GB2444541A

GB2444541A - Selection from a menu on a mobile device

Info

Publication number: GB2444541A
Application number: GB0624303A
Authority: GB
Inventors: S Bastien Racani Re
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2006-12-05
Filing date: 2006-12-05
Publication date: 2008-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 2026-12-05
Also published as: KR20080052286A; GB2444541B; GB0624303D0

Abstract

There is described an apparatus for selecting from an electronic menu in which a first set of menu option groupings are displayed, with each menu option grouping in a respective different display sub-region. In response to a user input identifying a selective display sub-region, a second set of menu option groupings is displayed with each menu option grouping of the second set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region, the menu options in the second set of menu option groupings corresponding to the menu options in the menu option grouping of the first set in the selective display sub-region. In this way, the number of menu options is iteratively reduced. The initial menu options displayed for each group are based on statistical analysis of previously selected options thus reducing the time for a user to find a particular option using a binary search method.

Description

( 2444541

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR SELECTING FROM AN

ELECTRONIC MENU

This invention relates to a method of selecting from an electronic menu, and apparatus therefor. The method has particular, but not exclusive, relevance to selecting from electronic menus provided in mobile devices such as mobile phones.

Mobile devices are widely available which have multiple functions.

For example, a mobile phone now commonly includes: cameras for taking pictures; image viewers for viewing stored images; audio players for playing stored sound files; media players for playing multimedia files; personal organisers including calendars and the like; alarm clocks; and Internet access via a wireless protocol. In order to access the different applications or stored data files, the mobile phone includes an electronic menu. Typically, this electronic menu is navigated using a keypad including alphanumeric keys and navigation keys.

As mobile phones are made smaller and smaller, dnven by consumer demand, the keys of the alphanumeric display are being made correspondingly smaller and smaller. This results in increased instances of users pressing the wrong key.

The aim of the present invention is to provide a method of selecting from an electronic menu which requires the use of a small number of keys while requiring only a small number of key presses to select a menu option. (

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided apparatus for selecting from an electronic menu in which a first set of menu option groupings are displayed, with each menu option grouping in a respective different display sub-region. In response to a user input identifying a selected display sub-region, a second set of menu option groupings is displayed with each menu option grouping of the second set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region, the menu options in the second set of menu option groupings corresponding to the menu options in the menu option grouping of the first set in the selected display sub-region. In this way, the number of menu options is iteratively reduced.

In an embodiment, each set of menu option groupings has two menu option groups so that, in effect, a binary search is performed.

Preferably, statistical analysis is performed of the menu selections over time and the most likely menu option, or a list of most likely menu options, based on statistucal analysis of previous usage is displayed as an option for for user selection.

In an embodiment, the menu options are organised in a hierarchical manner, and menu options at one hierarchical level are displayed. In such an embodiment, preferably the most likely of the displayed menu options is predicted based statistical analysis of previous usage, and the most likely displayed menu option is displayed as an option for user selection.

An exemplary embodiment will now be described with reference to the attached figures in which: r Figure 1 schematically shows a plan view of a mobile phone forming a first embodiment of the invention; Figure 2 schematically shows the main components of the mobile phone illustrated in Figure 1; Figure 3 schematically shows a hierarchical database stored in the mobile phone illustrated in Figure 1; and Figures 4A to 4D show respective plan views of a display screen during selection of an electronic file stored by the mobile phone illustrated in Figure 1.

As shown in Figure 1, a mobile phone 1 according to an embodiment of the invention has a casing 3, a keypad 5 and a display 7. The keypad 5 includes: -navigation keys including an UP key 9a, a LEFT key 9b, a RIGHT key 9c and a DOWN key 9d; -aSELECTkeyII; -aDELETEkeyI3; -a CHOOSE MOST LIKELY CONTENT key 15; -aCANCELkeyI7; -a SWITCH TO SCROLLING MODE key 19; and -anEXTRAkey2l.

As schematically shown in Figure 2, the main electncal components of the mobile phone I include a controller 31 which is connected to an audio codec 33, an RF transceiver circuit 35, a display driver 37, the keypad 5, a p4 SIM card 39, and memory 41. All these components are powered by a battery (not shown) which is housed within the casing 3 of the mobile phone 1.

The audio codec 33 is a conventional component which encodes speech signals received from a microphone 43 and forwards the encoded speech signal to the controller 31, and decodes an encoded speech signal received from the controller 31 and forwards the decoded speech signal to a loudspeaker 45. The RF transceiver circuit 35 is a conventional component which processes a wireless RF signal detected by an aerial 47 into a form suitable for input to the controller 31, and processes a signal from the controller 31 into a form suitable forRF transmission using the aerial 47.

