JP2009505168A - Apparatus and method for enhancing navigation in a user interface of a portable device - Google Patents

Abstract

  A portable device 30 having a primary user interface 39 and a secondary user interface 40 provided as a supplement to the primary user interface 39. The secondary user interface is configured to perform the user navigation operation in the portable device 30 in a shorter time than that required for performing the user navigation operation via the main user interface.

Description

  This application is incorporated by reference in US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 682,639 filed May 19, 2005 and US Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 695,088 filed June 29, 2005. Claiming priority.

  The present invention relates generally to accessing information stored in portable devices. More particularly, the present invention relates to an additional (complementary) user interface for providing fast user interaction / navigation operations for accessing information stored in a portable device.

  Users are becoming more familiar with the convenience provided by portable devices such as global positioning system (GPS) receivers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), electronic book readers and laptops. Technology has made it possible for modern people to have electrophoretic displays in such devices. The electrophoretic display includes an electrophoretic medium (electronic ink) containing charged particles in a fluid, a plurality of display elements (pixels) arranged in a matrix, and first and second electrodes associated with each pixel. In order to apply a potential difference to the electrodes of each pixel to display an image or other information, depending on the value and duration of the applied potential difference, the charged particles occupy positions between the electrodes A voltage driver. This type of display device has been published, for example, by E Ink (Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA) on April 9, 1999 in an international patent application entitled “Full Color Reflective Display With Multichromatic Sub-Pixels”. This document is known from WO 99/53373 WO.

  Despite its advantages, a major problem presented by such electrophoretic displays is fast navigation in response to user guided navigation / scrolling operations. In particular, in the case of a display screen based on an electronic ink substrate, the response time for a navigation / scrolling operation guided by a user is slow. This drawback is very significant when scrolling or navigating long lists. This slow response time can be a permanent cause of user frustration that must spend additional time accessing the information of interest. This frustration is particularly noticeable for users who must respond very lightly to the operation of the device and withstand the slow response time of the device.

  Therefore, there is a need to overcome the disadvantages described above.

  The present invention provides a secondary (auxiliary) user interface in a portable device, wherein the secondary (auxiliary) user interface is a user navigation operation compared to the response time of the main user interface of the device. By presenting a fast response time (e.g., scrolling, selection, etc.), it addresses the above and other deficiencies of the prior art. This fast response time is achieved primarily by using fast technology for the secondary user interface (eg LCD technology) compared to the slow technology used for the primary user interface (eg electrophoresis technology).

  According to one aspect, the portable device has a main user interface including main display means and main selection means. The main user interface operates according to the first technique. The portable device further has a sub user interface including a sub display unit and a sub selection unit. This secondary user interface operates according to the second technique. The secondary user interface has a faster response time for user navigation operations than the primary interface.

  According to another aspect, a method for performing user navigation operations in a portable device having a primary and secondary user interface includes: (1) displaying an alignment list on a primary display of the primary user interface, wherein the alignment list is a menu item. And (2) selecting at least one menu item from the sorted list via the secondary user interface, and selecting the at least one menu item via the main user interface. It is supposed to give a higher response time than. The operation of selecting at least one menu item from the sorted list via the secondary user interface further includes displaying a menu item identifier on a display associated with the secondary user interface, and selecting means associated with the secondary user interface. And selecting at least one menu item from the secondary user interface display.

  According to one embodiment, the secondary user interface comprises a display device based on liquid crystal diode (LED) technology and a scroll wheel as selection means. The main display device includes a display device and selection means based on electrophoresis technology. Such a secondary user interface based on LED technology has a faster response time to user navigation operations than a primary user interface based solely on electrophoresis technology.

  According to another embodiment, the secondary user interface has a display device configured as a series of icons integrally formed around the main display device of the main user interface. This icon is based on the same electrophoresis technique used for the main display, but has a very short switching time. Note that shorter switching times can be achieved in certain aspects by using direct drive icons that operate using higher drive voltages. Alternatively, the icon of the display device can be based on fast switching electrophoresis technology. As another alternative, the icon may be based on LC, LED or electrowetting technology. The sub-user interface selection means is embodied as an up / down item selector for controlling a scroll operation associated with an icon of the sub-user interface display device. The main display device and the selection means are based on electrophoresis technology. A secondary user interface based on a series of icons and associated selection means has a faster response time to user navigation operations than a primary user interface based solely on electrophoresis technology.

