Patent Application
20220137765
The disclosed embodiments relate generally to portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to portable devices that support user navigations of graphical objects on a touch screen display.
As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increase, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particular significant for handheld portable devices, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device's features, tools, and functions. Some portable communication devices (e.g., mobile telephones, sometimes called mobile phones, cell phones, cellular telephones, and the like) have resorted to adding more pushbuttons, increasing the density of push buttons, overloading the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user.
Many conventional user interfaces, such as those that include physical pushbuttons, are also inflexible. This is unfortunate because it may prevent a user interface from being configured and/or adapted by either an application running on the portable device or by users. When coupled with the time consuming requirement to memorize multiple key sequences and menu hierarchies, and the difficulty in activating a desired pushbutton, such inflexibility is frustrating to most users.
On the other hand, a touch-sensitive screen supports more user-friendly and intuitive means for a user to interact with graphical objects on the screen, such as dragging and dropping an object from one position to another using fingertip.
Accordingly, there is a need for portable multifunction devices with more transparent and intuitive user interfaces supporting user navigation of graphical objects on a touch screen display, e.g., swapping two objects, which are easy to use, configure, and/or adapt. Such interfaces increase the effectiveness, efficiency and user satisfaction with portable multifunction devices.
The above deficiencies and other problems associated with user interfaces for portable devices are reduced or eliminated by the disclosed portable multifunction device. In some embodiments, the device has a touch-sensitive display (also known as a “touch screen”) with a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or more modules, programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory for performing multiple functions. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the GUI primarily through finger contacts and gestures on the touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, the functions may include telephoning, video conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, blogging, digital photographing, digital videoing, web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Instructions for performing these functions may be included in a computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.
One aspect of the invention involves a computer-implemented method performed by a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display. In response to a finger-down event on the touch screen display, the device identifies a first user interface object at which the finger-down event occurs. In response to one or more finger-dragging events on the touch screen display, the device then moves the first user interface object on the touch screen display in accordance with the finger-dragging events. In response to a finger-up event on the touch screen display, the device identifies a second user interface object at which the finger-up event occurs and visually replaces the second user interface object with the first user interface object.
Another aspect of the invention involves a computer-implemented method performed by a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display. The device displays a first user interface object and a second user interface object on the touch screen display. In response to a finger-down event at the first user interface object and one or more finger-dragging events on the touch screen display, the device moves the first user interface object on the touch screen display along a path determined by the finger-dragging events until the first user interface object at least in part overlaps the second user interface object. In response to a finger-up event at the second user interface object, the device visually replaces the second user interface object with the first user interface object.
Another aspect of the invention involves a portable electronic device with a touch screen display for displaying a plurality of user interface objects. The device includes one or more processors, memory, and a program stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The program includes: instructions for displaying a first user interface object and a second user interface object on the touch screen display; instructions for detecting a finger-down event at the first user interface object; instructions for detecting one or more finger-dragging events on the touch screen display; instructions for moving the first user interface object on the touch screen display along a path determined by the finger-dragging events until the first user interface object at least in part overlaps the second user interface object; instructions for detecting a finger-up event at the second user interface object; and instructions for visually replacing the second user interface object with the first user interface object.
Another aspect of the invention involves a computer readable storage medium that stores one or more programs. The one or more programs include instructions, which when executed by the device, cause the device to: display a first user interface object and a second user interface object on the touch screen display; detect a finger-down event at the first user interface object; detect one or more finger-dragging events on the touch screen display; move the first user interface object on the touch screen display along a path determined by the finger-dragging events until the first user interface object at least in part overlaps the second user interface object; detect a finger-up event at the second user interface object; and visually replace the second user interface object with the first user interface object.
