METHOD AND ARRANGMENT FOR A PRIMARY ACTIONS MENU THAT DEFAULTS ACCORDING TO HISTORICAL USER ACTIVITY ON A HANDHELD ELECTRONIC DEVICE

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed that provides for displaying on the screen of a handheld electronic device, an extended menu or a short menu, which is a subset of the corresponding extended menu. The system and method include an application page being displayed on a screen, and if no menu is displayed, the user may initiate an ambiguous request. The menu displays a list of user-selectable actions relevant to the displayed page and default-designates one menu item for user selection based on historical user activity. Various short menus are provided with their respective menu items being dependent and adjustable based upon the position of a cursor on the display 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.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary methods and arrangements conducted and configured according to the advantageous solutions presented herein are depicted in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a handheld communication device cradled in the palm of a user's hand;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing a wireless handheld communication device interacting in a communication network;

FIG. 3 a is a device-displayed home screen which shows a set of icons representing various applications available on the device and the email icon is selected;

FIG. 3 b is a device-displayed home screen which shows another set of icons representing various applications available on the device and the email icon is selected;

FIG. 4 is a device-displayed high level extended menu associated with the email icon on the home screen;

FIG. 5 a is a device-displayed email listing;

FIG. 5 b is a device-displayed extended menu relevant to the email listing;

FIG. 5 c is a device-displayed open message chosen from the email listing;

FIG. 5 d is a user requested short menu that presents frequently desired actions relative to an open email message;

FIG. 5 e is an extended menu that presents further options relevant to an open email message which was displayed based on a user selection of the “show more” option of FIG. 5d;

FIG. 6 is a flow chart representative of a hierarchical menu process;

FIG. 7 a depicts an expedited menuing system on a handheld electronic device in which a short or abbreviated menu pops-up showing a listing of most likely actions the user may desire to perform, in the illustrated case, relative to a copied portion of text;

FIG. 7 b depicts an expedited menuing system on a handheld electronic device in which a short or abbreviated menu pops-up showing a listing of most likely actions the user may desire to perform, in the illustrated case, relative to a pasted portion of text;

FIG. 8 further illustrates the hierarchical menu process depicted in FIGS. 7a and 7b;

FIG. 9 is a front view of an exemplary handheld electronic device including a full QWERTY keyboard;

FIG. 10 a illustrates an exemplary QWERTY keyboard layout;

FIG. 10 b illustrates an exemplary QWERTZ keyboard layout;

FIG. 10 c illustrates an exemplary AZERTY keyboard layout;

FIG. 10 d illustrates an exemplary Dvorak keyboard layout;

FIG. 11 illustrates a QWERTY keyboard layout paired with a traditional ten-key keyboard;

FIG. 12 illustrates ten digits comprising the numerals 0-9 arranged in a telephone keypad configuration, including the * and # flanking the zero; and

FIG. 13 illustrates a numeric phone key arrangement according to the ITU Standard E. 161 including both numerals and letters.

Claims

1. A method for displaying, upon user request, a menu of user-selectable actions on a display screen of a handheld electronic device that are relevant to a currently running application on the device, said method comprising: running an application on a handheld electronic device and thereby causing an application page to be displayed on a display screen of the handheld electronic device; anddisplaying a menu of user-selectable actions relevant to the displayed page and default-designating one menu item for user-selection based on historical user activity.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: designating a first portion of text displayed on the display screen of the handheld electronic device; anddisplaying a menu of user-selectable actions comprising: (i) copy, (ii) cut and (iii) paste, and default-designating the paste menu item when one of the cut and the copy actions was last user-selected from the immediately-previous display of the menu.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: designating a second portion of text displayed on the display screen of the handheld electronic device; anddisplaying again the menu of user-selectable actions comprising: (i) copy, (ii) cut and (iii) paste, and not default-designating the paste menu item when the paste action was last user-selected from the immediately-previous display of the menu.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising causing the display of the menu of user-selectable actions by user actuating an auxiliary user input device on the handheld electronic device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said auxiliary user input device is a navigation tool that controls movement of the cursor on the screen of the handheld electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said navigation tool is a trackball.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the abbreviated menu overlaps the displayed page on the display screen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the abbreviated menu fills a substantial entirety of the screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said handheld electronic device is a wireless handheld communication device that transmits data to, and receives data from a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said handheld electronic device is sized to be cradled in the palm of a user's hand.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said handheld electronic device is longer than wide and the width of said handheld electronic device measures between approximately two and approximately three inches thereby facilitating the device being palm cradled.

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

13. A handheld electronic device programmed to display, upon user request, a menu of user-selectable actions on a display screen of the handheld electronic device that are relevant to a currently running application on the device, said handheld electronic device comprising: a display screen on which application pages are displayed when applications are run on the handheld electronic device;a keyboard located below the display screen and configured to accommodate textual input to the handheld electronic device; anda microprocessor having a control program associated therewith for controlling operation of said handheld electronic device, said control program configured to run an application on the handheld electronic device and thereby cause an application page to be displayed on a display screen of the handheld electronic device and to display a menu of user-selectable actions relevant to the displayed page and default-designating one menu item for user-selection based on historical user activity.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said control program is further configured to display a menu of user-selectable actions after a first portion of text has been designated on the display screen of the handheld electronic device, said user-selectable actions comprising (i) copy, (ii) cut and (iii) paste and default-designating the paste menu item when one of the cut and the copy actions was last user-selected from the immediately-previous display of the menu.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein said control program is further configured to again display the menu of user-selectable actions after a second portion of text has been designated on the display screen of the handheld electronic device, said menu of user-selectable actions comprising (i) copy, (ii) cut and (iii) paste and not default-designating the paste menu item when the paste action was last user-selected from the immediately-previous display of the menu.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein said handheld electronic device is a wireless handheld communication device that transmits data to, and receives data from a communication network utilizing radio frequency signals.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein the width of said handheld electronic device measures between approximately two and approximately three inches thereby facilitating the device being palm cradled.

18. The device of claim 13, further comprising an auxiliary user input device useable for displaying the menu of user-selectable options upon user actuation thereof.

19. The device of claim 16, wherein said auxiliary user input device is a navigation tool that controls movement of the cursor on the screen of the handheld electronic device and said navigation tool is a trackball located essentially between the display screen and the keyboard.

20. A processing subsystem configured to be installed in a handheld electronic device comprising a user interface including a display and a keyboard having a plurality of input keys with which letters are associated, said processing subsystem comprising: operating system software that controls operation of an incorporating handheld electronic device and said operating system software is programmed to control operation of said handheld electronic device, said operating system software is configured: to run an application on the handheld electronic device and thereby cause an application page to be displayed on a display screen of the handheld electronic device and to display a menu of user-selectable actions relevant to the displayed page and default-designating one menu item for user-selection based on historical user activity; to display a menu of user-selectable actions after a first portion of text has been displayed on the display screen of the handheld electronic device, said user-selectable actions comprising (i) copy, (ii) cut and (iii) paste and default-designating the paste menu item when one of the cut and the copy actions was last user-selected from the immediately-previous display of the menu; and to again display the menu of user-selectable actions comprising (i) copy, (ii) cut and (iii) paste and not default-designate the paste menu item when the paste action was last user-selected from the immediately-previous display of the menu.