The display driver 37 is a conventional component which receives a control signal for a desired display from the controller 31, and converts the control signal into a drive signal for the display 7 to display the desired display.

The SIM card 39 is a conventional SIM card.

As shown in Figure 2, the memory 41 stores firmware 49 which is used by the controller 31 during operation of the mobile phone 1. In this enibodiment, the firmware 49 includes user interface software 51 associated with interactions with the user via the keypad 5 and the display 7, and statistical analysis software 53 which analyses the use of the mobile phone I. The memory 41 also stores: -an operating system 55; a contents database 57 storing application files and data files; and ( -working memory 59.

In this embodiment, the contents database 57 is stored in a hierarchical manner as schematically illustrated in Figure 3, in which for simplicity only a small number of folders 61 and content files 63 are illustrated. Content files 63 contain either an application program or a data file. Examples of data files include sound files, picture files, video files and multimedia files.

Hierarchical databases are well known in the computing field. As shown in Figure 3, each folder 61 contains either more folders 61 or tontent files 63. Although not illustrated, a folder 61 could contani a combination of at least one folder 61 and at least one content file 63. It can be said that the hierarchy has a number of levels, so that the contents of a folder are at the next level to that folder. For example, with reference to Figure 3, the folders 61i and 61j can be said to be at the next hierarchical level to the folder 61d, and similarly the content file 63c can be said to be at the next hierarchical level to the folder 61i.

in this embodiment, the user interface software 51 includes an electronic menu routine which allows a user of the mobile phone 1 to navigate an electronic menu using three different mechanisms, namely: a binary search mechanism; a first prediction mechanism which predicts the most likely result of the binary search based on previous usage of the mobile phone 1; and a second prediction mechanism which predicts the most likely content files based on previous usage of the mobile phone I. The prediction mechanisms ( make use of the statistical analyss performed by the statistical analysis software 53.

A b]nary search identifies one of a plurality of options by splitting the options into two groupings, receiving a user input identifying the grouping containing the desired menu option, discarding the grouping which does not include the desired menu option and splitting the grouping into two new groupings, and repeating the process in an iterative manner until only the desired menu option remains. It will be appreciated that if the initial number of menu options is large, then the binary search mechanism may require several user selections to identify the desired menu option. The first prediction mechanism aims to reduce the number of required user selections by displaying an option of the statistically most likely menu option.

Due to hierarchical nature of the content database 57, a plurality of binary searches may be required to identify the desired content file. in order to provide a short cut to the desired content file, the second prediction mechanism provides a short list of the statistically most likely content files for user selection.

An illustrative example of a menu selection will now be described with reference to Figures 4A to 4D, in which the user of the mobile phone wishes to watch the Eurosport sports channel.

Figure 4A shows what is displayed by the display 7 when the electronic menu is first opened by the user of the mobile phone 1. As shown, the display 7 is split into a number of regions. In the lower part of the display ( 7, the menu options corresponding to the highest level of the hierarchical content database 57 are displayed distributed between a left sub-region 71 and a right sub-region 73 for the purpose of the binary search mechanism. In this embodiment, the highest level of the hierarchical content database 57 has two folders labelled Media Type' and Meta-data'. Accordingly, the left sub- region 71 includes a single menu option (Media Type') and the right sub-region includes a single menu option (Meta-data).

The upper part 75 of the display 7 has a sub-region 77 which displays the most likely of the menu options presented in the lower part of the display 7 for the binary search mechanism. In other words, the sub-region 77 presents the result of the first prediction mechanism. In the displayed example, the statistical analysis software 53 has determined that the content files corresponding to the folder Media Type' are selected by the user more often than the content files corresponding to the folder Meta-data'. Accordingly, the sub-region 77 presents the menu option Media Type'.

The upper part 75 of the display 7 also has a sub-region 79 which displays a list of the most likely of the content files to be selected. In the displayed example, the statistical analysis software has determined that the content file selected most frequently by the user accesses the radio station BBC Radio 4', followed by a content file storing music labelled Jazz Album', followed by a spreadsheet file labelled Account.xls', followed by an image file labelled twins.jpg'. Accordingly, the menu options corresponding to these content files are displayed as a list in the sub-region 79. In this ( embodiment, the most likely content file is highlighted by being displayed with reverse font colouring (i.e. in this embodiment white characters with a black background instead of black characters with a white background).

The sports channel Eurosport is a media file which is not listed among the list of most likely content files displayed in the sub-region 79.

