PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-8253695-B2
Application Number: US-85063007-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Email client for a portable multifunction device

Abstract:
A computer-implemented method for providing email at a portable communications device with a touch screen display is disclosed. A first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages is displayed in a first area of the touch screen display. A first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries is displayed in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area. In response to a first gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, the list of entries is scrolled to display a second portion of the list of entries. In response to a second gesture by the user in the second area of the touch screen display, the electronic message is moved in two dimensions to display a second portion of the electronic message.

Claims:
1. A method, comprising:
 at a portable communications device with a touch screen display:
 in a first area of the touch screen display, displaying a first portion of a list of entries, 
 
 wherein a respective entry displays subject information for a corresponding electronic message;
 detecting a first gesture on the touch screen display; 
 in response to detecting the first gesture:
 creating a preview area in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area, 
 displaying a first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries in the preview area, 
 maintaining display of at least a portion of the list of entries, and 
 ceasing to display subject information for entries in the list of entries; 
 
 in response to detecting a second gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, scrolling the list of entries to display a second portion of the list of entries; and 
 in response to detecting a third gesture by the user, the third gesture including simultaneous movement of the user&#39;s finger in two dimensions, in the second area of the touch screen display, simultaneously moving the electronic message in two dimensions to display a second portion of the electronic message in accordance with the movement of the user&#39;s finger. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second gesture is a swipe by the user&#39;s finger in a substantially vertical direction. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the electronic message displayed in the second area is displayed in response to a fourth gesture by the user on an entry in the list of entries. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3 , wherein the fourth gesture is a tap by the user&#39;s finger on the entry corresponding to the electronic message displayed in the second area. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the third gesture is a two-dimensional motion of the user&#39;s finger in the second area of the touch screen display that results in a corresponding two-dimensional motion of the electronic message. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 5 , wherein the two-dimensional motion of the user&#39;s finger is a diagonal motion that results in a corresponding diagonal motion of the electronic message. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , including simultaneously adjusting the size of the first area and the size of the second area with a fifth gesture on the touch screen display. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 7 , wherein the fifth gesture is a dragging motion by the user&#39;s finger on a separator between the first area and the second area that moves the separator. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 8 , including, responding to a predefined instance of the fifth gesture by ceasing to display the second area and increasing, for each entry in the list of entries, the information displayed in the first area about the corresponding electronic message. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the increase in displayed information is the addition of message subject information to each displayed entry in the list of entries. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 1 , including:
 in response to detecting a gesture:
 ending display of the second area, and 
 displaying in the first area, for each entry in the list of entries, increased information about the corresponding electronic message, wherein the increased information is the addition of message subject information about the corresponding electronic message. 
 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the second area is a preview pane. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 1 , including detecting the second gesture in any portion of the first area of the touch screen display. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 1 , including detecting the second gesture in the first area of the touch screen display, wherein the second gesture has a horizontal component within the first area and the detecting is independent of the horizontal component of the gesture within the first area. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 1 , including detecting the third gesture in any portion of the second area of the touch screen display. 
     
     
       16. A graphical user interface on a portable communications device with a touch screen display, comprising:
 a first area of the touch screen display that displays a first portion of a list of entries, wherein a respective entry displays subject information for a corresponding electronic message; and 
 wherein, in response to detecting a first gesture:
 a preview area is created in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area, 
 a first portion of an electronic message is displayed that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries in the preview area, 
 display of at least a portion of the list of entries is maintained, and 
 display of subject information for entries in the list entries is ceased; 
 
 wherein, in response to detecting a second gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, the list of entries is scrolled to display a second portion of the list of entries; and 
 wherein, in response to detecting a third gesture by the user, the third gesture including simultaneous movement of the user&#39;s finger in two dimension, in the second area of the touch screen display, the electronic message simultaneously moves in two dimensions to display a second portion of the electronic message in accordance with the movement of the user&#39;s finger. 
 
     
     
       17. A portable communications device, comprising:
 a touch screen display; 
 one or more processors; 
 memory; and 
 one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:
 displaying, in a first area of the touch screen display, a first portion of a list of entries, wherein a respective entry displays subject information for a corresponding electronic message; 
 detecting a first gesture on the touch screen display; 
 in response to detecting the first gesture:
 creating a preview area in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area, 
 displaying a first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries in the preview area, 
 maintaining display of at least a portion of the list of entries, and 
 ceasing to display subject information for entries in the list of entries; 
 
 scrolling the list of entries, in response to detecting a second gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the list of entries; and 
 simultaneously moving the electronic message in two dimensions, in response to detecting a third gesture by the user, the third gesture including simultaneous movement of the user&#39;s finger in two dimensions, in the second area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the electronic message in accordance with the movement of the user&#39;s finger. 
 
 
     
     
       18. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a portable electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the portable electronic device to:
 display, in a first area of the touch screen display, a first portion of a list of entries, wherein a respective entry displays subject information for a corresponding electronic message; 
 detect a first gesture on the touch screen display; 
 in response to detection of the first gesture:
 create a preview area in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area, 
 display a first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries in the preview area, 
 maintain display of at least a portion of the list of entries, and 
 cease to display subject information for entries in the list of entries; 
 
 scroll the list of entries, in response to detecting a second gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the list of entries; and 
 simultaneously move the electronic message in two dimensions, in response to detecting a third gesture by the user, the third gesture including simultaneous movement of the user&#39;s finger in two dimensions, in the second area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the electronic message in accordance with the movement of the user&#39;s finger. 
 
     
     
       19. The device of  claim 17 , the one or more programs further including instructions for displaying the electronic message displayed in the second area in response to a fourth gesture by the user on an entry in the list of entries. 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 17 , the one or more programs further including instructions for simultaneously adjusting the size of the first area and the size of the second area with a fifth gesture on the touch screen display. 
     
     
       21. The device of  claim 17 , the one or more programs further including instructions for detecting the second gesture in the first area of the touch screen display, wherein the second gesture has a horizontal component within the first area and the detecting is independent of the horizontal component of the gesture within the first area. 
     
     
       22. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 18 , wherein the electronic message displayed in the second area is displayed in response to a fourth gesture by the user on an entry in the list of entries. 
     
     
       23. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 18 , the one or more programs further including instructions which cause the device to simultaneously adjust the size of the first area and the size of the second area with a fifth gesture on the touch screen display. 
     
     
       24. The computer readable storage medium of  claim 18 , the one or more programs further including instructions which cause the device to detect the second gesture in the first area of the touch screen display, wherein the second gesture has a horizontal component within the first area and the detecting is independent of the horizontal component of the gesture within the first area.

