HK1111491B - Method and apparatus for accelerated scrolling - Google Patents

Description

Method and apparatus for accelerated scrolling

The present application is based on the divisional application with application number 02820867.6, application date 10/16 of 2002, filed by apple computer corporation and entitled method and apparatus for accelerating scrolling.

Background

Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to computing devices, and more particularly, to handheld computing devices having a rotational input unit.

Description of the Related Art

There are many types of input devices used today to perform operations on consumer electronic devices. These operations typically correspond to moving a cursor and making selections on a display screen. By way of example, the input devices may include buttons, switches, keyboards, mice, trackballs, touch pads, joysticks, touch screens, and the like. Each of these devices has advantages and disadvantages that need to be taken into account when designing consumer electronic devices. In handheld computing devices, the input devices are typically buttons and switches. Buttons and switches are generally mechanical in nature and provide limited control over the movement of a cursor (or other selector) and making selections. For example, they are generally dedicated to moving a cursor in a particular direction (e.g., arrow keys) or making a particular selection (e.g., enter, delete, count, etc.). In the case of hand-held Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), the input devices tend to utilize touch-sensitive display screens. When using a touch screen, the user makes a selection by pointing directly at an object on the screen with a stylus or finger.

In portable computing devices, such as laptop computers, the input device is typically a touchpad. With a touchpad, as a user's finger moves along the touchpad surface, the movement of the input pointer (i.e., cursor) corresponds to the relative movement of the finger (or stylus). The touch pad is also capable of making selections on the display screen when one or more taps are detected on the surface of the touch pad. In some cases, any portion of the touch pad may be tapped, while in other cases, a dedicated portion of the touch pad may be tapped. In stationary devices such as desktop computers, the input device is typically selected from a keyboard, a mouse, and a trackball. With a mouse, as a user moves the mouse along a surface, the movement of the input pointer corresponds to the relative movement of the mouse. With a trackball, the movement of the input pointer corresponds to the relative movement of the ball as the user rotates the ball within the housing. Both the mouse and the trackball typically include one or more buttons for making selections on the display screen.

In addition to allowing movement and selection of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) presented on the display screen by an input pointer, the input device may also allow a user to scroll across the display screen in a horizontal or vertical direction. For example, a mouse may include a scroll wheel that allows a user to simply scroll the wheel forward or backward to perform a scrolling action. In addition, the touchpad may provide a dedicated active area that enables scrolling as the user linearly traverses the active area in the x and y directions with his or her finger. Both devices may also scroll via horizontal and vertical scroll bars displayed as part of the GUI. Using this technique, scrolling is achieved by placing the input pointer over the desired scroll bar, selecting the desired scroll bar, and moving the scroll bar by moving the mouse or finger in the y-direction (forward and backward) for vertical scrolling or in the x-direction (left and right) for horizontal scrolling.

In addition, consumer electronic products other than computers, such as cordless telephones, stereo radios, and Compact Disc (CD) players, have used dials to enable a user to select a telephone number, a radio frequency, and a particular CD, respectively. Here, typically, a limited resolution display is used with the dial. The display uses a character generator LCD to display at most a single item (number, frequency or label) in a low resolution manner. In other words, these devices have used single line, low resolution LCD digital display devices.

Thus, there is a continuing need for an improved user input device that facilitates easier use of a computing device.

Summary of The Invention

The present invention relates to an improved method for interaction of a user of a computing device with a graphical user interface. The rotational user action provided by the user via the user input device can provide accelerated scrolling. This accelerated nature of scrolling enables users to scroll or traverse lengthy data sets (e.g., item lists) faster and more easily. The amount of acceleration provided can be done in successive stages and/or based on the speed of the rotational user action. In one embodiment, the rotational user action is transformed into a linear action with respect to the graphical user interface. The resulting acceleration enhances the linear action so that a lengthy data set can be traversed quickly. Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent below. Although the type of computing device can vary, the present invention is particularly well suited for use with media players.

The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, system, device, apparatus, graphical user interface, or computer readable medium. Several embodiments of the invention are discussed below.

As a method for scrolling through portions of a data set, one embodiment of the invention includes at least the acts of: receiving a number of units associated with a rotational user input; determining an acceleration factor pertaining to the rotational user input; modifying the number of units with the acceleration factor; determining a next portion of the data set based on the modified number of units; and presenting the next portion of the data set.

As a method for scrolling through portions of a data set associated with a handheld electronic device, one embodiment of the invention includes at least the acts of: receiving a rotational user input; determining an acceleration value pertaining to the rotational user input; and scrolling to a next portion of the data set based at least on the acceleration value. The acceleration value specifies a degree of acceleration associated with a rate at which scrolling through the portion of the data set is to be effected.

As a method for scrolling through portions of a data set associated with a handheld electronic device, another embodiment of the invention includes at least the acts of: receiving a rotational user input; determining whether to provide acceleration of the rotational user input; and scrolling to a next portion of the data set in an accelerated manner when the determination determines that acceleration is to be provided or in an un-accelerated manner when the determination determines that acceleration is not to be provided.

As a method for scrolling through portions of a file, one embodiment of the invention includes at least the acts of: receiving a number of units from a rotational input device; determining a rotational speed of the rotational input device; applying an acceleration when the rotational speed is greater than a speed threshold; removing any acceleration when the rotational speed is less than the speed threshold; modifying the number of units according to the acceleration, if any; determining a next portion of the file based on the modified number of units; and presenting the next portion of the file.

As a portable media player, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: a storage disk drive to store media content for each of a plurality of media items; a display screen to display a portion of the media items at a time; a user input device that enables a user of the portable media player to scroll through at least the plurality of media items using a rotational motion to the user input device; and a processor to determine a rate of scrolling and thereby determine a next portion of the media item to be displayed.

As a method for displaying a portion of a list of media items on a display of a media player having a rotational input device, one embodiment of the invention includes at least the acts of: determining a rate of rotation of the rotary input device; obtaining a length of the list of media items; determining a next portion of the list of media items to be displayed based on a rate of rotation of the rotational input device and a length of the list of media items; and displaying the next portion of the list of media items.

As a method of displaying a portion of a list of items on a display of a computing device having a rotational input device, one embodiment of the invention includes at least the acts of: determining a rotation indication of the rotary input device; determining a next portion of the list of items to be displayed based on the rotation indication of the rotational input device; and displaying the next portion of the list of items.