Another aspect of the invention involves a portable electronic device with a touch screen display with a plurality of user interface objects. The device includes: means for displaying a first user interface object and a second user interface object on the touch screen display; means for detecting a finger-down event at the first user interface object; means for detecting one or more finger-dragging events on the touch screen display; means for moving the first user interface object on the touch screen display along a path determined by the finger-dragging events until the first user interface object at least in part overlaps the second user interface object; means for detecting a finger-up event at the second user interface object; and means for visually replacing the second user interface object with the first user interface object.
Another aspect of the invention involves a computer-implemented method performed by a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display. The device displays a series of ratings indicia on the touch screen display. The series of ratings indicia include a lowest rating indicia and one or more progressively higher rating indicia. In response to a finger gesture by a user on one or more of the ratings indicia, the device determines a last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture immediately prior to the finger breaking contact with the touch screen display. A rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture is used as input to a function or application in the device.
Another aspect of the invention involves a graphical user interface on a portable electronic device with a touch screen display. The graphical user interface includes a series of ratings indicia on the touch screen display. The ratings indicia include a lowest rating indicia and one or more progressively higher rating indicia. In response to a finger gesture on one or more of the ratings indicia, the graphical user interface displays on the touch screen a graphical object using as input the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture before the finger gesture breaks contact with the touch screen display.
Another aspect of the invention involves a portable electronic device with a touch screen display. The device includes one or more processors, memory, and one or more programs stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the processors. The programs include: instructions for displaying a series of ratings indicia on the touch screen display, wherein the ratings indicia comprise a lowest rating indicia and one or more progressively higher rating indicia; instructions for detecting a finger gesture by a user on one or more of the ratings indicia, wherein the finger gesture contacts a last rating indicia immediately prior to breaking contact with the touch screen display; and instructions for using a rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture as input to a function or application in the device.
Another aspect of the invention involves a computer readable storage medium that stores one or more programs. The one or more programs include instructions, which when executed by a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, cause the device to: display a series of ratings indicia on the touch screen display, wherein the ratings indicia comprise a lowest rating indicia and one or more progressively higher rating indicia; detect a finger gesture by a user on one or more of the ratings indicia, wherein the finger gesture contacts a last rating indicia immediately prior to breaking contact with the touch screen display; and use a rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture as input to a function or application in the device.
Another aspect of the invention involves a portable electronic device with a touch screen display. The device includes: means for displaying a series of ratings indicia on the touch screen display, wherein the ratings indicia comprise a lowest rating indicia and one or more progressively higher rating indicia: means for detecting a finger gesture by a user on one or more of the ratings indicia, wherein the finger gesture contacts a last rating indicia immediately prior to breaking contact with the touch screen display: and means for using a rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture as input to a function or application in the device.
For a better understanding of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention as well as additional embodiments thereof, reference should be made to the Description of Embodiments below, in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments.
It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first gesture could be termed a second gesture, and, similarly, a second gesture could be termed a first gesture, without departing from the scope of the present invention.
The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used in the description of the invention and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Embodiments of a portable multifunction device, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described. In some embodiments, the device is a portable communications device such as a mobile telephone that also contains other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions.
The user interface may include a physical click wheel in addition to a touch screen or a virtual click wheel displayed on the touch screen. A click wheel is a user-interface device that may provide navigation commands based on an angular displacement of the wheel or a point of contact with the wheel by a user of the device. A click wheel may also be used to provide a user command corresponding to selection of one or more items, for example, when the user of the device presses down on at least a portion of the wheel or the center of the wheel. Alternatively, breaking contact with a click wheel image on a touch screen surface may indicate a user command corresponding to selection. For simplicity, in the discussion that follows, a portable multifunction device that includes a touch screen is used as an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood, however, that some of the user interfaces and associated processes may be applied to other devices, such as personal computers and laptop computers, which may include one or more other physical user-interface devices, such as a physical click wheel, a physical keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick.
The device supports a variety of applications, such as a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a blogging application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application.
