Patent ID: 6128012
Filing Date: 2000-10-03
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A portable device for storing and managing data accessed by a user, comprising:(a) a memory for storing a plurality of machine instructions and for storing the data accessed by the user;(b) a display on which a plurality of lines of data are presented to the user, said display being able to present only a predefined maximum number of lines, m, to the user at one time so that a list of n lines, where n can be greater than m, is presented to the user by scrolling through the list, said list having a top line and a bottom line;(c) a plurality of controls that selectively enable the user to control and manipulate the data presented in the lines on the display, in a manner determined as a function of a type of data being accessed by the user; and(d) a processor, electrically coupled to the memory, the display, and the plurality of controls, said processor implementing a plurality of functions, including:(i) providing a first character on the display, adjacent to a first line presented on the display, when the top line of the list has been scrolled off the display and is no longer visible; and(ii) providing a second character on the display, disposed adjacent to a last line of the display, indicating that the bottom line of the list is not currently visible on the display, when a line that is above the bottom line of the list is currently being displayed as the last line on the display.