  In yet another embodiment, the secondary user interface comprises a secondary display device configured as a series of LEDs integrally formed around the display of the primary display device of the primary user interface. The secondary user interface selection means is embodied as an up / down item selector for controlling a scrolling action associated with a display device based on the second LED. The main display and selection means are based solely on electrophoresis technology.

  In another embodiment, the secondary user interface comprises a secondary user display device configured as a series of LEDs or icons integrally formed around the display of the primary display device of the primary user interface, as described above. . However, this embodiment is embodied in that the sub-user interface selection means is embodied as a mechanical selector for selecting at least one item (for example, a dial or slider on the side of the main display). Is different.

  In each of the embodiments described herein, a more sensitive secondary user interface is than can be provided by using only a slow primary user interface that is otherwise based solely on electrophoresis technology. In this portable device, a high-speed dialogue / navigation operation is provided to the user.

  The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of, rather than limiting, the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

  The main feature of the present invention is to provide a fast response time for user navigation operations in a portable device by using a secondary (supplementary) user interface as a supplementary means of the device's main user interface, The response time is realized by using a technique for the secondary user interface that is more sensitive than the technique used for the main user interface.

  In one embodiment, the primary user interface is based on electrophoresis technology while the secondary user interface is based on high speed LCD technology.

  It is well known that displays based on electronic ink substrates (ie, electrophoresis technology) usually exhibit slow response times for user interaction / navigation operations. The disadvantage of this slow response time experienced by the user is that the user needs to spend additional time accessing specific information from the device. This problem becomes very significant when the user scrolls or navigates a long list. For example, for a typical list of 10 items, consider that the user wants to select the last item from the list. In the case of a display based on an electronic ink substrate (electrophoresis technology), if one step is scrolled at a time, the response time of the e-ink display is on the order of 5.4 seconds (9 steps × 0.6 seconds / step). . In comparison, an LDC display can perform the same operation on the order of 20-50 milliseconds (100 times faster).

  In order to overcome this slow response time associated with user interfaces based on electrophoretic technology, the present invention is based on a slow principle based solely on electrophoretic technology to improve or speed up the user interaction / navigation time required for information access. A secondary (supplementary) user interface based on techniques other than electrophoresis is provided as a supplementary means of the user interface.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description presented herein for these figures is for illustrative purposes as the invention extends beyond such limited embodiments. It is a spear.

  FIGS. 1-5 are illustrations of a user interface constructed according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, with like elements having like reference numerals.

(First embodiment)
In one embodiment as shown in FIG. 1, the wrappable display device 30 is shown in an extended form, and the display unit 39 based on electrophoresis of the extendable display device 30 is provided to the user. Expanded to display information. As used herein, the terms “extension” and “extension form” are used to separate the first and second housings 32 and 34 of the wrap-up display device 30 as shown in the drawing. The display unit 39 based on electrophoresis of the device 30 is defined as a form expanded so that the display unit 39 can be seen by the user. Here, the display unit 39 is defined as the main user interface of the rollable display device 30.

  The first housing 32 of the rollable display device 30 is a base housing that closes an electronic circuit that performs an arithmetic operation for the rollable display device 30. The first housing 32 also includes, on the front, an LDC display 42 and a scroll wheel / selector 44 that collectively has a secondary (supplementary) user interface 40 of the rollable display device 30. It is said. The scroll wheel / selector 44 allows the user to interact with the LCD display 42 by rotational movement (+, −). When the scroll wheel / selector 44 is scrolled in the (+, −) direction, the item identifiers 52 are sequentially displayed on the LCD display 42. For example, the scroll operation of the scroll wheel / selector 44 in the (+) direction can sequentially display item identifiers (01, 02, 03, etc.) on the LCD display 42. The first housing 32 further includes a return knob 46 on the front surface thereof. The return knob 46 has the function of restoring the previous layer of the menu that was selected when the scroll wheel / selector 44 was accidentally actuated.

