Patent Abstract:
It is presented a method for providing a user interface of a portable electronic apparatus. The method comprises: detecting an actuation of a mode switch actuator associated with switching operational modes of the apparatus; determining a switching direction by determining whether the actuation is associated with a first switching direction or a second switching direction; determining a current operational mode; determining a new operational mode considering the switching direction and the current operational mode; and switching operational modes of the portable electronic apparatus from the current operational mode to the new operational mode. Corresponding portable electronic apparatuses and computer program product are also presented.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention generally relates to mobile terminals and more particularly to user interfaces of mobile terminals. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Mobile terminals, or mobile (cellular) telephones, for mobile telecommunications systems like GSM, UMTS, D-AMPS and CDMA2000 have been used for many years now. In the older days, mobile terminals were used almost exclusively for voice communication with other mobile terminals or stationary telephones. More recently, the use of modern terminals has been broadened to include not just voice communication, but also various other services and applications such as www/wap browsing, video telephony, electronic messaging (e.g. SMS, MMS, email, instant messaging), digital image or video recording, FM radio, music playback, electronic games, calendar/organizer/time planner, word processing, etc. With this great number of applications, user interaction naturally becomes complex and somewhat difficult. 
     In the prior art, one attempt to simplify for users is to use two dimensional menus, allowing the user to see a large number of selectable applications simultaneously. However, switching from one application to the next is still a process which requires relatively focused attention by the user, even for the most common applications. 
     Consequently, there is a need to provide a mobile communication terminal and method providing a user interface with simpler and more intuitive selection of the most common applications. 
     SUMMARY 
     In view of the above, an objective of the invention is to solve or at least reduce the problems discussed above. 
     Generally, the above objectives are achieved by the attached independent patent claims. 
     According to a first aspect of the present invention there has been provided a method for providing a user interface of a portable electronic apparatus, the method comprising: detecting an actuation of a mode switch actuator associated with switching operational modes of the apparatus; determining a switching direction by determining whether the actuation is associated with a first switching direction or a second switching direction; determining a current operational mode; determining a new operational mode considering the switching direction and the current operational mode; and switching operational modes of the portable electronic apparatus from the current operational mode to the new operational mode. It is thus provided a way for the user to easily change operating mode of the portable electronic apparatus. This is a much simpler and quicker user operation than finding an application in a menu system. 
     The determining a new operational mode may involve: determining the new operational mode as a next operational mode after the currently active operational mode in a predefined circular list of operational modes when the switching direction is determined to be the first direction; and determining the new operational mode as a previous operational mode after the currently active operational mode in a predefined circular list of operational modes when the switching direction is determined to be the second direction. A circular list simplifies use of the method with a varying number of operational modes. 
     The current operational mode may be associated with a first main user application and the new operational mode may be associated with a second main user application. 
     The switching operational mode may involve presenting a user indication. The user indication emphasizes the switch of operational modes for the user. 
     The user indication may comprise at least one user indication selected from the group comprising a visual indication on a display of the apparatus, an audible indication and a tactile indication. 
     The switching operational modes may involve presenting an intermediate animation on the display before a screen for the new operational mode is displayed. An animation is effective in showing the user what is happening and can be enjoyable to watch. 
     The switching operational modes may involve presenting an animation on the display, the animation comprising sliding a screen for the new operational mode in from a side. 
     The predefined circular list of operational modes may comprise three operational modes. 
     The three operational modes may be a phone mode, a media player mode and a radio mode. 
     The switching operational modes may involve switching a backlight for keys of the portable electronic apparatus from a first configuration to a second configuration. 
     A second aspect of the present invention is a portable electronic apparatus having at least two operational modes comprising: a mode switch actuator and a controller, wherein: the controller is configured to detect an actuation of a user input associated with switching operational modes of the apparatus and to determine a switching direction associated with the user input; the controller is configured to determine a current operational mode being a currently active operational mode; the controller is configured to determine a new operational mode considering the switching direction; and the controller is configured to switch operational modes of the portable electronic apparatus from the current operational mode to the new operational mode in response to a detection of an actuation of the mode switch actuator. 
