HK1114275A - System and method for utilizing idle mode on an electronic device - Google Patents

Description

System and method for utilizing idle mode on electronic device

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to electronic devices including an idle mode. More particularly, the present invention relates to material that appears on an electronic device during such idle modes.

Background

Among other functions, in many instances certain graphics will appear on the display of the device when the device is in idle mode. As a basic level, by default, the display may include a logo of the manufacturer or vendor when the device is in idle mode. In addition, a separate software or hardware manufacturer or distributor may include more advanced graphics, changing images, or other features on the display when the device is idle.

In addition to the above, it is also desirable to present useful information to the user when the device is in idle mode. For example, some conventional systems allow a user to view, for example, an incoming reservation item while the device is in an idle mode. In some systems, the user is actually able to manipulate the information shown in the idle mode. In these "active idle" systems, the user is able to plan appointment reminders or perform similar actions.

While conventional systems are quite useful, they also suffer from a number of drawbacks. Because of the limited amount of available space on the device display, many conventional systems are limited in what they can show on the display when in a secure mode and what can be manipulated by the user in an "active idle" system. For example, although european patent No.1,206,730B1, granted on 14/1/2004, describes a system in which calendar-unique messages corresponding to a particular calendar date may be automatically displayed when the system is in "standby" mode, it does not provide the ability to display a variety of information at a single time, nor does it provide the user with the ability to manipulate the displayed information once it appears, but only the ability to customize the information before it is displayed. In systems where such information is not displayed, let alone beneficial to the user, as no useful information is displayed when the device is in idle mode.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention relates to a system and method for displaying three-dimensional objects on a display when an associated electronic device is in an idle mode. By presenting the three-dimensional object in idle mode, the user is able to see more content during idle mode than with conventional systems, the display is made more useful to the user when the device is in idle mode by enabling the user to view and manipulate additional material, providing enhanced data processing and improved data management for the user.

These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention, together with the organization and manner of operation thereof, will become apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like elements have like numerals throughout the several drawings described below.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a mobile telephone that may be used in the practice of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the telephone circuitry of the mobile telephone of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an image of a display of a device in an idle mode including a three-dimensional object according to an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating a process for implementation of a three-dimensional free object according to one embodiment of the invention.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show an illustrative mobile telephone 12 upon which the present invention may be implemented. However, it is important to note that the present invention is not limited to any type of mobile telephone and may be incorporated into devices such as personal digital assistants, personal computers, and other devices. It should be understood that the present invention may be incorporated into a variety of mobile telephones 12. The mobile telephone 12 of figures 1 and 2 includes a housing 30, a display 32 in the form of a liquid crystal display, a keypad 34, a microphone 36, an ear-piece 38, a battery 40, an infrared port 42, an antenna 44, a smart card 46 in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC), a card reader 48, radio interface circuitry 52, codec circuitry 54, a controller 56 and a memory 58 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. It should be noted that the controller 56 may be the same or a different unit than the camera processor 16. The individual circuits and elements are all of a type well known in the art, for example in the nokia range of mobile telephones.

Like other electronic devices, many currently manufactured mobile phones have an "idle mode". The idle mode of a mobile phone is the basic mode in which a user in the current implementation may initiate, for example, a phone call or other function. The idle mode may also provide information to the user such as upcoming calendar events, missed or received calls, and/or some other information useful to the user. As used herein, the term "idle mode" means a mode in which the system will react to activity generated by the electronic device, although it may appear to some users to even be inactive. This is in contrast to programs such as "screen savers", where events generated by the electronic device will not cause the screen saver to disappear or stop running.

Figure 3 shows a schematic display showing one implementation of the present invention. In the display 32 of FIG. 3, the three-dimensional object 100 is shown superimposed on a screen layout 110. The three-dimensional object 100 shown in fig. 3 is cube-shaped. However, the three-dimensional object 100 may actually take on a variety of shapes, including but not limited to spherical, trapezoidal, triangular, rectangular, and the shape of everyday objects such as books, houses, appliances, and the like.