Accordingly, the user wishes to select the menu option Media Type'. There are two ways in which this can be done Firstly, the binary search mechanism can be used by selecting the left sub-region 71. In this embodiment, this is done by pressing the LEFT navigation key 9b (similarly, the right sub-region 73 would have been selected by pressing the RIGHT navigation key 9c).

Alternatively, as Media Type' is the most likely menu option displayed in the sub-region 77, the user can select the menu option Media Type' by pressing the OK key 11.

Following selection of the menu option Media Type', either by pressing the LEFT navigation key 9a or the OK key 11, the display 7 is as shown in Figure 4B.

In this embodiment, the folder Media Type' contains, at the next level of the hierarchy of the content database 57, the folders TV', Video', Photos', Radio', Document' and Music'. Accordingly, menu options corresponding to these folders are distributed with three in the left sub-region 71 and three in the right sub-region 73. Of these menu options, the statistical analysis software 53 determines that the most likely to be selected is Music', and accordingly the menu option Music' is presented in the sub-region 77. The ( list of content files presented in the subregion 79 is unchanged because all of these content files are indirectly stored in the folder Media Type'.

The sports channel Eurosport' is a TV channel, and accordingly the user wishes to select the menu option TV'. This is not the most likely menu S option displayed in the sub-region 77, and accordingly the user must use the binary search mechanism. The menu option TV' is in the left sub-region 71, and therefore the user presses the LEFT navigation key 9b.

Following the pressing of the LEFT navigation key 9b, the display is as shown in Figure 4C.

As the left sub-region 71 of Figure 4B included three menu options (TV, Video' and Document'), these three menu options are distributed between two sub-regions in the lower part of the display 7. In particular, the layout of the lower part of the display 7 is changed to have an upper sub-region 91, containing the TV' and Video' menu options, and a lower sub-region 93, containing the Document' sub-option. in this way, the layout of the menu options in the lower part of the screen 7 can niatch the layout of the menu options in the left sub-region 71 in Figure 4W As the menu option Music' has been discarded, a new most likely menu option is displayed in the sub-region 77. In this embodiment, the statistical analysis software has determined that the most likely menu option to be selected is TV', and accordingly this menu option is shown in the sub-region 77.

As the content files BBC Radio 4', Jazz Album' and twins.jpg' are also no longer valid menu options following the discarding of the menu options Radio', Music' and Photos' respectively, a new list of most likely content files is displayed in the sub-region 79. In particular, in this embodiment the new list of most likely content files is Account.xls', Versailles.mpeg', Eurosport' and Euronews'.

The user of the mobile phone I now has different routes to selecting the Eurosport' TV channel.

Firstly, as the Eurosport' TV channel is included in the list of most likely content files, the user can press the SWITCH TO SCROLLING MODE key 19 which enables the user to scroll though the list of most likely content files using the UP navigation key 9a and the DOWN navigation key 9d. As the user scrolls through the list of most likely content files, the current selection choice is highlighted using reverse font colouring. Therefore, in this embodiment, the user presses the DOWN navigation key 9d twice to highlight the Eurosport' menu option, and then presses the OK key II to initiate viewing the Eurosport' TV channel.

Secondly, as TV' is the most likely menu option, the user can press the OK key 11 to select TV', which results in the display of Figure 4D hi the display of Figure 4D, the menu options corresponding to folders stored in the TV' folder (that is Sport Channel', Music Channel', News Channel' and Documentary') are shown in the lower part of the display 7, distnbuted between a left sub-region 71 and a right sub-region 73. Now, the statistically most likely menu option is Sport Channel' and accordingly this menu option is shown in the sub-region 77. The list of most likely content files, in order of decreasing likeliness, is now Eurosport', Euronews', Discovery' and MTV', and accordingly these content files are shown in sub-region 79 with Eurosport' highlighted. The user is then able to select Eurosport' by pressing the CHOOSE MOST LIKELY CONTENT key 15.

Once the Eurosport' menu option is selected, the statistical analysis software 53 records the selection so that the selection is taken into account in the statistical analysis used for future menu selections.

It will be appreciated that there are vanous other combinations of key presses which could be taken from the displays shown in Figures 4C and 4D to select Eurosport'. For example, in principle Eurosport' could be selected soley using the binary search mechanism. However, this would require a large number of key presses.

hi this embodiment, the last key press can be cancelled at any time by the user pressing the DELETE key 13. Further, by pressing the CANCEL key 17 the user can at any time exit the menu selection process.