  By way of non-limiting illustration, the menu item 52 and the ordered list 50 of menu item descriptors 52 associated therewith are displayed on the display 39 (ie, the main interface 39) of the rollable display device 30 of FIG. ) Is displayed. In the exemplary sorted list 50 of FIG. 1, the various menu items 54 show a table of contents composed of 12 entries (rows).

  Two methods can be used to scroll through the list of menu items 54. According to one approach, the main user interface 39 is used exclusively to scroll the menu item 54 linearly. However, this method introduces drawbacks. In particular, the navigation / selection method is undesirable because it is time consuming and thus disappoints the user. This is mainly due to the fact that the electrophoresis technique on which the main user interface 39 is based is relatively slow, as explained in the background art. Briefly stated, the time required to linearly scroll each menu item 54 of the alignment list 50 using only the main user interface 39 is 0.6 seconds per row for a typical electrophoretic display. On the order of Therefore, in this example, selection of the 12th (last) item in the list may take the order of (0.6 × 12 = 7.2) seconds.

  To overcome this drawback, the present invention provides a second method for performing navigation / selection in the portable device 30 to access stored information. In particular, the portable device 30 of FIG. 2 includes a secondary (supplementary) user interface 40 as a supplement to the primary user interface 39. In this embodiment, the secondary user interface 40 has a scroll wheel / selector 44, an LCD display 42 and a return knob 46. Secondary user interface 40 facilitates fast identification and selection of menu items 54 from sorted list 50 as compared to exclusive use of primary user interface 39. The menu item identifier 54 is displayed on the LCD display 42 of the secondary user interface 40 and is selected using the scroll wheel / selector 44 as described above. The secondary user interface 40 has a greater advantage when the list of menu items is particularly long.

  By providing the secondary user interface 40, the portable device 30 provides the user with a fast interaction / navigation function to access information stored in the portable device 30. Thus, the frustration waiting time associated with exclusive use of the main interface 39 is overcome.

(Second embodiment)
In the second embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the wrappable display device 30 is expanded so that the display unit 39 based on electrophoresis of the wrappable display device 30 displays information to the user. Has an elongated form. The first housing 32 of the rollable display device 30 is a base housing that closes an electronic circuit that performs an arithmetic operation of the rollable display device 30. The first housing 32 includes an up / down selector 64 on the front surface. The up / down selector 64 is a portion of the secondary (or supplemental) user interface 40 that further includes a row of icons 66 positioned on the left side of the primary user interface 39 (ie, display) of the rollable display device 30. Configure. As shown, each icon in the icon 66 row is associated with a respective row in the alignment list 50.

  As a non-limiting example, the alignment list 50 is displayed on the display unit 39 based on electrophoresis of the rollable display device 30 as shown in FIG. The exemplary sorted list 50 of FIG. 2 is a table of contents composed of 12 columns of rows, each row including an item identifier 52 and a corresponding item description 54 (eg, 03-Chapter1).

  Two methods can be used to scroll through the list of menu items 54. As mentioned above, it is not desirable to use the main user interface 39 exclusively to scroll the menu item 54 linearly. A more preferred approach is to allow the user to quickly item description 54 from the sorted list 50 by means of a secondary (or supplemental) user interface 40 comprised of a plurality of icons 66 and an up / down selector 64 positioned on the left side of the main interface 39. It is to identify and select. The up / down selector 64 highlights and selects a preferred icon from the plurality of icons 66. Each icon 66 is associated with a corresponding line in the alignment list 50. While the sorted list 50 shown in FIG. 2 includes twelve entries, an agile reader may in some cases have an extremely large sorted list 50 (items on the order of tens or hundreds). It should be understood that there is. The secondary user interface 40 speeds up long lists by providing users with faster interaction / navigation by the portable device 30 than would otherwise be possible using only the primary interface 39 of the portable device 30. Provides the ability to cross This is accomplished by using a higher sensitivity technique for the secondary user interface 40, thereby eliminating the waiting time associated with the slower primary interface 39 of the portable device 30.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the rollable display device 30 has the electrophoretic display section 39 of the rollable display device 30 expanded to display information to the user. Has an extended form. The first housing 32 of the wrappable display device 30 is a base housing that closes an electronic circuit that performs the arithmetic operation of the wrappable display device 30. The first housing 32 includes an up / down selector 64 on the front surface. The up / down selector 74 allows the user to interact with the row of LEDs 76 integrated with the electrophoretic display 39 of the rollable display device 30. Each LED 76 of the secondary user interface is associated with each row of the alignment list 50.