     The portable electronic apparatus may be a mobile communication terminal. 
     The mode switch actuator may be a slide key capable of being in a first directional position, a middle position and a second directional position, and the slide key may be biased to the middle position. 
     The first directional position may be associated with a first switching direction and the second directional position is associated with a second switching direction. 
     A third aspect of the present invention is a portable electronic apparatus having at least two operational modes comprising: a mode switch actuator; a controller; means for detecting an actuation of the mode switch actuator; means for determining a current operational mode being a currently active operational mode; means for determining a new operational mode; and means for switching operational mode of the portable electronic apparatus from the current operational mode to the new operational mode. 
     The portable electronic apparatus may be a mobile communication terminal. 
     A fourth aspect of the present invention is a computer program product comprising software instructions that, when executed in a portable electronic apparatus, performs the method according to the first aspect. 
     A fifth aspect of the invention is a user interface for a portable electronic apparatus having at least two operational modes, the user interface comprising: a mode switch actuator, wherein: the user interface is configured to detect an actuation of a user input associated with switching operational modes of the apparatus and to determine a switching direction associated with the user input; the user interface is configured to determine a current operational mode being a currently active operational mode; the user interface is configured to determine a new operational mode considering the switching direction; and the user interface is configured to switch operational modes of the portable electronic apparatus from the current operational mode to the new operational mode in response to a detection of an actuation of the mode switch actuator. 
     Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will appear from the following detailed disclosure, from the attached dependent claims as well as from the drawings. 
     Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to “a/an/the [element, device, component, means, step, etc]” are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, device, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail, reference being made to the enclosed drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a cellular telecommunication system, as an example of an environment in which the present invention may be applied. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic front view illustrating a mobile terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
         FIG. 3  is a schematic block diagram representing an internal component, software and protocol structure of the mobile terminal shown in  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram showing how operational modes can be switched in the mobile terminal of  FIG. 2 . 
         FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the process illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an example of a cellular telecommunications system in which the invention may be applied. In the telecommunication system of  FIG. 1 , various telecommunications services such as cellular voice calls, www/wap browsing, cellular video calls, data calls, facsimile transmissions, music transmissions, still image transmissions, video transmissions, electronic message transmissions and electronic commerce may be performed between a mobile terminal  100  according to the present invention and other devices, such as another mobile terminal  106  or a stationary telephone  132 . It is to be noted that for different embodiments of the mobile terminal  100  and in different situations, different ones of the telecommunications services referred to above may or may not be available; the invention is not limited to any particular set of services in this respect. 
     The mobile terminals  100 ,  106  are connected to a mobile telecommunications network  110  through RF links  102 ,  108  via base stations  104 ,  109 . The mobile telecommunications network  110  may be in compliance with any commercially available mobile telecommunications standard, such as GSM, UMTS, D-AMPS, CDMA2000, FOMA or TD-SCDMA. 
     The mobile telecommunications network  110  is operatively connected to a wide area network  120 , which may be Internet or a part thereof. An Internet server  122  has a data storage  124  and is connected to the wide area network  120 , as is an Internet client computer  126 . The server  122  may host a www/wap server capable of serving www/wap content to the mobile terminal  100 . 
     A public switched telephone network (PSTN)  130  is connected to the mobile telecommunications network  110  in a familiar manner. Various telephone terminals, including the stationary telephone  132 , are connected to the PSTN  130 . 
     The mobile terminal  100  is also capable of communicating locally via a local link  101  to one or more local devices  103 . The local link can be any type of link with a limited range, such as Bluetooth, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) link, a Wireless Universal Serial Bus (WUSB) link, an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network link, an RS-232 serial link, etc. The local devices  103  can for example be various sensors that can communicate measurement values to the mobile terminal  100  over the local link  101 . 