Description:
RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 60/937,993, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Jun. 29, 2007; 60/879,469, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Jan. 8, 2007; 60/883,807, “Email Client for a Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Jan. 7, 2007; 60/879,253, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Jan. 7, 2007; and 60/824,769, “Portable Multifunction Device,” filed Sep. 6, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated by referenced herein in their entirety. 
     This application is related to the following applications: (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/188,182, “Touch Pad For Handheld Device,” filed on Jul. 1, 2002; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/722,948, “Touch Pad For Handheld Device,” filed on Nov. 25, 2003; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/643,256, “Movable Touch Pad With Added Functionality,” filed on Aug. 18, 2003; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/654,108, “Ambidextrous Mouse,” filed on Sep. 2, 2003; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862, “Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed on May 6, 2004; (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed on Jul. 30, 2004; (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/038,590, “Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices” filed on Jan. 18, 2005; (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/057,050, “Display Actuator,” filed on Feb. 11, 2005; (9) U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/658,777, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed Mar. 4, 2005; and (10) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed Mar. 3, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The disclosed embodiments relate generally to portable electronic devices, and more particularly, to email clients on portable communication devices. 
     BACKGROUND 
     As portable electronic devices become more compact, and the number of functions performed by a given device increases, it has become a significant challenge to design a user interface that allows users to easily interact with a multifunction device. This challenge is particularly significant for handheld portable devices, which have much smaller screens than desktop or laptop computers. This situation is unfortunate because the user interface is the gateway through which users receive not only content but also responses to user actions or behaviors, including user attempts to access a device&#39;s features, tools, and functions. Some portable communication devices (e.g., mobile telephones, sometimes called mobile phones, cell phones, cellular telephones, and the like) have resorted to adding more pushbuttons, increasing the density of push buttons, overloading the functions of pushbuttons, or using complex menu systems to allow a user to access, store and manipulate data. These conventional user interfaces often result in complicated key sequences and menu hierarchies that must be memorized by the user. 
     Many conventional user interfaces, such as those that include physical pushbuttons, are also inflexible. This may prevent a user interface from being configured and/or adapted by either an application running on the portable device or by users. When coupled with the time consuming requirement to memorize multiple key sequences and menu hierarchies, and the difficulty in activating a desired pushbutton, such inflexibility is frustrating to most users. 
     In particular, many conventional user interfaces for displaying, organizing, managing, and creating emails on a portable communication device are inflexible. The combination of small screens for displaying emails and email lists, complicated pushbutton key sequences, and complex menu hierarchies results in email user interfaces that are not user-friendly. As a result, using an email client on a portable communication device can be frustrating. 
     Accordingly, there is a need for portable multifunction devices with more transparent and intuitive user interfaces for displaying, organizing, managing, and creating emails that are easy to use, configure, and/or adapt. 
     SUMMARY 
     The above deficiencies and other problems associated with user interfaces for portable devices are reduced or eliminated by the disclosed portable multifunction device. In some embodiments, the device has a touch-sensitive display (also known as a “touch screen”) with a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory and one or more modules, programs or sets of instructions stored in the memory for performing multiple functions. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the GUI primarily through finger contacts and gestures on the touch-sensitive display. In some embodiments, in addition to emailing, the functions may include telephoning, video conferencing, instant messaging, blogging, digital photographing, digital videoing, web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Instructions for performing these functions may be included in a computer readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors. 
     In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a computer-implemented method for displaying electronic messages and lists of electronics messages at a portable communications device with a touch screen display is disclosed. A first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages is displayed in a first area of the touch screen display. A first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries is displayed in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area. In response to a first gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, the list of entries is scrolled to display a second portion of the list of entries. In response to a second gesture by the user in the second area of the touch screen display, the electronic message is moved in two dimensions to display a second portion of the electronic message. 
     In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a graphical user interface on a portable communications device with a touch screen display is disclosed. A first area of the touch screen display displays a first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages. A second area of the touch screen display, which is separate from the first area, displays a first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries. In response to a first gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, the list of entries is scrolled to display a second portion of the list of entries. In response to a second gesture by the user in the second area of the touch screen display, the electronic message moves in two dimensions to display a second portion of the electronic message. 
     In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a portable communications device is disclosed, comprising a touch screen display, one or more processors, memory, and a program, wherein the program is stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors. The program includes instructions for displaying, in a first area of the touch screen display, a first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages. The program includes instructions for displaying, in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area, a first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries. The program includes instructions for scrolling the list of entries, in response to a first gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the list of entries and includes instructions for moving the electronic message in two dimensions, in response to a second gesture by the user in the second area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the electronic message. 
     In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a computer-program product is disclosed, comprising a computer readable storage medium and a computer program mechanism (e.g., one or more computer programs) embedded therein. The computer program mechanism comprises instructions, which when executed by a portable communications device with a touch screen display, cause the device to display, in a first area of the touch screen display, a first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages and cause the device to display, in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area, a first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries. The instructions also cause the device to scroll the list of entries, in response to a first gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the list of entries and cause the device to move the electronic message in two dimensions, in response to a second gesture by the user in the second area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the electronic message. 
     In accordance with some embodiments of the present invention, a portable communications device with a touch screen display is disclosed. The device comprises means for displaying, in a first area of the touch screen display, a first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages and means for displaying, in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area, a first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries. The device also comprises means for scrolling the list of entries, in response to a first gesture by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the list of entries and means for moving the electronic message in two dimensions, in response to a second gesture by the user in the second area of the touch screen display, to display a second portion of the electronic message. 
     The disclosed email client for a portable multifunction device provides transparent and intuitive user interfaces for displaying, organizing, managing, and creating emails that are easy to use, configure, and/or adapt. The disclosed device thus reduces the frustrations involved with using portable electronic devices for email. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       For a better understanding of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention as well as additional embodiments thereof, reference should be made to the Description of Embodiments below, in conjunction with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to corresponding parts throughout the figures. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a portable multifunction device with a touch-sensitive display in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a portable multifunction device having a touch screen display in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary user interface for unlocking a portable electronic device in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary user interface for a menu of applications on a portable multifunction device in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary user interface for organizing and managing email in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 6A-6E  illustrate an exemplary user interface for creating emails in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 7A-7I  illustrate an exemplary user interface for displaying and managing an inbox in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary user interface for setting email user preferences in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate an exemplary user interface for creating and managing email rules in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate an exemplary user interface for moving email messages in accordance with some embodiments. 
         FIGS. 11A-11D  are flow diagrams illustrating a process for displaying emails and email lists in accordance with some embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments. 
     Embodiments of a portable multifunction device, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described. In some embodiments, the device is a portable communications device such as a mobile telephone that also contains other functions, such as PDA and/or music player functions. 
     The user interface may include a physical click wheel in addition to a touch screen or a virtual click wheel displayed on the touch screen. A click wheel is a user-interface device that may provide navigation commands based on an angular displacement of the wheel or a point of contact with the wheel by a user of the device. A click wheel may also be used to provide a user command corresponding to selection of one or more items, for example, when the user of the device presses down on at least a portion of the wheel or the center of the wheel. Alternatively, breaking contact with a click wheel image on a touch screen surface may indicate a user command corresponding to selection. For simplicity, in the discussion that follows, a portable multifunction device that includes a touch screen is used as an exemplary embodiment. It should be understood, however, that some of the user interfaces and associated processes may be applied to other devices, such as personal computers and laptop computers, which may include one or more other physical user-interface devices, such as a physical click wheel, a physical keyboard, a mouse and/or a joystick. 
     In some embodiments, in addition to the email application, the device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an instant messaging application, a blogging application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application. 
     The various applications that may be executed on the device may use at least one common physical user-interface device, such as the touch screen. One or more functions of the touch screen as well as corresponding information displayed on the device may be adjusted and/or varied from one application to the next and/or within a respective application. In this way, a common physical architecture (such as the touch screen) of the device may support the variety of applications with user interfaces that are intuitive and transparent. 
     The user interfaces may include one or more soft keyboard embodiments. The soft keyboard embodiments may include standard (QWERTY) and/or non-standard configurations of symbols on the displayed icons of the keyboard, such as those described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/459,606, “Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, and Ser. No. 11/459,615, “Touch Screen Keyboards For Portable Electronic Devices,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. The keyboard embodiments may include a reduced number of icons (or soft keys) relative to the number of keys in existing physical keyboards, such as that for a typewriter. This may make it easier for users to select one or more icons in the keyboard, and thus, one or more corresponding symbols. The keyboard embodiments may be adaptive. For example, displayed icons may be modified in accordance with user actions, such as selecting one or more icons and/or one or more corresponding symbols. One or more applications on the portable device may utilize common and/or different keyboard embodiments. Thus, the keyboard embodiment used may be tailored to at least some of the applications. In some embodiments, one or more keyboard embodiments may be tailored to a respective user. For example, based on a word usage history (lexicography, slang, individual usage) of the respective user. Some of the keyboard embodiments may be adjusted to reduce a probability of a user error when selecting one or more icons, and thus one or more symbols, when using the soft keyboard embodiments. 
     Attention is now directed towards embodiments of the device.  FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a portable multifunction device  100  with a touch-sensitive display  112  in accordance with some embodiments. The touch-sensitive display  112  is sometimes called a “touch screen” for convenience. The device  100  may include a memory  102  (which may include one or more computer readable storage mediums), a memory controller  122 , one or more processing units (CPU&#39;s)  120 , a peripherals interface  118 , RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , a speaker  111 , a microphone  113 , an input/output (I/O) subsystem  106 , other input or control devices  116 , and an external port  124 . The device  100  may include one or more optical sensors  164 . These components may communicate over one or more communication buses or signal lines  103 . 
     It should be appreciated that the device  100  is only one example of a portable multifunction device  100 , and that the device  100  may have more or fewer components than shown, may combine two or more components, or a may have a different configuration or arrangement of the components. The various components shown in  FIG. 1  may be implemented in hardware, software or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits. 
     Memory  102  may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to memory  102  by other components of the device  100 , such as the CPU  120  and the peripherals interface  118 , may be controlled by the memory controller  122 . 
     The peripherals interface  118  couples the input and output peripherals of the device to the CPU  120  and memory  102 . The one or more processors  120  run or execute various software programs and/or sets of instructions stored in memory  102  to perform various functions for the device  100  and to process data. 
     In some embodiments, the peripherals interface  118 , the CPU  120 , and the memory controller  122  may be implemented on a single chip, such as a chip  104 . In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips. 
     The RF (radio frequency) circuitry  108  receives and sends RF signals, also called electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry  108  converts electrical signals to/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with communications networks and other communications devices via the electromagnetic signals. The RF circuitry  108  may include well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a CODEC chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and so forth. The RF circuitry  108  may communicate with networks, such as the Internet, also referred to as the World Wide Web (WWW), an intranet and/or a wireless network, such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN) and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN), and other devices by wireless communication. The wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies, including but not limited to Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), wideband code division multiple access (W-CDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11n), voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, a protocol for email, instant messaging, and/or Short Message Service (SMS)), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document. 
     The audio circuitry  110 , the speaker  111 , and the microphone  113  provide an audio interface between a user and the device  100 . The audio circuitry  110  receives audio data from the peripherals interface  118 , converts the audio data to an electrical signal, and transmits the electrical signal to the speaker  111 . The speaker  111  converts the electrical signal to human-audible sound waves. The audio circuitry  110  also receives electrical signals converted by the microphone  113  from sound waves. The audio circuitry  110  converts the electrical signal to audio data and transmits the audio data to the peripherals interface  118  for processing. Audio data may be retrieved from and/or transmitted to memory  102  and/or the RF circuitry  108  by the peripherals interface  118 . In some embodiments, the audio circuitry  110  also includes a headset jack (not shown). The headset jack provides an interface between the audio circuitry  110  and removable audio input/output peripherals, such as output-only headphones or a headset with both output (e.g., a headphone for one or both ears) and input (e.g., a microphone). 
     The I/O subsystem  106  couples input/output peripherals on the device  100 , such as the touch screen  112  and other input/control devices  116 , to the peripherals interface  118 . The I/O subsystem  106  may include a display controller  156  and one or more input controllers  160  for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers  160  receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices  116 . The other input/control devices  116  may include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slider switches, joysticks, click wheels, and so forth. In some alternate embodiments, input controller(s)  160  may be coupled to any (or none) of the following: a keyboard, infrared port, USB port, and a pointer device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g.,  208 ,  FIG. 2 ) may include an up/down button for volume control of the speaker  111  and/or the microphone  113 . The one or more buttons may include a push button (e.g.,  206 ,  FIG. 2 ). A quick press of the push button may disengage a lock of the touch screen  112  or begin a process that uses gestures on the touch screen to unlock the device, as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/322,549, “Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference. A longer press of the push button (e.g.,  206 ) may turn power to the device  100  on or off. The user may be able to customize a functionality of one or more of the buttons. The touch screen  112  is used to implement virtual or soft buttons and one or more soft keyboards. 
     The touch-sensitive touch screen  112  provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and a user. The display controller  156  receives and/or sends electrical signals from/to the touch screen  112 . The touch screen  112  displays visual output to the user. The visual output may include graphics, text, icons, video, and any combination thereof (collectively termed “graphics”). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output may correspond to user-interface objects, further details of which are described below. 
     A touch screen  112  has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor or set of sensors that accepts input from the user based on haptic and/or tactile contact. The touch screen  112  and the display controller  156  (along with any associated modules and/or sets of instructions in memory  102 ) detect contact (and any movement or breaking of the contact) on the touch screen  112  and converts the detected contact into interaction with user-interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages or images) that are displayed on the touch screen. In an exemplary embodiment, a point of contact between a touch screen  112  and the user corresponds to a finger of the user. 
     The touch screen  112  may use LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, although other display technologies may be used in other embodiments. The touch screen  112  and the display controller  156  may detect contact and any movement or breaking thereof using any of a plurality of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologies, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with a touch screen  112 . A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen  112  may be analogous to the multi-touch sensitive tablets described in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,846 (Westerman et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 6,570,557 (Westerman et al.), and/or U.S. Pat. No. 6,677,932 (Westerman), and/or U.S. Patent Publication 2002/0015024A1, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference. However, a touch screen  112  displays visual output from the portable device  100 , whereas touch sensitive tablets do not provide visual output. The touch screen  112  may have a resolution in excess of 100 dpi. In an exemplary embodiment, the touch screen in the display system has a resolution of approximately 168 dpi. The user may make contact with the touch screen  112  using any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, a finger, and so forth. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts and gestures, which are much less precise than stylus-based input due to the larger area of contact of a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device translates the rough finger-based input into a precise pointer/cursor position or command for performing the actions desired by the user. 
     A touch-sensitive display in some embodiments of the touch screen  112  may be as described in the following applications: (1) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/381,313, “Multipoint Touch Surface Controller,” filed on May 2, 2006; (2) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/840,862, “Multipoint Touchscreen,” filed on May 6, 2004; (3) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/903,964, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed on Jul. 30, 2004; (4) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/048,264, “Gestures For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed on Jan. 31, 2005; (5) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/038,590, “Mode-Based Graphical User Interfaces For Touch Sensitive Input Devices,” filed on Jan. 18, 2005; (6) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,758, “Virtual Input Device Placement On A Touch Screen User Interface,” filed on Sep. 16, 2005; (7) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,700, “Operation Of A Computer With A Touch Screen Interface,” filed on Sep. 16, 2005; (8) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/228,737, “Activating Virtual Keys Of A Touch-Screen Virtual Keyboard,” filed on Sep. 16, 2005; and (9) U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/367,749, “Multi-Functional Hand-Held Device,” filed on Mar. 3, 2006. All of these applications are incorporated by reference herein. 
     In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, the device  100  may include a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating particular functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad may be a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the touch screen  112  or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen. 
     In some embodiments, the device  100  may include a physical or virtual click wheel as an input control device  116 . A user may navigate among and interact with one or more graphical objects (henceforth referred to as icons) displayed in the touch screen  112  by rotating the click wheel or by moving a point of contact with the click wheel (e.g., where the amount of movement of the point of contact is measured by its angular displacement with respect to a center point of the click wheel). The click wheel may also be used to select one or more of the displayed icons. For example, the user may press down on at least a portion of the click wheel or an associated button. User commands and navigation commands provided by the user via the click wheel may be processed by an input controller  160  as well as one or more of the modules and/or sets of instructions in memory  102 . For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel and click wheel controller may be part of the touch screen  112  and the display controller  156 , respectively. For a virtual click wheel, the click wheel may be either an opaque or semitransparent object that appears and disappears on the touch screen display in response to user interaction with the device. In some embodiments, a virtual click wheel is displayed on the touch screen of a portable multifunction device and operated by user contact with the touch screen. 
     The device  100  also includes a power system  162  for powering the various components. The power system  162  may include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., battery, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)) and any other components associated with the generation, management and distribution of power in portable devices. 
     The device  100  may also include one or more optical sensors  164 .  FIG. 1  shows an optical sensor coupled to an optical sensor controller  158  in I/O subsystem  106 . The optical sensor  164  may include charge-coupled device (CCD) or complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistors. The optical sensor  164  receives light from the environment, projected through one or more lens, and converts the light to data representing an image. In conjunction with an imaging module  143  (also called a camera module), the optical sensor  164  may capture still images or video. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the back of the device  100 , opposite the touch screen display  112  on the front of the device, so that the touch screen display may be used as a viewfinder for either still and/or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, an optical sensor is located on the front of the device so that the user&#39;s image may be obtained for videoconferencing while the user views the other video conference participants on the touch screen display. In some embodiments, the position of the optical sensor  164  can be changed by the user (e.g., by rotating the lens and the sensor in the device housing) so that a single optical sensor  164  may be used along with the touch screen display for both video conferencing and still and/or video image acquisition. 
     The device  100  may also include one or more proximity sensors  166 .  FIG. 1  shows a proximity sensor  166  coupled to the peripherals interface  118 . Alternately, the proximity sensor  166  may be coupled to an input controller  160  in the I/O subsystem  106 . The proximity sensor  166  may perform as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/241,839, “Proximity Detector in Handheld Device,” filed Sep. 30, 2005, and Ser. No. 11/240,788, “Proximity Detector in Handheld Device, filed Sep. 30, 2005, which are hereby incorporated by reference. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor turns off and disables the touch screen  112  when the multifunction device is placed near the user&#39;s ear (e.g., when the user is making a phone call). In some embodiments, the proximity sensor keeps the screen off when the device is in the user&#39;s pocket, purse, or other dark area to prevent unnecessary battery drainage when the device is a locked state. 
     In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory  102  may include an operating system  126 , a communication module (or set of instructions)  128 , a contact/motion module (or set of instructions)  130 , a graphics module (or set of instructions)  132 , a text input module (or set of instructions)  134 , a Global Positioning System (GPS) module (or set of instructions)  135 , and applications (or set of instructions)  136 . 
     The operating system  126  (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitates communication between various hardware and software components. 
     The communication module  128  facilitates communication with other devices over one or more external ports  124  and also includes various software components for handling data received by the RF circuitry  108  and/or the external port  124 . The external port  124  (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, etc.) is adapted for coupling directly to other devices or indirectly over a network (e.g., the Internet, wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector that is the same as, or similar to and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector used on iPod (trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.) devices. 
     The contact/motion module  130  may detect contact with the touch screen  112  (in conjunction with the display controller  156 ) and other touch sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). The contact/motion module  130  includes various software components for performing various operations related to detection of contact, such as determining if contact has occurred, determining if there is movement of the contact and tracking the movement across the touch screen  112 , and determining if the contact has been broken (i.e., if the contact has ceased). Determining movement of the point of contact may include determining speed (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and/or an acceleration (a change in magnitude and/or direction) of the point of contact. These operations may be applied to single contacts (e.g., one finger contacts) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., “multitouch”/multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, the contact/motion module  130  and the display controller  156  also detects contact on a touchpad. In some embodiments, the contact/motion module  130  and the controller  160  detects contact on a click wheel  116 . 
     The graphics module  132  includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on the touch screen  112 , including components for changing the intensity of graphics that are displayed. As used herein, the term “graphics” includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including without limitation text, web pages, icons (such as user-interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations and the like. 
     The text input module  134 , which may be a component of graphics module  132 , provides soft keyboards for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts  137 , email client  140 , IM  141 , blogging  142 , browser  147 , and any other application that needs text input). 
     The GPS module  135  determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to telephone  138  for use in location-based dialing, to camera  143  and/or blogger  142  as picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide location-based services such as weather widgets, local yellow page widgets, and map/navigation widgets). 
     The applications  136  may include the following modules (or sets of instructions), or a subset or superset thereof:
         a contacts module  137  (sometimes called an address book or contact list);   a telephone module  138 ;   a video conferencing module  139 ;   an email client module  140 ;   an instant messaging (IM) module  141 ;   a blogging module  142 ;   a camera module  143  for still and/or video images;   an image management module  144 ;   a video player module  145 ;   a music player module  146 ;   a browser module  147 ;   a calendar module  148 ;   widget modules  149 , which may include weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  149 - 3 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , dictionary widget  149 - 5 , and other widgets obtained by the user, as well as user-created widgets  149 - 6 ;   widget creator module  150  for making user-created widgets  149 - 6 ; and/or   search module  151 .       