The three-dimensional object 100 of fig. 3 includes multiple sides that can be viewed and/or manipulated by a user. For example, the first side 120 of the three-dimensional object 100 includes a clock 130 that displays the current time. The first side 120 in this particular embodiment also includes an indicator 140 that is used if the current time coincides with a planned appointment. The second side 150 of the three-dimensional object 100 includes a plurality of input buttons 160 to allow a user to use the media content player. The media content player may also present information such as the name of the song being played or other information.

Various features, functions, and applications may be placed on various sides or surfaces of the three-dimensional object 100. By way of example only, these items may include text documents, clocks, calendars, spreadsheets, graphical images, video clips, animations, application in-progress screens for firewall, antivirus, antispyware and antismoke applications, distributed computing projection screens, electronic mailboxes, instant message related screens, weather information, financial information, a user's "to do" list, contact information, service advertisements, product advertisements, sponsor advertisements, user interface components, views and other items. These various features or applications may be set by the user, or they may be selected by a hardware, software, or content provider or advertiser.

In one embodiment of the invention, the three-dimensional object 100 may be moved and/or manipulated by a user, corresponding to an "active idle" system. For example, a user may use a mouse, keyboard, or other input device to rotate the three-dimensional object 100 so that the user may see the other sides. The user may also use the same input device to initiate a function or manipulate an item appearing on the three-dimensional object 100. For example, the user may use the input device to press any of the input buttons 160 to start, stop, or change the media program through the second side 150 of the three-dimensional object 100, or he may reset the clock 130 on the first side 120.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the user is provided with the ability to modify the three-dimensional object 100. For example, the user may change the shape, color, or size of the three-dimensional object 100. In another embodiment, the user may customize the content that appears on the three-dimensional object 100. For example, a user may select applications or features that appear on various portions of the three-dimensional object 100 and customize how the applications or features are displayed to the user. In these instances, the three-dimensional object 100 serves as the actual active user interface object for use by the user when the device in question is in idle mode. Alternatively, the user may download the three-dimensional object 100 from a remote server, or the three-dimensional object 100 may be provided as part of a service whose options may be customized by the user.

In addition to the above, various properties of the three-dimensional object 100 may be modified or changed automatically or based on the occurrence of a particular activity. For example, the system of the present invention may include settings that change the three-dimensional object 100 or the position of the three-dimensional object 100 at specified time intervals. Changing the position of the three-dimensional object 100 may also be associated with various functions presented on various sides of the three-dimensional object. By way of example, whenever a calendar alert occurs, the three-dimensional object 100 may automatically change its position to the side with the calendar, and may also change color or some form of movement on that side. Similarly, when a user receives a text message, the side of the three-dimensional object 100 having contact information may be moved or changed, and similar actions may be used for the side having the media player when the song is played.

Fig. 4 shows a basic flow diagram of a process for implementing the invention. In step 200 it is determined or checked whether the electronic device is in an idle mode. The step of determining or examining may also be skipped, so that the provision of the three-dimensional object 100 on the display is carried out without any examination. At step 210, if the electronic device is in an idle mode, the three-dimensional object 100 appears on the display 32. Although steps 200 and 210 are shown in sequence, these steps may occur substantially simultaneously. The user can change the position of the three-dimensional object 100 (at step 220), resize the three-dimensional object 100 (at step 230), change the color of the three-dimensional object 100 (at step 240), or change the shape of the three-dimensional object 100 (at step 250). The user may also freely define the features shown on the three-dimensional object 100 in various ways as described above (step 260). Depending on the particular embodiment of the invention, these actions may occur when the device is in an idle mode or when it is in an active mode. When the device is in idle mode, it may also provide the user with an indication of an event displayed on the three-dimensional object 100 or when a change in any of the features occurred. This is shown in step 270.

The present invention is described in the general context of method steps, which may be implemented in one embodiment by a program product including computer-executable instructions, such as program code, executed by computers in networked environments. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program modules provide examples of program code for executing steps of the methods disclosed herein. The particular sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures provides examples of corresponding acts for implementing the functions described in such steps.