     An embodiment  200  of the mobile terminal  100  is illustrated in more detail in  FIG. 2 . The mobile terminal  200  comprises a speaker or earphone  202 , a microphone  205 , a display  203  and a set of keys  204  which may include a keypad  204   a  of common ITU-T type (alpha-numerical keypad representing characters “0”-“9”, “*” and “#”) and certain other keys such as soft keys  204   b ,  204   c , a send-key  204   d , and an end-key  204   e . Moreover, a directional input  211  is provided, such as a joypad with a central button  211   a , a joystick or other type of navigational input device. In this embodiment, the central button  211   a  functions, at least when it is applicable to a currently running application, for playing or pausing media. 
     A mode switch actuator  212  is also provided. The actuator is used to switch an operational mode of the mobile terminal. In this embodiment, the actuator is by default positioned in a middle position. When the user wants to switch modes, the actuator is moved to a left position or a right position and released, after which the actuator returns to the default middle position by mechanical means, such as a spring or similar. The mode switch actuator  212  could also be implemented by any type of input device capable of detecting at least two directional inputs, such as a dual spring loaded key, a touch pad, a rocker switch, any other type of bi-directional rotational device, etc. 
     Backlights are arranged by all keys  204 , the directional input  211  as well as by the mode switch actuator  212 . 
     The internal component, software and protocol structure of the mobile terminal  200  will now be described with reference to  FIG. 3 . The mobile terminal has a controller  300  which is responsible for the overall operation of the mobile terminal and is preferably implemented by any commercially available CPU (“Central Processing Unit”), DSP (“Digital Signal Processor”) or any other electronic programmable logic device. The controller  300  has associated electronic memory  302  such as RAM memory, ROM memory, EEPROM memory, flash memory, hard drive, or any combination thereof. The memory  302  is used for various purposes by the controller  300 , one of them being for storing data and program instructions for various software in the mobile terminal. The software includes a real-time operating system  320 , drivers for a man-machine interface (MMI)  334 , an application handler  332  as well as various applications. The applications can include a media player application  350 , an FM radio application  360 , as well as various other applications  370 , such as applications for voice calling, video calling, sending and receiving SMS, MMS or email, web browsing, an instant messaging application, a phone book application, a calendar application, a control panel application, a camera application, one or more video games, a notepad application, etc. 
     The MMI  334  also includes one or more hardware controllers, which together with the MMI drivers cooperate with the display  336 / 203 , keypad  338 / 204  as well as various other I/O devices such as the mode switch key  212 , microphone  205 , speaker  202 , vibrator, ringtone generator, LED indicator, backlight, etc. As is commonly known, the user may operate the mobile terminal through the man-machine interface thus formed. 
     The software also includes various modules, protocol stacks, drivers, etc., which are commonly designated as  330  and which provide communication services (such as transport, network and connectivity) for an RF interface  306 , and optionally a Bluetooth interface  308  and/or an IrDA interface  310  or other suitable interfaces for local connectivity. The RF interface  306  comprises an internal or external antenna as well as appropriate radio circuitry for establishing and maintaining a wireless link to a base station (e.g. the link  102  and base station  104  in  FIG. 1 ). As is well known to a man skilled in the art, the radio circuitry comprises a series of analogue and digital electronic components, together forming a radio receiver and transmitter. These components include, i.a., band pass filters, amplifiers, mixers, local oscillators, low pass filters, AD/DA converters, etc. 
     The mobile terminal also has a SIM card  304  and an associated reader. As is commonly known, the SIM card  304  comprises a processor as well as local work and data memory. 
       FIG. 4  shows how operational modes can be switched in an embodiment of the present invention. The mobile terminal  400 , such as mobile terminal  200  of  FIG. 2 , comprises a display  403 , such as display  203  of  FIG. 2 , a joypad  411 , such as joypad  211  of  FIG. 2 , and a mode switch key  412  such as mode switch actuator  212  of  FIG. 2 , to allow the user to switch operational modes. 
     Operational modes are modes where the mobile terminal  400  behaves in specific ways. For example,  FIG. 4  shows three operational modes: a phone mode  440 , a media player mode  441  and a radio mode  442 . Each operational mode allows the mobile terminal to focus on a main user application, or functionality of that mode, allowing for predictable use. Each operational mode can change the behavior of the keypad, menu structure, idle screen, etc. 
