Displaying messages on handheld devices
AssigneeBlackBerry Limited
InventorsScotte Zinn, David Yach
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of displaying messages on handheld devices. The device displays messages in a scrollable viewport of vertically arranged fields. Date separators inserted into the vertically arranged list of messages to enable the user to associate the messages with a date. The date separators have “sticky” operation, meaning that the device ensures a date separator always appears within the viewport, even when the viewport has been scrolled to the middle of a long list of messages all associated with the same date. The device may ensure that the top field of the viewport always contains a date separator associated with the message immediately below.
Claims20
A method of displaying scrollable message items on a display of an electronic device, each scrollable message item having an associated date, the method comprising:
- displaying a scrollable viewport on the display, the viewport displaying a first scrollable date separator item in a topmost field of the viewport and at least one scrollable message item in a second field of the viewport, wherein the first scrollable date separator item is based upon the associated date of the scrollable message item displayed in the second field of the viewport;
- determining whether another scrollable date separator item would appear in the viewport after a scrolling command is applied, the scrolling command causing the scrollable message items to be advanced;
- and
- after receiving the scrolling command to scroll one or more scrollable message items in the viewport, if another scrollable date separator item would not appear in the viewport after the one or more scrollable message items are scrolled, maintaining the display of the first scrollable date separator item in the topmost field while the scrollable message items are advanced;
- after receiving the scrolling command to scroll one or more scrollable message items in the viewport, if another scrollable date separator item would appear in the viewport after the one or more scrollable message items are scrolled, displaying a second scrollable date separator item in the topmost field while the scrollable message items are advanced, wherein the second scrollable date separator item is based upon the associated date of the one or more scrollable message items displayed in the second field of the viewport.
An electronic device comprising:
- a display;
- an input device;
- and
- a processor connected to the display for controlling operation of the display, the processor being configured for:
- displaying a scrollable viewport on the display, the viewport displaying a first scrollable date separator item in a topmost field of the viewport and at least one scrollable message item in a second field of the viewport, wherein the first scrollable date separator item is based upon the associated date of the scrollable message item displayed in the second field of the viewport;
- determining whether another scrollable date separator item would appear in the viewport after a scrolling command is applied, the scrolling command causing the scrollable message items to be advanced;
- and
- after receiving the scrolling command to scroll one or more scrollable message items in the viewport, if another scrollable date separator item would not appear in the viewport after the one or more scrollable message items are scrolled, maintaining the display of the first scrollable date separator item in the topmost field while the scrollable message items are advanced;
- after receiving the scrolling command to scroll one or more scrollable message items in the viewport, if another scrollable date separator item would appear in the viewport after the one or more scrollable message items are scrolled, displaying a second scrollable date separator item in the topmost field while the scrollable message items are advanced, wherein the second scrollable date separator item is based upon the associated date of the one or more scrollable message items displayed in the second field of the viewport.
A computer program product having a on a non-transitory computer readable medium tangibly embodying computer executable instructions for displaying scrollable message items on a display of an electronic device, each scrollable message item having an associated date, the computer executable instructions comprising:
- instructions for displaying a scrollable viewport on the display, the viewport displaying a first scrollable date separator item in a topmost field of the viewport and at least one scrollable message item in a second field of the viewport, wherein the first scrollable date separator item is based upon the associated date of the scrollable message item displayed in the second field of the viewport;
- instructions for determining whether another scrollable date separator item would appear in the viewport after a scrolling command is applied, the scrolling command causing the scrollable message items to be advanced one by one;
- and instructions for, after receiving the scrolling command to scroll one or more scrollable message items in the viewport, if another scrollable date separator item would not appear in the viewport after the one or more scrollable message items are scrolled, maintaining the display of the first scrollable date separator item in the topmost field while the scrollable message items are advanced;
- instructions for, after receiving the scrolling command to scroll one or more scrollable message items in the viewport, if another scrollable date separator item would appear in the viewport after the one or more scrollable message items are scrolled, displaying a second scrollable date separator item in the topmost field while the scrollable message items are advanced, wherein the second scrollable date separator item is based upon the associated date of the one or more scrollable message items displayed in the second field of the viewport.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.