The various applications that may be executed on the device may use at least one common physical user-interface device, such as the touch screen. One or more functions of the touch screen as well as corresponding information displayed on the device may be adjusted and/or varied from one application to the next and/or within a respective application. In this way, a common physical architecture such as the touch screen) of the device may support the variety of applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and transparent.
The user interfaces may include one or more soft keyboard embodiments. The soft keyboard embodiments may include standard (QWERTY) and/or non-standard configurations of symbols on the displayed icons of the keyboard, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/459,606, “Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, and Ser. No. 11/459,615, “Touch Screen Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. The keyboard embodiments may include a reduced number of icons (or soft keys) relative to the number of keys in existing physical keyboards, such as that for a typewriter. This may make it easier for users to select one or more icons in the keyboard, and thus, one or more corresponding symbols. The keyboard embodiments may be adaptive. For example, displayed icons may be modified in accordance with user actions, such as selecting one or more icons and/or one or more corresponding symbols. One or more applications on the portable device may utilize common and/or different keyboard embodiments. Thus, the keyboard embodiment used may be tailored to at least some of the applications. In some embodiments, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a respective user. For example, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a respective user based on a word usage history (lexicography, slang, individual usage) of the respective user. Some of the keyboard embodiments may be adjusted to reduce a probability of a user error when selecting one or more icons, and thus one or more symbols, when using the soft keyboard embodiments.
Attention is now directed towards embodiments of the device.
It should be appreciated that the device 100 is only one example of a portable multifunction device 100, and that the device 100 may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or a may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components. The various components shown in
Memory 102 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to memory 102 by other components of the device 100, such as the CPU 120 and the peripherals interface 118, may be controlled by the memory controller 122.
The peripherals interface 118 couples the input and output peripherals of the device to the CPU 120 and memory 102. The one or more processors 120 run or execute various software programs and/or sets of instructions stored in memory 102 to perform various functions for the device 100 and to process data.
In some embodiments, the peripherals interface 118, the CPU 120, and the memory controller 122 may be implemented on a single chip, such as a chip 104. In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips.
The RF (radio frequency) circuitry 108 receives and sends RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry 108 converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry 108 may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so forth. The RF circuitry 108 may communicate with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), high-speed downlink packet access (HSDPA), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for email (e.g., Internet message access protocol (IMAP) and/or post office protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., extensible messaging and presence protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), and/or Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short Message Service (SMS)), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document.
The audio circuitry 110, the speaker 111, and the microphone 113 provide an audio interface between a user and the device 100. The audio circuitry 110 receives audio data from the peripherals interface 118, converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to the speaker 111. The speaker 111 converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. The audio circuitry 110 also receives electrical signals converted by the microphone 113 from sound waves. The audio circuitry 110 converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audio data to the peripherals interface 118 for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to memory 102 and/or the RF circuitry 108 by the peripherals interface 118. In some embodiments, the audio circuitry 110 also includes a headset jack (e.g. 212,
The I/O subsystem 106 couples input/output peripherals on the device 100, such as the touch screen 112 and other input/control devices 116, to the peripherals interface 118. The I/O subsystem 106 may include a display controller 156 and one or more input controllers 160 for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers 160 receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices 116. The other input/control devices 116 may include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s) 160 may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g., 208,
The touch-sensitive touch screen 112 provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and a user. The display controller 156 receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to the touch screen 112 The touch screen 112 displays visual output to the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof (collectively termed “graphics”). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects, further details of which are described below.
A touch screen 112 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set of sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. The touch screen 112 and the display controller 156 (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory 102) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the contact) on the touch screen 112 and converts the detected contact into interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages or images) that are displayed on the touch screen. In an exemplary embodiment, a point of contact between a touch screen 112 and the user corresponds to a finger of the user.
The touch screen 112 may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. The touch screen 112 and the display controller 156 may detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with a touch screen 112.
A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen 112 may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive tablets described in the following U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication 2002/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. However, a touch screen 112 displays visual output from the portable device 100, whereas touch sensitive tablets do not provide visual output.