     Examples of other applications  136  that may be stored in memory  102  include memo pad and other word processing applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice replication. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the contacts module  137  may be used to manage an address book or contact list, including: adding name(s) to the address book; deleting name(s) from the address book; associating telephone number(s), email address(es), physical address(es) or other information with a name; associating an image with a name; categorizing and sorting names; providing telephone numbers or email addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communications by telephone  138 , video conference  139 , email client  140 , or IM  141 ; and so forth. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the telephone module  138  may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more telephone numbers in the address book  137 , modify a telephone number that has been entered, dial a respective telephone number, conduct a conversation and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is completed. As noted above, the wireless communication may use any of a plurality of communications standards, protocols and technologies. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , microphone  113 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , optical sensor  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , contact list  137 , and telephone module  138 , the videoconferencing module  139  may be used to initiate, conduct, and terminate a video conference between a user and one or more other participants. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the email client module  140  may be used to create, send, receive, and manage email. In conjunction with image management module  144 , the email module  140  makes it very easy to create and send emails with still or video images taken with camera module  143 . Embodiments of user interfaces and associated processes using email module  140  are described further below. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the instant messaging module  141  may be used to enter a sequence of characters corresponding to an instant message, to modify previously entered characters, to transmit a respective instant message (for example, using a Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol), to receive instant messages and to view received instant messages. In some embodiments, transmitted and/or received instant messages may include graphics, photos, audio files, video files and/or other attachments as are supported in a MMS and/or an Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , image management module  144 , and browsing module  147 , the blogging module  142  may be used to send text, still images, video, and/or other graphics to a blog (e.g., the user&#39;s blog). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , optical sensor(s)  164 , optical sensor controller  158 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and image management module  144 , the camera module  143  may be used to capture still images or video (including a video stream) and store them into memory  102 , modify characteristics of a still image or video, or delete a still image or video from memory  102 . 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and camera module  143 , the image management module  144  may be used to arrange, modify or otherwise manipulate, label, delete, present (e.g., in a digital slide show or album), and store still and/or video images. 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , and speaker  111 , the video player module  145  may be used to display, present or otherwise play back videos (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external, connected display via external port  124 ). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , audio circuitry  110 , speaker  111 , RF circuitry  108 , and browser module  147 , the music player module  146  allows the user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats, such as MP3 or AAC files. In some embodiments, the device  100  may include the functionality of an MP3 player, such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Computer, Inc.). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the browser module  147  may be used to browse the Internet, including searching, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages. 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , email module  140 , and browser module  147 , the calendar module  148  may be used to create, display, modify, and store calendars and data associated with calendars (e.g., calendar entries, to do lists, etc.). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , the widget modules  149  are mini-applications that may be downloaded and used by a user (e.g., weather widget  149 - 1 , stocks widget  149 - 2 , calculator widget  149 - 3 , alarm clock widget  149 - 4 , and dictionary widget  149 - 5 ) or created by the user (e.g., user-created widget  149 - 6 ). In some embodiments, a widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, a widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., Yahoo! Widgets). 
     In conjunction with RF circuitry  108 , touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , text input module  134 , and browser module  147 , the widget creator module  150  may be used by a user to create widgets (e.g., turning a user-specified portion of a web page into a widget). 
     In conjunction with touch screen  112 , display system controller  156 , contact module  130 , graphics module  132 , and text input module  134 , the search module  151  may be used to search for text, music, sound, image, video, and/or other files in memory  102  that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms). 
     Each of the above identified modules and applications correspond to a set of instructions for performing one or more functions described above. These modules (i.e., sets of instructions) need not be implemented as separate software programs, procedures or modules, and thus various subsets of these modules may be combined or otherwise re-arranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory  102  may store a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. Furthermore, memory  102  may store additional modules and data structures not described above. 
     In some embodiments, the device  100  is a device where operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed exclusively through a touch screen  112  and/or a touchpad. By using a touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input/control device for operation of the device  100 , the number of physical input/control devices (such as push buttons, dials, and the like) on the device  100  may be reduced. 
     The predefined set of functions that may be performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad include navigation between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates the device  100  to a main, home, or root menu from any user interface that may be displayed on the device  100 . In such embodiments, the touchpad may be referred to as a “menu button.” In some other embodiments, the menu button may be a physical push button or other physical input/control device instead of a touchpad. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates a portable multifunction device  100  having a touch screen  112  in accordance with some embodiments. The touch screen may display one or more graphics. In this embodiment, as well as others described below, a user may select one or more of the graphics by making contact or touching the graphics, for example, with one or more fingers  202  (not drawn to scale in the figure). In some embodiments, selection of one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with the one or more graphics. In some embodiments, the contact may include a gesture, such as one or more taps, one or more swipes (from left to right, right to left, upward and/or downward) and/or a rolling of a finger (from right to left, left to right, upward and/or downward) that has made contact with the device  100 . In some embodiments, inadvertent contact with a graphic may not select the graphic. For example, a swipe gesture that sweeps over an application icon may not select the corresponding application when the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap. 
     The device  100  may also include one or more physical buttons, such as “home” or menu button  204 . As described previously, the menu button  204  may be used to navigate to any application  136  in a set of applications that may be executed on the device  100 . Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI in touch screen  112 . 
     In one embodiment, the device  100  includes a touch screen  112 , a menu button  204 , a push button  206  for powering the device on/off and locking the device, and volume adjustment button(s)  208 . The push button  206  may be used to turn the power on/off on the device by depressing the button and holding the button in the depressed state for a predefined time interval; to lock the device by depressing the button and releasing the button before the predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlock process. In an alternative embodiment, the device  100  also may accept verbal input for activation or deactivation of some functions through the microphone  113 . 
     Attention is now directed towards embodiments of user interfaces (“UI”) and associated processes that may be implemented on a portable multifunction device  100 . 
       FIG. 3  illustrates an exemplary user interface for unlocking a portable electronic device in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, user interface  300  includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
         Unlock image  302  that is moved with a finger gesture to unlock the device;   Arrow  304  that provides a visual cue to the unlock gesture;   Channel  306  that provides additional cues to the unlock gesture;   Time  308 ;   Day  310 ;   Date  312 ; and   Wallpaper image  314 .       