To summarise, the electronic menu selection process of this embodiment allows the user to select a menu option by making a series of selections. Each selection may be a selection for a binary search, a selection of a most likely outcome of the current binary search, or the selection of the most likely content file.

MODIFICATIONS AND FURTHER EMBODIMENTS

In the illustrated embodiment, a combination of binary searching and two forms of prediction based searching are used. It will be appreciated that binary searching alone could be used, although this may require a large number of key presses by the user before arriving at the final menu selection.

Alternatively, a combination of binary searching and just one form of prediction based searching could be used.

The binary searching of the illustrated embodiment involves distributing available menu options into a set of two menu option groupings with each menu option grouping being displayed in a respective different sub-region of the display 7, and then the user selecting one of the two menu option groupings, thereby discarding the others. Alternatively, the available menu options could be split into a set of more than two menu option groupings with each menu option grouping being displayed in a respective different sub-region of the display 7. For example, the available menu options could be split into a set of four menu option groupings which are distributed between left, nght, upper and lower sub-regions of the display, so that the four navigation keys 9 may be used by the user to select the display sub-region including the desired menu option.

The phrase menu option grouping' covers a group of menu options at a hierarchical level of the contents database 57, and therefore implicitly covers corresponding menu options at lower levels, in addition to simply a group of menu options. (

The contents database need not be a hierarchical database with folders containing folders andlor content files. For example, the content files could each be assigned attributes and the searching can be performed using those attributes. These attributes may themselves form a hierarchical structure.

In the illustrated embodiment, a keypad is provided for user input.

However, this is not essential other user input devices, for example a touchscreen, could be used instead.

In the first embodiment, the electronic menu selection techniques of the present invention are applied to mobile phones. Examples of mobile phones include cellular phones for use with a wireless cellular communications network and cordless phones for use with a local base station.

The electronic menu selection techniques of the present invention could also be applied to other electronic devices, for example multimedia players and personal digital assistants (PDAs). It will be appreciated that the electronic menu selection techniques of the present invention are particularly useful for handheld devices where it is desirable to reduce the number of keys to reduce the total size of the device.

The embodiment described with reference to the drawings comprises a processing apparatus and involve processes performed in the processing apparatus. The invention also extends to computer programs, particularly computer programs on or in a camer, adapted for putting the invention into practice. The program may be in the form of source code, object code, a code intermediate to source code and object code such as in partially compiled form, or in any other form suitable for using in the implementation of the processes according to the invention.

The carrier may be any entity or device capable of carrying the program. For example, the carrier may comprise a storage medium, such as a RUM, for example a CD-ROM or a semiconductor RUM, or a magnetic recording medium, for example a floppy disc or a hard disc, or an optical recording medium. Further, the carrier may be a transmissible carrier such as an electronic or optical signal which may be conveyed via electrical or optical cable or by radio or other means.

The carrier may be an integrated circuit in which the program is embedded, the integrated circuit being adapted for performing, or for use in the performance of, the relevant processes.

Although in the described embodiment the invention is implemented by software, it will be appreciated that alternatively the invention could be implemented by hardware devices or a combination of hardware devices and software. (