As a consumer electronics product, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: a storage disk storing a plurality of media items; a display for displaying a first portion of the plurality of media items; and a user input device enabling a user of the consumer electronic product to scroll through at least the list of the plurality of media items in accordance with a user-controlled scroll rate; and a processor. The processor determines an acceleration factor for scrolling through the list of the plurality of media items and causes the consumer electronic product to display a second portion of the plurality of media items. The position of the second portion of the plurality of media items within the plurality of media item lists is dependent on at least the user-controlled scroll rate and the acceleration factor.

Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the invention.

Brief description of the drawings

The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a scroll process according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of list navigation processing according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of acceleration amount processing according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of acceleration amount processing according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a representative acceleration state machine according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a flowchart of a next portion determination process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a computer system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7B is a perspective view of a media player according to one embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 8A is a block diagram of a media player according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of a computing system according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 9 shows the media player of fig. 7B being used by a user in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10A is a flow diagram of user input processing according to one embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10B is a flow diagram of user input processing according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of user input processing according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a rotational input display system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed description of the invention

The present invention relates to an improved method for a user of a computing device to interact with a graphical user interface. Rotational user action supplied by the user via the user input device can provide accelerated scrolling. This accelerated feature of scrolling enables a user to scroll or traverse a lengthy data set (e.g., a list of items) faster and more easily. The amount of acceleration provided can be done in successive stages and/or based on the speed of the rotational user action. In one embodiment, the rotational user action is transformed into a linear action with respect to the graphical user interface. The resulting acceleration enhances the linear action so that a lengthy data set can be traversed quickly. Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent below. Although the type of computing device can vary, the present invention is particularly applicable to media players.

Embodiments of the present invention are discussed below with reference to fig. 1-12. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of a scroll process 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. The scroll process 100 assists the user in scrolling through the data set. Scroll processing 100 initially receives 102 a number of elements associated with a rotational user input. The number of units is an indication of the amount of rotational movement that the user has instigated to the rotational user input device.

Next, an acceleration factor is determined at 104. The acceleration factor is an indication of the degree of acceleration used for the scroll processing 100. After the acceleration factor is determined at 104, the number of units associated with the rotational user input is modified at 106 with the acceleration factor. In one embodiment, the number of units is modified by multiplying the number of units by an acceleration coefficient. In various other embodiments, the number of units can be modified in various other ways.

Having modified the number of units at 106, the next portion of the data set being scrolled through can be determined at 108 from the modified number of units. Once the next portion has been determined at 108, the next portion of the data set can be presented at 110. Typically, the next portion of the data set associated with the scroll process 100 is presented to the user that caused the rotational user input at 110. In an embodiment, the next portion of the data set can be presented to the user by displaying the next portion of the data set on a display device at 110. In another embodiment of the present invention, the next portion of the data set is presented to the user at 110 by displaying the next portion of the data set by displaying (e.g., highlighting) at least one item distinctively or differently from other items. In yet another embodiment, the next portion of the data set is presented to the user at 110 by playing or executing a file. After the next portion of the data set has been rendered at 110, the scroll process 100 is complete and ends. However, the scroll process 100 will be repeated for each rotational user input.

Here, the faster the rate of the rotational user input, the more down the list the next item becomes. It should be noted that the nature of the rate of rotational user input may be relative or absolute. Further, the rotational user input rate need not be an actual rate value, but may be a count or other value proportional to or affected by the rotational user input rate.

A data set as used herein belongs to a group of data. As one example, the data set can be a list of items (e.g., a list of songs). As another example, the data set can be a media file (e.g., MP3 or other audio file, video file, or image file). In one embodiment, the data set can be considered a sequential data set because the data within the data set is often sequential. For example, songs in a list are arranged sequentially and data in an audio file is also arranged sequentially.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of list navigation processing 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The list navigation process 200 initially determines a rate of rotational user input (e.g., dial turns) at 202. Rotational user input is provided through user interaction with a rotational input device. The length of the list is then obtained and the current item within the list is identified at 204. Typically, the current item is the item within the list that is being displayed. In one embodiment, the current item is highlighted so that it is displayed differently from other items within the list that are simultaneously displayed.

The next item in the list to be displayed is then determined at 206 based on the rotational user input. The determination of the next item in the list at 206 can also depend on the length of the list and the current item in the list. For example, the greater the rate of rotational user input, the further away the next item is from the current item within the list. The rate of rotational user input and the length of the list can affect whether acceleration (e.g., acceleration factor) is provided for navigating the list. Thereafter, the list navigation process 200 displays 208 the next item and one or more subsequent (or adjacent) items thereto. For example, the next item and one or more subsequent items can be displayed at 208 via a display screen generated by the display device. In addition, the list navigation process 200 can provide audio feedback at 210. The audio feedback provides an audible sound that indicates to the user feedback as to at what rate the items within the list are being traversed. The audible feedback can also be proportional to the rate of rotational user input.

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of acceleration amount processing 300 according to one embodiment of the invention. The acceleration amount processing 300 is, for example, processing that can be performed to determine an acceleration coefficient. In an embodiment, the acceleration amount processing 300 is, for example, suitable for use as the operation 104 illustrated in FIG. 1. In another embodiment, the acceleration amount processing 300 is, for example, suitable for use as a sub-operation of the operation 206 illustrated in FIG. 2.

The acceleration amount processing 300 initially determines a speed of the rotational user input at 302. As previously noted with respect to fig. 1, the rotational user input is provided by a rotational input 1 device that is interacted with by a user. In an embodiment, the speed of the rotational user input is determined at 302 based on the number of rotational units identified by the rotational user input. More specifically, in another embodiment, the speed of the rotational user input is determined at 302 based on the number of rotational units and the amount of time elapsed to receive the rotational inputs. The speed of the rotational user input can be seen as, for example, the speed at which the user is moving or the rotational speed of the rotational input device.

Having determined the speed of the rotational user input at 302, a decision at 304 determines whether the speed of the rotational user input is slow. The speed of the rotational user input can be determined or estimated directly or indirectly in various ways. In one embodiment, a threshold is used to distinguish between how fast the rotational user input is. The exact rate of rotation, which is considered to be a threshold between fast and slow, may vary from application to application. The threshold can be determined experimentally depending on the particular application for which the acceleration amount processing 300 is used.

