HK1139476B - Preferred contact group centric interface - Google Patents

Description

Preferred contact group centric interface

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present patent application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional patent application No.60/689,581, filed on 6/10/2005 under 35 (e) of the U.S. code, and U.S. patent application No.11/400,925, filed on 4/10/2006 under 35 (120) of the U.S. code, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to a user interface on a communication device that is centered around a user's preferred contact group.

Background

Cellular telephones have become a common communication tool in modern society. A wide variety of handset types are available, such as "clamshell" flip-type cellular telephones, non-flip or "stick" type cellular telephones, and other cellular telephones having a rotating display. Although the internal design of cellular telephones varies widely, each is typically ergonomically designed for maximum convenience and comfort. There are also a wide variety of key and selection key configurations available, some focusing on ergonomic design, others focusing on improving specific functions. Each cellular telephone has its own style and functional characteristics, providing a unique user experience.

Many modern cellular telephone devices also incorporate organizational tools traditionally found in personal information managers or PIMs. Examples of PIM functions that may be incorporated into a cellular telephone device include personal call lists, business contact call lists, phonebook information, calendars, personal reminders, and other information. Moreover, the popularity of certain tools and functions traditionally associated with non-communication devices, such as digital photo and video cameras, MP3 players, and computers (with applications including email, instant text messaging, and image messaging), has raised interest in providing cellular telephone devices that incorporate a wide variety of non-communication functions.

The present disclosure evaluates and takes into account many of these and other functions to provide an easy-to-use user interface system that focuses on a user's preferred contact group. Group-centric user interfaces are useful in mobile and portable electronic devices such as cellular communication devices, PDAs, PIMs, and other devices. Moreover, the present disclosure contemplates a particular billing system that may be applied to a contact group.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of various configurations of a user interface standby screen.

Fig. 2 is a screen shot of an example communication selectable menu of the user interface.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a first power-on initialization sequence.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of a standby screen and other characteristics associated with it.

Fig. 5 illustrates a sequence of user interactions for a user interface for adding a preferred contact.

Fig. 6 illustrates a user interaction sequence for another aspect of a preferred contact group interface for adding a preferred contact.

Fig. 7 illustrates an example of a sequence of user interactions for selecting pictures for a preferred contact.

FIG. 8 illustrates an example interaction sequence for modifying a preferred contact.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a sequence of user interactions for changing the order of user preferred contacts.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a sequence of user interface interactions for changing various settings associated with a preferred contact group centric interface.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a sequence of user interface interactions to explain a plurality of communication modes associated with a preferred contact.

FIG. 12 illustrates an example of a sequence of user interface interactions to explain additional communication modes related to a contact.

FIG. 13 illustrates another example of a sequence of user interface interactions to explain selection of a plurality of communication modes associated with a contact.

Fig. 14 illustrates a user interface interaction sequence for creating a graphical icon for a preferred contact from a downloaded picture.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a sequence of user interface interactions for an incoming communication notification related to a contact.

Figures 16A-16E illustrate Web-based user interface examples for configuring and managing a preferred contact group user interface.

Figures 17A-17C illustrate examples of WAP-based user interfaces for configuring and managing a preferred contact group user interface.

Fig. 18A-18D additionally illustrate display screen examples of a user interface provided in accordance with at least one feature of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

The present description relates to a preferred contact group centric interface that may be used by a user to facilitate communication with any of her or his designated preferred contacts via a communication device. The user interface may be set to activate from the user's "home" page on his or her communication device display, or from an idle screen accessed after a timeout period expires, or any other suitable mechanism to activate a preferred contact group centric experience.

In short, the preferred contact group centric interface of the communication device may be used by the user to facilitate communication. The user selects a preferred contact group from the user's contact list. Once the contact group is configured, only a minimum number of navigation/selection features are required to activate any number of communication modes available to the contacts. The contact group is configured such that easy and fast navigation between the contact members is achieved. The contact groups may be represented in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional arrangement and in any number of lists or geometries. Alternatively, the pricing scheme may rely on the provision of communication services between the user and his or her preferred set of contacts.

The preferred contact group centric experience is designed to facilitate quick and easy selection of a contact from a user's contact (specified by the user) list, followed by quick and easy application selection from a plurality of communication modes, including a default contact communication mode or single click initiation of a default communication mode. Although much of the description included herein illustrates a group of five key contacts associated with an interface, the exact number of contacts is not critical, and any number (e.g., 10, 20, 100, etc.) of contacts may be used independently or as part of a group. Furthermore, the term communication device is intended to cover a wide variety of devices such as cellular telephone-type devices, PDA/PIM-type devices, and other devices that include a communication means.

In one example, the display of five preferred contacts appears on the idle screen of the user's communication device. The user may initiate a communication mode of pre-selecting a default contact with a single click, or may quickly traverse (reverse) between his or her contacts by using navigation keys configured for such purpose (e.g., up/down/left/right keys) until the desired contact is highlighted, and then may initiate the pre-selected default communication mode of the highlighted contact simply by pressing a designated default key on the communication device, or may traverse other communication modes available for communication with the selected contact (e.g., email, instant message, or image message) simply by using navigation keys configured for such purpose (e.g., up/down/left/right keys) and then pressing a designated selection key on the communication device. The interface is contact group centric in that the interface experience begins with selecting a desired recipient from the user's preferred contact group (either manually or by default), and then selecting a desired mode of communication with the selected contact (either by clicking on a default communication mode or through a communication mode menu).

While some conventional address book menus on communication devices do provide the least amount of people-centric communication, the contact group-centric interface is unique in that it provides a user with a novel method of selecting both a preferred contact and a preferred communication mode through a single, visually appealing interface. The user preferred contacts, as well as the communication options associated with those contacts, may be represented as a list-style arrangement, a ring-style arrangement, an oval-style arrangement, or other geometric-style arrangements, such as a pentagonal, hexagonal, "X" -shaped, "T" -shaped, or "+" -shaped arrangement. In addition, all communication modes are displayed in one place, accessible through the contact display on the idle screen, which is novel to the preferred contact group centric interface. Examples of screen shots and communication mode screen shots of various views of the preferred contact group centric interface are shown below. The user pre-selects the user contacts and maintains the order of selection until the user replaces or re-exclusions or her contacts, thereby providing a precursor to user interface interaction. For example, if the user selects "MOM" as his or her first contact, then only a designated key need be clicked to call "MOM" until the user changes the sequence, moving "MOM" to another location in his or her preferred contact. This is an important novel feature of the preferred contact group centric interface and enhances the user interface experience today.

Today's cellular phone user interfaces are designed in a very distinctive and central way. For example, when making a voice call on a conventional cellular telephone, the user typically accesses the address book of the device. To type and send a text message, the user must typically first access a "message" menu, and then select a "compose" function from the menu, with the intended recipient of the message. While some cellular telephones allow users to send text messages, such as through a phonebook menu, this user experience is not optimal in terms of minimizing the number of keystrokes and the overall convenience of navigation. Requiring the user to navigate through a large number of menus and locations in conventional user interfaces also negatively impacts the user's ability to discover these features. In summary, today's cellular phone user experience is feature driven and not contact center (contact center).

The preferred contact group center interface takes the most desirable contacts of the user to the standby screen (or other suitable screen) of the device display "front and center". By simply and intuitively selecting a desired contact among a set of contacts, the user can then quickly access multiple communication modes for communicating with the contact, such as initiating a voice call, sending text, images, voice or Instant Messages (IM), or sending an email. The preferred contact group centric interface also enables a novel scalable user experience that provides a "front and center" display that adds new communication services.

This concept is beneficial to both end users and service providers (e.g., wireless communication carriers). The service provider supporting the communication device may offer a particular, appropriate pricing scheme in conjunction with the unique characteristics of the preferred contact group centric interface. For example, a service provider may offer a specific pricing scheme that provides an unlimited number of incoming or outgoing voice calls between a user and his or her designated preferred contacts. By way of further example, a service provider may extend the unlimited services he provides to include an unlimited number of messages and the use of data associated with a user-specified preferred contact. Further extensions to the pricing scheme may include calling international numbers.

The idle screen may be defined on the front/home screen of the communication device and may include the name of the service provider, battery level, wireless signal strength, date, time, and may provide access to the phone's menu functions.

The display of the user's contacts on the idle screen of the preferred contact group center interface may be transparently incorporated into the background wallpaper.

