Patent ID: 7903087

Claim:
A method for facilitating use of a depressible trackball on a wireless handheld communication device, said trackball functioning as a navigation tool for moving a cursor about on a display screen of the device when rolled and functioning as a selection tool for selecting cursor-highlighted information on the display screen when sufficiently depressed, said method comprising: affecting cursor navigation about said display screen by: digitally engaging said trackball; maintaining said trackball in a navigation zone that spans a predefined depth into the device from an unactuated position of said trackball; and causing cursor movement about said display screen by rolling said trackball while said trackball is located in said navigation zone; affecting selection of highlighted information on said display screen by: digitally depressing said trackball into a selection zone that is a predefined depth into the device below said navigation zone; and preventing cursor movement by disregarding cursor movement signals generated by one or more trackball rotational movement sensors when said trackball is located in said selection zone; said disregard of cursor movement signals accomplished using a filter-function associated with an integrated controller of said wireless handheld communication device that nullifies said cursor movement signals when said trackball is located in said selection zone.