Once the decision at 304 determines that the speed of the rotational user input is slow, the Acceleration Factor (AF) is set to zero (0) at 306. On the other hand, when the determination at 304 determines that the speed of the rotational user input is not slow (i.e., fast), then the determination at 308 determines whether the amount of time since the last acceleration was changed (Δ t1) exceeds a first threshold (TH 1). When the decision 308 determines that the amount of time since the last acceleration change (Δ t1) is longer than a first threshold amount (TH1), the acceleration factor is modified at 310. In particular, in the present embodiment, this modification at 310 doubles the acceleration factor.

Following the operation at 310, and following the operation at 306, the acceleration change time is stored at 312. The acceleration change time reflects the time when the acceleration factor was last updated. The acceleration change time is stored so that the decision at 308 is aware of the amount of time since the last acceleration was modified (i.e., Δ t 1). Following the operation at 312, and directly following the determination at 38 when the amount of time since the last acceleration update was made is less than the first threshold (TH1), the acceleration amount processing 300 is complete and ends.

Thus, according to the acceleration amount processing 300, when the speed of the rotational user input is deemed to be slow, the acceleration factor is reset to zero (0), which indicates that no acceleration effect is applied. On the other hand, when the speed of the rotational user input indicates that the speed of this rotation is fast, the acceleration effect being applied is doubled. Indeed, thereafter, if the user interacts with the rotational input device such that the rotational speed is slow, no acceleration effect is provided. In this case, the user can scroll through the data sets (e.g., lists, audio files) at high resolution. Conversely, when the user interacts with the rotational input device at a high speed of rotation, the acceleration effect is increased gradually (e.g., by doubling or other means). The acceleration provided by the present invention enables a user to interact with a rotational input device in an efficient, user-friendly manner to enable scrolling through long or extended data sets in a fast manner.

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of acceleration amount processing 400 according to another embodiment of the invention. The acceleration amount processing 400 is generally similar to the acceleration amount processing 300 illustrated in FIG. 3. However, the acceleration amount processing 400 includes additional operations that can be optionally provided. More specifically, the acceleration amount processing 400 can utilize the determination at 402 to determine whether the duration of time (Δ t2) since the last rotational user input is greater than a second threshold (TH 2). When the determination at 402 determines that the duration of time (Δ t2) since the last rotational user input exceeds the second threshold (TH2), the acceleration factor is reset to zero (0) at 306. Here, when the user has not provided subsequent rotational user input for a duration greater than the second threshold (TH2), the acceleration amount processing 400 is reset to no acceleration, since it is assumed that the user will restart the scrolling operation and thus may not wish to continue at the previously accelerated scroll rate.

The rate at which acceleration is doubled is limited so that the doubling (i.e., operation at 310) can only occur at rates below the maximum rate. The acceleration amount processing 400 also includes a determination at 404 that determines whether the Acceleration Factor (AF) has reached a maximum Acceleration Factor (AF)_MAX). The determination at 404 can be utilized to limit the maximum acceleration that can be applied by the acceleration amount processing 400. For example, the Acceleration Factor (AF) may be limited to a factor of 8, which indicates that at maximum acceleration, scrolling may occur at a rate 8 times faster than scrolling without acceleration.

Further, the acceleration amount processing 400 stores 406 the last input time. The last input time (t2) represents the time the last rotational user input was received (or processed). Note that the duration (Δ t2) can be determined by the difference between the current time associated with the entered rotational user input and the last time the user input (t2) was entered.

As indicated previously, the acceleration amount processing 300, 400 is, for example, processing that can be performed to determine an acceleration coefficient. However, although not depicted in fig. 3 or 4, when the length of the data set (e.g., list) is short, the acceleration can be set to zero (i.e., no acceleration) and the acceleration amount processing 300, 400 can be bypassed. For example, in one embodiment, the data set in this embodiment is a list that is considered short if the display screen is only capable of displaying 5 items at a time if the list does not include more than 20 items. Thus, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the acceleration effect applied by the present invention can be dependent on the length of the data set (e.g., list).

Accelerated scrolling can also be described as a state machine having states representing different acceleration levels or different acceleration rates. The details of this state machine will vary widely depending on the implementation.

Fig. 5 is a representative acceleration state machine 500 according to an embodiment of the invention. The acceleration state machine 500 has four acceleration states. The first state 502 provides no acceleration. From the first state 502, when the speed of the next rotational user input is slow, the acceleration state machine 500 remains in the first state 502. On the other hand, when the speed of the rotational user input is fast, the acceleration state machine 500 transitions from the first state 502 to the second state 504. The second state 504 provides 2 x acceleration, meaning that the resulting scroll rate will be twice the scroll rate of the first state. When the acceleration state machine 500 is in the second state 504, the acceleration state machine 500 transitions back to the first state 502 when the speed of the next rotational user input is slow. On the other hand, when the speed of the next rotational user input is fast, the acceleration state machine 500 transitions from the second state 504 to the third state 506. The third state 506 provides 4 x acceleration, meaning that the scroll rate will be four times the scroll rate of the first state 502 or twice the scroll rate of the second state 504. In the third state 506, when the speed of the next rotational user input is slow, the acceleration state machine 500 transitions from the third state 506 to the first state 502. On the other hand, when the speed of the next rotational user input is fast, the acceleration state machine 500 transitions from the third state 506 to the fourth state 508. In the fourth state 508, 8 x acceleration is provided, meaning that the acceleration rate of scrolling is eight times the scrolling rate in the first state 502, four times the scrolling rate in the second state 504, or twice the scrolling rate in the third state 506. In the fourth state 508, when the speed of the next rotational user input is slow, the acceleration state machine 500 transitions from the fourth state 508 to the first state 502. On the other hand, when the speed of the next rotational user input is fast, the acceleration state machine 500 remains in the fourth state 508.

Fig. 6 is a flow diagram of next portion determination processing 600 according to an embodiment of the invention. The next portion determination processing 600 is, for example, processing performed by operation 108 illustrated in fig. 1.