     When the mobile terminal  400  is in the phone mode  440 , the mobile terminal behaves as a user would expect a regular mobile terminal to behave. In other words, a menu system and/or shortcuts allow the user to instruct the mobile terminal to perform a desired function, such as voice telephony, www/wap browsing, video telephony, electronic messaging (e.g. SMS, MMS, email, instant messaging), digital image or video recording, electronic games, calendar/organizer/time planner, word processing, etc. 
     When the mobile terminal  400  is in the media player mode  441 , the main purpose of the mobile terminal is to play media to the user. For example, the media player can play music or sound files, such as MP3 (mpeg-1 audio layer 3) files, AAC (advanced audio coding) files or ogg files. Optionally, the media player can also be used to play video files according to standards such as MPEG-2, MPEG-4 or H.264. 
     Finally, when the mobile terminal  400  is in the radio mode  442 , the main purpose of the mobile terminal is to allow the user to listen to FM radio. Optionally, favorite radio stations can be stored, and text data by means of radio data system (RDS) can be presented on the display  403 . 
     As the user switches operational modes with mode switch actuator  412  either to the right or to the left, the modes are switched serially, as indicated by arrows  413   a - c  to the right and arrows  414   a - c  to the left. In the illustrated embodiment, there is a circular list of operational modes consisting of the phone mode  440 , the media player mode  441 , and the radio mode  442 , in that order. Consequently, when the mobile terminal  400  is in the phone mode  440  and the user actuates the mode switch actuator  412  to the right, the mobile terminal switches to the media player mode  441 . On the other hand, if the user actuates the mode switch actuator  412  to the left while in the phone mode  440 , the phone switches to the radio mode  442 . Similarly, when the mobile terminal  400  is in the media player mode  441 , the mobile terminal  400  switches to the radio mode  442  if the user actuates the mode switch actuator  412  to the right, or to the phone mode  440  if the user actuates the mode switch actuator  412  to the left. Moreover, when the mobile terminal  400  is in the radio mode  442 , the mobile terminal  400  switches to the phone mode  440  if the user actuates the mode switch actuator  412  to the right, or to the media player mode  441  if the user actuates the mode switch actuator  412  to the left. 
     In the present embodiment, the initial states of the different operational modes when these are switched to in the present embodiment will now be described. 
     When the mobile terminal switches operational modes to the phone mode  440 , the state of the phone mode  440  is the same as when it was last exited. E.g. if the user was writing a text message when the phone mode  440  was last exited, the same text message entry screen is displayed when the phone mode  440  becomes active again. 
     When the mobile terminal switches to the media player mode  441 , a screen displaying currently playing media is displayed, regardless of the state when the media player mode  441  was last exited. 
     When the mobile terminal switches to the radio mode  442 , the main radio screen is always shown initially, regardless what state the radio application was in the last time it was active. In this embodiment, the user has to initiate the radio playing in the application, at which time the user is informed if there is no antenna connected. In other words, the radio does not generate any sound until the user has pressed “play” e.g. by pressing the central joypad button  211   a . If the media player is active playing audio prior to switching to the radio application, this audio keeps playing until the radio actually starts playing and generating sound. 
       FIG. 5  is a flow chart illustrating the process illustrated in  FIG. 4 . 
     In a detect user input for switching step  580 , it is detected that the user has actuated a user input associated with switching operational mode. 
     In a determine switching direction step  582 , it is determined which direction the user input is associated with. The direction could be right, left, or even up or down. 
     In a determine current operational mode step  584 , it is determined what operational mode the mobile terminal is in presently. 
     In a determine next operational mode step  586 , the current operational mode and the direction associated with the user input are used to determine the next operational mode to switch to. More concrete examples of this step is described with reference to  FIG. 4  above. 
     In a switch operational mode step  588 , the operational mode of the mobile terminal is switched to the previously determined next operational mode. 