A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen 112 may be as described in the following applications: (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/381,313, “Multipoint Touch Surface Controller,” filed May 2, 2006; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862, “Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed May 6, 2004; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jul. 30, 2004; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/048,264, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 31, 2005; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/038,590, “Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jan. 18, 2005; (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,758, “Virtual Input Device Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,700, “Operation Of A Computer With A Touch Screen Interface,” filed Sep. 16, 2005; (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,737, “Activating Virtual Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard,” filed Sep. 16, 2005: and (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed Mar. 3, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
The touch screen 112 may have a resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In an exemplary embodiment, the touch screen has a resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user may make contact with the touch screen 112 using any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts and gestures, which are much less precise than stylus-based input due to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actions desired by the user.
In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, the device 100 may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the touch screen 112 or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen.
In some embodiments, the device 100 may include a physical or virtual click wheel as an input control device 116. A user may navigate among and interact with one or more graphical objects (henceforth referred to as icons) displayed in the touch screen 112 by rotating the click wheel or by moving a point of contact with the click wheel (e.g., where the amount of movement of the point of contact is measured by its angular displacement with respect to a center point of the click wheel). The click wheel may also be used to select one or more of the displayed icons. For example, the user may press down on at least a portion of the click wheel or an associated button. User commands and navigation commands provided by the user via the click wheel may be processed by an input controller 160 as well as one or more of the modules and/or sets of instructions in memory 102. For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel and click wheel controller may be part of the touch screen 112 and the display controller 156, respectively. For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel may be either an opaque or semitransparent object that appears and disappears on the touch screen display in response to user interaction with the device. In some embodiments, a virtual click wheel is displayed on the touch screen of a portable multifunction device and operated by user contact with the touch screen.
The device 100 also includes a power system 162 for powering the various components. The power system 162 may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other components associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in portable devices.
The device 100 may also include one or more optical sensors 164.
The device 100 may also include one or more proximity sensors 166.
The device 100 may also include one or more accelerometers 168.
In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory 102 may include an operating system 126, a communication module (or set of instructions) 128, a contact/motion module (or set of instructions) 130, a graphics module (or set of instructions) 132, a text input module (or set of instructions) 134, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions) 135, and applications (or set of instructions) 136.
The operating system 126 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components.
The communication module 128 facilitates communication with other devices over one or more external ports 124 and also includes various software components for handling data received by the RF circuitry 108 and/or the external port 124. The external port 124 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector that is the same as, or similar to and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector used on iPod (trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.) devices.
The contact/motion module 130 may detect contact with the touch screen 112 (in conjunction with the display controller 156) and other touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). The contact/motion module 130 includes various software components for performing various operations related to detection of contact, such as determining if contact has occurred, determining if there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement across the touch screen 112, and determining if the contact has been broken (i.e., if the contact has ceased). Determining movement of the point of contact may include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of the point of contact. These operations may be applied to single contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., “multitouch”/multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, the contact/motion module 130 and the display controller 156 also detects contact on a touchpad. In some embodiments, the contact/motion module 130 and the controller 160 detects contact on a click wheel.
The graphics module 132 includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on the touch screen 112, including components for changing the intensity of graphics that are displayed. As used herein, the term “graphics” includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including without limitation text, web pages, icons (such as user-interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations and the like.
The text input module 134, which may be a component of graphics module 132, provides soft keyboards for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts 137, e-mail 140, IM 141, blogging 142, browser 147, and any other application that needs text input).
The GPS module 135 determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to telephone 138 for use in location-based dialing, to camera 143 and/or blogger 142 as picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide location-based services such as weather widgets, local yellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets).
The applications 136 may include the following modules (or sets of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof:
Examples of other applications 136 that may be stored in memory 102 include other word processing applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice replication.