The next portion determination process 600 receives the modified number of units at 602. For example, at operation 106 of FIG. 1, a modified number of units is determined at 106 by modifying the number of units with an acceleration factor. The remainder is then added to the modified number of units at 604. As discussed below, this residual belongs to the previously determined residual. The modified number of units is then divided 606 by the block value to view the next portion. The next portion is a subset of the data set that is ultimately rendered on the display device. For example, when a data set belongs to a list of items, the next portion can belong to one or more items. In another example, when the data set belongs to an audio file, the next portion can belong to a segment or location within the audio file. In any case, the remainder from operation 606 is saved 608 for subsequent use in computing the next portion thereafter. After operation 608, the next portion determination process 600 is complete and ends. Although the use of a remainder is not required, the scrolling provided by the present invention is smoother for the user when the remainder is carried over as described above.

As an example of the scroll processing according to the present invention, consider the following typical case. Assume that the number of units associated with the rotational user input is 51 units. It is also assumed that the acceleration factor is determined to be 2. Thus, according to one embodiment, the modified number of units would be 102 units (51 x 2). In one implementation, the previous remainder value (if not stale) can be added to the modified number of units. Assuming the previous remainder value is 3, the modified number of units becomes 105(102+ 3). Thereafter, the modified number of units is divided by a chunking value (e.g., 5) in order to determine the next portion of the data set (105). Thus, the resulting value of 20 indicates that the next portion of the data set to be presented (i.e., displayed on the display device) will be 20 items down (up) from the current item within the list.

The scrolling, list navigation, or acceleration amount processing discussed above can be utilized with an audio player having a screen that displays a list of songs, or provides a scroll bar that represents a playback position within an audio file. Typically, such audio players typically display different screens on the display. Each such screen can be scrolled through individually with separate position and acceleration values. On the other hand, the acceleration value can be shared across multiple different screens. Each such screen will be associated with a different list that is displayed partially on the screen, a portion of said list being displayed on the screen at a time and being able to be changed in an accelerated manner by scrolling. The file can be a list or a scroll bar representing a playback position within a song. Additional details of screens suitable for use with an audio player are described in U.S. provisional patent application No.60/399,806, filed on 30/7/2002, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIG. 7A is a perspective view of a computer system 650 according to one embodiment of the invention. The computer system 650 includes a base housing 652 that encloses electronic circuitry that performs computing operations for the computing system 650. Typically, the electronic circuitry includes a microprocessor, memory, an I/O controller, a graphics controller, and the like. The base housing 652 also provides a removable computer-readable medium drive 654 within which a removable computer-readable medium can be positioned to read data from the medium, either electronically or optically. The computer housing 652 is also coupled to a display device 656 on which a screen display can be presented for viewing by a user of the computer system 650. Still further, the computer system 650 includes a keyboard apparatus 658. The keyboard device 658 allows a user to interact with a computer program (application or operating system) executed by the computer system 650. In this regard, the keyboard apparatus 658 includes a plurality of keys 660 and a rotational input unit 662. The rotation input unit 662 allows a user to perform a rotational motion with respect to the rotation input unit 662. This rotational motion (rotational user input) can then be processed by the electronic circuitry of the computer system 650 and used to manipulate navigation or selection actions with respect to the graphical user interface being presented to the user on the display device 656. The keyboard apparatus 658 can further include a button 664 associated with the rotational input unit 662. As shown in fig. 7A, a button 664 can be provided at a central region of the rotation input unit 662. However, the button 664 may not be required and, if provided, the button 664 can be placed anywhere, such as outside the periphery of the rotary input unit 662.

Fig. 7B is a perspective view of the media player 700 according to one embodiment of the invention. Term(s) for

"media player" generally refers to a computing device dedicated to processing media such as audio, video, or other images. In one implementation, the media player is a portable computing device. Examples of media players include music players, game players, video recorders, cameras, and the like. These computing devices are often portable to allow users to listen to music, play games or video, record video or take pictures wherever they travel. In one embodiment, the media player is a handheld device sized for placement in a pocket of a user (i.e., pocket-sized). By being pocket-sized, the user does not have to directly carry the device and therefore can take the device almost anywhere the user travels (e.g., because inside a portable computer, the user is not limited to carrying a large, bulky and often heavy device). For example, in the case of a music player (e.g., MP3 player), the user may use the device while playing in a gym. In the case of a camera, the user can use the device while climbing a hill. Furthermore, the device can be operated with the user's hand, without the need for a base surface such as a desktop. In one implementation, the music player can be pocket-sized and relatively lightweight (e.g., 2.43 inches by 4.02 inches by 0.78 inches in size, 6.5 ounces in weight), truly portable.

The media player 700 typically has connection capability that allows a user to upload data to or download data from a host device, such as a general purpose computer (e.g., a desktop computer or a portable computer). For example, in the case of a camera, photographic images may be downloaded onto a general purpose computer for further processing (e.g., printing). With respect to a music player, songs and playlists stored on a general purpose computer may be downloaded into the music player. In one embodiment, the media player 700 can be a pocket-sized hand-held MP3 music player that allows a user to store a large collection of music.

As shown in fig. 7B, the media player 700 includes a housing 702 that encloses various electronic components (including integrated circuit chips and other circuitry) to provide computing power for the media player 700. The integrated circuit chip, as well as other circuitry, may include a microprocessor, memory (e.g., ROM or RAM), power supply (e.g., battery), circuit board, hard drive, and various input/output (I/O) support circuits. In the case of a music player, these electrical components may include components for outputting music, such as amplifiers and Digital Signal Processors (DSPs). In the case of a video recorder or a camera, these electrical components may include components for capturing images such as image sensors (e.g., Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) or Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)) or optical devices (e.g., lenses, splitters, color filters). The housing may also define the shape or form of the media player. That is, the contour of the housing 702 may embody the outward physical appearance of the media player 700.

The media player 700 also includes a display screen 704. The display screen 704 is used to display a Graphical User Interface (GUI) and other information (e.g., text, objects, graphics) to the user. By way of example, the display screen 704 may be a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). In a particular embodiment, the display screen corresponds to a high resolution display with a white LED backlight to give clear visibility during daylight and in low light conditions. Additionally, according to an embodiment, the display screen 704 may be around 2 inches (measured diagonally) and provide a resolution of 160 x 128 pixels. The display screen 704 is also operable to display characters of multiple languages simultaneously. As shown in fig. 7B, the display screen 704 is visible to a user of the media player 700 through an opening 705 in the housing 702 and through a transparent wall 706 disposed over the opening 705. Although transparent, the transparent wall 706 can also be considered part of the housing 702 because it helps define the shape or appearance of the media player 700.

