Mobile telephone with improved man machine interface

Abstract

The present invention envisages a GSM mobile telephone in which a line of icons is displayed on a display. As a user navigates through the displayed line of icons, the positions of the icons alter so that the selectable icon moves to the head of the line. This approach makes it very clear (i) which icon is selectable at any time and (ii) where that icon sits in relation to other icons at the same functional level (e.g. only first level icons will be present in one line). First level icons typically relate to the following functions: phonebook; messages; call register; counters; call diversion; telephone settings; network details; voice mail and IrDA activation.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A handheld communications device, comprising:
 a memory in which a first set of at least three icons are stored, each one of the at least three icons in the first set being associated with a function, wherein text associated with each one of the first set of icons also is 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 an array in which the at least three icons in the first set of icons are in a particular relationship 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; and   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 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 actuated in at least first and second ways so that, when the circuit receives an input that the selection device has been actuated in the first way, the position of the selectable icon in the array defined by the first 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 actuated in the second way, the position of the selectable icon in the array defined by the first set of icons is moved in a second direction with respect to the array that that is opposite to the first direction,   wherein, when a particular one of the at least three icons in the first set is shown as the selectable icon, and 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 actuated in the first way, 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 actuated in the second way, 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, and   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.   
     
     
         2 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein the handheld communications device comprises a cellular telephone. 
     
     
         3 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein the specific location and the fixed location are the same location. 
     
     
         4 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein the position of the selectable icon on the display device does not change as a user manipulates the selection device to navigate through the array defined by the first set of icons. 
     
     
         5 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein the position of the selectable icon on the display device does not change as a user manipulates the selection device to navigate through the array defined by the second set of icons. 
     
     
         6 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the first set of icons is shown on the display and whenever the selection device is actuated in either the first or second direction, the position on the display of the icons of the first set of icons moves with respect to the display. 
     
     
         7 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the second set of icons is shown on the display and whenever the selection device is actuated in either the first or second direction, the position on the display of the icons of the second set of icons moves with respect to the display. 
     
     
         8 . The handheld communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the array formed by the first set of icons comprises a linear array. 
     
     
         9 . The handheld communication device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the first set of icons is being shown on the display, the position of the selectable icon is the array defined by the first set of icons can be moved only in the first and second linear directions. 
     
     
         10 . The handheld communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the array in which the first set of icons is shown on the display comprises a generally non-circular array. 
     
     
         11 . The handheld communication device of  claim 10 , wherein, when the first set of icons is shown on the display, at least three of the icons in the first set of icons are collinear with respect to each other. 
     
     
         12 . The handheld communication device of  claim 1 , wherein the selection device is adapted to be moved in first and second directions. 
     
     
         13 . The handheld communication device of  claim 12 , wherein, 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 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 direction with respect to the array that that is opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
         14 . The handheld communication device of  claim 13 , wherein the first direction in which the selectable icon is moved in the array of the first set of icons comprises a linear direction. 
     
     
         15 . The handheld communication device of  claim 13 , wherein the second direction in which the selectable icon is moved in the array of the first set of icons comprises a linear direction. 
     
     
         16 . The handheld communication device of  claim 13 , wherein, 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 that is opposite to the first direction. 
     
     
         17 . The handheld communication device of  claim 16 , wherein the first direction in which the selectable icon is moved in the array of the second set of icons comprises a linear direction. 
     
     
         18 . The handheld communication device of  claim 16 , wherein the second direction in which the selectable icon is moved in the array of the second set of icons comprises a linear direction. 
     
     
         19 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the first set of icons is shown on the display, none of the first set of icons overlap any other of the first set of icons. 
     
     
         20 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the circuit receives an input from the selection device to navigate through the array of the first set of icons, different ones of the first set of icons are shown on the display as the selectable icon without substantially increasing the size of any icon. 
     
     
         21 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the circuit receives an input from the selection device to navigate through the array of the second set of icons, different ones of the second set of icons are shown on the display as the selectable icon without substantially increasing the size of any icon. 
     
     
         22 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the second set of icons are shown on the display, they are shown in a linear array. 
     
     
         23 . The handheld communications device of  claim 1 , wherein, when the second set of icons are shown on the display, none of the second set of icons overlap any other of the second set of icons.