in said first list of menu action items, the short menu including a menu action item for displaying the extended menu,

processing a non-ambiguous request for display of the extended menu, and

displaying the extended menu in response to the non-ambiguous request,

the wireless handheld electronic device being capable of transmitting data to, and receiving data from, a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals and the data of the short menu is transmitted, via the communication network, to a central location that is separate from the wireless handheld electronic device.

26. The device of claim 25, further comprising an auxiliary user input device useable for initiating the ambiguous request for display of menu action items.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein said auxiliary user input device is a navigation tool that controls movement of the cursor on the screen of the wireless handheld electronic device.

28. The device of claim 27, wherein said navigation tool comprises at least one of a trackball, a navigation pad, a joy stick and a thumbwheel.

29. The device of claim 27, wherein said navigation tool is located essentially between the display and the keyboard in the operable configuration.

30. The device of claim 29, said keyboard comprises a plurality of keys with which alphabetic letters are associated, one letter per key.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein said alphabetic letters are configured in one of a QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.

32. The device of claim 29, said keyboard comprising a plurality of keys with which alphabetic letters are associated and wherein at least a portion of the individual keys has multiple letters associated therewith.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein said alphabetic letters are configured in one of QWERTY, QWERTZ, and AZERTY layout.

34. The device of claim 25, further comprising a dedicated input that when actuated initiates a non-ambiguous request to display the extended menu associated with the displayed page.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein said dedicated input is a push-button on the wireless handheld electronic device.

36. The device of claim 25, wherein the short menu comprises a menu action item for displaying the extended menu associated with the displayed page when selected.

37. The device of claim 36, further comprising a dedicated input in the form of a push-button marked with an extended menu insignia which is the same as an extended menu insignia displayed on the menu action item on the short menu that displays the extended menu when selected.

38. The device of claim 25, wherein the short menu comprises a menu action item that closes the short menu.

39. The device of claim 25, wherein the short menu fills a substantial entirety of the screen.

40. The device of claim 25, wherein said wireless handheld electronic device is sized to be cradleable in the palm of a user'"'"'s hand.

41. The device of claim 40, wherein said wireless handheld electronic device is operable using digits of the same hand within which the device is cradled.

42. The device of claim 25, wherein when the extended menu is displayed, the extended menu overlaps the displayed page on the screen and fills less than the entirety of the screen.

43. The device of claim 25, wherein the data of the short menu is received from the central location via the communication network.

44. A method for displaying a menu on a screen of a wireless handheld communication device, said method comprising:

displaying a cursor-navigable page on the screen without a menu showing on the cursor-navigable page;

receiving an ambiguous request for display of menu action items corresponding to the displayed page while the cursor is positioned at a location on the cursor-navigable page;

displaying a short menu in response to the received ambiguous request, said short menu having a first list of menu actions items associated with the cursor-navigable page, said first list including items that are a subset of an extended menu having a second list of menu action items that lists all available menu action items associated with the currently displayed page and an application running and displayed on the displayed page, said first list of menu action items having been assessed a higher probability for being user-selected than at least some menu actions items of the second list of menu action items not included in the first list of menu action items, the short menu including a menu action item for displaying the extended menu, and said wireless handheld electronic device being capable of transmitting data to, and receiving data from, a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals and the data of the short menu is transmitted, via the communication network, to a central location that is separate from the wireless handheld electronic device; and

displaying the extended menu in response to a received signal that is caused as a result of selection, on the short menu, of the menu action item for displaying the extended menu.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein when the extended menu is displayed, the extended menu overlaps the displayed page on the screen and fills less than the entirety of the screen.

46. The method of claim 44, including receiving from the central location, via the communication network, the data of the short menu.