The media player 700 includes a rotational input device 710. The rotational input device 710 receives a rotational input action from a user of the media player 700. The rotational input action is used to control one or more control functions for controlling or interacting with the media player 700 (or an application operating on the media player). In one embodiment, the control function corresponds to a scrolling feature. The scrolling direction can vary depending on the implementation. For example, scrolling may be effected vertically (up or down) or horizontally (left or right). For example, in the case of a music player, a moving finger may initiate a control function for controlling scrolling through a menu of songs displayed on the display screen 704. The term "scrolling," as used herein, generally pertains to moving displayed data (e.g., text or graphics) across a viewing area on the display screen 704 such that at least one new data item (e.g., line of text or graphics) is brought into view within the viewing area. Essentially, the scrolling function allows the user to view a data set that is currently outside the viewing area. The viewing area may be the entire viewing area of the display screen 704 or it may be only a portion of the display screen 704 (e.g., a window frame).

By way of example, in the case of a music player (e.g., an MP3 player), the scrolling feature may be used to help browse through songs stored within the music player. To elaborate, the display screen 704 may display a list of media items (e.g., songs) during operation. By providing a rotational input action using the rotational input device 710, the user of the media player 700 is able to linearly scroll through the list of media items. Displayed items from the list of media items change in correspondence with the rotational input action to enable the user to effectively scroll through the list of media items. However, because the media item list can be quite lengthy, the present invention provides the user with the ability to quickly traverse (or scroll) through the media item list. In effect, the user is able to speed up their traversal of the list of media items by providing a rotational input action at a greater speed. The direction of the rotational input action may be arranged to control the scrolling direction.

In addition to the above, the media player 700 may also include one or more buttons 712. The buttons 712 are configured to provide one or more dedicated control functions for making selections or issuing commands related to operating the media player 700. By way of example, in the case of a music player, the button functions may be associated with opening a menu, playing a song, fast forwarding a song, seeking through a menu, and the like. In most cases, the button function is implemented via a mechanical click action. The position of the button 712 relative to the rotational input device 710 may be widely varied. For example, they may be adjacent to each other or spaced apart. In the illustrated embodiment, the buttons 712 are configured to surround the inside and outside perimeter of the rotational input device 710. In this manner, the button 712 may provide a tactile surface that defines the outer boundary of the rotational input device 710. As shown, there are four buttons 712A around the outer perimeter and one button 712B disposed in the center or middle of the rotational input device 710. By way of example, the plurality of buttons 712 may consist of a menu button, a play/stop button, a seek forward button, a seek rewind button, and the like.

In addition, the media player 700 may also include a power switch 714, a headphone jack 716, and a data port 718. The power switch 714 is configured to turn the media player 700 on or off. The headphone jack 716 can receive a headphone connector associated with a headphone configured to listen to sound being output by the media player 700. The data port 718 can house a data connector/cable assembly configured to transmit data to and receive data from a host device, such as a general purpose computer. As an example, data port 718 may be used to upload songs to media device 700 or download songs from media device 700. The data port 718 may be widely varied. For example, the data port may be a PS/2 port, a serial port, a parallel port, a USB port, a FireWire port, or the like. In some cases, data port 718 may be a Radio Frequency (RF) link or an optical Infrared (IR) link to eliminate the need for a cable. Although not shown in fig. 7B, the media player 700 may also include a power port that receives a power connector/cable assembly configured to provide power to the media player 700. In some cases, data port 718 may serve as both a data port and a power port.

Fig. 8A is a block diagram of a media player 800 according to one embodiment of the invention. The media player 800 can, for example, represent internal components of the media player 700.

The media player 800 includes a processor 802 that belongs to a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of the media player 800. The media player 800 stores media data pertaining to media items in the file system 804 and the cache 806. The file system 804 is typically a storage disk or a plurality of disks. The file system typically provides high capacity storage capability for the media player 800. However, since the access time to the file system 804 is relatively slow, the media player 800 also includes a cache 806. Cache 806 is, for example, Random Access Memory (RAM) provided by semiconductor memory. The relative access time to the cache 806 is substantially shorter than the access time to the file system 804. However, the cache 806 does not have the large storage capacity of the file system 804. In addition, the file system 804, when active, consumes more power than does the cache 806. Power consumption is particularly important when the media player 800 is a portable media player that is powered by a battery (not shown).

The media player 800 also includes a user input device 808 that allows a user of the media player 800 to interact with the media player 800. For example, the user input device 808 can take various forms, such as buttons, a keyboard, dials, and so forth. Still further, the media player 800 includes a display 810 (screen display) that can be controlled by the processor 802 to display information to a user. A data bus 811 can facilitate data transfer between at least the file system 804, the cache 806, the processor 802, and a coder/decoder (CODEC) 812. The media player 800 can also include an audio feedback unit (not shown) to provide audio feedback for user interactions, such as interactions with the user input device 808.

In one embodiment, the media player 800 is used to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs) in the file system 804. When a user wishes to have the media player play a particular media item, a list of available media items is displayed on the display 810. The user can then select one of the available media items using the user input device 808. The processor 802, upon receiving a selection of a particular media item, provides the media data (e.g., audio file) for the particular media item to a coder/decoder (CODEC) 812. The CODEC812 then produces analog output signals for a speaker 814. The speaker 814 can be a speaker internal or external to the media player 800. For example, headphones or earphones that connect to the media player 800 would be considered an external speaker.

FIG. 8B is a block diagram of a computing system 850 according to an embodiment of the invention. The computing system 850 can represent, for example, a portion of any of the computer system 650 shown in fig. 7A, the media player 700 shown in fig. 7B, or the media player 800 shown in fig. 8A.

The computing system 850 includes a housing 852 that exposes a rotational input device 854. The housing 852 can be a housing for a computer or a housing for an input/output device. The rotational input device 854 allows a user to interact with the computing system 850 through rotational actions. The rotational motion may be caused by rotation of the rotational input device 854 itself or by rotation of the rotational input device 854 by a stylus or a user's finger. By way of example, the rotational input device 854 may be a rotary dial (including, for example, a navigation wheel or scroll wheel) capable of being rotated, or may be a touchpad capable of being rotation sensed. In one embodiment, the touch pad has a circular shape. The rotary pickup unit 856 is coupled to the rotary input device 854 to sense the rotary motion. For example, the rotary pickup unit 856 can be optically or electrically coupled to the rotary input device 854.