In another embodiment, the user contact may be a Web-enabled page that is downloaded from a network connection, such as a Web page or WAP page, possibly including active X, Java, Flash or other script or executable format that provides uniform interactivity on all similar communication devices. The contacts may be managed by the Web, or WAP, other over-the-air technology, cable interface to the device, or other connection to another device, such as a personal computer.

Fig. 1 illustrates various configurations of a preferred contact group centric interface standby screen (100). Screenshot 110 shows a ring style standby screen wherein each contact in the user's contact group is disposed about the central axis of the graphical display. The currently selected contact is displayed in the lower middle portion of the screen, but any designated location may be used for the selected contact. In the screenshot 110 example, the graphical icon (here, a photograph) for the selected contact is larger in size than the other unselected contacts. In the screen shot 110 example, the size of the graphical icon for the selected contact is determined by the physical screen position (e.g., bottom center greater than right/left, right/left greater than top right or bottom right) relative to the axis or rotation (discussed later). The size associated with the graphical icon is independent of screen position and may be the same for each contact, different for each contact based on screen position or according to some other specific graphic. Text identifying the selected contact name is included below the associated graphical icon. The selected contact name may also be overlaid on the graphic in a visually attractive manner.

Screenshot 120 illustrates a list style standby screen configuration in which each contact in the user's contact group is disposed in a vertical list around a straight axis, a graphical icon is located on the left hand side of the screen, and text identifying the corresponding contact's name is located on the right hand side of the screen. The selected contact is highlighted in an inverted video format or other graphical form. In one example, the selected contact always appears far at a fixed location on the screen (e.g., top-most, bottom-most, center location, etc.), and the user interface is configured to flip the list up or down vertically. In another example, the highlighted indicator may move up or down in the contact list. In yet another example, the list has a wrap-around effect, where the display is scrolled from the top of the display to the bottom of the list, and vice versa. The list style standby screen may also be displayed in a horizontal direction.

Screenshot 130 illustrates another ring style configuration in which each contact in the user's contact group is disposed around a central axis on the display with the currently selected contact centered on other unselected contacts. In the screenshot 130 example, the graphical icon (in this case a photograph) for the selected contact is larger in size than the other unselected contacts. Text identifying the selected contact name is included around the bottom line of the graphical display.

Screenshot 140 illustrates another ring style configuration in which each contact in the user's contact group is disposed in three-dimensional space around a central axis of the display. The graphical icon (in this case a photograph) for the selected contact is larger in size than the other unselected contacts. Text identifying the selected contact name is included above, below, or superimposed on top of the graphical icon as shown. The graphical icon is displayed in a three-dimensional appearance, i.e., resembling a sphere of an image wrapped around a visible surface. The user interface may be arranged to change the selected icon by rotating about a three-dimensional axis. Shading may be added to reflect the three-dimensional look.

Each of the above-described idle screens allows a user to change the currently selected contact by moving the set of contacts in the user's contact set back and forth via a different navigation key/interface on the communication device (e.g., wireless communication device, cellular telephone, PDA or PIN-type device, etc.). As the user moves the set of contacts displayed in the interface back and forth, a variety of graphical effects may be applied on the display screen, such as animation spin effects, graphical swap effects, fade-in effects, fade-out effects, fly-in effects, fly-out effects, blend-in effects, blend-out effects, screw-in effects, screw-out effects, slide-in effects, and slide-out effects.

The preferred contact group centric interface described herein is described in terms of navigation/selection buttons and keys on the communication device, as well as other specifically designated selectors for initiating and canceling telephone calls. However, any suitable navigation/selection device is within the scope of the present discussion, including but not limited to keyboards, directional keys, dynamically assigned soft keys, joystick-style interfaces, roller ball-style interfaces, touch screen-type interfaces, and stylus-type interfaces. Other means of navigation/selection may include side key (side) push and hold, voice recognition, and gesture recognition.

Fig. 2 is a screen shot of an example of a list style communication options menu (200) of a preferred contact group centric interface. After selecting the options screen, many communication modes are available. For this example screen (200), the communication mode may be selected by moving back and forth through a list of available communication modes and pressing a select key, or by pressing a corresponding number on a keyboard. The illustrated communication modes include initiating a telephone call ("1. call"), sending a text message ("2. messaging"), sending a picture ("3. sharing a picture"), sending a voice message ("4. sending a voice message"), sending an instant message ("5. sending IM"), and sending an email message ("6. sending email"). In addition, maintenance methods may be selected from the option screen, such as viewing activity logs ("7. activity logs") and editing contact profiles ("8. editing profiles").

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an initialization sequence (300) for a first power-on start that may be used by a communication device to complete registration/activation with a service provider.

After initial start-up, a timeout occurs and the communication device displays a pre-activated standby screen 310. After the user completes activation with the service provider (e.g., through a telephone call, in a corporate storefront, through the internet, or by other methods), an SMS message is sent to the communication device. The communication device receives the SMS message and displays a text message reception screen, such as SMS screen 320. The user may select "view" or "exit" from the SMS screen 320. Selecting "view" causes the communication device to display a welcome message, such as welcome screen 330. The user may exit the welcome screen 330 by selecting "options" or "return," causing the user device to transition to the main screen or default screen of the preferred contact group centric interface, which is illustrated as a post-activation standby screen 340. The user selecting "exit" from the SMS screen 320 also causes the communication device to transition to the post-activation standby screen 340.

Once the preferred contact group centric interface on the communication device is available, a default home screen or idle screen may be initialized for the contact group under consideration among the user's preferred contact groups. A particular communication charge and/or service associated with the user's preferred contact group may be associated with a particular pricing scheme. When a user preferred contact is associated to a particular pricing scheme, the service provider may wish to change the user group membership only at the beginning of the billing cycle or during some other recurring registration (revving accounting). The user may specify his or her preferred contact group members via a communication device, a customer service center representative, a computer connected via the internet, or other mechanism.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of the standby screen (400) and other characteristics about it.

The partially populated idle screen includes a combination of graphical identifiers associated with the user's preferred contacts, as shown in the idle screen 410 in fig. 4. If the user does not specify other graphical indicia, the preferred contact in the group may be represented by a default graphical icon, as shown by default graphical icon 412. A small size picture may be assigned to the preferred contact as shown by icon 414. The unfilled or unspecified icon includes another graphical identifier to indicate that another contact may be assigned to the group, as indicated by the default unfilled contact icon in 416.

The fully populated idle screen includes a combination of graphical identifiers associated with a plurality of preferred contacts, as shown in screen shot 420 in fig. 4. In this example, the user prefers each contact in the set of contacts to be displayed with a small size picture, but is not so limited. The selectable status indicators may be dynamically assigned to the graphical indicators, as shown by example indicators 422 and 424. Indicator 422 illustrates a graphical indicator and a textual indicator that a telephone call from an identified contact (e.g., nat) has not been answered. Indicator 424 illustrates waiting for an email message from another identified contact. Other indicators may also be associated with the contact, such as a graphical icon and/or a text string as various indicators such as text message waiting, voice message waiting, picture message waiting, and so forth.

The selectable status indicators may also be associated with a variety of other characteristics, such as presence messages, scheduled schedules and appointments, and emotional levels associated with a particular contact.

The presence message indicator may display the contact's current availability status (e.g., "available," "unavailable," "online," "offline," "busy," "out to dinner," "in meeting," "back right now," "away"), their location status ("at the major 5 corner"), and other user-configurable presence indicators (e.g., "meet me for lunch at 2 pm").

The scheduled schedule and appointment indicator may display the contact's birthday, anniversary, and other important dates and appointments.

The emotion level indicator may be used to reflect a possible emotion of the preferred contact, such as happy, sad, or contradictory, where the emotion level may be dynamically changed according to some rule. For example, if the user has not recently contacted the preferred contact, or is not as frequent as other contacts in the user's preferred contact group, the emoticon indicator may specify that the contact is a sad emotion. In contrast, frequently contacted contacts may have a happy mood. The emotional indicators may also be updated in response to other conditions, such as daily stars, or in response to existing data provided by the contacts, such as through an instant messaging program.

Other information such as the current physical location of the contact using location based technology (e.g., near the user, in the same city as the user) may also be displayed. In addition, related content related to the contact may also be displayed (e.g., if the contact is interested in a particular musical art, a predetermined concert schedule for the musical art may be displayed along with a link to buy tickets).