     In some embodiments, the device detects contact with the touch-sensitive display (e.g., a user&#39;s finger making contact on or near the unlock image  302 ) while the device is in a user-interface lock state. The device moves the unlock image  302  in accordance with the contact. The device transitions to a user-interface unlock state if the detected contact corresponds to a predefined gesture, such as moving the unlock image across channel  306 . Conversely, the device maintains the user-interface lock state if the detected contact does not correspond to the predefined gesture. As noted above, processes that use gestures on the touch screen to unlock the device are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/322,549, “Unlocking a Device by Performing Gestures on an Unlock Image,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an exemplary user interface for a menu of applications on a portable multifunction device in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, user interface  400  includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
         Signal strength indicator  402  for wireless communication;   Time  404 ;   Battery status indicator  406 ;   Tray  408  with icons for frequently used applications, such as:
           Phone  138 ;   Email client  140 , which may include an indicator  410  of the number of unread emails;   Browser  147 ; and   Music player  146 ; and   
           Icons for other applications, such as:
           IM  141 ;   Image management  144 ;   Camera  143 ;   Video player  145 ;   Weather  149 - 1 ;   Stocks  149 - 2 ;   Blog  142 ;   Calendar  148 ;   Calculator  149 - 3 ;   Alarm clock  149 - 4 ;   Dictionary  149 - 5 ; and   User-created widget  149 - 6 .   
               