The computing system 850 further includes a processor 858, a display 860, and an audio feedback unit 862. The signals pertaining to the rotational motion are provided to a processor 858. The processor 858 not only performs processing operations for applications resident by the computing system 850, but also is capable of controlling the display 860 and the audio feedback unit 862. Alternatively, a dedicated controller or other circuitry can support the processor 858 in controlling the display 860 or the audio feedback unit 862.

The processor 858 causes a display screen to be generated on the display 860. In one implementation, the display screen includes a list of selectable items (e.g., media items) from which a user can select one or more items. The list can be scrolled through by the user providing a rotational action to the rotational input device 854. The processor 858 receives signals pertaining to the rotational action from the rotational pick-up unit 856. The processor 858 then determines the next item in the list to be presented on the display screen by the display 860. In making this determination, the processor 858 can consider the length of the list. Typically, the processor 858 will determine the rate of the spinning action to enable movement to different items within the media list to be performed at a rate that is proportional to the rate of the spinning action.

The processor 858 can also control the audio feedback unit 862 to provide audio feedback to the user. The audio feedback can be, for example, a click sound generated by the audio feedback unit 862. In one embodiment, the audio feedback unit 862 is a piezoelectric buzzer. As the rate of movement through the list of items increases, the frequency of the clicking sounds can also increase. Alternatively, as the rate of turning the rotational input device 854 slows, the rate of movement through the list of items decreases, and the frequency of the clicking sounds correspondingly slows. Thus, the click sound provides the user with audio feedback as to at what rate the items within the list of items are being traversed.

Fig. 9 shows the media player 700 of fig. 7B being used by a user 920 according to one embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the user 920 is linearly scrolling (as represented by arrow 924) through a list of songs 922 displayed on the display screen 904 via a slider bar 923. As shown, the media device 900 can be comfortably held in one hand 926 while being comfortably addressed by the other hand 928. This configuration generally allows the user 920 to easily manipulate the rotational input device 910 with one or more fingers. For example, the thumb 930 and rightmost finger 931 (or the leftmost finger if left handed) of the first hand 926 are used to hold the side of the media player 900, while the finger 932 of the opposite hand 928 is used to manipulate the rotational input device 910.

Referring to FIG. 9, and in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the rotary input device 910 can be continuously manipulated with a circular movement of a finger 932, as indicated by arrow 934. For example, the finger may be rotated about an imaginary axis. Specifically, the finger can be rotated within 360 degrees of rotation without stopping. This form of motion may produce incremental or accelerated scrolling through the list of songs 922 being displayed on the display screen 904.

FIG. 10A is a flow diagram of user input processing 1000 according to one embodiment of the invention. The user input processing 1000 is performed, for example, with the computer system 650 illustrated in fig. 7A or the media player 700 illustrated in fig. 7B.

The user input process 1000 displays a graphical user interface at 1002. Rotational motion associated with the user input action is then received at 1004. Here, the user input action is typically angular, as opposed to linear, and thus pertains to rotational motion. As discussed in more detail below, this rotational motion can be provided by a user input action. In one example, the rotational movement can be caused by a user's action that is rotating the navigational wheel through a user input action. In another example, the rotational motion can be caused by a finger of a user of the stylus being moved in a rotational manner or a user input action to the touch pad. After the rotational motion has been received 1004, the rotational motion is converted to linear motion 1006. The linear motion is then applied 1008 to at least one object of the graphical user interface. For example, the objects of the graphical user interface may be lists, menus, or other objects having multiple selectable items. This linear motion enables a scroll-type action with respect to an object (e.g., a list or menu). Alternatively, the linear motion can enable level adjustment (e.g., volume adjustment) or position adjustment (e.g., slider bar position). After linear motion has been applied 1008, the user input process 1000 is complete and ends.

Fig. 10B is a flow diagram of user input processing 1050, according to another embodiment of the invention. The user input processing 1050 is performed, for example, with the computer system 650 illustrated in fig. 7A or the media player 700 illustrated in fig. 7B.

Operations 1052-1060 performed by the user input process 1050 are similar to those same operations performed by the user input process 1000 illustrated in fig. 10A. In addition, the user input process 1050 operates to provide 1056 audible feedback corresponding to the rotational movement. In other words, as the rotational motion associated with the user input action is received 1054, audible feedback corresponding to the rotational motion is provided 1056. Such audible feedback provides feedback to the user as to the extent that rotational movement has been input. In one embodiment, rotational motion associated with a user input action is converted to linear motion and applied to an object of a graphical user interface. For example, when the object of the graphical user interface is a list of items displayed for a user scrolling and selecting action, the rotational movement associated with the user input action represents the distance traversed within the list of items. The distance traversed is increased (e.g., multiplied) when acceleration is applied. In one embodiment, the audible feedback is provided by a piezoelectric buzzer controlled by the processor (or other circuitry). For example, the audio feedback unit 862 shown in fig. 8B may be a piezoelectric buzzer. The controller for the piezoelectric buzzer can be, for example, the processor of the computer system 650 or the media player 700, or some other circuitry coupled to the piezoelectric buzzer.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram of user input processing 1100 according to another embodiment of the invention. The user input processing 1100 is performed, for example, by a computing device such as the computer system 650 illustrated in fig. 7A or the media player 700 illustrated in fig. 7B.

The user input process 1100 first displays a portion of a list of items at 1102 along with a selection bar. The selection bar typically points to or highlights one or more items within the list of items. In general, the selection bar can be associated with any visual indication that specifies one or more items within the list of items. Thus, the selection bar is one of the visual indicators. Next, a decision 1104 determines whether a rotational motion input has been received. When the decision 1104 determines that rotational motion has not been received, a decision 1106 determines whether additional input has been received. Here, the input is provided by a user of the computing device executing the user input process 1100 or associated with the user input process 1100. When the decision 1106 determines that additional input has been received, then other processing is performed 1108 to perform any operations or actions caused by the other input. Following operation 1108, the user input process 1100 is complete and ends. On the other hand, when the decision 1106 determines that no further input has been received, then the user input process 1100 returns to repeat the decision 1104.

