METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CONTROLLING A DISPLAY OF A PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE
A method and apparatus for controlling a display of a portable electronic device are provided. The method comprises generating a screen comprising a list on the display. The list comprises one or more row elements, with each row element comprising one or more column sub-elements. At least a portion of one of the column sub-elements of at least one of the row elements is truncated. Upon selection of a row element, the screen is enabled for scrolling of that row element. Enabling scrolling comprises loading the truncated portion of the selected row element into a pre-buffer. The method further comprises receiving a scrolling input, and updating the screen on the display to scroll the row element, bringing the truncated portion into view. The selected row is scrolled while maintaining the series of column sub-elements in the row without reference to other rows.
The present invention relates in general to portable electronic devices, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for controlling a display of a portable electronic device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONAs portable electronic devices and other computing devices become more powerful, the functionality provided by such devices continues to expand and improve. Display space, however, is an area in which improvement is more difficult, as stringent size constraints are often imposed on portable electronic devices. These constraints limit the volume of information which can be provided at any given time on the display of a portable electronic device. As, a result, the information displayed on portable electronic devices is often truncated, with some information remaining invisible. Making such truncated information visible often results in undesirable use of the portable electronic device's resources, or negatively affects the usefulness of the originally displayed information.
Embodiments will be described below with reference to the following figures, in which:
Referring now to
Referring now to
Portable electronic device 20 also includes a radio 60 communicating with processor 48. Radio 60 provides wireless communication capabilities to portable electronic device 20 by way of a wireless link 64 connecting portable electronic device 20 to a network 68. Link 64 between portable electronic device 20 and network 68 may be based in a present embodiment on core mobile network infrastructure (e.g. Global System for Mobile communications (“GSM”); Code Division Multiple Access (“CDMA”); CDMA 2000; 3G; 4G). Link 64 may also be based on wireless local area network (“WLAN”) infrastructures such as the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (“IEEE”) 802.11 Standard (and its variants), Bluetooth or the like, or hybrids thereof. Note that in an exemplary variation of portable electronic device 20, link 64 may also be a wired connection and radio 60 may be a network interface device capable of receiving the wired connection.
Programming instructions that implement the functional teachings of portable electronic device 20 as described herein are typically maintained, persistently, in non-volatile storage unit 52 and used by processor 48 which makes appropriate utilization of volatile storage unit 56 during the execution of such programming instructions. Of particular note is that non-volatile storage unit 52 persistently maintains a messaging application 80. It will be understood that other applications are also contemplated, and that messaging application 80 is purely exemplary. Messaging application 80 may be executed on processor 48, making use of non-volatile storage unit 52 and volatile storage unit 56 as appropriate. Non-volatile storage unit 52 also maintains a display application 84 for controlling display 28 of portable electronic device 20. Display application 84 may also be executed on processor 48, making appropriate use of non-volatile storage unit 52 and volatile storage unit 56. Display application 84 controls display 28 by way of display buffers (not shown), as will be described in further detail below. It will be understood that display application 84 may also be integrated with messaging application 80, or with any other of the various applications which may also be maintained in non-volatile storage unit 52 according to the desired configuration and functioning of portable electronic device 20.
Referring now to
The fields of each column may contain like information. That is, fields 306-1, 306-2 and 306-3 may, for example, contain data representing a certain category of information. It will be understood, however, that this is not a necessity. It will be noted that in the present embodiment, row 304-0 of database 300 acts as a header row. The fields of row 304-0 may therefore contain data representing the category of information contained in each corresponding column. In the present embodiment, for example, field 306-0 contains data representing an indication that fields 306-1 to 306-3 contain information relating to the date a message was received. Fields 308-0, 310-0, 312-0 and 314-0 likewise contain data representing indications of other categories of information—sender, subject, status and time received, respectively. Rows 304-1, 304-2 and 304-3 have been completed with exemplary data corresponding to the exemplary categories indicated in row 304-0. It will be understood that although the body of the messages represented in database 300 is not shown and may be stored elsewhere, database 300 may also be extended to include the body of a message.
Referring now to
Block 410 comprises generating a screen on display 28 of portable electronic device 20. In the present embodiment, block 410 is performed by display application 84. Referring to
As shown in
Returning to
If a “No” determination is made at block 415, method 400 waits at block 415 until a selection input is received. If a “Yes” determination is made at block 415, method 400 proceeds to block 420 to enable scrolling. Receipt of selection input is illustrated in
Performance of block 420 is shown in
Returning to
If a “Yes” determination is made at block 425, method 400 proceeds to block 430, at which screen 500 on display 28 is “re-initialized,” followed by block 435, at which method 400 is terminated. The performance of block 430 will be described in further detail below.
