Method and device to simplify message composition
A method and device to simplify message reply composition on a communications device, using a partially transparent overlay to allow a user to freely scroll and move around to other sections of a message or message chain while still being able to see and edit the reply being composed. When the reply is scrolled such that the composition field is not visible on the display screen, the device displays the overlay when the user enters text or on user request. The user may then type text into the overlay while viewing the underlying portion of the reply message, such as previous messages in the string.
1. A method for composing text, comprising:
displaying, on a display, a composition field and a second field, the second field including text;
receiving an input for inclusion in the composition field;
determining that a portion of the composition field is not visible on the display, including the portion being moved off-screen from the display, when the input is received;
in response to the determining, displaying an overlay, the overlay including an input area, wherein the overlay is a partially transparent overlay;
displaying the input in the input area of the overlay;
detecting an insert event; and
in response to detecting the insert event, inserting the elements entered in the input area of the overlay into the composition field and removing the overlay from the display.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the insert event is any one of a user-generated event, a system event, and a combination of the user-generated event and the system event.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the composition field includes a composition input, and further comprising populating the input area of the overlay with the composition input in response to the determining.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the overlay is superimposed onto the second field.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein a size of the overlay is smaller than a size of the display.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the input includes at least one of text, a rich text object, a picture, and an emoticon.
7. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having encoded thereon computer executable instructions, said computer executable instructions comprising instructions to:
display, on a display, a composition field and a second field, the second field including text;
receive an input for inclusion in the composition field;
determine that a portion of the composition field is not visible on the display when the input is received, including the portion being moved off-screen from the display;
in response to the determining, display an overlay, the overlay including an input area, wherein the overlay is a partially transparent overlay;
display the input in the input area of the overlay;
detect an insert event; and
in response to detecting the insert event, insert the elements entered in the input area of the overlay into the composition field and remove the overlay from the display.
8. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the insert event is any one of a user-generated event, a system event, and a combination of the user-generated event and the system event.
9. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the composition field includes a composition input, and further comprising populating the input area of the overlay with the composition input in response to the determining.
10. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the overlay is superimposed onto the second field.
11. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein a size of the overlay is smaller than a size of the display.
12. The computer program product of claim 7 , wherein the input includes at least one of text, a rich text object, a picture, and an emoticon.
13. A device configured for communications with a network, the device comprising:
a display;
a memory;
an user input device; and
a processor for controlling the operation of the display, wherein the processor is configured to:
display, on a display, a composition field and a second field, the second field including text;
receive an input from the user input device for inclusion in the composition field;
determine that a portion of the composition field is not visible on the display when the input is received, including the portion being moved off-screen from the display;
in response to the determining, display an overlay, the overlay including an input area, wherein the overlay is a partially transparent overlay;
display the input in the input area of the overlay;
detect an insert event; and
in response to detecting the insert event, insert the elements entered in the input area of the overlay into the composition field and remove the overlay from the display.
14. The device of claim 13 , wherein the insert event is any one of a user-generated event received at the user input device, a system event generated by the processor, and a combination of the user-generated event and the system event.
15. The device of claim 13 , wherein the composition field includes a composition input, and wherein the processor is further configured to populate the input area of the overlay with the composition input in response to the determining.