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the contacts module 137 may be used to manage an address book or contact list, including: adding name(s) to the address book; deleting name(s) from the address book; associating telephone number(s), e-mail address(es), physical address(es) or other information with a name; associating an image with a name; categorizing and sorting names; providing telephone numbers or e-mail addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communications by telephone 138, video conference 139, e-mail 140, or IM 141; and so forth.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the telephone module 138 may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more telephone numbers in the address book 137, modify a telephone number that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number, conduct a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As noted above, the wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156, optical sensor 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, contact list 137, and telephone module 138, the videoconferencing module 139 may be used to initiate, conduct, and terminate a video conference between a user and one or more other participants.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the e-mail client module 140 may be used to create, send, receive, and manage e-mail. In conjunction with image management module 144, the e-mail module 140 makes it very easy to create and send e-mails with still or video images taken with camera module 143.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the instant messaging module 141 may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to an instant message, to modify previously entered characters, to transmit a respective instant message (for example, using a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol for telephony-based instant messages or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messages), to receive instant messages and to view received instant messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files and/or other attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, “instant messaging” refers to both telephony-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, image management module 144, and browsing module 147, the blogging module 142 may be used to send text, still images, video, and/or other graphics to a blog (e.g., the user's blog).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, optical sensor(s) 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and image management module 144, the camera module 143 may be used to capture still images or video (including a video stream) and store them into memory 102, modify characteristics of a still image or video, or delete a still image or video from memory 102.
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and camera module 143, the image management module 144 may be used to arrange, modify or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and store still and/or video images.
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, and speaker 111, the video player module 145 may be used to display, present or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via external port 124).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, and browser module 147, the music player module 146 allows the user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats, such as MP3 or AAC files. In some embodiments, the device 100 may include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the browser module 147 may be used to browse the Internet, including searching, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, e-mail module 140, and browser module 147, the calendar module 148 may be used to create, display, modify, and store calendars and data associated with calendars (e.g., calendar entries, to do lists, etc.).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and browser module 147, the widget modules 149 are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather widget 149-1, stocks widget 149-2, calculator widget 149-3, alarm clock widget 149-4, and dictionary widget 149-5) or created by the user (e.g., user-created widget 149-6). In some embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets).
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and browser module 147, the widget creator module 150 may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g., turning a user-specified portion of a web page into a widget).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the search module 151 may be used to search for text, music, sound, image, video, and/or other files in memory 102 that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the notes module 153 may be used to create and manage notes, to do lists, and the like.
In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, GPS module 135, and browser module 147, the map module 154 may be used to receive, display, modify, and store maps and data associated with maps (e.g., driving directions; data on stores and other points of interest at or near a particular location; and other location-based data).
In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, text input module 134, e-mail client module 140, and browser module 147, the online video module 155 allows the user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and/or download), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via external port 124), send an e-mail with a link to a particular online video, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats, such as H.264. In some embodiments, instant messaging module 141, rather than e-mail client module 140, is used to send a link to a particular online video. Embodiments of user interfaces and associated processes using online video module 155 are described further below.
Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functions described above. These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. For example, video player module 145 may be combined with music player module 146 into a single module (e.g., video and music player module 152,
In some embodiments, the device 100 is a device where operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed exclusively through a touch screen 112 and/or a touchpad. By using a touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input/control device for operation of the device 100, the number of physical input/control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like) on the device 100 may be reduced.
The predefined set of functions that may be performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates the device 100 to a main, home, or root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on the device 100. In such embodiments, the touchpad may be referred to as a “menu button.” In some other embodiments, the menu button may be a physical push button or other physical input/control device instead of a touchpad.
The device 100 may also include one or more physical buttons, such as “home” or menu button 204. As described previously, the menu button 204 may be used to navigate to any application 136 in a set of applications that may be executed on the device 100. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI in touch screen 112.