     In some embodiments, UI  400  displays all of the available applications  136  on one screen so that there is no need to scroll through a list of applications (e.g., via a scroll bar). In some embodiments, as the number of applications increase, the icons corresponding to the applications may decrease in size so that all applications may be displayed on a single screen without scrolling. In some embodiments, having all applications on one screen and a menu button enables a user to access any desired application with at most two inputs, such as activating the menu button  204  and then activating the desired application (e.g., by a tap or other finger gesture on the icon corresponding to the application). 
     In some embodiments, UI  400  provides integrated access to both widget-based applications and non-widget-based applications. In some embodiments, all of the widgets, whether user-created or not, are displayed in UI  400 . In other embodiments, activating the icon for user-created widget  149 - 6  may lead to another UI (not shown) that contains the user-created widgets or icons corresponding to the user-created widgets. 
     In some embodiments, a user may rearrange the icons in UI  400 , e.g., using processes described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/459,602, “Portable Electronic Device With Interface Reconfiguration Mode,” filed Jul. 24, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference. For example, a user may move application icons in and out of tray  408  using finger gestures. 
     In some embodiments, UI  400  includes a gauge (not shown) that displays an updated account usage metric for an account associated with usage of the device (e.g., a cellular phone account), as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/322,552, “Account Information Display For Portable Communication Device,” filed Dec. 23, 2005, which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an exemplary user interface for organizing and managing email in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, user interface  3300  includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
           402 ,  404 , and  406 , as described above;   a set of mailboxes, such as inbox  3302 , which may be organized in rows with a selection icon  3306  for each row, and which may include indicator(s)  3304  of the number of unread emails for a given mailbox;   a settings icon  3308  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates display of a UI to input mailbox settings (e.g. UI  3600 ,  FIG. 8 ); and   a create email icon  3310  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates display of a UI for creating a new email message (e.g. UI  3400 ,  FIG. 6 ).       

