WO2001061444A2

WO2001061444A2 - Mobile telephone with improved man machine interface

Info

Publication number: WO2001061444A2
Application number: PCT/GB2001/000669
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jean-Marie André
Original assignee: Vtech Mobile Limited
Priority date: 2000-02-18
Filing date: 2001-02-16
Publication date: 2001-08-23
Also published as: GB2365675B; AU2001232130A1; DE10195665T5; DE10195665B4; GB2365675A; WO2001061444A3; GB0003941D0

Abstract

A mobile telephone MMI in which icons are displayed on a display together with text explaining the meaning of a single 'active' icon. The 'active' icon, representing a function which can actually be selected or initiated, is the only icon with accompanying text. This represents an advance over conventional text based MMIs which many people find difficult to learn, to navigate and are inelegant. Where an icon is displayed together with its associated text, then a user rapidly understands the function to be performed by selecting that icon and also that the status of the computing means (typically a microprocessor) is such that the function can either be performed directly or can be readily navigated to. The text is contained within a cartoon style balloon.

Description

Mobile Telephone with improved man machine interface

Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a mobile telephone and m particular to a mobile telephone with an improved man 5 machine interface. The term 'mobile telephone' used m this patent specification should be expansively construed to cover any kind of mobile device with communications capabilities and includes radio telephones, smart phones, communicators, and wireless iυ information devices. It includes devices able to communicate using not only mobile radio such as GSM or UMTS, but also any other kind of wireless communications system, such as Bluetooth.

Description of the Prior Art

is One of the problems facing the designers of mobile telephone user interfaces (often called 'man machine interfaces' or ^λMMIs' ) is how to allow the user to comprehend the internal status of the mobile telephone. For example, to select or initiate a function (e.g. to u open an address book function, enter a PIN security number or to alter the ring melody) a user has to understand that the status of the telephone is such that the function can be selected or initiated. A closely related problem is how to enable a user to 5 confidently alter the internal status of the phone. This process can be thought of as the problem of how to enable a user to confidently navigate through the feature set of the telephone. Eecause many quite intricate operations have to be mastered early on for 0 most mobile telephone user_ (settng security codes, altering ring e.odies etc.), t is particularly important to facilitate the task of navigating to and activating features in the required way.

In addition, mobile telephones offer a very wide (and ever increasing) range of functions. The design of an effective MMI which can be (a) easily navigated by novices yet is (b) flexible enough to enable a large number of functions to be included, is a very challenging task. In fact, it is widely acknowledged that few mobile telephone owners regularly use any but the most basic telephone features because current MMIs are difficult to fully understand. Hence, the technical problem of effectively enabling the user to understand the internal status of the mobile telephone has to date been inadequately addressed.

One of the reasons why many conventional MMIs are inadequate is that mobile telephones are small handheld devices which generally include small display screens. The size of display screens, even for PDA type devices, is far too small to handle a rich and effective MMI, such as the Apple Macintosh Operating System MMI. As a consequence, MMI designers have tended to use text based MMIs, even though the superiority of graphical user interfaces has long been accepted in the desktop computing environment.

Conventionally, the small display size has also meant that several hierarchies of functions have to be offered to a user: the interface can be thought of as having many layers, with the user having to first locate the correct top level function and then, within that function, progressively dri 1 down (sometimes througn _. or more layers) to complete the required task. Hence, for example, if a user wishes tc enter a new telephone numoer into an address book stored on the Tiociie cnone, he has to locate a top level function, *-ypιcall\ called Αdαress Book' . He then selects that function and is presented with a list of second level functions relevant c the 'Address boo ' top level runctic:.. These second level functions typically include options for reading the contents of the Address Book, entering a new number and password protecting .ccess - ~ the address cook. Say the user selects the -ptioi. r;r entering __ new number; he then is presented with <Λ third level ccreen display asking him to _omplet^ various fields with the contact information.

5 With pure text based, multi-level MMIs, it can be very difficult for users to build up an understanding of the structure of the MMI; without understanding, it is very difficult to navigate extensively.

