Method and apparatus for controlling a display to generate notifications

1. A method for controlling a display using a display based on input from one or more input devices to generate application notifications, comprising:

controlling a display to generate a notification bar region and a content region, said notification bar region distinct from a status bar, said notification bar region and said content region displayed simultaneously, said notification bar comprising an icon representing each application from which a notification has been generated and a number adjacent said icon for indicating how many notifications have been generated by said application; said content region comprising content that corresponds to data for at least some of the notifications generated by each application, and said content in said content region comprises multiple notifications arranged beneath each of a plurality of simultaneously displayed application headers;

receiving input from an input device to either:

generate said content in said content region responsive to causing said notification bar to receive focus, or

navigate within said content region,

wherein said content in said content region further comprises said data for said at least some of the notifications; and

when said focus has moved to a given application heading and said given application heading has been selected via said input, launching a respective application by replacing, at said display, said notification bar region and said content region with a representation of said given application.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein said notification bar region is located at a top of said display and said content region is located there under.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein when said focus has moved to an item in a notification list in said data, and said item has been selected, said method further comprises said display causing said item to be displayed.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said content in said content region comprises a generic message indicating that there are no new notifications when no new notifications are available.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein when said content exceeds the size of a display, a scroll bar is provided for scrolling down to provide remaining information.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising customizing said content by:

providing at least a list of notification generating applications;

de-selecting individual applications from said list;

providing an indication in said list that said individual applications have been deselected such that notifications there from will only appear as badged on any screen display that shows an associated application icon but not on said notification bar; and

saving notification preferences.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising customizing a layout priority of applications appearing in said content region by:

providing at least a list of active applications where said active applications are applications that pass notifications for viewing via said notification bar; and,

changing an order of priority for display of said active applications by moving said applications in said list via based on received input resulting in a re-ordered list of active applications.

8. A computing device comprising:

a processor interconnected with a display and one or more input devices, said processor enabled to control said display based on input from said one or more input devices to generate application notifications, said processor further enabled to:

control said display to generate a notification bar region and a content region, said notification bar region distinct from a status bar, said notification bar region and said content region displayed simultaneously, said notification bar comprising an icon representing each application from which a notification has been generated and a number adjacent said icon for indicating how many notifications have been generated by said application; said content region comprising content that corresponds to data for at least some of the notifications generated by each application, and said content in said content region comprises multiple notifications arranged beneath each of a plurality of simultaneously displayed application headers;

receive input from an input device to either:

generate said content in said content region responsive to causing said notification bar to receive focus, or

navigate within said content region,

wherein said content in said content region further comprises said data for said at least some of the notifications; and

when said focus has moved to a given application heading and said given application heading has been selected via said input, launch a respective application by replacing, at said display, said notification bar region and said content region with a representation of said given application.

9. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein said notification bar region is located at a top of said display and said content region is located there under.

10. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein when said focus has moved to an item in a notification list in said data, and said item has been selected, said processor causes said item to be displayed.

11. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein said content in said content region comprises a generic message indicating that there are no new notifications when no new notifications are available.

12. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein when said content exceeds the size of a display, said processor causes a scroll bar to be provided at said display for scrolling down to provide remaining information.

13. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein said processor is further enabled to customize said content by:

providing at least a list of notification generating applications;

de-selecting individual applications from said list;

providing an indication in said list that said individual applications have been deselected such that notifications there from will only appear as badged on any screen display that shows an associated application icon but not on said notification bar; and

saving notification preferences.

14. The computing device of claim 8 , wherein said processor is further enabled to customize a layout priority of applications appearing in said content region by:

providing at least a list of active applications where said active applications are applications that pass notifications for viewing via said notification bar; and,

changing an order of priority for display of said active applications by moving said applications in said list via based on received input resulting in a re-ordered list of active applications.

15. A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having a computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for controlling a display using a processor based on input from one or more input devices to generate application notifications, the method comprising:

controlling a display to generate a notification bar region and a content region, said notification bar region distinct from a status bar, said notification bar region and said content region displayed simultaneously, said notification bar comprising an icon representing each application from which a notification has been generated and a number adjacent said icon for indicating how many notifications have been generated by said application; said content region comprising content that corresponds to data for at least some of the notifications generated by each application, and said content in said content region comprises multiple notifications arranged beneath each of a plurality of simultaneously displayed application headers;

receiving input from an input device to either:

generate said content in said content region responsive to causing said notification bar to receive focus, or

navigate within said content region,

wherein said content in said content region further comprises said data for said at least some of the notifications; and

when said focus has moved to a given application heading and said given application heading has been selected via said input, launching a respective application by replacing, at said display, said notification bar region and said content region with a representation of said given application.