Software and web implementations of the present invention could be accomplished with standard programming techniques with rule based logic and other logic to accomplish the various database searching steps, correlation steps, comparison steps and decision steps. It should be noted that the terms "component" and "module," as used herein and in the claims, is intended to encompass implementations using one or more lines of software code, and/or hardware implementations, and/or equipment for receiving manual inputs.

The foregoing description of embodiments of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from practice of the invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Claims (24)

1. A method for setting up a view on an electronic device, comprising:

presenting, when the electronic device is in an idle mode, a three-dimensional object on a display of the electronic device, the three-dimensional object including a user-visible view.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling a user to modify the shape of the three-dimensional object.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling a user to modify the view displayed on the three-dimensional object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of enabling a user to modify the size of the three-dimensional object.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of providing an indication to a user of an event on a display while the electronic device remains in an idle mode.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content related to the view is selected from the group consisting of: text documents, clocks, calendars, spreadsheets, graphical images, video clips, animations, application in-progress screens for firewall, antivirus, antispyware and antismoke applications, distributed computing projection screens, electronic mailboxes, instant message related screens, weather information, financial information, a user's "to do" list, contact information, service advertisements, product advertisements, sponsor advertisements, user interface components, views and combinations thereof.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically changing the position of the three-dimensional object in response to an activity.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of automatically changing the three-dimensional object in response to an activity.

9. A computer program product for setting up a view on an electronic device, comprising:

computer code for presenting a three-dimensional object on a display of the electronic device when the electronic device is in an idle mode, the three-dimensional object comprising a user-visible view.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer code for enabling a user to modify a shape of the three-dimensional object.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, additionally comprising computer code for enabling a user to modify a view displayed on the three-dimensional object.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer code for enabling a user to modify the size of the three-dimensional object.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, additionally comprising computer code for providing an indication to a user of an event on a display while the electronic device remains in an idle mode.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the content related to the view is selected from the group consisting of: text documents, clocks, calendars, spreadsheets, graphical images, video clips, animations, application in-progress screens for firewall, antivirus, antispyware and antismoke applications, distributed computing projection screens, electronic mailboxes, instant message related screens, weather information, financial information, a user's "to do" list, contact information, service advertisements, product advertisements, sponsor advertisements, user interface components, views and combinations thereof.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer code for automatically changing a position of the three-dimensional object in response to an activity.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising computer code for automatically changing the three-dimensional object in response to an activity.

17. An electronic device, comprising:

a display for displaying information;

a processor for processing information to be displayed by the display; and

a storage unit for storing information to be processed by the processor,

wherein the storage unit comprises a computer program product for setting up a view on the display, the computer program product comprising:

computer code for presenting a three-dimensional object on a display of the electronic device when the electronic device is in an idle mode, the three-dimensional object comprising a user-visible view.

18. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the computer program product additionally comprises computer code for enabling a user to modify a shape of the three-dimensional object.

19. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the computer program product additionally comprises computer code for enabling a user to modify a view displayed on the three-dimensional object.

20. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the computer program product additionally comprises computer code for enabling a user to modify the three-dimensional object size.

21. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the content related to the view is selected from the group consisting of: text documents, clocks, calendars, spreadsheets, graphical images, video clips, animations, application in-progress screens for firewall, antivirus, antispyware and antismoke applications, distributed computing projection screens, electronic mailboxes, instant message related screens, weather information, financial information, a user's "to do" list, contact information, service advertisements, product advertisements, sponsor advertisements, user interface components, views and combinations thereof.

22. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the computer program product additionally comprises computer code for automatically changing a position of the three-dimensional object in response to an activity.

23. The electronic device of claim 17, wherein the computer program product additionally comprises computer code for automatically changing the three-dimensional object in response to an activity.

24. A user interface for a device for providing information to a user, comprising:

a display for providing information to a user,

wherein the display is adapted to present a three-dimensional object on the display when the device is in an idle mode, the three-dimensional object comprising a user-visible view.