Very recently, some manufacturers have introduced GSM moDile telephones wnicr. are beginning to move away from the text only MMI. For example, the Philips Xenium telephone c_m dispia several icons on screen; Nokia and Mitsubishi have GSM telephones which can display one icon on __ screen at a time. Reference may also be made to some PC operating systems and applications, in which a contextual help system is used: when the user places the mouse arrow over an icon, folder etc. for more than a couple cf seconds, a help call-out or balloon appears witn an explanation of the function of u the icon, folder etc. It is particularly important that the pnysical device (s) used to control navigation are not only easy to operate but also that the way in which they are controlled intuitively matches up with the navigation tasks to be accomplished. Conventionally, these navigation devices are 4 separate buttons (for example, for Up, Down, Accept and Reject) . A user has to carefully select the correct button. That generally means that the user has to take his eyes off the screen. In some devices, a single rocker switch will overlie 4 separate buttons. But rocker switches can also require a user to take his eyes off the screen and instead concentrate on selecting and using the navigation button correctly. That in turn makes if far harder, especially for the inexperienced user, to follow and concentrate on the MMI. Where the MMI is difficult to follow anyway (as with text based, multilevel conventional GSM telephones, for example), navigation devices which require a user to take his eyes off the screen can be difficult to use.

Statement of the Invention

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, a mobile telephone comprises: computing means for storing representations of one or more icons and representations of one of more words; and a display operable to be controlled by the computing means to display the icons and words; characterised m that the display is operable to display several icons at the same :ιme, together with a word or words explaining the function of a single displayed icon m order to indicate that the status of the computing raaans is such that the function associated with tn? ^r single icon can be selected or initiated.

Hence, the first aspect of the invention envisages a MMI _.r_ which icons are displayed together w th text explaining the meaning of a single 'active' icon. The 'active' icon, representing a function which can actual! ne selected or initiated, is the only icon with accompanying text. This represents an advance -ver conventional text based MMIs which many people rind difficult to learn, to navigate and are inelegant. Where an icon is displayed together with its associated text, tnen a user rapidly understands the function to de perfcrmed by selecting that icon and also that the status f the computing means (typically a microprocessor) is such that the function can either be performed directly or can be readily navigated to. The step of selecting the function will often lead to a related lower level function. Preferably, a word or words can be related to an icon using the visual device f a callout or balloon. This is an effective and familiar metaphor.

The present invention envisages an embodiment m which a top level function, such as the address book function, is represented on the mobile telephone display by an icon of an address book, together with the words 'Address Book' referring to the icon. Preferaoly, the words 'Address Book' are in a cartoon style balloon. Other top level function icons (without explanatory text) are displayed together with the address book icon. Selecting the address book icon then leads to the display showing several address book related second level function icons, such as an icon representative of reading the address book, together with tπe words 'Consult' or 'Read', as well as further address book related icons without any explanatory words. The second level functions can be navigated through; an icon representing writing a new address book entry can be reached; when reached, the word 'Draft' or 'New Entry' appears by it. Selecting the icon associated with the word 'Draft' or 'New Entry' o then results m -_> display with various contact information fields '"o be completed by the user.

Preferably, one or more of the following top level functions are associated with icons, with each icon having a related text: phonebook; messages; call s register; counters; call diversion; telephone settings; networr. details; tools; voice mail and IrDA activation. As noted above, the text can be related to the icon using the visual device of a comic style balloon.

Combining an icon with text explaining the function of o the icon disc enacles many icons 'typically . or 1 on a display - f a conventional GSM telephone¹ to be simultaneously displayed without confusing tr.e user.

Preferably, various second level functions, each associated with a single top level function, are also 5 represented by icons. Each will have displayed against them related, explanatory text once the user has navigated to them.

Two or more of the icons may ove* lap or be snown only in part: this enables more iccns o be included on a o screen, whilst maintaining lecibility; it also generates a 3D effect, which is at ractive. The user can optionally select that the word cr words explaining the function of one or more icons is/are not displayed. This gives an uncluttered look to the display which can be more appealing to a more experienced user. Also, it liberates screen space for bigger icons (or more icons), which again can be appealing to more experienced users.

A zoom (i.e. magnification) function is preferaoly also provided by which a user can cause the size of the icon and/or the woro or woras explaining the function of that icon Jispiayed on the display to be altered. The room function may oe controlled by a volume up and a volume down button; the use of the volume controls to control a zoom function may be useful even where icons s are not associated with any kind of explanatory text at all and such an embodiment is within the scope of a further aspect of the invention.

This zoom approach can be more generally applied: m a second aspect, a mobile telephone is with provided a ' room runction by wnich a user can cause the size of an icon and/or text cn the display to be altered. The room function may alter m dependence on the selected mode or function of the mobile telephone to give one or more zoom settings optimised for the selected mode or 5 function. Hence, this further aspect covers a mobile telephone in which any displayed text (e.g. SMS text) can be roomed to usinα the volume keys.