Claims

CLAiMS 1. Apparatus for selecting from an electronic menu, the

apparatus comprising control means operable to cause a display means to display a first set of menu option groupings, with each of the menu option groupings of said first set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region; and receiving means operable to receive user input identifying a selected sub-region of the display means, wherein following receipt of a user input identifying a selected sub-region, the control means is operable to cause the display means to display a second set of menu option groupings with each menu option grouping of said second set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region, wherein the menu options in said second set of menu option groupings correspond to the menu options in said menu option grouping associated with the selected sub-region, whereby the user is operable to reduce the number of menu options in an iterative manner using the receiving means.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means is operable to cause the display means to display a set of two menu option groupings distributed between two display sub-regions. (
3. Apparatus for selecting from an electronic menu, the apparatus comprising: control means operable to cause a display means to display a first set of two menu option groupings with each menu option grouping of said first set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region; and receiving means operable to receive user input identifying a selected sub-region of the display means, wherein following receipt of a user input identifying a selected sub-region, the control means is operable to cause the display means to display a second set of two menu option groupings with each menu optJon grouping of said second set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region, wherein the menu options in the second set of two menu option groupings correspond to the menu options in the menu option menu option grouping of said first set associated with the selected sub-region, whereby the user is operable to select a menu by perfonning a binary search.
4. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, further comprising means for statistically analysing menu selections, wherein the statistical analysis means is operable to determine which menu option from a displayed set of menu option groupings is most likely based on previous menu selections, wherein the control means is operable to display said most likely menu option from the displayed set of menu options, and ( said receiving means is operable to receive user input identifying said most likely menu option of the displayed set of menu options.
5. Apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the statistical analysis means is operable to determine a list of the most likely menu options to be selected based on previous menu selections, wherein the control means is operable to display said list of most likely menu options, and wherein the receiving means is operable to receive user input selecting a menu option from said list of menu options
6. Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the receiving means is operable to receive first user input indicating that a selection is to be made from the list of most likely menu options, and second user input to select a menu option from said list.
7. Apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the menu options are organised in a hierarchical system, and wherein following receipt of a user input identifying a selected sub-region having a single menu option at a first level of the hierarchical system, the control means is operable to cause the display means to display a set of menu option groupings corresponding to the menu options at a second level of the hierarchical file system which are associated with said single menu. (
8. Apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising means for statistically analysing menu selections, wherein the statistical analysis means is operable to determine which menu option from the displayed set of menu option groupings is most likely to be selected based on previous menu selections, wherein the control means is operable to display said most likely displayed menu option, and said receiving means is operable to receive user input identifying one of said displayed most likely menu options.
9. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein said plurality of menu options comprise menu options for initiating an application.
10. An apparatus according to any of claims ito 8, wherein said plurality of menu options comprise menu options for accessing data files.
11. An apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said data files comprise sound files, picture files, video files andlor multimedia files.
12. A method of selecting from an electronic menu, the method comprising the steps of: ( displaying a first set of menu option groupings, with each of the menu option groupings of said first set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region; receiving user input identifying a selected display sub-region, and following receipt of a user input identifying a selected display sub-region, displaying a second set of menu option groupings with each menu option grouping of said second set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region, wherein the menu options in said second set of menu option groupings correspond to the menu options in said menu option grouping associated with the selected display sub-region, whereby the user reduces the number of menu options in an iterative manner.
13. A method according to claim 12, wherein a set of two menu option groupings is displayed distributed between two display sub-regions.
14. A method of selecting from an electronic menu, the method compnsing the steps of: displaying a first set of two menu option groupings with each menu option grouping of said first set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region; receiving user input identifying a selected display sub-region; and following receipt of a user input identifying a selected display sub-region, displaying a second set of two menu option groupings with each menu ( option grouping of said second set being displayed in a respective different display sub-region, wherein the menu options in the second set of two menu option groupings correspond to the menu options in the menu option menu option grouping of said first set associated with the selected sub-region, whereby the user is operable to select a menu by performing a binary search.
15. A method according to any of claims 12 to 14, further comprising the steps of: statistically analysing menu selections; determining which menu option from a displayed set of menu option groupings is most likely based on the statistical analysis of previous menu selections; displaying said most likely menu option from the displayed set of menu options as an option for user selection.
16. A method according to claim 15, comprising determining a list of the most likely menu options to be selected based on previous menu selections, displaying said list of most likely menu options, and receiving user input selecting a menu option from said list of menu options. (
17. A method according to claim 16, comprising receiving first user input indicating that a selection is to be made from the list of most likely menu options, and second user input selecting a menu option from said list.
18. A method according to any of claims 12 to 17, wherein the menu options are organised in a hierarchical system, and wherein following receipt of a user input identifying a selected sub-region having a single menu option at a first level of the hierarchical system, a set of menu option groupings is displayed corresponding to the menu options at a second level of the hierarchical file system which are associated with said single menu.
19. A method according to claim 18, further compnsing the steps of: statistically analysing menu selections; determining which menu option from the displayed set of menu option groupings is most likely to be selected based on the statistical analysis of previous menu selections; and displaying said most likely displayed menu option as an option for user selection.
20. A method according to any of claims 12 to 19, wherein said plurality of menu options compnse menu options for initiating an application. (
21. A method according to any of claims 12 to 18, wherein said plurality of menu options comprise menu options for accessing data files.
22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said data files comprise sound files, picture files, video files andlor multimedia files.
23. A computer program comprising instructions for programining a programmable processing apparatus to implement a method as claimed in any of claims 12 to 22.
24. A storage medium storing a computer program as claimed in claim 23.
25. A signal conveying a computer program as claimed in claim 23.
26. Apparatus for selecting from an electronic menu in which groups of menu options are displayed in respective different display sub-regions, and in response to user input identifying a display sub-region the menu options in the one or more other display sub-regions are discarded and the menu options in the selected display sub-region are displayed in respective different display sub-regions for a further user selection, whereby the number of menu options is reduced in an iterative manner.