Fig. 5 illustrates a user interaction sequence (500) for adding a preferred contact. The process flow (500) of fig. 5 begins with the illustrated unfilled standby screen.

The user may press a "select" key (e.g., a center key on a gamepad, an "OK" key, or other key) from the idle screen to add a contact to the currently selected contact group member. Pressing the "select" key results in another screen that either replaces the current screen with an "add group contacts" dialog box or overlays the current screen (e.g., a pop-up window). The dialog box prompts the user that a new contact is to be added to the currently selected group (in this case the unfilled group). The preferred contact group center interface also allows the user to select "new", "select from the phonebook" or "return". Selecting "back" cancels the "add contact" dialog and returns to the standby screen.

Selecting "new" from the "contacts in added group" dialog translates the preferred contact group centric interface to a "new" template having one or more data entry fields, such as name, number, picture, etc. The fields may also include a variety of additional information including email address, home address, birthday, favorite ice cream, place of birth, and other information. The user may return to the previous screen by selecting the "back" key or enter data into one or more data entry fields.

The data may be entered into the data entry field using various keys and/or input devices available to the communication device. Once the user has entered data, the user may cancel the entered data or select the "Save" key. Pressing the cancel key returns the preferred contact group centric interface to the previous screen, the add group contact dialog, and pressing the save key transitions the preferred contact group centric interface to the confirm dialog.

The confirmation dialog box requires the user to agree to save information for a contact selected from the user's preferred contact group. The user may reject the consent by pressing one function key (e.g., "no"), or accept the consent by pressing another function key (e.g., "yes"). Refusing the consent returns the processing to the previous screen. Upon acceptance of the approval, the entered data is transmitted by the communication device to the service provider for record updating, and a dialogue screen is displayed to indicate that the service is updated.

After the timeout period expires, the process returns to the standby screen where a wait indicator (e.g., hourglass) is displayed for the previously selected icon. After the service provider updates the record of the communication device on the server, a message is sent to the communication device indicating that the record has been successfully updated (or perhaps an error message if other errors occur). The update recording dialog screen may be cancelled by a user interaction, such as pressing an "OK" key, and the user interface resumes the standby screen with the populated contacts currently present.

Fig. 6 illustrates a user interaction sequence (600) for adding another aspect of a preferred contact group centric interface for a preferred contact. The process flow (600) of fig. 6 begins with the illustrated unfilled standby screen.

The user may press a "select" key (e.g., a center key on a gamepad, an "OK" key, or other key) from the idle screen to add contacts to the currently selected contact group member. Pressing the "select" key results in another screen that either replaces the current screen with an "add group contact" dialog box or overlays the current screen, such as a pop-up style. The dialog box prompts the user that a new contact is to be added to the currently selected group (in this example the previously unfilled group). The user interface also allows the user to select "new", "select from the phonebook" or "return". Selecting "back" cancels the "add contact" dialog and returns to the standby screen.

Selecting "select from phonebook" from the "add group contacts" dialog converts the user interface to a phonebook interface, for example from a contact manager class application. The previously entered contact may then be selected from the phonebook using various keys and/or input devices available in the contact manager. Once the user selects a contact, the user may deselect (e.g., select "return") or select a phone number for the contact (e.g., from a set of available phone numbers, such as a home number, a cellular phone number, etc.). After selecting the desired phone number, the user may save the selected contact information (e.g., "save"), or cancel and return to the previous screen (e.g., "cancel"). The confirmation dialog, approval/denial, and remaining steps in fig. 6 are virtually the same as described in fig. 5.

As previously described, each contact in the user preferred contact group may have an associated graphical icon for display on the idle screen. Fig. 7 illustrates an example of a user interaction sequence (700) for selecting pictures for a preferred contact. In one example, the interaction sequence of FIG. 7 occurs when a contact is initially selected, for example, from a contact manager application, as previously described. For example, when a photo is assigned to a contact in the contact manager application, a default picture may have been assigned to the identified contact. In this example, the dialog screen is displayed after the phone number is selected requesting approval or denial of the default picture.

Agreeing to the default picture opens the photo editing tools, including cropping tools similar to graphical cursor operations. The cropping tools may be placed by the user in the desired area of the picture. Optionally, the cropping tool may also be configured to zoom in and out on the picture area to provide the desired picture size for cropping. Selecting "crop" converts the user interface to a "save" dialog window that allows approval or denial of cropping the picture. Selecting "return" terminates the return of the cropping tool to the previous screen, i.e., the "use default" picture dialog screen described previously.

When the default picture is rejected, another dialog screen is displayed that includes a plurality of data fields for the user's preferred contacts. The user may then press a "select" key or a "center" key on the picture field to select a photo from multiple sources, such as a digital camera interface (e.g., "take picture") built into the communication device, a folder such as "my photos", an icon such as a "group contacts icon", or other sources such as downloaded icons. Selecting "take a picture" causes the communication device to activate its means to take a picture, followed by cropping the picture, and approving and rejecting the various dialog boxes described above. Selection of "My photos" results in activation of a file manager class tool that allows selection of photos from the folder, activation of the cropping tool, and approval and rejection of the various dialog boxes described previously. Selection of the "group contact icon" results in activation of a file manager class tool that allows selection of an icon from a folder, followed by approval and rejection of the various dialog boxes described previously. Selecting "get more icon" results in launching an internet-based browser (e.g., WAP) to allow the user to download more icons.

It is contemplated that a user may desire to edit information associated with a user's preferred contact group member, or to replace a current contact with another, more desirable contact. Fig. 8 illustrates an example of modifying an interaction sequence (800) for a preferred contact. From the idle screen, a select key is pressed to invoke various available options available for the previously configured contacts in the user's preferred contact group. Selecting the "options" key allows the user to select any of "edit profile", "replace contact", or "change order" for the selected contact. Selecting "edit profile" allows the user to modify any data fields associated with the selected group contact.

Selecting "replace contact" causes another dialog sequence, such as a warning message that the contact message cannot be modified until the next billing period, or other dialog boxes, such as a screen warning that the contact can only be replaced once a month. This dialog screen may be the result of a negotiation with the network to confirm that the user cannot modify. The consent/denial dialog box may then be used to allow replacement of the contact.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a user interaction sequence (900) for changing the display order of user preferred contacts. User interaction associated with selecting "change order" from the options screen of fig. 8 may also be explained with reference to fig. 9. Once "change order" is selected, the user may use the left/right key or other set of keys to rotate the currently selected group member, although the order position may change. In this example, a ring configuration is used for the group members around the central axis on the screen. Pressing the left key rotates the selected contact in a counter-clockwise direction and pressing the right key rotates the selected contact in a clockwise direction. Once the desired ordinal position is reached, "done" may be selected. Alternatively, the user may cancel changing the contact order.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a user interface interaction sequence (1000) for changing various settings associated with a preferred contact group centric interface. The interaction begins with the user selecting the standby screen of the "menu". A series of icons representing all of the various menu options, including setup icons, is displayed. The setting icon is illustrated by S, but any graphical and/or text based icon may be used as the setting icon. The user navigates the selection cursor to the settings icon and presses "select" to activate the settings menu, or alternatively presses "back" to return to the previous screen (in this case the standby screen).

In the setting menu, various setting parameters are accessible, such as "1. time & date", "2. display setting", "3. sound setting", "4. group setting", "5. web service", and "6. security". Select the designated number key (4 in this example) or navigate the cursor to "group settings" and press the select button to activate the "group contact settings" menu. The previous screen may also be returned with a "return" interaction.

In the "group contact setup" menu, various choices are available, such as "1. hidden group", "2. refresh group", and "3. about group contact". Selecting "hidden group" disables the idle screen from displaying the preferred group contacts and displays a dialog screen to indicate the assignment of various shortcuts and related settings. Once "OK" is selected, the dialog screen is canceled, and the group contact setup menu transitions from "1. hidden group" to "1. hidden group canceled". Selecting "refresh group" sends a message to the server requesting an update to the preferred group contact settings, which results in the dialog screen (which can be cancelled by "OK") displaying refreshes that may take several minutes. Selecting "about group contact" launches an internet-based site, such as a WAP site. From the WAP site, the wireless carrier may provide a variety of additional menu selection items, additional information about the current settings, or any other desired interaction.