     If the set of mailboxes fills more than the screen area, the user may scroll through the mailboxes using vertically upward and/or vertically downward gestures  3312  on the touch screen. 
       FIGS. 6A-6E  illustrate exemplary user interfaces for creating emails in accordance with some embodiments. 
     In response to the user activating create email icon  3310  ( FIG. 5 ), the device displays UI  3400 A. In some embodiments, if the user makes a tap or other predefined gesture on the subject line  3408  or in the body of the email  3412  ( FIG. 6A ), a letter keyboard  616  appears and the user may input the subject and/or body text ( FIG. 6B ). 
     In some embodiments, to enter the email address, the user makes a tap or other predefined gesture on the To: line  3406  of the email; the user&#39;s contact list appears ( FIG. 6E ); the user makes a tap or other predefined gesture on the desired recipient/contact; and the device places the corresponding email address in the email message ( FIG. 6B ). In some embodiments, contact list user interface  3400 E includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
           402 ,  404 ,  406 , as described above;   Groups icon  802  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates display of groups of contacts;   First name icon  804  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates an alphabetical display of the user&#39;s contacts by their first names (not shown);   Last name icon  806  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates an alphabetical display of the user&#39;s contacts by their last names ( FIG. 6E );   Alphabet list icons  808  that the user can touch to quickly arrive at a particular first letter in the displayed contact list; and   Cancel icon  810  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates transfer back to the previous UI (e.g., UI  3400 A).       