Once the decision 1104 determines that a rotational motion input has been received, the rotational motion is transformed into linear motion 1110. Then, the next portion within the list of items (and the placement of the selection bar on one of the items) is determined 1112. Thereafter, the next portion within the list of items is displayed 1114. The linear motion operates to move a selection bar (or other visual identifier) within the list. In other words, the selection bar is scrolled up or down (in an accelerated or non-accelerated manner) by the user in accordance with a linear motion. When scrolling occurs, the portion of the list that is being displayed changes. Following operation 1114, the user input process 1100 is complete and ends. However, if desired, the user input processing 1100 can also continue after operation 1114 by returning to decision 1104 so that subsequent rotational movement inputs can be processed to view other portions of the list items in a similar manner.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a rotational input display system 1200 according to an embodiment of the invention. By way of example, the rotational input display system 1200 can be executed by a computing device, such as the computer system 650 illustrated in fig. 7A or the media player 700 illustrated in fig. 7B. The rotary input display system 1200 employs a rotary input device 1202 and a display screen 1204. The rotational input device 1202 is configured to translate rotational motion 1206 via a user input action (e.g., a coiling or rotational motion) into translational or linear motion 1208 on the display screen 1204. In an embodiment, the rotational input device 1402 is arranged to continuously determine the angular position of the rotational input device 1202, or the angular position of an object relative to the planar surface 1209 of the rotational input device 1202. This allows the user to linearly scroll through the media list 1211 on the display screen 1204 by causing rotational motion 1206 relative to the rotational input device 1202.

The rotational input display system 1200 also includes a control assembly 1212 coupled to the rotational input device 1202. The control assembly 1212 is configured to acquire position signals from the sensors and provide the acquired signals to the processor 1214 of the system. By way of example, the control component 1212 may include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) configured to monitor signals from the sensors to calculate angular position and direction (and optionally velocity and acceleration) from the monitored signals, and to report this information to the processor 1214.

The processor 1214 is coupled between the control component 1212 and the display screen 1204. The processor 1214 is configured to control the display of information on the display screen 1204. In one order, the processor 1214 receives the angular motion information from the control component 1212 and then determines the next item in the media list 1211 to be presented on the display screen 1204. In making this determination, the processor 1214 can take into account the length of the media list 1211. Typically, the processor 1214 will determine the rate of movement to enable faster, or faster or accelerated, movement to different items within the media list 1211 when moving at a speed that is not low or proportional to a greater speed. In fact, a fast rotational motion causes a faster movement through the list 1211 of media items for the user. Alternatively, in certain embodiments, the control assembly 1212 and the processor 1214 may be combined.

Although not shown, the processor 1214 can also control a buzzer to provide audio feedback to the user. The audio feedback can be, for example, a click sound produced by a buzzer 1216. In one embodiment, the buzzer 1216 is a piezoelectric buzzer. As the rate of movement through the list of media items increases, the frequency of the clicking sounds also increases. On the other hand, when the moving speed is slowed down, the frequency of the click sound is correspondingly slowed down. Thus, the clicking sound provides the user with audio feedback regarding the rate at which the media items within the list of media items are being traversed.

The various aspects, features or embodiments of the invention described above can be used alone or in various combinations. The present invention is preferably implemented by a combination of hardware and software, but can also be implemented in hardware or software. The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, optical data storage devices, and carrier waves. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

The advantages of the present invention are numerous. Different embodiments or implementations may yield one or more of the following advantages. It should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list and that other advantages not described herein may exist. One advantage of the present invention is that a user is able to traverse a displayed list of items using a rotational user input action. Another advantage of the present invention is that a user can easily and quickly traverse a lengthy list of items. It is a further advantage of the present invention that the rate of traversal of the list of media items can be dependent on the rate of rotation of the dial (or navigation wheel). Yet another advantage of the present invention is that audible sounds are produced to provide feedback to the user of their rate of traversal of a list of media items.

The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the written description and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described. Accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

Claims (50)

1. A method of scrolling through displayed items, comprising:

displaying a subset of the list of media items available for selection by the user;

scrolling through the displayed media items in the list at a first rate proportional to a rotational movement of a finger or stylus relative to an input device in the form of a touchpad, wherein the rotational movement is the finger or stylus constantly rotating through a 360 degree rotation, and

modifying the first rate using an acceleration factor determined from the rate of rotational movement,

whereby rotational movement of the finger or stylus enables scrolling through the displayed media items and modifying the first rate of scrolling through the displayed items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device defines a second rate, no acceleration is applied when the second rate is slow; when the second rate is fast, the acceleration being applied is doubled.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of scrolling through displayed media items at a first rate comprises linearly scrolling through displayed items at the first rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device comprises continuously moving the finger or stylus through a rotational movement.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the displayed media items in the list are scrollable through when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein electronic audio feedback is provided when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the touchpad is circular.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the touchpad has a button in a center region.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the displayed media items in the list are scrollable through when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein audio feedback is provided when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio feedback is provided electrically through an overvoltage buzzer.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device defines a second rate;

wherein the method further comprises determining whether the second rate is greater than a threshold rate; and

wherein, if it is determined that the second rate is greater than the threshold rate, the first rate is modified to change the first rate to provide accelerated scrolling through the list of media items.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second light sources are selected from the group consisting of,

wherein the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device defines a second rate;

wherein the method further comprises determining whether the second rate is greater than a threshold rate; and

wherein if the second rate associated with the rotational movement exceeds the threshold rate, increasing the first rate such that a next media item in the list of media items to be scrolled is also located below the list of media items.

14. The method of any of claims 1-13, wherein the method is performed by a handheld portable media player.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the media items corresponds to a media file stored in the handheld portable media player.