In one embodiment, the data representing an icon is stored in memory; the same data can be used to display o the icon at normal size (typically 16x16 pixels) and also at one cr rrore different sizes, such as an extended size (64x64). This scalability removes the need to store multiple representations in memory and therefore saves memory; instead a software algorithm alters the displayed size of the icon.

In a third aspect, there is provided a mobile telephone in which country codes are stored in a memory and, when a user enters an international dialling prefix, the user is presented with a function which automatically allows the correct country code to be inserted into the number to be dialled. The function typically' allows a user to scroll through a list of country names and select the correct country name. City codes and/or other access codes can also be navigated to and selected in the same way. These are very convenient features for users.

In a fourth aspect, there is provided a mobile telephone programmed to allow a list to be edited by a user, in which the list includes an item, accompanied by an icon indicative of writing, in which selection of that icon takes the user to a screen to be completed with details of a new entry for the list.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided a mobile telephone in which an idle screen display can display various icons, in which the position of icons on the idle screen is selected such that icons which never have to appear at the same time are allocated the same position in the idle screen. Brief Description of the Drawings

The invention will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings m which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a mobile telephone in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of a mobile telephone in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the possible movement lu which a joystick may make;

Figure 4 is a screen shot showing a top level screen ;

Figure 5 is a screen shot showing the top level is screen displayed when a user navigates down one step through the top level screen functions shown in figure ;

Figure h is a screen shot showing the second level screen displayed when a user navigates one step u deeper into the Phone Book function shown as selected in Figure 1;

Figure 7 is a screen shot showing the second level screen displayed when a user navigates down one 25 step through the second level screen functions shown in Figure 6 (i.e. down through the Phone Book functions);

Figure 8 is a screen shot showing the second level screen displayed when a user navigates down one further step through the second level Phone Book functions shown in Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a screen shot showing the second level screen displayed when a user navigates up one step through the second level Phone Book functions shown in Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a schematic showing the effect of zooming on icon size;

Figure 11 is a schematic showing the effect of zooming on menu text size;

Figure 12 is a schematic showing the effect of zooming on message text size.

Detailed Description

Referring now to Figure 1, a GSM mobile telephone is shown generally at 1. It includes the conventional features of a display 2, a start call button 4, an end call button 3 and numeric keys indicated generally at c. Start call button 4 is commonly labelled with a green telephone handset shown off-hook or marked with the word 'SEND' . End call button 3 is commonly labelled with a red telephone handset shown on-hook or marked with the word 'END' . In addition, it also includes a loystic 5, which can be more clearly seen in figure 2 as comprising a short cylindrical member up standing from the front face of the telephone 1. As shown in Figure 3, the joystick can be readily pushed by a user in one of 4 different directions. Joysticks of this kind are available from ITT Canon (ref . TPA 413G) .

The MMI allows fast, intuitive navigation to take place. That is best appreciated from Figures 4 to 9. Fiσure 4 is a screen shot showing a top level screen; the Phone Book icon is readily understood by a user to have been reached since it is (a) at the top of its line, (b) is coupled with the cartoon style call out including the explanatory text 'Phone Book' and (c) no other icons include explanatory text . Hence the user is informed that the internal status of the telephone is such that Phone Book functions can be selected. (From a theoretical perspective, the mobile telephone can be though of as a state machine; effectively representing the actual state to a user and enabling the user to alter the condition of the state machine is the task of the MMI) . In figure 4, the next icon down the line is a telephone with an arrow. This represents the 'Diversion' function. To reach the Diversion function, the user nudges the joystick down. Figure 5 shows the result:

5 the Diversion function is shown at the top of the line, accompanied by a call out balloon stating 'Diversion' .

Coupling the downwards nudge of the joystick with moving downwards through a line of icons makes navigation easily understood and readily achieved iu without any need for the user to takes his eyes off the display.

Returning to Figure 1, the Phone Book function can be selected by simply nudging the joystick to the right; this takes the user to the Phone Book related features is depicted in Figure 6 - a second level set of functions/features. The user is going deeper into the levels now, so that a nudge to the right is a natural way of expressing this movement. Each of the four top level icons appear to twist around through 180 degrees o when the joystick is nudged to the right. Four icons appear to continue twisting around, but these are now icons of the second level functions related to Lue Phone Book function. These 4 new icons appear to rotate through 180 degrees to yield the Figure 6

25 display.

Figure 6 shows that the 'Consult' feature has been reached since the associated icon plus call out is at the top of the line. The 'Consult' feature can be selected simply by nudging the jrystick to the right 30 again. A phone book would then be displayed. If a different Phone Book feature s needed, then the user has to navigate down the list of second level Phone Book icons. One nudge down of the joystick takes the user to the disp a ' shown in figure 7: the feature

'Draft' has now mo'^red to the top of the line and is accompanied by the call out 'Draft' . This icon, plus s the other icons further down, appear to move up the line. The 'Draft' function can be readily selected with a nudge to the right. A further nudge down however takes the user down the line cf Phone Book features to yield the Figure 8 display, in which the 'Own number' o feature has been reached. Moving up through the second level Phone book features is achieved through nudging the joystick up, as shown in Figure 9. Returning to the top level screen (i.e. as depicted in figure 4) s achieved through nudging the joystick to the left.

s Appendix 1 shows a more comprehensive list of the icons and/or words displayed on the display 2 for different levels. It therefore lists the features and functions which can be navigated to and from using the joystick. As explained above, a nudge to the right takes one down o into a deeper level of the system (e.g. across a row from top to second level) . The higher level icons twist around to reveal the icons of the lower level functions. Nudging left takes one up a level (e.g. across a row from third level to second level) . The 5 lower level icons twist around to reveal the icons of the higher level functions. Nudging down takes one down through the items at the same level (down a column) that are associated with the same immediately higher level function. The icons in the line appear to o move upwards. Nudging up takes one up through the items at the same level (up a column) that are associated with the same immediately higher level function. The icons m the line appears to move downwards. A zoom function is also provided by which a user can cause the size of the icon and/or the word or words explaining the function of that icon displayed on the display to be altered. The zoom function is controlled 5 by a volume up (Figure 1, at 7⁾ and a volume down button (Figure 1, at 8) . The user can zoom in and out as shown m Figure 10; m addition the user can select that the word or words explaining the function of one or more icons is/are not displayed (Figure 10, bottom o right) . This gives an uncluttered look to the display which can be more appealing to a more experienced user. Also, it liberates screen space for more icons, which again can be appealing to more experienced users. Another earlier use of the volume controls to control s a zoom function may be useful even where icons are not associated with any kind of explanatory text at all and such an embodiment is within the scope of a further aspect of the invention.

Figure 10 also snows how icons can be made to overlap, o thereby allowing more icons to fit onto display without destroying legibility. This purely text based implementation is illustrated at Figure 11 for menu navigation. Zooming is also very useful when reading text, such as in a SMS message. This is shown in 5 Figure 12.

Again, the use of the volume controls for zooming is intuitive, removes the need for additional zoom- specific keys and therefore saves cost and reduces the apparent complexity of the telephone. Arranging for the 0 zoom In and zoom Out functions to le controlled by the volume keys is also attracr lve sine e it enables a user to perform a zoom at any stage in the navigation process (except during a call or in idle, where speaker and ringer are respectively managed by these keys). This is particularly helpful in enabling an inexperienced user to experiment with and therefore iearr. the structure of the navigation system.

The room function may alter m dependence cn the selected mode cr function of the mobile telephone to give one cr more room settings optimised for the selected mode cr function. For example, when editing t xt, the room can magnify an amount that is most relevant to seeing text clearly (and multiple zoom settings can be provided and accessed through multiple nudges of the room button) . A different zoom amount may s be appropriate for zooming into the normal icon based menus, and another for zooming into text only menus. The room function works particularly well with the mobile telephone of the first aspect of the present invention .

' The data representing an icon is stored in memory; the same data can be used to display the icon at normal size (typically 16x16 pixels) and also at one or more different sizes, such as an extended size (64x64) using a software algorithm. This scalability removes the 5 need to store multiple representations in memory, which is a valuable resource.

Another particularly useful feature arises when a user wishes to dial an overseas number; the user will initially press the '00' or '+' international dialling o prefix keys. When that happens, the display shows a list of countries which the user can scroll down by nudging the joystick down and scroll up by nudging the joystick up. A selectable country is highlighted in the list and appears at the top of the list; it can be selected by nudging the joystick to the right. Once selected, the country code is automatically included into the number to be dialled. This approach can be extended to cities and other country specific codes as well, which can be navigated to by selecting first the country; that results in the display showing ' 00' and the correct country code. Then, the user can either enter the full number, or if he is unsure of the city code or other code, he can nudge the joystick once to the right to bring up a list of cities in the selected country and other code types. As before, he can scroll through the cities and code types until he reacnes the correct city, which can then be selected by nudging the joystick to the right. This results in the correct city code appearing in the display.

A further useful feature is that where any list can be edited by a user, then that list includes an 'Add

Entry' item, accompanied by a pen icon. Selecting the

'Add Entry' item takes the user to a screen to oe completed with the new entry details.

Another feature is that the top of the idle screen (i.e. the screen displayed when the telephone is on but not in use) can display a number of different icons, such as the battery level indicator, signal strength indicator, time and date etc. Certain functions can be selected, such ?s 'ringer off : this is represented by a small icon of a bell with a line through it on the idle screen. However, icons for certain functions do not have to be displayed when certain other icons are displayed; for example they may represent a function vyhich is not as important as the function with a displayed icon. A specific example would be that if 'no ringer' was selected' as well as 'unconditional call forwarding' , then the icon only for 'unconditional call forwarding' would be displayed. That is because it takes precedence. As a consequence, the position in the idle screen for 'no ringer' icon as well as the 'unconditional call forwarding' icon can be the same. The Home Zone and the Roaming icons can also share the same position on the idle screen, since these icons can never be simultaneously displayed. Where screen size is at a premium, as with GSM mobile telephones, for example, the rational and effective allocation of how to use the idle screen is very important .

Appendix 1

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:ι -

Claims

1. A mobile telephone comprising: computing means for storing representations of one or more icons and representations of one of more words; . and a display operable to be controlled by the computing means to display the icons and words; characterised in that the display is operable to display several icons at the same time, together with io a word or words explaining the function of a single displayed icon m order to indicate that the status of the computing means is such that the function associated with that single icon can be selected or initiated.

x5

2. The mobile telephone of claim 1 m which selection of an icon associated with a first function results in the computing means causing the display to show a further icon, together with a word explaining the function of that further icon, being a second function

20 which is related but at a lower level than the first function, to indicate the status of the computing means as being in a state in which it is operable to select or initiate the second function.

3. The mobile telephone of claim 2 in which one or 25 more of the following functions are first functions: phonebook; messages; call register; counters; call diversion; telephone settings; network details; tools; voice mail and IrDA activation.

4. The mobile telephone of any preceding Claim in which a word or words can be related to an icon using the visual device of a callout or balloon.

5 5. The mobile telephone of Claim 1 in which there is provided a zoom function by which a user can cause the size of the icon and/or the word or words explaining the function of that icon displayed on the display to be altered.

iυ 6. The mobile telephone of Claim 5 in which the zoom function is controlled by a volume up and a volume down button.

7. The mobile telephone of Claim 6 where the user can zoom in and out at anytime, except during a call.

is 8. The mobile telephone of Claims 5 - 7 in which a single representation of an icon is stored in memory and a software algorithm is used to generate altered icon sizes on the display.

9. The mobile telephone of any preceding Claim in 20 which two or more of the icons overlap.

10. The mobile telephone of any preceding Claim in which the user can select that the word or words explaining the function of one or more icons is/are not displayed.

25 11. The mobile telephone of Claim 5 and any claim dependent on Claim 5 in which data representing an icon is stored in a memory and the same data can be used to display the icon at two or more different sizes.

12. A mobile telephone in which there is provided a zoom function by which a user can cause the size of an icon and/or text on the display to be altered.

13. The mobile telephone of Claim 12 in which the zoom function alters in dependence on the selected mode or function of the mobile telephone to give one or more zoom settinαs optimised for the selected mode or function .

14. The mobile telephone of Claim 12 or 13 in which lo the zoom function is controlled by a volume up and a volume αown button.

15. The mobile telephone of Claim 14 where the user can zoom in and out at anytime, except during a call.

16. A mobile telephone in which country codes are _5 stored in a memory and, when α user enters an international dialling prefix, the user is presented with a function whicn automatically allows the correct country code to be inserted into the number to be dialled .

17. The mobile telephone of Claim 16 in which the function allows a user to scroll through a list of country names and select the correct country name.

18. The mobile telephone of Claim 16 or 17 in which city codes and/or other access codes are stored in the 25 memory and can be navigated to and selected.

19. A mobile telephone programmed to allow a list to be edited by a user, in which the list includes an item, accompanied by an icon indicative of writing, in which selection of that icon takes the user to a screen to be completed with details of a new entry for the list.

20. A mobile telephone in which an idle screen display can display various icons, in which the position of icons is selected such that icons which never have to appear at the same time are allocated the same location in the idle screen.

21. A mobile telephone as claimed in Claim 20 in which the roaming icon and the home zone icon are displayable in the same location.

22. A mobile telephone as claimed in Claim 20 in which the call forward unconditional icon and the silent ring icon are displayable in the same location.