     In some embodiments, the user may also enter the email address using one or more keyboards (e.g.,  616  ( FIG. 6B) and 624  ( FIG. 6C )). Keyboard  624  is displayed in response to activation of selector icon  618  (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon); subsequent activation of selector icon  626  initiates display of keyboard  616  again. Activation of shift key  628  in UI  3400 C ( FIG. 6C ) initiates display of other keyboards (not shown). The device sends the email message in response to the user activating the send icon  3404  ( FIG. 6B ) (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon). Alternatively, if the user activates the cancel icon  3402 , the device may display a save draft icon (e.g.,  1810 ,  FIG. 6D ) and a don&#39;t save icon (e.g.,  1812 ,  FIG. 6D ). The device saves the draft if the user activates the save draft icon  1810 , e.g., in a drafts folder  3311  ( FIG. 5 ) in email client  140 . The device deletes the draft if the user activates the don&#39;t save icon  1812  ( FIG. 6D ). 
     In some embodiments, in response to the user activating the attach icon  3410  (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon), the touch screen displays a UI for adding attachments (not shown). 
       FIGS. 7A-7I  illustrate an exemplary user interface for displaying and managing an inbox of an email client  140  in accordance with some embodiments. An analogous user interface may be used to display and manage the other mailboxes (e.g., drafts, sent, trash, personal, and/or work in UI  3300  ( FIG. 5 )). In some embodiments, user interfaces  3500 A- 3500 F include the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
           402 ,  404 ,  406 , and  3310 , as described above;   mailboxes icon  3502  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates the display of mailbox UI  3300  ( FIG. 5 );   unread messages icon  3504  that displays the number of unread messages in the inbox;   names  3506  of the senders of the email messages;   subject lines  3508  for the email messages;   dates  3510  of the email messages;   unread message icons  3512  that indicate messages that have not been opened;   preview pane separator  3518  that separates the list of messages from a preview of a selected message in the list;   settings icon  3520  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates the display of settings UI  3600  ( FIG. 8 );   move message icon  3522  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates the display of move message UI  3800 A ( FIG. 10A );   Delete symbol icon  3524  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates display of a UI to confirm that the user wants to delete the selected email (e.g. UI  3500 E,  FIG. 7E );   Reply/Forward icon  3526  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates display of a UI to select how to reply or forward the selected email (e.g. UI  3500 F,  FIG. 7F );   Preview pane  3528  ( FIGS. 7B-7D ) that displays a portion of the selected email message;   Details icon  3530  ( FIG. 7B ) that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates display of email addressing details  3534  ( FIG. 7C );   Cancel icon  3540  ( FIG. 7E ) that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) returns the device to the previous user interface (e.g. UI  3500 D,  FIG. 7D );   Delete icon  3542  ( FIG. 7E ) that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) deletes the selected email;   Reply icon  3544  ( FIG. 7F ) that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates creation of an email replying to the sender;   Reply All icon  3546  ( FIG. 7F ) that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates creation of an email replying to the sender and the other parties included in the selected email (e.g., by cc:);   Forward icon  3548  ( FIG. 7F ) that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) initiates creation of an email to be forwarded;       

     If the set of emails fills more than the screen area (or more than the screen area above the preview pane  3528 ), the user may scroll through the emails using vertically upward and/or vertically downward gestures  3514  on the touch screen. Scrolling through the emails is further described below with regards to process  5000  ( FIG. 11A ). 
     As shown in  FIG. 7B , if the preview pane is sufficiently large, it may show an initial portion of the selected email message, from the body of the email message. In some embodiments, the displayed text from the body of the email message is text that has been extracted by the email client  140  from the HTML version of the selected message. Thus, if the email message body has both plain text and HTML portions, the portion used for generating the preview is the HTML portion. Alternately, instead of displaying a preview pane, in the list of email messages each item (representing a respective email message) may include (in addition to the sender name, date of receipt, subject, etc.) one or more text body lines extracted by the email client  140  from the HTML portion (if any) of the body of the respective email message. 
     In some embodiments, the email subjects  3508  are not displayed if the preview pane  3528  is used, or, alternately, if the preview pane  3528  occupies more than a predefined portion of the displayed user interface (e.g., UI  3500 B). In some embodiments, the position of the preview pane separator  3518  can be adjusted by the user making contact  3516  ( FIG. 7A ) at or near the preview pane separator  3518  and moving the separator to the desired location by dragging the finger contact  3538  ( FIG. 7D ). Adjustment of the preview pane separator position is further described below with regards to process  5040  ( FIG. 11C ). In some embodiments, arrows  3539  ( FIG. 7D ) or other graphics appear during the positioning of the preview pane separator  3518  (e.g., UI  3500 D,  FIG. 7D ) to help guide the user. 
     In some embodiments, in response to a tap or other predefined gesture by the user in a row containing information (e.g.,  3506 ,  3510 , and/or  3508 ) about a particular email message, some or all of the text in the row is highlighted (e.g., by coloring, shading, or bolding) and the corresponding message is displayed in the preview pane area  3528 , as further described below with regards to process  5020  ( FIG. 11B ). In some embodiments, in response to a tap or other predefined gesture by the user in a row containing information (e.g.,  3506 ,  3510 , and/or  3508 ) about a particular email message, the email message is displayed on the full screen if the preview pane  3528  is not being used. 
     In some embodiments, if the selected email fills more than the preview pane area  3528 , the user may scroll through the email using two-dimensional gestures  3532  ( FIGS. 7B and 7C ) in the preview pane  3528  with vertical and/or horizontal movement of the email on the touch screen, as further described below with regards to process  5000  ( FIG. 11A ). 
     In some embodiments, in response to user activation of an additional information icon (e.g., “&gt;”) on the detail information  3534  (e.g., by a finger tap  3536  ( FIG. 7C ) on the icon), the touch screen may display contact list information for the corresponding party, if available (e.g., UI  3500 G,  FIG. 7G ) or a UI such as UI  3500 H,  FIG. 7H . 
     In some embodiments, a “Load More Messages” button  3550  appears in line with the list of email messages (UI  35001 ;  FIG. 7I ), at the location in the list where more messages would appear if more messages were available. User selection of button  3550  causes additional email messages to be downloaded to the portable multifunction device. Displaying “Load More Messages” button  3550  at the location in the list where more messages would appear is intuitive and saves space in the UI for other buttons. 
       FIG. 8  illustrates an exemplary user interface for setting email user preferences in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, user interface  3600  includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
           402 ,  404 , and  406 , as described above;   Done icon  3602  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) returns the device to the previous UI;   Accounts  3604  for entering email account information;   Message list displays  3606  for selecting whether sender  3506  and/or subject  3508  information is displayed in the emails lists;   Display newest messages  3608  for selecting whether the newest messages are displayed at the top or bottom of the screen;   Message display locations  3610  for selecting whether the messages are displayed in the preview pane  3528  or full screen;   Preferred message format  3612  for selecting how the messages are formatted (e.g., HTML or plain text);   Rules  3614  for creating rules for managing email messages (e.g., using UI  3700 A,  FIG. 9A , and UI  3700 B,  FIG. 9B );   Selection icons  3616  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) show choices for the corresponding settings.       