In one embodiment, the device 100 includes a touch screen 112, a menu button 204, a push button 206 for powering the device on/off and locking the device, volume adjustment button(s) 208, a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card slot 210, a head set jack 212, and a docking/charging external port 124. The push button 206 may be used to turn the power on/off on the device by depressing the button and holding the button in the depressed state for a predefined time interval; to lock the device by depressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlock process. In an alternative embodiment, the device 100 also may accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some functions through the microphone 113.
Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) and associated processes that may be implemented on a portable multifunction device 100.
In some embodiments, the device detects contact with the touch-sensitive display (e.g., a user's finger making contact on or near the unlock image 302) while the device is in a user-interface lock state. The device moves the unlock image 302 in accordance with the contact. The device transitions to a user-interface unlock state if the detected contact corresponds to a predefined gesture, such as moving the unlock image across channel 306. Conversely, the device maintains the user-interface lock state if the detected contact does not correspond to the predefined gesture. As noted above, processes that use gestures on the touch screen to unlock the device are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/322,549, “Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock image,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, and Ser. No. 11/322,550. “Indication Of Progress Towards Satisfaction Of A User Input Condition,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
In some embodiments, user interface 400B includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
In some embodiments, UI 400A or 400B displays all of the available applications 136 on one screen so that there is no need to scroll through a list of applications (e.g., via a scroll bar). In some embodiments, as the number of applications increase, the icons corresponding to the applications may decrease in size so that all applications may be displayed on a single screen without scrolling. In some embodiments, having all applications on one screen and a menu button enables a user to access any desired application with at most two inputs, such as activating the menu button 204 and then activating the desired application (e.g., by a tap or other finger gesture on the icon corresponding to the application).
In some embodiments, UI 400A or 400B provides integrated access to both widget-based applications and non-widget-based applications. In some embodiments, all of the widgets, whether user-created or not, are displayed in UI 400A or 400B. In other embodiments, activating the icon for user-created widget 149-6 may lead to another UI that contains the user-created widgets or icons corresponding to the user-created widgets.
In some embodiments, a user may rearrange the icons in UI 400A or 400B, e.g., using processes described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/459,602, “Portable Electronic Device With Interface Reconfiguration Mode,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. For example, a user may move application icons in and out of tray 408 using finger gestures.
In some embodiments, UI 400A or 400B includes a gauge (not shown) that displays an updated account usage metric for an account associated with usage of the device (e.g., a cellular phone account), as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/322,552, “Account Information Display For Portable Communication Device,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
As noted in the background section, many user-friendly GUI features cannot be implemented because of the limitations with the conventional graphical user interfaces. But these limitations can be overcome by a portable device with a touch screen display as described in the present application. For example, it is possible to use finger gestures to drag and drop a user interface object such as an icon from one position to another position on the touch screen display for swapping two objects. It is also possible for a user to rank information or services rendered by the portable device using such finger gestures.
The term “user interface object” (which is interchangeable with “graphical object”) generally refers to a graphical icon on the touch screen display, which may be associated with an entertainment item, an application configuration option, an email message, a photo, a data file, or the like depending on the specific application that employs the schemes.
In some embodiments, icons for major content categories (e.g., playlists 4308, artists 4310, songs 4312, and video 4314,
In some embodiments, the major content categories that are displayed in the first area 4340 of the display can be rearranged by a user to correspond to the user's preferred (favorite) categories (e.g., as illustrated in
A finger-down event is detected at the first user interface object (503) (e.g., contact 4346-1,
One or more finger-dragging events are detected on the touch screen display (505) (e.g., the finger drag from 4346-1 (
The first user interface object is moved on the touch screen display along a path determined by the finger-dragging events until the first user interface object at least in part overlaps the second user interface object (507).
