Patent Document ID: 7624357
Application ID: 11646356
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A handheld communications device, comprising: a memory in which a first set of at least three icons are stored, text associated with each one of the first set of icons also being stored in the memory; a display coupled to the memory; a circuit coupled to the display and the memory, the circuit being adapted to cause each icon in the first set of icons to be shown on the display in a non-circular array in which the at least three icons in the first set of icons are generally collinear with respect to each other, a first one of the icons in the first set of icons being shown as a selectable icon with the text associated therewith being shown at a fixed location on the display; a selection device coupled to the circuit, the circuit being adapted to receive user input from the selection device to navigate through the array of the first set of icons and thereby cause different ones of the first set of icons to be shown on the display as the selectable icon without substantially increasing the size of any of the first set of icons and to cause the text associated with the one of the first set of icons that is shown as the selectable icon to be shown at the fixed location on the display; wherein the selection device is adapted to be moved in at least first and second directions so that, when the circuit receives an input that the selection device has been moved in the first direction, the position of the selectable icon in the array defined by the first set of icons is moved in a first linear direction with respect to the array and so that, when the circuit receives an input that the selection device has been moved in the second direction, the position of the selectable icon in the array defined by the first set of icons is moved in a second linear direction with respect to the array that that is opposite to the first linear direction; wherein each one of the icons in the first set of icons is associated with a function so that, when the circuit receives an input that the selection device has been actuated to select the selectable icon, a second set of at least two icons is shown on the display, each of the second set of at least two icons being associated with a function that is related to but at a lower level than the function associated with that of the selected selectable icon; wherein, when the second set of icons is shown on the display, one of the second set of icons is shown as the selectable icon without substantially increasing its size with respect to any other icon in the second set of icons, with the text associated therewith being shown at a specific location on the display device; wherein, after the second set of icons is shown on the display, and when the circuit receives an input that the selection device has been moved in the first direction, the position of the selectable icon in the array defined by the second set of icons is moved in a first direction with respect to the array and so that, when the circuit receives an input that the selection device has been moved in the second direction, the position of the selectable icon in the array defined by the second set of icons is moved in a second direction with respect to the array that is opposite to the first direction; wherein, after the selection device has been used to select one of the second set of icons that is shown as the selectable icon, a third level function comprising at least one text sequence is shown on the display.