The settings menu may also include other settings, such as animation settings, to allow the user to select different ways of animating the group contact. In one animation setting example, when the user changes the currently selected contact, the contact displayed on the device display screen is animated to rotate about the axis of rotation. In another animation setting example, the animation of a contact displayed on the device display screen is a fade in and fade out effect. In another animation setting example, the animation of a contact displayed on the device display screen is a fly-in and fly-out effect. Other effects may also be selected with animation settings, including canceling animation effects.

Fig. 11 illustrates an example of a user interface interaction sequence (1100) illustrating various call/communication modes associated with a user preferred contact. The interaction begins with the idle screen of the preferred contact group centric interface, wherein the user can navigate to the preferred contact and either press the "send" key or press the "select" key for the currently selected preferred contact.

Selection of the "send" key (or some other previously designated key) on the idle screen causes the communication device to activate a pre-selected communication mode associated with the currently selected contact. The pre-selected communication mode may be pre-configured as a default communication mode or configured by a user. In one example, the pre-selected communication mode for each contact in the contact group may be different from one another. In another example, the preselected communication mode is the same for each contact in the contact group. In one example, the pre-selected communication mode is simply to initiate a telephone call to the telephone number of the previously designated contact, shown as a "call.

As shown in fig. 11, a telephone call with a currently selected contact may be initiated quickly and easily without requiring the user to transition between additional menu screens. Instead, clicking on the user selection selects the currently selected contact (e.g., "Nate"). Single-click user selection may be accomplished by any means, such as pressing a dedicated selection key (e.g., "talk"), pressing a user-configured soft key, or any other user input device such as a touch screen, touch pad, joystick, or the like. Because the pre-selected communication mode (e.g., "initiate a phone call") is activated with a single click on the device, the user interface is very simple and effective.

Pressing the "select" key from the idle screen causes the communication device to activate a communication options menu for the currently selected contact. The contact list may return to the initial state, for example, immediately after the call is over or the message is sent out, or after a brief timeout (e.g., 5 seconds).

Similar to the communication described in fig. 2, the communication options menu includes a set of choices such as "1. call", "2. send message", "3. share picture", "4. send voice notification", and "5. activity log". The communication options menu allows the selected contact to be changed with navigation keys, e.g., left and right, without returning to the idle screen, or in response to "back". Selecting "call" from this menu initiates a telephone call in the manner described above.

Selecting "send message" from the communication options menu activates the text message interface. A user may enter and send text messages from the messaging interface. The preferred contact group centric interface automatically retrieves the address data associated with the currently selected preferred contact such that selecting "OK" or "option- > send" sends the message without further interaction by the user.

Selecting "share pictures" from the communication options menu activates the photosharing interface, which includes selection items such as "1. take", "2. my pictures", and "3. group contact icon". Selecting "take a picture" activates the digital camera interface on the communication device, where a digital photograph can be captured by activating an electronic shutter (e.g., "take"). Selecting "My photos" activates the file manager interface on the communication device, where digital photos can be selected. Again, the user interface automatically retrieves the address data associated with the currently selected preferred contact, so that selecting "OK" or "option- > send" sends the captured or selected photograph without further interaction from the user.

Fig. 12 illustrates an example of a preferred contact group centric interface interaction sequence (1200) illustrating additional communication modes associated with a preferred contact. Similar to that described in fig. 2, the interaction begins with a communication options menu including a set of choices such as "1. call", "2. send message", "3. share picture", "4. send voice notification", and "5. activity log".

Selecting "send voice notification" from the communication options menu activates the voice notification interface, where the voice message can be recorded by selecting "record". The user speaks a voice message to the communication device and presses the stop key to end the recording. As any interface desires, the voice notification interface is displayed with a "back" key feature that allows for returning to a previous screen, such as a communication options menu. Similar to the previous discussion, the preferred contact group centric interface automatically retrieves address data associated with the currently selected preferred contact, such that selecting "send" sends a recorded voice notification without requiring further interaction by the user.

An "activity log" is selected from a communication options menu to activate a communication activity log interface associated with the selected contact. The communication activity of the selected contact is then displayed on the screen. The activity log may include any number of activities, such as the time and date of a phone call, a text message, a voice notification, a received picture, and so forth. The activity log interface is illustrated as having a "back" key feature that allows for returning to a previous screen, such as a communication options menu. Other options may also be used from the activity log interface, such as "clear history", and so forth.

Fig. 13 illustrates another example of a user interface interaction sequence (1300) illustrating selection of a plurality of communication modes associated with a preferred contact. As shown, the preferred contact is initially selected for the currently selected contact from the idle screen by activating the "select" key. This interaction activates a communication options menu that includes a set of choices, such as "call," "message," "instant message," "email," etc., similar to that previously described in FIG. 2.

The arrangement of graphical icons is used to indicate each communication mode available for the currently selected contact. The graphical icons are arranged to encircle a central axis associated with the display screen. The user interface in this example is arranged such that selection of the left and right navigation keys results in a rotational change of the position of each graphical icon relative to the central axis. In this example, the currently selected communication mode corresponds to the graphical icon located at the bottom center of the display screen. The currently selected graphical icon also includes a text string displayed in the bottom central region of the display screen. In this example, the selection indicator is represented by a box surrounding the graphical icon and the associated text string.

The "back" key feature can allow the user to cancel the communication options menu and return to a previous screen, such as a standby display, as desired for any interface. Similar to the previous description, the preferred contact group centric interface automatically retrieves address information for any communication mode selected, such that only a single retrieval click is required to activate the communication mode.

Although the above-described communication option menu examples are arranged in a circular or elliptical arrangement that rotates on the screen about a central axis, other arrangements may be used, such as linear lists, vertical lists, horizontal lists, diagonal lists, circles, semi-circles, ellipses, triangles, diamonds, U-shapes, L-shapes, squares, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, other geometric pattern shapes, two-dimensional patterns, and three-dimensional patterns.

Although the communication option menus described above are described as being rotated about a central axis, the graphical effects may also use, for example, animation effects, highlight effects, fade-in effects, fade-out effects, fly-in effects, fly-out effects, blend-out effects, screw-in effects, screw-out effects, slide-in effects, and slide-out effects.

The above example shows that the bottom center position of the display screen corresponds to the currently selected communication mode. The present disclosure is not so limited and any other screen position may be used for the currently selected communication mode. Also, the graphical icon may remain stationary in another example, with the graphical indicator of the currently selected communication mode moving across the screen. The graphical indicator may be any desired effect such as a highlight effect, a selection box, a reverse video effect, etc.

Fig. 14 illustrates a preferred contact group centric interface interaction sequence (1400) for creating a graphical icon for a preferred contact from a downloaded picture. The interaction starts when "download picture" is activated from another menu, e.g. from the menu of fig. 7, or by other interaction, e.g. internet based download. After the picture is downloaded, a dialog screen is displayed indicating that the download is complete. The dialog box may be cancelled by selecting "OK" or the downloaded picture may be displayed by selecting "view". Once the dialog box is similarly cancelled with "OK" or the picture is cancelled, the save as menu is displayed.

The "save as" menu has a number of selectable items, such as "1. wallpaper", "2. picture ID", and "3. group contact icon". Selecting "wallpaper" saves the downloaded picture as background wallpaper for the communication device. Selecting "Picture ID" saves the downloaded picture as a photo identifier, such as may be used by the contact manager application or perhaps saved in a folder for other use.

Selecting the "group contact icon" saves the downloaded picture as the preferred contact icon. In some cases, the downloaded picture is not in the proper format, and the picture is cropped with a cropping tool, similar to FIG. 7 described above. In other cases, the downloaded picture is already cropped and formatted as the preferred contact icon without further cropping and/or formatting. A menu is then displayed to assign a formatting icon to one of the user's preferred contact groups.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a user interface interaction sequence (1500) for a contact-related incoming communication notification. The interaction starts from any suitable screen, such as a standby screen. When an incoming call is detected, a display screen of the communication device displays an incoming call indicator, such as a telephone number identified by caller ID, a group contact name associated with the incoming call, and a graphical identifier associated with the contact. As shown, the user may select to "accept" or "reject" the incoming call.