     Various animations are possible when switching from one mode to the next. Now a number of alternative animations will be presented:
         The screen for the new operational mode slides in over the current screen, optionally from the direction indicated by the user input.   The screen for the new operational mode quickly replaces the current screen, after which an informational screen indicating the new operational mode slides in and out. The informational screen can contain text and/or graphics indicating the new operational mode.   An informational screen indicating the new operational mode quickly replaces the current screen. A semi-transparent or solid colored bar slides over the informational screen, after which the new operational mode is displayed.   An informational screen indicating the new operational mode quickly replaces the current screen. In this animation, however, the informational screen is semi-transparent such that the new operational mode can be seen behind the informational screen. A semi-transparent or solid colored bar slides over the informational screen, after which the informational screen is removed and the new operational mode becomes fully visible.   A 3D animation is shown indicating a movement from the first operational mode to the second operational mode. For example, the animation can show a rotation of blocks for the different operational modes, where each block comprises text and/or graphics indicating the operational mode it is associated with.   The screen for the new operational mode quickly replaces the current screen, after which a text and/or graphics item slides in and out over the screen.       

     Additionally, other user indications can be given when the actual mode change occurs. For example, the vibrator may vibrate on a mode change, where the vibration is either always identical for all modes or every mode has a particular vibration associated with it. Additionally, a sound effect or speech synthesizer pronouncing the new mode can be played to the user. 
     It is to be noted that while the modes are switched, certain appropriate processing of an inactive mode can still be performed. For example, the radio can let the user hear an FM radio station while the mobile terminal is in the phone mode, or the phone application can temporarily interrupt current processing if an incoming phone call is detected. 
     To allow the user to easily determine what mode is currently used, elements of the user interface are specific for each mode. There are a multitude of distinguishing user interface elements that can vary to allow the user to see what mode is currently active, e.g., a light by the joypad  211  can be on or off or optionally change color, the background on the display  403  can have different colors or appearances, or the entire theme of the user interface with colors and fonts can change. 
     One embodiment will now be described to illustrate an example where different states are indicated using lights by input elements of the mobile terminal. 
     When the mobile terminal is in the phone mode  440  and the user interface is active, there is a light by each of the keys, such as the soft keys  204   b - c , the send key  204   d , the end key  204   e  and keypad  204   a . Furthermore, there is a ring of light around the joypad  211  and a backlight of the mode switch actuator  212 . 
     When the mobile terminal is in the phone mode  440  and the user interface is inactive (due to a certain period of user inactivity), all the backlights are turned off. This reduces the power consumption when the user is inactive. 
     When the mobile terminal is in the media player mode  441  or the radio mode  442  and the user interface active, there is a light by each of the keys, such as the soft keys  204   b - c , the send key  204   d , the end key  204   e  and keypad  204   a . Furthermore, there is a ring of light around the joypad  211  and a backlight of the mode switch actuator  212 , just as in the active phone mode  440 . However, here also the center button  211   a  of the joypad is illuminated, whereby the user can see the symbol for play/pause which is otherwise partially or completely invisible. 
     When the mobile terminal is in the media player mode  441  or the radio mode  442  and the user interface is inactive (due to a certain period of user inactivity), all the backlights are turned off. However, the center button  211   a  of the joypad is illuminated with light pulses periodically. This reduces the power consumption when the user is inactive, while still indicating to the user the much used play/pause functionality of the center button  211   a  of the joypad. 
     While the an embodiment of the invention is described above as embodied in a mobile terminal, the invention can be implemented in any type of portable electronic apparatus. 
     It is to be noted that the number and function of the operational modes mentioned above are only examples and the scope of the present invention covers any number of operational modes with any type of functionality. In one embodiment, the user may configure what main user application is associated with each operational mode, and optionally reorder the operational modes. In one embodiment, certain operational modes can be associated with specific applications selected by an operator, e.g. applications specifically developed or customized for that operator to increase operator visibility in the mobile terminal. Optionally, one of the operational modes can be fixed, such as the phone mode  440 , preventing the user from changing the function of that mode. 
     The invention has mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

Technology Classification (CPC): 7