16. The method of claim 15, the media item being an audio item, and the media file being an audio file.

17. An apparatus for scrolling through media items, comprising:

a display configured to display a portion of a media item and enable scrolling through the displayed media item at a first rate proportional to a rotational movement of a finger or stylus relative to an input device in the form of a touchpad, wherein the rotational movement is the finger or stylus constantly rotating through a 360 degree rotation,

the input device configured to respond to rotational movement of a finger or stylus,

a processor configured to modify the first rate using an acceleration factor determined from a rate of the rotational movement,

whereby rotational movement of the finger or stylus enables scrolling through the displayed media items and modifying the first rate of scrolling through the displayed items.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the rotational movement of a finger or stylus relative to the input device defines a second rate, no acceleration is applied when the second rate is slow; when the second rate is fast, the acceleration being applied is doubled.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the display is configured to enable linear scrolling through the displayed media items at the first rate.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the input device comprises a surface configured to respond to continuous movement of the finger or stylus through rotational movement.

21. A consumer electronic product comprising:

a display configured to display at least a portion of a list of media items and to enable scrolling through the displayed items in a predetermined direction at a first rate proportional to rotational movement of a finger or stylus relative to an input device in the form of a touchpad, wherein the rotational movement is the finger or stylus turning through a 360 degree rotation without stopping,

the input device configured to respond to a second rate of rotational movement of a finger or stylus relative to the input device, an

A processor configured to modify the first rate using an acceleration factor determined from a rate of the rotational movement,

whereby rotational movement of the finger or stylus enables scrolling through the displayed media items and modifies the rate of scrolling through the displayed media items; and

wherein if a second rate related to the rotational movement exceeds a threshold, increasing the first rate such that a next media item in the list of media items to be scrolled is also located in the predetermined direction in the list of media items.

22. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 21 wherein the display is configured to enable scrolling linearly through the displayed items at the first rate.

23. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 21 wherein the input device comprises a surface configured to respond to continuous movement of the finger or stylus.

24. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 21 wherein the first rate is continuously increased to a preset continuously greater acceleration level when the second rate is greater than the threshold.

25. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 24 wherein the first rate increases by a factor of 2 at each acceleration stage.

26. The consumer electronic product as recited in any of claims 21-25, wherein the consumer electronic product is a handheld portable media player and each of the media items corresponds to a media file stored in the handheld portable media player.

27. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 26 wherein the media item is an audio item and the media file is an audio file.

28. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 26, wherein the displayed media items can be scrolled through when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

29. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 28, wherein electronic audio feedback is provided when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

30. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 21 wherein the touch pad is circular.

31. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 30 wherein the touch pad has a button in a center region.

32. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 29, wherein the displayed media items can be scrolled through when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

33. A consumer electronic product as recited in claim 32, wherein audio feedback is provided when the rotational movement of the finger or stylus relative to the input device occurs.

34. The consumer electronic product as recited in claim 33 wherein the audio feedthrough is electrically provided by an overvoltage buzzer.

35. A portable battery-operated media player (800), comprising:

a storage device (804) adapted to store media content related to a plurality of media items;

a display screen (810) adapted to display a portion of the list of the plurality of media items at a time;

a user input device (808) in the form of a touch pad capable of enabling a user of the player (800) to input through a rotational motion of a finger or stylus and capable of enabling the user to scroll through the list of media items through the rotational motion, wherein the rotational motion is the finger or stylus constantly rotating through a 360 degree rotation;

a rotary pick-up unit (856) adapted to obtain a signal representative of the rate of the rotary motion; and

a processor (802) operatively connected to the storage device (804) and the user input device (808), the processor (802) configured to determine a scroll rate associated with the list of media items displayed on the display screen and determine a next portion of the list of media items to be displayed based on the rate of the rotational action.

36. A media player as recited in claim 35, wherein said media player is pocket-sized.

37. A media player as recited in any of claims 35-36, wherein the number of media items that can be displayed on said display screen at a time is limited due to the small size of said display screen.

38. A media player as recited in any of claims 35-36, wherein said next portion does not continuously follow a previous portion when the rate of said rotational action exceeds a threshold.

39. A media player as recited in any of claims 35-36, wherein said media player (800) comprises an audio player, and wherein the media content of a media item comprises at least an audio file of a song.

40. A media player according to any one of claims 35-36, wherein said media player (800) comprises a video player, and wherein the media content of a media item comprises at least a video file of a video recording.

41. A media player as recited in any of claims 35-36, wherein said media player (800) includes an image viewer, and wherein the media content of a media item includes at least an image file of an image.

42. The media player of any one of claims 35-36, wherein said media player (800) further comprises:

a feedback circuit operatively connected to the user input device (808) and the processor (802), the feedback circuit being adapted to generate a sound effect representative of a degree of rotational motion to the user input device (808).

43. A portable battery-operated media player (800), comprising:

a storage device (804) adapted to store media content related to a plurality of media items;

a display screen (810) adapted to display a portion of the list of the plurality of media items at a time;

a user input device (808) in the form of a touch pad capable of enabling a user of the player (800) to input through a rotational motion of a finger or stylus and capable of enabling the user to scroll through the list of media items through the rotational motion, wherein the rotational motion is the finger or stylus constantly rotating through a 360 degree rotation;

a rotary pick-up unit (856) adapted to obtain a signal representative of the rate of the rotary motion; and

a processor (802) operatively connected to the storage device (804) and the user input device (808), the processor (802) configured to determine a scroll rate associated with the list of media items displayed on the display screen based on the rate of the rotational action and determine a next portion of the list of media items to be displayed based on the rate of the rotational action such that the faster the rate of the rotational action, the lower the next portion becomes in the list.

44. A media player as recited in claim 43, wherein said media player is pocket-sized.

45. A media player as recited in any of claims 43-44, wherein the number of media items that can be displayed on the display screen at a time is limited due to the small size of the display screen.

46. A media player as recited in any of claims 43-44, wherein said next portion does not continuously follow a previous portion when the rate of said rotational action exceeds a threshold.

47. A media player as recited in any of claims 43-44, wherein said media player (800) comprises an audio player, and wherein the media content of a media item comprises at least an audio file of a song.

48. A media player as recited in any of claims 43-44, wherein said media player (800) comprises a video player, and wherein the media content of a media item comprises at least a video file of a video recording.

49. A media player as recited in any of claims 43-44, wherein said media player (800) includes an image viewer, and wherein the media content of a media item includes at least an image file of an image.

50. The media player of any one of claims 43-44, wherein said media player (800) further comprises:

a feedback circuit operatively connected to the user input device (808) and the processor (802), the feedback circuit being adapted to generate a sound effect representative of a degree of rotational motion to the user input device (808).