Figures 16A-16E illustrate web-based user interface examples for configuring and managing a preferred contact group user interface. As shown in fig. 16A, the user may navigate the web page to select a preferred contact group scenario from the service provider, learn more about the scenario, or view a presentation of the preferred contact group user interface. Once the group contact scheme is selected, the user may select a manner of managing the group contacts via the web page depicted in FIG. 16B.

Selecting "manage group contacts" may be handled by a web interface such as that shown in FIG. 16C. As shown, each contact has a designated name and phone number that can be added to the group. Attempting to modify a contact at an impermissible time may result in a notification message, such as that shown in FIG. 16C, in which a group contact can only be modified once a month. Failure to enter a name, or failure to copy a name, may result in a prompt message to "please enter a name" as shown in fig. 16D. FIG. 16E illustrates another contact management display screen for managing group contacts, where web links are used to edit all contacts, add new contacts, or select existing contacts for further editing.

Figures 17A-17C illustrate examples of WAP-based user interfaces for configuring and managing a preferred contact group user interface.

An initial configuration is illustrated in fig. 17A, where an administrative group contact welcome screen is initially displayed before the user adds any contacts to the preferred contact group. The WAP link is displayed to add each group contact member. The group contact member (e.g., contact slot #1) is selected with the navigation key. Once the desired group contact member is highlighted (e.g., see dashed box), the user may select "to transition to the WAP link for adding group contact members. A new display screen is then displayed in which the user can enter a name and phone number for the selected contact (e.g., contact slot #1), or select "cancel". Once the user selects "done," a confirmation screen is displayed to allow the user the last time an opportunity to confirm the modifications to the selected group contact member (e.g., slot # 1). The administrative group contacts screen displays an update notification for the selected contact member location until the operator network confirms the updated contact.

Fig. 17B illustrates an example of a user managing group contact icons from a WAP-based interface. The user selects the download group contact icon from the WAP-based interface by selecting the appropriate navigation link specified on the WAP page provided by the communications operator. Alternatively, the user may select a WAP link from a WAP-based "manage group contacts" web page to download the icon. As shown, service charges or free icon provisions may be made. Once downloaded, icons may be assigned to any of the preferred group contacts as previously described.

Fig. 17C illustrates an example of editing group contacts from a WAP-based interface based on a user. Using various of the aforementioned navigation and selection methods, the user selects a group contact member from a WAP link on a "manage group contact" WAP-based web page. By selecting the appropriate web link, the user navigates to the "edit group contact" WAP based web page. The selected group contact slot may have been modified once within a predetermined period (e.g., once per month), in which case the user can modify the name associated with the contact but not the associated phone number. The user will be able to update the phone number and name associated with the selected contact when the user has not modified the phone number within a predetermined period. Once the user selects "done" from the web page, the information is updated accordingly on the operator network as previously described.

Fig. 18A-18D additionally illustrate display screen examples of a user interface arranged in accordance with at least one feature of the present disclosure.

In some user interface examples, the display screen (810) of the default view may be divided into two regions. A first field (811) is arranged to display a representation of at least a part of the user's preferred contact group. A second region (812) is arranged to display a representation of at least a part of the user tool. As shown, the user preferred contact group may be represented as a graphical indicator such as an icon and a photograph (e.g., a photograph cropped to a small icon), wherein the preferred contact group may be arranged along a vertical axis within the first area (811). As also illustrated, the user tool may be represented as a graphical indicator, such as an icon, that may be arranged along a vertical axis within the second region (812). Examples of user tools on a mobile device, such as a phone or PDA/phone, can include an email manager, a calendar manager, a contacts manager, a web browser, an instant messaging tool, a text messaging tool, a document browser, a settings manager, a digital camera tool, a video recorder tool, a voice recorder tool, a media player tool (e.g., video, audio, etc.), a game, and so forth.

The user interface interaction of the display screen 810 is substantially similar to the interaction previously described herein. For example, the preferred contact group (or a portion of the display screen currently displayed) may be hidden by selecting the hide or un-hide function and displayed by the display screen 819 as previously described with reference to FIG. 10. The display 819 includes visual icons of various user tools found in the second area (812), while the preferred contact group from the first area (811) is now hidden from view. One of the user tools, e.g., tool 815, may be designated to switch the preferred contact list between a hidden view and an unhidden view.

The display 810 is arranged such that the first area (811) and the second area (812) are horizontally arranged adjacent to each other (i.e. the area 811 is located to the left of the area 812 and vice versa). For this example user interface display screen (810) navigation between the first and second regions may be accomplished by one set of navigation functions (e.g., right and left keys, right and left movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.), while navigation within each region may be accomplished by another set of navigation functions (e.g., up and down keys, up and down movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.). Other arrangements between the first and second regions are also contemplated, including but not limited to: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, to name a few. All additional navigation functions, activation of communications, and other functions for selecting a contact from the preferred group are substantially the same as previously described.

Display 820 is another example of a screen similar to the user interface described with reference to display 820. A first area (821) of the display 820 may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's preferred contact group, while a second area (822) may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's tools. As shown in the display 820, the user preferred contact group may be represented by graphical indicators such as icons and photographs, wherein the preferred contact group may be arranged in a circle, a semi-circle, or an oval about a rotational axis within the first area 821. As also shown, the user tool may be represented as a graphical indicator such as an icon arranged along a vertical axis within the second area (821). The currently selected contact in the first area may be visually indicated with an outline or highlighted selector, such as shown by contact 823, and may also include a text string indicating the name of the currently selected contact 824.

The user interface interaction of the display screen 820 is substantially similar to that previously described herein. For example, the displayed portion of the preferred contact group may be hidden by selecting the hide or un-hide function as previously described and displayed by the display screen 829. The display 829 still includes visual icons of the various user tools found in the second area (822), while the preferred set of contacts from the first area (821) are now hidden from view. One of the user tools, e.g., tool 825, may be designated as a toggle tool for toggling the preferred contact list between a hidden view and an unhidden view.

The display 820 is arranged such that the first area (821) and the second area (822) are horizontally arranged adjacent to each other (i.e. the area 821 is located to the left of the area 822 and vice versa). For this example user interface display (820), navigation between the first and second regions may be accomplished through one set of navigation functions (e.g., right and left keys, right and left movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.), while navigation within each region may be accomplished by another set of navigation functions (e.g., up and down keys, up and down movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.). Other arrangements between the first and second regions are also contemplated, including but not limited to: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, to name a few. All additional navigation features, activation of communications, and other functions for selecting a contact from the preferred group are substantially the same as previously described.

Display screen 830 is another example of a screen similar to the user interface described with reference to display screens 810 and 820. The first region (831) of the display screen 830 may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's preferred contact group, while the second region (832) may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's tools. As shown in the display 830, the user preferred contact group may be represented by graphical indicators such as icons and photographs, wherein the preferred contact group may be arranged in a circle, a semi-circle, or an oval around the rotation axis within the first area (831). As also shown, the user tool may be represented as a graphical indicator such as an icon arranged along a horizontal axis within the second region (831). The currently selected contact in the first area may be visually indicated with an outline or highlighted selector, such as shown by contact 833, and may also include a text string (834) indicating the name of the currently selected contact.

The user interface interaction of the display screen 830 is substantially similar to that described previously herein. For example, the displayed portion of the preferred contact group may be hidden by selecting the hide or un-hide function as previously described and displayed by the display screen 839. The display 839 still includes visual icons of the various user tools found in the second area (832), while the preferred contact group from the first area (831) is now hidden from view. As shown in display screens 830 and 839, a graphical or textual indicator (835) may be seen in the second area (832) alerting the user to additional tools available that are not visible in the current area. In one embodiment, the user may select an indicator (835) to bring additional user tools into view. In another embodiment, the user may simply continue to navigate in the direction of the indicator to scroll additional user tools into the view of the second region (832).

The display 830 is arranged such that the first region (831) and the second region (832) are vertically aligned adjacent to each other (i.e., the region 831 is located on the upper side of the region 832, and vice versa). For this example user interface display (830), navigation between the first and second regions may be accomplished by one set of navigation functions (e.g., up and down keys, up and down movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.), while navigation within each region may be accomplished by another set of navigation functions (e.g., right and left keys, right and left movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.). Other arrangements between the first and second regions are also contemplated, including but not limited to: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, to name a few. All additional navigation functions, activation of communications, and other functions for selecting a contact from the preferred group are substantially the same as previously described.