     In some embodiments, a user may tap anywhere in the row for a particular setting to initiate display of the corresponding setting choices. 
       FIGS. 9A and 9B  illustrate an exemplary user interface for creating and managing email rules in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, user interface  3700 A includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:
           402 ,  404 , and  406 , as described above;   Settings icon  3702  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) returns the device to the settings UI  3600  ( FIG. 8 );   Rules  3704 ;   Selection icons  3706  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) show choices for the corresponding rules.   Add icon  3708  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) displays a UI for creating a new rule (e.g., UI  3700 B,  FIG. 9B );   Done icon  3710  that when activated (e.g., by a finger tap on the icon) returns the device to the settings UI  3600  ( FIG. 8 );       

     In some embodiments, a user may tap anywhere in the row for a particular rule to initiate display of the corresponding rule (e.g., UI  3700 B,  FIG. 9B ). 
       FIGS. 10A and 10B  illustrate an exemplary user interface for moving email messages in accordance with some embodiments. 
     In response to the user activating move message icon  3522  ( FIGS. 7A-7F ), the device displays UI  3800 A, with some information  3804  for the selected message displayed. 
     In some embodiments, if the user makes a tap  3802  or other predefined gesture on a row corresponding to a particular mailbox or other folder, the message is moved to the corresponding mailbox or folder (e.g., Work in  FIG. 10A ). In some embodiments, the selected row is highlighted and an animation appears to move the message information  3804  into the selected row (as illustrated schematically in  FIG. 10B ). 
       FIG. 11A  is a flow diagram illustrating a process  5000  for displaying emails and email lists in accordance with some embodiments. A first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages is displayed in a first area of a touch screen display on a portable communications device ( 5002 ). In some embodiments the list of entries corresponds to a mailbox such as inbox  3302  ( FIG. 5 ). In some embodiments the information includes names  3506  and dates  3510  of email messages and unread message icons  3512 , as shown in UI  3500 B ( FIG. 7B ). 
     A first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries is displayed in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area ( 5004 ). In some embodiments the second area is a preview pane such as preview pane  3528  ( FIG. 7B ). 
     In response to a gesture  5006  by a user in the first area of the touch screen display, such as a substantially vertical finger swipe, the list of entries is scrolled to display a second portion of the list of entries ( 5008 ). For example, vertically upward and/or vertically downward gestures  3514  scroll the email list displayed in the first area of UI  3500 B ( FIG. 7B ). In some embodiments, the gesture  5006  is detected in any portion of the first area of the touch screen display. In some embodiments, the gesture  5006  has a horizontal position within the first area and its detection is independent of the horizontal position within the first area. 
     In response to a gesture  5010  by a user in the second area of the touch screen display, such as a two dimensional finger motion, the electronic message is moved in two dimensions to display a second portion of the electronic message ( 5012 ). For example, two-dimensional gestures  3532  in preview pane  3528  of UI  3500 B scroll the displayed email with vertical and/or horizontal movement ( FIG. 7B ). In some embodiments, the two dimensional finger motion in the second area of the touch screen display is a diagonal motion and the electronic message is moved diagonally (e.g., in a two-dimensional motion corresponding to the two-dimensional finger motion) in response to the diagonal motion ( 5014 ). In some embodiments, the gesture  5010  is detected in any portion of the second area of the touch screen display. 
     Thus, this process provides for fast vertical scrolling through a list of email messages by finger gestures on the list of email messages, while also providing for two dimensional scrolling within a particular email message by corresponding finger gestures on the particular email message. Two dimensional scrolling permits large email messages (e.g., messages with images or other graphics that will not fit without scaling on the touch screen) to be readily viewed on the touch screen of a portable communications device. 
       FIG. 11B  is a flow diagram illustrating a process  5020  for displaying emails and email lists in accordance with some embodiments. A first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages is displayed in a first area of a touch screen display on a portable communications device ( 5002 ), as described above with regards to  FIG. 11A . In response to a gesture  5022  by a user on an entry in the list of entries, the first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to the entry is displayed in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area ( 5024 ). In some embodiments, the gesture  5022  is a finger tap in a row containing information about a particular message, such as a row containing information  3506  and  3510  ( FIG. 7B ). In some embodiments, the gesture  5022  is another predefined gesture. Subsequent steps in process  5020  are described above with regards to  FIG. 11A . 
       FIG. 11C  is a flow diagram illustrating a process  5040  for displaying emails and email lists in accordance with some embodiments. Steps  5002 - 5012  are described above with regards to  FIG. 11A . In response to a gesture  5042  by a user on the touch screen display, the size of the first area and the size of the second area are simultaneously adjusted ( 5044 ). In some embodiments, the gesture  5042  is a dragging motion on a separator between the first area and the second area, such as separator  3518  ( FIG. 7B ). The sizes of the first area and the second area are simultaneously adjusted by moving the separator between the first area and the second area ( 5046 ). This process permits a user to use a finger gesture to easily adjust the desired size of the list of email messages and desired size of the particular email message being displayed. 
       FIG. 11D  is a flow diagram illustrating a process  5060  for displaying emails and email lists in accordance with some embodiments. A first portion of a list of entries with information about corresponding electronic messages is displayed in a first area of a touch screen display on a portable communications device ( 5002 ). A first portion of an electronic message that corresponds to an entry in the list of entries is displayed in a second area of the touch screen display that is separate from the first area ( 5004 ). Display of the second area is ended ( 5062 ). In some embodiments, display of the second area is ended by dragging a separator such as separator  3518  to decrease the size of the second area until the second area is no longer displayed, as shown in  FIG. 7A . In response, increased information is displayed about the electronic messages corresponding to entries in the first area ( 5064 ). In some embodiments, message subject information is displayed for each displayed entry ( 5066 ). For example, subject information  3508  is displayed for each entry in UI  3500 A ( FIG. 7A ). This process permits a user to use a finger gesture to easily adjust whether a preview pane is displayed. 
     The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20070905
Publication Date: 20120828
Grant Date: 20120828
Priority Date: 20060906
Inventors: GANATRA NITIN K.
NOVICK GREGORY
LEMAY STEPHEN O.
CHRISTIE GREG
FORSTALL SCOTT
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04M1/72436", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04886", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06Q10/107", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/72403", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04883", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M2250/22", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06Q10/107", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/72403", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04883", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04M1/72436", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "G06F3/04886", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 39019368