In some embodiments, while moving the first user interface object on the touch screen display, the first user interface object is displayed in a manner visually distinguishable from other user interface objects on the touch screen display (e.g., the shading around genres icon 4350 in
A finger-up event is detected at the second user interface object (509) (e.g., ending contact at 4346-3,
In some embodiments, in response to the finger-up event, the first user interface object is displayed at a location formerly occupied by the second user interface object, and a movement of the second user interface object to a location formerly occupied by the first user interface object is animated (e.g., in
In some embodiments, the first user interface object is displayed in a first form before the finger-up event and in a second form after the finger-up event, and the second form is visually different from the first form. In some embodiments, the first form is a row including characters and at least one control icon (e.g., 4350,
In some embodiments, the second user interface object is displayed in a first form before the finger-up event and in a second form after the finger-up event, and the second form is visually different from the first form. In some embodiments, the first form is an image or other graphic (e.g., 4310,
In some embodiments, the first user interface object is one of a group of candidate icons and the second user interface object is one of a group of user favorite icons. In some embodiments, the remaining group of candidate icons is rearranged after moving the first user interface object away from its original location. The remaining group of candidate icons is the group of candidate icons excluding the first user interface object. Upon detecting the finger-up event, the first user interface object is displayed at a location formerly occupied by the second user interface object and a movement of the second user interface object to a location formerly occupied by one of the remaining group of candidate icons is animated.
In some embodiments, a portable multifunction device displays a first group of user interface objects on the touch screen display (e.g., icons in the more list 4362,
In some embodiments, the set of finger movements described above can be employed to represent a user's feedback on information or services provided by the portable device.
In some embodiments, a portable multifunction device displays a series of ratings indicia (e.g., 4382,
A finger gesture (e.g., 4384,
A rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture is used as input to a function or application in the device (705). For example, the three-star rating for the song “Come Together” in
In some embodiments, the rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture is used to give a rating for an item of content that is playable with a content player application on the device. In some embodiments, the item of content is an item of music and the content player application is a music player application. In some embodiments, the item of content is a video and the content player application is a video player application.
In some embodiments, the rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture is used to give a rating for content on a web page that is viewable with a browser application on the device.
A graphical user interface on a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display comprises a series of ratings indicia 4382 on the touch screen display. The ratings indicia comprise a lowest rating indicia and one or more progressively higher rating indicia. In response to detecting a finger gesture by a user on one or more of the ratings indicia, wherein the finger gesture contacts a last rating indicia immediately prior to breaking contact with the touch screen display, a rating corresponding to the last rating indicia contacted by the finger gesture is used as input to a function or an application in the device.
In some embodiments, a computer-implemented method is performed at a portable electronic device (e.g., 100) with a touch screen display 112.
The device displays a first list 2330-1 (
The device displays a plurality of icons (e.g., 2332-1, 2332-2, and 2332-3,
In some embodiments, the device displays a search icon 2334 that when activated initiates the display of a user interface 2300R (
In response to detecting a moving finger gesture 2336 on the first list of information about content items, the device scrolls the first list of information about content items.
In response to detecting a stationary finger contact on a first portion 2338 of a row 2340 in the first list of information about online video items, wherein the row contains information about a particular online video item, the device: initiates a request for the particular online video item 2342 from a remote computer (e.g., an online video server for a web site such as www.youtube.com), receives the particular online video item 2342, and plays the particular online video item 2342 (
In some embodiments, the row 2340 has a width, the touch screen 112 has a width and the width of the row is substantially the same as the width of the touch screen display (e.g., at least 90% of the width of the touch screen display). In some embodiments, the touch screen display 112 has an area and the particular online video item 2342 uses substantially all (e.g., at least 90%) of the touch screen display area when the particular online video item is played. In some embodiments, the particular online video item 2342 is played in a landscape orientation of the touch screen display (
In some embodiments, in response to detecting a finger contact 2346 (
In some embodiments, while playing the particular online video item 2342, the device ceases to display the one or more playback controls. In some embodiments, ceasing to display the one or more playback controls comprises fading out the one or more playback controls. In some embodiments, the display of the one or more playback controls is ceased after a predetermined time. In some embodiments, the display of the one or more playback controls is ceased after no contact is detected with the touch screen display for a predetermined time.