Display 840 is another example of a screen similar to the user interface described with reference to display 830. The first area (841) of the display 840 may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's preferred contact group, while the second area (842) may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's tools. As shown in display 840, the user preferred contact group may be represented by graphical indicators such as icons and photographs, where the preferred contact group may be arranged in a circle, semi-circle, or oval about an axis of rotation within the first region (841). The user tool of the display 840 may represent icons arranged along a horizontal axis within the second area (842). In this example, the currently selected user tool in the second area (842) is identified by a square outline surrounding the icon, such as shown by user tool 843, which also includes a text string (844) indicating the name of the currently selected tool as "message".

The user interface interaction of the display 840 is substantially similar to that previously described herein. For example, the displayed portion of the preferred contact group may be hidden by selecting the hide or un-hide function as previously described and displayed by the display screen 849. The display 849 still includes visual icons for the various user tools found in the second area (842), while the preferred contact group of the first area (841) is now hidden from view. A user tool such as tool 845 may be designated to toggle between a hidden view and an unhidden view of a preferred contact list.

The display 840 is arranged such that the first (841) and second (842) regions are vertically aligned adjacent to each other (i.e., region 841 is located at the upper side of region 842, and vice versa). For this example user interface display (840), navigation between the first and second regions may be accomplished through one set of navigation functions (e.g., up and down keys, up and down movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.), while navigation within each region may be accomplished by another set of navigation functions (e.g., right and left keys, right and left movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.). Other arrangements between the first and second regions are also contemplated, including but not limited to: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, to name a few. All additional navigation functions, activation of communications, and other functions for selecting a contact from the preferred group are substantially the same as previously described.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to combine a first region (e.g., region 811 of display screen 810) and a second region (e.g., region 812 of display screen 810) into a single region, as shown by display screen 850. In this example, the display 850 has a common area in which the graphical identification of the preferred contacts and the user tools (or the selected group of preferred contacts and/or the selected group of user tools) are co-located. Display 850 illustrates preferred contacts and user tools that are collectively arranged in a circle, semi-circle, or oval in a common area about an axis. The common arrangement allows a common set of navigation functions to be used to move contacts and user tools around. The currently selected contact (e.g., 853) or user tool may be located in a particular screen location (e.g., bottom center) to be displayed as selected, or include some form of graphical and/or textual indication (e.g., 854) of the selected contact or tool. The activation of the various communications and other functions for identifying the contact are the same as previously described with the addition of a single click application or tool launched from a common configuration.

The content of the public area may be dynamically changed according to different navigation functions initiated by the user. In one case, the preferred contacts are located in a first portion of the public area (851), and the user tools are arranged in a second portion of the public area (852). In other words, the public area may include a mix of contacts and tools, including only contacts, or including only tools.

Display 860 is another example of a screen similar to the user interface described with reference to display 810 and 840. A first area (861) of the display 860 may still be arranged to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's preferred contact group, while a second area (862) may still be arranged to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's tools. As shown in display 860, the user's preferred set of contacts may be represented by graphical indicators such as icons and photographs, wherein the preferred set of contacts may be arranged along a horizontal line within the first area (861) (optionally, the horizontal line may be scrolled across the screen and/or optionally, wrapped around from one end of the display to the other). The currently selected contact in the first area (861) may be indicated by an outline or highlighted selector, such as shown by contact 863, and may also include a text string (864) indicating the name of the currently selected contact (in this example, below area 862).

The user interface interaction of the display 860 is substantially similar to that previously described herein. For example, the displayed portion of the preferred contact group may be hidden by selecting the hide or un-hide function as previously described and displayed by the display screen 869. The display screen 869 still includes visual icons of the various user tools found in the second area (862), while the preferred contact group of the first area (861) is now hidden from view. In this example, when the first area (861) is hidden from view, the second area (862) moves up the display screen 869, and vice versa.

The display 860 is arranged such that the first area (861) and the second area (862) are vertically aligned adjacent to each other (i.e. area 861 is located above area 862 and vice versa). For this example user interface display (860), navigation between the first and second regions may be accomplished by one set of navigation functions (e.g., up and down keys, up and down movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.), while navigation within each region may be accomplished by another set of navigation functions (e.g., right and left keys, right and left movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.). Other arrangements between the first and second regions are also contemplated, including but not limited to: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, to name a few. All additional navigation functions, activation of communications, and other functions for selecting a contact from the preferred group are substantially the same as previously described.

Display 870 is another example of a screen similar to the user interface described with reference to display 860. The first area (871) of the display 870 may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's preferred contact group, while the second area (872) may still be configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user's tools. As shown in display 870, the user preferred contact group may be represented by graphical indicators such as icons and photographs, where the preferred contact group is arranged in a circle, semi-circle, or oval about an axis of rotation. In this example, the currently selected contact in the first area (871) is indicated by an icon that is significantly larger than the icon of another contact (e.g., shown as contact 873), and may also include a text string (874) indicating the name of the currently selected contact.

The user interface interaction of the display screen 870 is substantially similar to that previously described herein. For example, the displayed portion of the preferred contact group may be hidden by selecting the hide or un-hide function as previously described and displayed by the display 879. The display 879 still includes visual icons of the various user tools found in the second area (872), while the preferred contact group of the first area (871) is now hidden from view, replacing that area with other content.

The display 870 is configured such that the first area (871) and the second area (872) are vertically aligned adjacent to each other (i.e., the area 872 is located above the area 871 and vice versa). For this example user interface display screen (870), navigation between the first and second regions may be accomplished through one set of navigation functions (e.g., up and down keys, up and down movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.), while navigation within each region may be accomplished by another set of navigation functions (e.g., right and left keys, right and left movement of a joystick, a trackball, a steering wheel, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.). Other arrangements between the first and second regions are also contemplated, including but not limited to: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, to name a few. All additional navigation functions, activation of communications, and other functions for selecting a contact from the preferred group are substantially the same as previously described.

Display 880 is another version of the previously described on other displays. Display 880 includes an area configured to display a representation of at least a portion of the user-preferred contacts, at least a portion of the user tools, or some combination of the user-preferred contacts and the user tools, such as described with reference to display 850.

The display 880 is shown to include a single region 881 that includes icons or graphical indicators of the user's tools arranged along an arc or semi-circular shaped region about the axis of rotation. One of the tools currently selected in this example is located near the center region of the screen, highlighted with a black outline, as shown by user tool 873. The display area 886 is configured to provide graphical and/or textual information relating to the currently selected tool. For the example shown in display 880, the currently selected tool (885) corresponds to the user's preferred contact list, and area 886 includes a display of graphical indicators assigned to the preferred contact list.

Navigating with the selection tool of display screen 880 activates a second screen, such as that shown by display screen 888, for the currently selected tool. The display screen 888 replaces the area 881 with a representation of at least a portion of the user's preferred contact group. As shown, the user preferred contact group may be represented as graphical indicators, such as icons and photographs (e.g., photographs of small icons cropped) where the preferred contact group is arranged in an arc or semi-circle around the axis of rotation. For this example user interface display (881), navigation between the currently selected contacts may be accomplished through a set of navigation functions (e.g., pressing a key, movement of a joystick, trackball movement, steering wheel device rotation, etc.), while selection of other functions for the selected contacts may be accomplished by selecting a function (e.g., pressing a designated key, pushing the steering wheel device inward, pushing the joystick down center, pushing a trackball downward, dynamically assigned soft keys, etc.).

The display screen 889 illustrates a menu of communication options activated by a contact (883) selected from the display screen 888. Area 886 is populated in this example with a drop-down menu (i.e., a graphics/text menu 887) that includes call options, such as: call, read message, view notification, graphical message, email, and options. From the call options menu, the user can navigate to the desired communication method and easily select the desired communication as previously described. All additional navigation functions, activation of communications, and other functions for selecting a contact from the preferred group are substantially the same as previously described.

The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the embodiment. Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above or to specific implementations. Many other configurations of computing devices, communication features, applications, and distributed software and/or hardware systems may be used to implement the described dynamic user interface. The specific features and methods described above are thus provided as examples of forms of implementing the claims and embodiments.

