Portable electronic apparatus, and a method of controlling a user interface thereof

Abstract

A portable electronic apparatus has a display, keypad, sensor and controller. Keys of the keypad are distributed within a keypad area in at least a first plane and are arranged for user actuation transversally to the first plane to provide a first type of user input. The sensor is positioned to sense navigating user actuation at the keypad area in or coincident with the first plane to provide a second type of user input. The controller is configured to control a focus position on the display in response to the second type of user input; associate a plurality of display subareas of the display with respective keys of the keypad; and accept, for user input of the second type, user actuation of an actuated key among the keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at the focus position in a particular display subarea associated with the actuated key.

1 . A portable electronic apparatus comprising a controller configured to:
 interact with a keypad and a display associated with the portable electronic apparatus, the keypad having a plurality of keys within a keypad area;   associate a display subarea of the display with a key of the plurality of keys;   accept key-pressing user actuation of said key of the plurality of keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at said display subarea;   control a focus position on the display in response to navigating user actuation at the keypad area; and   command an operation on contents displayed on the display in response to a multi-touch gesture at the keypad area, said multi-touch gesture involving at least two fingers of a user being at the keypad area at the same time.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises the keypad. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the keypad has a full QWERTY or compact QWERTY layout. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the keypad has interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with at least one of said key-pressing user actuation, said navigating user actuation and said multi-touch gesture and to provide said detected input to said controller. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said interface circuitry forms part of said keypad. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said interface circuitry comprises key-press interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with said key-pressing user actuation and to provide said detected user input associated with said key-pressing user actuation to said controller. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said interface circuitry comprises touch-sensitive interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with said navigating user actuation and to provide said detected user input associated with said navigating user actuation to said controller. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein said interface circuitry comprises key-press interface circuitry configured to detect user input associated with said multi-touch gesture and to provide said detected user input associated with said multi-touch gesture to said controller. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises the display. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the focus position on the display in response to navigating user actuation in any given direction at the keypad area. 
     
     
         11 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to indicate said focus position in the form of a graphical marker symbol on the display. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to command an in-zooming operation on contents displayed on the display in response to a pinching multi-touch gesture at the keypad area. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to command an out-zooming operation on contents displayed on the display in response to an unpinching multi-touch gesture at the keypad area. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the selectable item is presented as at least one of an icon, button, link or thumbnail. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to graphically present a boundary of said display subarea on said display. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to accept a selecting voice control command as a selection of the selectable item presented at said display subarea. 
     
     
         17 . A portable electronic apparatus comprising a controller configured to:
 interact with a keypad and a display associated with the portable electronic apparatus, the keypad having a plurality of keys in a full QWERTY or compact QWERTY layout within a keypad area;   associate a display subarea of the display with a key of the plurality of keys;   accept key-pressing user actuation of said key of the plurality of keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at said display subarea; and   control a focus position on the display in response to navigating user actuation at the keypad area.   
     
     
         18 . A portable electronic apparatus comprising a controller configured to:
 interact with a keypad and a display associated with the portable electronic apparatus, the keypad having a plurality of keys in a full QWERTY or compact QWERTY layout within a keypad area;   associate a display subarea of the display with a key of the plurality of keys;   accept key-pressing user actuation of said key of the plurality of keys as a selection of a selectable item presented at said display subarea; and   command an operation on contents displayed on the display in response to a multi-touch gesture at the keypad area.   
     
     
         19 . An apparatus according to  claim 18 , wherein said multi-touch gesture involves at least two fingers of a user being at the keypad area at the same time.