In some embodiments, in response to detecting a finger contact 2346 on the touch screen display while the particular online video item is playing, the device displays a bookmark icon 2350 that, if activated by another finger contact 2348, bookmarks the particular online video item 2342 (or initiates a process for creating a bookmark for the item).
In some embodiments, in response to detecting a finger contact 2346 on the touch screen display while the particular online video item is playing, the device displays a sharing icon 2352 that, if activated by another finger contact 2354, initiates creation of an electronic message to another user that includes a link to the particular online video item. In some embodiments, in response to detecting a finger contact 2346 on the touch screen display while the particular online video item is playing, the device displays a sharing icon 2352 that, if activated by another finger contact 2354, initiates creation of an electronic message to another user that includes an online address (e.g., a URL such as “http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxXNoB3t8vM” in
In response to detecting a finger contact on a respective icon (e.g., icon 2332-1,
In some embodiments, in response to detecting a finger contact on a second portion of the row in the first list of information about online video items (e.g., a contact on icon 2344-3,
In some embodiments, the device displays an icon 2368 that when activated initiates the display of: (a) icons corresponding to at least some of the plurality of lists of information about online video items (e.g., 23324, 2332-5, 2332-6,
In some embodiments, in response to detecting a finger contact on a playback completion icon 2314 (
A graphical user interface 2300E on a portable electronic device 100 with a touch screen display 112 includes: a first list 2330-1 of information about online video items in a plurality of lists of information about online video items; and a plurality of icons 2332 corresponding to at least some of the plurality of lists of information about online video items. In response to detecting a finger contact on a first portion 2338 of a row 2340 in the first list 2330-1 of information about online video items, wherein the row contains information about a particular online video item: a request is initiated for the particular online video item 2342 from a remote computer, the particular online video item 2342 is received, and the particular online video item 2342 is played. In some embodiments, in response to detecting a finger contact on a second portion of the row (e.g., additional information icon 2344) in the first list of information about online video items, wherein the second portion of the row is different from the first portion of the row, additional information is displayed about the particular online video item (e.g., in UI 2300G,
The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/969,809, filed Jan. 4, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,519,964, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/937,993, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Jun. 29, 2007; 60/937,990, “Portable Multifunction Device, Method, and Graphical User Interface Supporting User Navigations of Graphical Objects on a Touch Screen Display,” filed Jun. 29, 2007; 60/879,469, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Jan. 8, 2007; and 60/879,253, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Jan. 7, 2007. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. This application is related to the following applications: (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/188,182, “Touch Pad For Handheld Device,” filed Jul. 1, 2002; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/722,948, “Touch Pad For Handheld Device,” filed Nov. 25, 2003; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/643,256, “Movable Touch Pad With Added Functionality,” filed Aug. 18, 2003; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/654,108, “Ambidextrous Mouse,” filed Sep. 2, 2003; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862, “Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed May 6, 2004; (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed Jul. 30, 2004; (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/038,590, “Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices” filed Jan. 18, 2005; (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/057,050, “Display Actuator,” filed Feb. 11, 2005; (9) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/658,777, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed Mar. 4, 2005; (10) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed Mar. 3, 2006; and (11) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/824,769, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Sep. 6, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60937993 | Jun 2007 | US | |
| 60937990 | Jun 2007 | US | |
| 60879469 | Jan 2007 | US | |
| 60879253 | Jan 2007 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 16926530 | Jul 2020 | US |
| Child | 17521768 | US | |
| Parent | 16378291 | Apr 2019 | US |
| Child | 16926530 | US | |
| Parent | 15153617 | May 2016 | US |
| Child | 16378291 | US | |
| Parent | 14011639 | Aug 2013 | US |
| Child | 15153617 | US | |
| Parent | 11969809 | Jan 2008 | US |
| Child | 14011639 | US |
