Disclosed herein is a multi-functional hand-held device capable of configuring user inputs based on how the device is to be used. Preferably, the multifunctional hand-held device has at most only a few physical buttons, keys, or switches so that its display size can be substantially increased. The multifunctional hand-held device also incorporates a variety of input mechanisms, including touch sensitive screens, touch sensitive housings, display actuators, audio input, etc. The device also incorporates a user-configurable GUI for each of the multiple functions of the devices.

Multi-functional hand-held device

Newness and distinctiveness is claimed in the features of ornamentation as shown inside the broken line circle in the accompanying representation.

Display screen or portion thereof with graphical user interface

An electronic device has a display and has a touch sensitive bezel surrounding the display. Areas on the bezel are designated for controls used to operate the electronic device. Visual guides corresponding to the controls are displayed on the display adjacent the areas of the bezel designated for the controls. Touch data is generated by the bezel when a user touches an area of the bezel. The device determines which of the controls has been selected based on which designated area is associated with the touch data from the bezel. The device then initiates the determined control. The device can have a sensor for determining the orientation of the device. Based on the orientation, the device can alter the areas designated on the bezel for the controls and can alter the location of the visual guides for the display so that they match the altered areas on the bezel.

Electronic device having display and surrounding touch sensitive bezel for user interface and control

Improved approaches for users to with graphical user interfaces of computing devices are disclosed. A rotational user action supplied by a user via a user input device can provide accelerated scrolling. The accelerated nature of the scrolling enables users to scroll or traverse a lengthy data set (e.g., list of items) faster and with greater ease. The amount of acceleration provided can be performed in successive stages, and/or performed based on the speed of the rotational user action. In one embodiment, the rotational user action is transformed into linear action with respect to a graphical user interface. The resulting acceleration effect causes the linear action to be enhanced such that a lengthy data set is able to be rapidly traversed.

Method and apparatus for accelerated scrolling

Touch pad handheld device

An operating system provides extensions through which application developers may extend the capabilities of a shell of the operating system. For example, application developers may add menu items to context menus for objects that are visible within an integrated system name space. In addition, developers may add property sheet pages for such objects. Application developers also have the option of providing per-instance icons for each instance of an object. Application developers may provide data object extension handlers for customizing data sources on a per-object class basis and may provide drop target extension handlers on a per-object class basis to customize drop target behavior. Developers may additionally provide copy-hook handlers to regulate file system operations on objects. Developers may also extend the functionality provided by the shell of the operating system by adding their own custom name spaces to the integrated system name space. The mechanism provided by the operating system to add such a name space is polymorphic and transparent to users.

Shell extensions for an operating system

A computer system provides expanded clipboard formats that embellish the number of formats that may be used with a clipboard. These expanded clipboard formats enable users in applications to broaden their use of the clipboard and other data transfer mechanisms. The clipboard formats may be utilized by a conventional clipboard, by drag-and-drop mechanisms and by OLE data transfer mechanisms. Certain of the expanded clipboard formats are adapted for use in the data transfer of non-file system objects.

Data transfer with expanded clipboard formats

A method and system for transferring data to common destinations using a common destination list is provided. In a preferred embodiment, a user uses a software facility ("the facility") that is preferably integrated into an operating system to transfer source objects using a list of common transfer destinations. By selecting a source object and issuing a transfer command, the user causes the facility to display in conjunction with the source object a list of common transfer destinations ("common destination list"). When the user selects a destination from the common destination list, the facility initiates a transfer of the source object to the selected destination. The destinations contained in the common destination list are preferably customizable by the user in a straightforward manner. In a further preferred embodiment, the facility monitors object transfers that the user specifies using other techniques, such as drag and drop, and prompts the user to automatically add frequently-used destinations to the common destination list.

Method and system for transferring data to common destinations using a common destination list

A system for scrolling during a drag and drop operation is provided wherein the determination of whether to scroll is based on the location of a mouse indicator as well as the speed of the mouse indicator. The system maintains a predetermined threshold that is empirically proven to reliably distinguish as to whether a user wishes to perform a drag and drop operation or whether the user wishes to invoke the automatic scrolling of the present invention. The system determines when the mouse indicator is over a predefined area of a window, compares the speed of the mouse indicator to the predetermined threshold and scrolls the window if the mouse indicator is over the predefined area and the speed is less than the predetermined threshold.

Auto-scrolling with mouse speed computation during dragging

A method and apparatus for transferring user profiles between computing devices using portable storage devices is disclosed. A portable storage device (PSD) is connected to a computing device, the computing device reads user profile data from the PSD and configures itself according to that data. If the user profile data is changed on the computing device, those changes are synchronized on the PSD.

Christopher J. Guzak

Papers

Shell extensions for an operating system

Data transfer with expanded clipboard formats

Method and system for transferring data to common destinations using a common destination list

Auto-scrolling with mouse speed computation during dragging

Transfer of user profiles using portable storage devices