  As a non-limiting example, the alignment squirrel 50 is displayed on an electrophoretic display 39 of a rollable display device 30 such as that shown in FIG. 3 and described above.

  Two methods can be used to scroll through the list of menu items 54. According to one approach, the main user interface 39 is used exclusively for scrolling the menu items 54 linearly. However, as mentioned above, this method is not preferred due to the resulting slow response time. Instead, the user is provided with the ability to quickly identify and select item descriptions 54 from the sorted list 50 via the secondary (or supplemental) user interface 40. In this embodiment, the secondary user interface 40 has a plurality of LEDs 76 and an up / down selector 74 positioned on the left side of the main user interface 39. The secondary user interface 40 is controlled by the user via an up / down selector 74 that highlights the LED among the plurality of LEDs 76. Each LED 76 is associated with a corresponding row in the alignment list 50. While the sorted list 50 shown in FIG. 3 includes 12 entries, prompt readers may find that the sorted list 50 can be quite large (of items on the order of tens or hundreds) in some cases. It should be understood that there is. The secondary user interface 40 is a feature for quickly traversing a long list by providing faster interaction / navigation to the portable device 30 than could otherwise use the primary interface 39 of the portable device 30. Can be advantageously provided to the user. This is accomplished by using a more sensitive technology for the secondary user interface 40 (ie, LED technology), thereby eliminating the waiting time associated with the slow primary interface 39 of the portable device 30. It becomes.

(Fourth embodiment)
In the fourth embodiment as shown in FIG. 4, the wrappable display device 30 is extended so that the electrophoretic display unit 39 of the wrappable display device 30 displays information to the user. Has an extended form. The first housing 32 of the rollable display device 30 is a base housing that closes an electronic circuit that performs an arithmetic operation for the rollable display device 30. The first housing 32 includes a mechanical dial selector 84 on the front surface. The mechanical dial selector 84 allows the user to interact with a row of LEDs 76 that are integral to the main user interface 30 (ie, the electrophoretic display 39 of the rollable display device 30). Each LED 76 is associated with a corresponding row in the alignment list 50.

  As a non-limiting example, the above-described alignment list 50 is displayed on the main user interface 30 (that is, the electrophoretic display unit 39 of the rollable display device 30) as shown in FIG. The user quickly retrieves the item description 54 from the alignment list 50 via a secondary (complementary) user interface comprised of a plurality of LEDs 76 and a mechanical dial selector 84 positioned on the left side of the display portion 39 of the main user interface 39. Has the ability to identify and select. In particular, the user who uses the mechanical dial selector 84 highlights (selects as an option) the LED 76 among the plurality of LEDs 76 positioned on the left side of the display unit 39 of the rollable display device 30. Each LED 76 is associated with a corresponding row in the alignment list 50.

  The secondary user interface 40 provides the user with the ability to quickly traverse long lists by providing faster interaction / navigation than would otherwise be possible using only the primary interface 39 of the portable device 30. . This is accomplished by using a more sensitive technology (ie, LED technology) for the secondary user interface 40 as described, thereby reducing the waiting time associated with the slow primary interface 39 of the portable device 30. Will be eliminated.

(5th Example)
In the fifth embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, the wrappable display device 30 has an extended configuration in which the electrophoretic display unit 39 of the wrappable display device 30 is expanded to display information to the user. Have The first housing 32 of the rollable display device 30 is a base housing that closes an electronic circuit that performs an arithmetic operation of the rollable display device 30. The first housing 32 includes a mechanical sliding slider 94 on the front surface. A mechanical slider / selector 94 allows the user to interact with a row of LEDs 76 that are integral with the main user interface (ie, the electrophoretic display 39 of the rollable display device 30). Each LED 76 is associated with a corresponding row in the alignment list 50.