Claims (71)

1. An apparatus for providing a user interface for a communication device including a display screen, the apparatus comprising:

means for storing a list of contacts on the communication device;

means for selecting and designating a preferred contact group from a stored contact list;

means for displaying a set of graphical icons, wherein each graphical icon is assigned to a preferred contact in a preferred group of contacts, wherein the set of graphical icons is arranged around a first axis in a first area of an idle display page displayed on a display screen, and wherein one of the graphical icons corresponds to a currently selected contact;

means for providing a selection function arranged to select one of the preferred contacts in the group of preferred contacts in response to a default selection or a navigation function, wherein the navigation function changes the currently selected contact by moving the set of graphical icons back and forth relative to the first axis in response to user input;

means for providing at least one of the pre-selected communication modes for a currently selected contact to selectively activate in response to a single-click user input, thereby causing communication to be initiated with the currently selected contact; and

means for providing a communication options menu selectively activated by a single-click user input from the idle display page, wherein the communication options menu comprises an arrangement of available communication modes associated with the currently selected contact.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the set of graphical icons on the standby display page are arranged according to a pattern comprising at least one of a linear list, a vertical list, a horizontal list, a diagonal list, a circle, a semicircle, an ellipse, a triangle, a U-shape, an L-shape, a quadrilateral, a pentagon, a hexagon, a two-dimensional pattern, and a three-dimensional pattern.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first axis corresponds to a central axis in the first region of the standby display page, and wherein the navigation function is arranged to change the currently selected contact by rotating the set of graphical icons about the central axis.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first axis corresponds to a linear axis within the first region of the standby display page, and wherein the navigation function is arranged to change the currently selected contact by moving the set of graphical icons back and forth along the linear axis.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises an options menu configured to change options associated with a particular contact from the preferred group of contacts, wherein the options menu comprises a graphical display of selection options for changing a profile of the currently selected contact, replacing the currently selected contact, and changing an order associated with a graphical icon assigned to the currently selected contact relative to graphical icons assigned to other contacts of the preferred group of contacts.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for assigning a ring tone to at least one contact from the preferred contact group.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for displaying an activity log related to the currently selected contact.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a dynamically assigned status indicator associated with a particular contact from the group, wherein the status indicator identifies at least one of missed telephone calls, email message waiting, text message waiting, voice message waiting, and picture message waiting.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein each status indicator comprises at least one of a graphical icon indicator and a text string indicator.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a dynamically-specified status indicator associated with a particular contact from the group, wherein the status indicator identifies at least one of presence associated with the particular contact, an upcoming appointment associated with the particular contact, an emotional level associated with the particular contact, a current location associated with the particular contact, and related information associated with the particular contact.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a dynamically-specified status indicator associated with a particular one of the contacts from the group, wherein the status indicator identifies presence associated with the particular one of the contacts, wherein the presence corresponds to at least one of a user-defined presence icon, a user-defined presence text string, a leave indicator, an online indicator, an available indicator, an out-of-lunch indicator, an offline indicator, an unavailable indicator, and a busy indicator.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for hiding the set of graphical icons from the standby display page.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for blanking the set of graphical icons from the standby display page.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for user selection of the pre-selected communication mode such that the user can change the pre-selected communication mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for providing a selection function indicates the currently selected contact through a graphical effect in response to a user input, wherein the graphical effect comprises at least one of an animation effect, a highlight effect, a fade-in effect, a fade-out effect, a fly-in effect, a fly-out effect, a merge-in effect, a merge-out effect, a screw-in effect, a screw-out effect, a slide-in effect, and a slide-out effect.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for providing a selection function is responsive to user input to move the set of graphical icons back and forth relative to the first axis by moving a graphical selector associated with the currently selected contact from a current position on the display screen to a new position on the display screen associated with a graphical icon, wherein a path between the current position and the new position corresponds to one of a linear direction, a non-linear direction, and an arcuate direction, and wherein the graphical selector is arranged to provide a visual indication of the currently selected contact.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the means for providing a selection function moves the set of graphical icons back and forth relative to the first axis in response to user input by moving graphical icons associated with unselected contacts to a location on the display screen associated with a currently selected contact, wherein a direction between the current location and the new location corresponds to one of a linear direction, a non-linear direction, and an arcuate direction.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for providing a second navigation function that is responsive to user input such that the currently selected contact is changed in response to the second navigation function while the communication options menu is displayed on the display screen.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the device further comprises means for providing a second selection function arranged to selectively activate a selected communication mode from one of the available communication modes in response to a single click, wherein the selected communication mode is determined by at least one of a default communication mode and a second navigation function responsive to user input to cause the currently selected communication mode to be changed in response to the second navigation function while the communication options menu is displayed on the display screen.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for selecting a communication method from the menu of communication options in response to a single-click user-initiated selection, wherein addressing associated with the selected communication method is automatically determined without further user interaction.

21. The device of claim 1, the communication options menu comprising an arrangement of graphical icons about a second axis relative to the display screen, wherein the arrangement of graphical icons indicates available communication modes, and wherein one of the graphical icons indicating an available communication mode corresponds to a currently selected communication mode.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein when the communication options menu is active, the currently selected communication mode is changed in response to a further navigation function such that the currently selected communication mode is changed by rotating at least a portion of the set of graphical icons indicating available communication modes relative to the second axis.

23. The device of claim 22, wherein the further navigation function is responsive to user input to indicate the currently selected communication mode by a graphical effect, wherein the graphical effect comprises at least one of an animation effect, a highlight effect, a fade-in effect, a fade-out effect, a fly-in effect, a fly-out effect, a blend-in effect, a blend-out effect, a screw-in effect, a screw-out effect, a slide-in effect, and a slide-out effect.

24. The device of claim 22, wherein the further navigation function is responsive to user input to traverse at least a portion of the set of graphical icons indicative of available communication modes relative to the second axis by moving a graphical selector associated with the currently selected communication mode from a current location on the display screen to a new location on the display screen associated with a particular graphical icon, wherein a path between the current location and the new location corresponds to one of a linear direction, a non-linear direction, and an arcuate direction, and wherein the graphical selector is arranged to provide a visual indication of the currently selected communication mode.

25. The device of claim 22, wherein the further navigation function is responsive to user input to traverse at least a portion of the set of graphical icons indicating available communication modes relative to the second axis by moving a particular graphical icon associated with an unselected communication mode to a location on the display screen associated with a currently selected communication mode, wherein a direction between the current location and the new location corresponds to one of a linear direction, a non-linear direction, and an arcuate direction.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication mode corresponds to at least one of a phone call, a text-based instant message, an SMS message, a multimedia message, and an email message.

27. The device of claim 1, the communication device comprising a contact selection user interface arranged to change at least one member of the preferred contact group in response to a contact selection input from a user.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the contact selection user interface is configured such that a contact cannot be changed more than once during a predetermined period.

29. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a graphical icon selection means arranged to change at least one graphical icon assigned to a preferred contact of the group of preferred contacts in response to a graphical selection input from a user.

30. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises an options user interface configured to selectively change options associated with a particular contact from the preferred group of contacts, wherein the options comprise at least one of an order associated with the particular contact relative to the group, a profile associated with the particular contact, and a replacement of the particular contact.

31. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a communication carrier pricing plan associated with the preferred contact group.

32. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the communication carrier pricing plan comprises a flat-rate pricing plan including at least one of unlimited number of wireless communications with the preferred contact group, unlimited number of instant messages to the preferred contact group, unlimited number of SMS messages to the preferred contact group, unlimited number of multimedia messages to the preferred contact group, and unlimited number of emails to the preferred contact group.

33. The apparatus of claim 31, wherein the communications operator pricing plan comprises a flat-rate charge for changing a preferred contact in the preferred contact group.

34. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of graphical icons is disposed around a predetermined screen location on the display screen.

35. The device of claim 1, wherein the set of graphical icons is disposed around a user-selectable screen location on the display screen.

36. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a navigation device configured to operate as a user input to the navigation function, the navigation device comprising at least one of a keypad, a directional key, a dynamically assigned soft key, a gamepad, a joystick-style interface, a roller ball-style interface, a steering wheel-style interface, a touch screen-style interface, and a stylus-style interface.

37. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a selection device configured to operate as a user input to the selection function, the selection device comprising at least one of a keypad, a directional key, a dynamically assigned soft key, a gamepad, a joystick-style interface, a roller ball-style interface, a steering wheel-style interface, a touch screen-style interface, and a stylus-style interface.

38. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the navigation function is further configured to provide a graphical effect when the currently selected contact is changed in response to a user input, wherein the graphical effect comprises at least one of an animation spin effect, a graphical swap effect, a fade-in effect, a fade-out effect, a fly-in effect, a fly-out effect, a merge-in effect, a merge-out effect, a screw-in effect, a screw-out effect, a slide-in effect, and a slide-out effect.

39. The device of claim 1, wherein each graphical icon from the set of graphical icons includes at least one of a default graphical icon, a default picture icon, a user-selected graphical icon, a user-selected picture icon, a user-selected photograph formatted as an icon, and a downloaded picture formatted as an icon.

40. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises a photo editing tool configured such that an area of a photo is selected for cropping in response to user input, a graphical icon is generated for the selected area of the photo, and the graphical icon is designated as one of the set of graphical icons associated with the preferred contact group.

41. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises:

a set of tools associated with the user;

a second set of graphical icons, wherein each of the second set of graphical icons is assigned to a tool of the set of tools; and wherein a second set of graphical icons is arranged around a second axis within a second region of the standby display page; and

a second navigation function configured to navigate between the set of graphical icons in the first area and the second set of graphical icons in the second area, wherein one of the second set of graphical icons corresponds to a currently selected tool when the currently selected area corresponds to the second area.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the apparatus further comprises: means for providing a tool activation function activated in response to a single click user input, causing the currently selected tool to be launched.

43. The device of claim 41, wherein the second set of graphical icons on the standby display page are arranged according to a pattern comprising at least one of a linear list, a vertical list, a horizontal list, a diagonal list, a circle, a semicircle, an ellipse, a triangle, a U-shape, an L-shape, an arc, a quadrilateral, a pentagon, a hexagon, a two-dimensional pattern, and a three-dimensional pattern.

44. The device of claim 41, wherein the second axis corresponds to a central axis within the second region of the standby display page, and wherein the second navigation function is arranged to change the currently selected tool by rotating at least a portion of the graphical icon about the central axis.

45. The device of claim 41, wherein the second axis corresponds to a linear axis within the second region of the standby display page, and wherein the second navigation function is arranged to change the currently selected tool by moving at least a portion of the graphical icon back and forth along the linear axis.

46. The device of claim 41, wherein each tool of the set of tools corresponds to at least one of an email manager, a calendar manager, a contacts manager, a web browser, an instant messaging tool, a text messaging tool, a document browser, a settings manager, a digital camera tool, a video recorder tool, a voice recorder tool, a media player tool, and a game.

47. The device of claim 41, wherein at least one of the set of tools corresponds to a toggle tool, wherein the toggle tool is configured to selectively hide the set of graphical icons from the standby display page when activated by the user.

48. The device of claim 47, wherein the toggle tool is further configured to selectively unhide the set of graphical icons from the standby display page when activated by the user.

49. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the apparatus further comprises: means for providing a second selection function arranged to select one of the tools in the set of tools in response to a default selection or a third navigation function, wherein the third navigation function changes the currently selected tool in response to user input by traversing at least a portion of the second set of graphical icons relative to the second axis.

50. The device of claim 49, wherein the second selection function is responsive to user input to traverse at least a portion of the graphical icon relative to the second axis by moving a graphical selector associated with the currently selected tool from a current position on the display screen to a new position on the display screen associated with the graphical icon, wherein a path between the current position and the new position corresponds to one of a linear direction, a non-linear direction, and an arcuate direction, and wherein the graphical selector is configured to provide a visual indication of the currently selected tool.

51. The device of claim 49, wherein the second selection function is responsive to user input to traverse at least a portion of the graphical icon relative to the second axis by moving the graphical icon associated with the unselected tool to a position on the display screen associated with the currently selected tool, wherein a direction between the current position and the new position corresponds to one of a linear direction, a non-linear direction, and an arcuate direction.

52. An apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the apparatus further comprises means for providing a tool selection user interface arranged to change at least one member of the set of tools in response to a tool selection input from a user.

53. The device of claim 41, wherein the second set of graphical icons is arranged around a predetermined screen location on the display screen.

54. The device of claim 41, wherein the second set of graphical icons is arranged around a user-selectable screen location on the display screen.

55. A method of providing a user interface for a communication device including a display screen, the method comprising the steps of:

storing a list of contacts on the communication device;

selecting and designating a preferred contact group from the stored contact list;

displaying a set of graphical icons, wherein each graphical icon is assigned to a preferred contact in the preferred group of contacts, wherein the set of graphical icons is arranged around a first axis in a first area of an idle display page displayed on a display screen, and wherein one of the graphical icons corresponds to a currently selected contact;

providing a selection function arranged to select one of the preferred contacts in the preferred contact group in response to a default selection or a navigation function, wherein the navigation function changes a currently selected contact by moving the set of graphical icons back and forth relative to the first axis in response to a user input;

providing at least one of the pre-selected communication modes for the currently selected contact to selectively activate in response to the single-click user input, thereby causing communication to be initiated with the currently selected contact, and

providing a communication options menu selectively activated by a single-click user input from the idle display page, wherein the communication options menu comprises an arrangement of available communication modes associated with the currently selected contact.

56. The method of claim 55, further comprising the steps of:

assigning a communication carrier pricing plan to the preferred contact group such that the carrier pricing plan applies to a contact in response to the contact being designated as the preferred contact.

57. The method of claim 56, wherein the communication carrier pricing plan comprises a flat-rate pricing plan that includes at least one of unlimited number of wireless communications with the preferred contact group, unlimited number of instant messages to the preferred contact group, unlimited number of SMS messages to the preferred contact group, unlimited number of multimedia messages to the preferred contact group, and unlimited number of e-mails to the preferred contact group.

58. The method of claim 55, wherein the set of graphical icons is arranged on the standby display page according to a pattern comprising at least one of a linear list, a vertical list, a horizontal list, a diagonal list, a circle, a semicircle, an ellipse, a triangle, a U-shape, an L-shape, a quadrilateral, a pentagon, a hexagon, a two-dimensional pattern, and a three-dimensional pattern.

59. The method of claim 55, wherein the first axis corresponds to a central axis within the first region of the idle display page, and wherein the navigation function changes the currently selected contact by rotating the set of graphical icons about the central axis.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the graphical indicator of the currently selected contact is larger than other displayed graphical indicators.

61. The method of claim 55, further comprising the steps of:

providing an options menu configured to change options associated with a particular contact from the preferred group of contacts, wherein the options menu includes a graphical display of selection options for changing a profile of the currently selected contact, replacing the currently selected contact, and changing an order associated with the currently selected contact with respect to the preferred group of contacts.

62. The method of claim 55, wherein changing the selected one of the graphical indicators comprises providing a graphical effect comprising at least one of an animated spin effect, a graphical swap effect, a fade-in effect, a fade-out effect, a fly-in effect, a fly-out effect, a blend-in effect, a blend-out effect, a spin-in effect, a spin-out effect, a slide-in effect, and a slide-out effect.

63. The method of claim 55, further comprising the steps of:

displaying a dynamically specified status indicator adjacent to at least one graphical indicator, the status indicator identifying at least one of missed telephone calls, email message waiting, text message waiting, voice message waiting, and picture message waiting.

64. The method of claim 55, wherein the preferred contact group cannot be changed more than once during a predetermined period.

65. The method of claim 55, wherein a preferred contact in the preferred contact group is designated as a first one of the preferred contact group and the first one of the preferred contact group is the currently selected contact until the order of the preferred contact group is changed.

66. The method of claim 55, wherein the designation of the preferred group of contacts is accomplished on a web page using a computer.

67. The method of claim 55, wherein designating the preferred contact group comprises designating a contact as a preferred contact in the preferred contact group by:

displaying a graphical icon that is not assigned to any contact in the contact list as a currently selected contact;

displaying a dialog screen in response to selection of the currently selected displayed icon, wherein the dialog screen is for specifying a contact;

displaying a selection of a contact from a list of contacts in a dialog screen; and are

The graphical icon is updated to designate the selected contact in response to selection of the contact in the conversation screen.

68. The method of claim 67, further comprising communicating the selection of the contact to a service provider.

69. The method of claim 55, wherein the pre-selected communication mode is changed by a user.

70. The method of claim 69, wherein the pre-selected communication mode for each contact is different.

71. The communication device of claim 7, wherein the activity log comprises events from a plurality of activities.