If a “No” determination is made at block 425, method 400 proceeds to block 440, at which a determination is made as to whether scrolling input has been received. Scrolling input may be in the form of a finger drag on a touch screen, or a roll of a trackball, for example. If a “No” determination is made at block 440, method 400 returns to block 425. If a “Yes” determination is made at block 440, method 400 advances to block 445, where the screen rendered on display 28 is updated.
Performance of block 445 is shown in
As a result of the scrolling of row element 504-3, column sub-element 506-3 is no longer visible and column sub-element 508-3 is only partially visible. Field 306-3 is maintained in screen pre-buffer 88, but is no longer contained with screen buffer 92. Field 308-3 has also been divided in 308-3′ and 308-3″. Display application 84 may divide fields of database 300 in screen pre-buffer 88 in order to scroll a row element in a variety of ways. Fields of database 300 may be divided dynamically by Display application 84 in response to scrolling, as shown in
Following performance of block 445, method 400 may return to block 425. Performance of blocks 430 and 435 will now be described, in the event that a “Yes” determination is made at block 425. Referring now to
Upon a “Yes” determination being made at block 425, method 400 proceeds to block 430, at which display application 84 may “re-initialize” display 28. At block 430, display application 84 manages screen pre-buffer 88 and screen buffer 92 to purge the additional data obtained at block 420. As shown in
Returning to
In another exemplary embodiment shown in
In a further exemplary embodiment (not shown), a single column sub-element within a row element may be scrolled, rather than the entire row element. For example, the “Subject” column sub-element of a row element may be scrolled to display truncated information, while the remainder of the column sub-elements of the selected row element remain in their initial position.
Those skilled in the art will understand that subsets, combinations and variations of the foregoing are contemplated. The scope of the monopoly sought is defined by the claims attached hereto.
Claims
1. A method comprising:
- rendering at a display of an electronic device, a list comprising: a first row having truncated data in at least one field, the first row rendered in an initial position; and a second row;
- when the first row is selected, scrolling, at the display device, fields of the first row to render a remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field, while the second row remains static; and,
- when the second row is selected after the scrolling of the fields of the first row, again rendering, at the display device, the first row in the initial position after a predetermined time period.
2-15. (canceled)
16. The method of claim 1, wherein the scrolling the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field comprises continuous horizontal scrolling.
17. The method of claim 1, wherein the scrolling the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field comprises:
- obtaining truncated data in the at least one field; and storing the truncated data in a screen pre-buffer.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein the rendering the first row in the initial position after the predetermined time period comprises: clearing the truncated data from the screen pre-buffer.
19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first row is selected using an input device of the electronic device.
20. The method of claim 1, wherein the scrolling the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field, while the second row remains static occurs when scrolling input is received at an input device of the electronic device.
21. The method of claim 1, wherein the second row is selected using an input device of the electronic device.
22. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the fields of the first row contain like information.
23. An electronic device comprising:
- a processor and a display device, the processor configured to: render, at the display device, a list comprising: a first row having truncated data in at least one field, the first row rendered in an initial position; and a second row; when the first row is selected, scroll, at the display device, fields of the first row to render a remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field, while the second row remains static; and, when the second row is selected after scrolling of the fields of the first row, again render, at the display device, the first row in the initial position after a predetermined time period.
24. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to scroll the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field using continuous horizontal scrolling.
25. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to scroll the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field by: obtaining truncated data in the at least one field;
- and storing the truncated data in a screen pre-buffer.
26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the processor is further configured to render the first row in the initial position after the predetermined time period by: clearing the truncated data from the screen pre-buffer.
27. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising an input device, and wherein the processor is further configured to select first row using the input device.
28. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising an input device, and wherein the processor is further configured to scroll the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field, while the second row remains static occurs when scrolling input is received at the input device.
29. The electronic device of claim 23, further comprising an input device, and wherein the processor is further configured to select the second using the input device.
30. The electronic device of claim 23, wherein each of the fields of the first row contain like information.
31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program, wherein execution of the computer program is for:
- rendering, at a display device of an electronic device, a list comprising: a first row having truncated data in at least one field, the first row rendered in an initial position; and a second row;
- when the first row is selected, scrolling, at the display device, fields of the first row to render a remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field, while the second row remains static; and,
- when the second row is selected after the scrolling of the fields of the first row, again rendering, at the display device, the first row in the initial position after a predetermined time period.
32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the scrolling the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field comprises continuous horizontal scrolling.
33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the scrolling the fields of the first row to render the remainder of the truncated data in the at least one field comprises: obtaining truncated data in the at least one field; and storing the truncated data in a screen pre-buffer.
34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 31, wherein the rendering the first row in the initial position after the predetermined time period comprises: clearing the truncated data from the screen pre-buffer.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 2, 2015
Publication Date: Apr 7, 2016
Inventors: Brian GROUX (New Hamburg), Aaron David SCRIVER (Waterloo), Michael Thomas HARDY (Waterloo)
Application Number: 14/956,714