  As a non-limiting example, the above-described alignment list 50 is displayed on the main user interface 30 (that is, the electrophoretic display unit 39 of the rollable display device 30) such as that shown in FIG. The user quickly retrieves the item description 54 from the alignment list 50 via a secondary (supplementary) user interface comprised of a plurality of LEDs 76 and a mechanical slider / selector 94 positioned on the left side of the display 39 of the primary user interface 30. It has a function to identify and select. In particular, the user who uses the mechanical slider / selector 94 highlights (selects as an option) the LED 76 among the plurality of LEDs 76 positioned on the left side of the display unit 39 of the rollable display device 30. Each LED 76 is associated with a corresponding row in the alignment list 50.

  Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, numerous modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The scope of the invention is indicated in the appended claims, and all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency are intended to be embraced therein. The specification and drawings are accordingly to be regarded in an illustrative manner and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.

  In interpreting the appended claims, note the following:

  a) the word “comprising” does not exclude the presence of other elements or acts than those listed in a given claim;

  b) A singular representation of an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

  c) any reference signs in the claims do not limit their scope;

  d) Multiple “means” can be represented by the same item or structure or function implemented by hardware or software.

  e) Any of the elements disclosed herein can be comprised of a hardware portion (eg, including discrete integrated electronic circuitry), a software portion (eg, a computer program), and combinations thereof.

  f) The hardware part may be composed of one or both of analog and digital parts.

  g) Any of the devices disclosed herein or portions thereof may be combined or separated together to be separate portions unless specifically stated otherwise.

  h) The specific order of operations is not intended as necessary unless otherwise indicated.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an extended form of a wrappable display device including a main and a secondary user interface, wherein the secondary user interface includes a wheel / selector and an LCD according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an extended form of a wrappable display device including a main and a sub user interface, wherein the sub user interface includes an up / down selector and a plurality of icons according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an extended form of a wrappable display device including a main and a sub user interface, wherein the sub user interface includes an up / down selector and a plurality of LEDs according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an extended form of a wrappable display device including a main and a sub user interface, wherein the sub user interface includes a dial selector according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an extended form of a wrappable display device including a main and sub user interface, wherein the sub user interface has a mechanical slider according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (13)

  A portable device having a primary user interface and a secondary user interface provided as a supplement to the primary user interface, wherein the secondary user interface is necessary for performing the user navigation operation via the primary user interface An apparatus configured to perform a user navigation operation in the portable apparatus in a shorter time than the above.   The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the sub user interface performs a user navigation operation on the order of approximately 0.02 seconds based on a liquid crystal display technology, and the main user interface is based on an electrophoresis technology. , An apparatus for performing the user navigation operation on the order of 0.5 seconds.   The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the main user interface 39 is based on electrophoresis technology.   The portable device of claim 1, wherein the secondary user interface is based on liquid crystal diode technology.   The portable device according to claim 1, wherein the sub user interface includes a selection unit and a display unit.   6. A portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display means is an LCD display and the selection means is a scroll wheel / selector.   6. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display means is a row of icons and the selection means is an up / down selector.   The portable device according to claim 7, wherein the row of icons is based on one of LC, OLED and electrowetting technology.   6. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display means is a row of LEDs and the selection means is an up / down counter.   6. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display means is one of an LED row and an icon row, and the selection means is a mechanical dial selector.   6. The portable device according to claim 5, wherein the display means is one of an LED row and an icon row, and the selection means is a mechanical slider / selector. A method for performing user navigation operations in a portable device having a primary and secondary user interface comprising:
(1) displaying an alignment list on the main display of the main user interface, the alignment list having a menu item and a corresponding menu item identifier;
(2) selecting at least one menu item from the sorted list via the secondary user interface, the selection resulting in a faster response time than selecting the at least one menu item via the primary user interface; Like,
Method. The method of claim 12, wherein the selecting operation further comprises:
a. Displaying the menu item identifier on a display associated with the secondary user interface; and b. Selecting the at least one menu item from the secondary user interface display via selection means associated with the secondary user interface;
Having a method.

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