Handheld electronic devices are commonly used to store and display messages. Devices that are enabled for wireless communication may also be used for sending and receiving messages. Where possible, the devices have been provided with messaging application having a user interface similar to the user interface found for similar application on a desktop computer. For example, an e-mail application may have a scrollable viewport for displaying messages in chronological order on the basis of the time and date on which they were received. The most recent messages are typically at the top. The user may then scroll through the list of messages to locate a particular desired message.
A handheld device typically has a limited display space due to its compact nature. This can result in some problems for displaying messages in a conventional format. For example, the limited display space may result in fewer messages appearing in the scrollable viewport. In some cases, the user can lose track of where he or she is in the list and may have difficulty identifying the date with which a particular message is associated.
Other features of handheld devices distinguish them from conventional desktop computers in terms of the ability to display and work with messages. For example, scrolling and selecting items on a handheld device may be more difficult since these devices typically do not includes a mouse. Therefore, simply scrolling on a handheld device may not be a desirable solution to the problem of losing track of the dates associated with messages in the viewport.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to improve the display of messages on handheld devices.
Similar reference numerals are used in different figures to denote similar components.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds