U.S. patent application number 14/446302 was filed with the patent office on 2014-11-13 for speed dependent displaying of information items in a graphical user interface.
The applicant listed for this patent is Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l.. Invention is credited to Timo ELOMAA, Erika REPONEN.
Application Number | 20140337798 14/446302 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 39358148 |
Filed Date | 2014-11-13 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140337798 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
REPONEN; Erika ; et
al. |
November 13, 2014 |
SPEED DEPENDENT DISPLAYING OF INFORMATION ITEMS IN A GRAPHICAL USER
INTERFACE
Abstract
An apparatus with a graphical user interface includes a
processor, a display screen coupled to said processor, and a
navigational input device coupled to said processor. The processor
is configured to display a plurality of information items on the
display screen, position the information items on the display
screen as a string of information items along a path, move the
string of information items along said path in response to input
from said navigational input device, and change a shape of said
path in relation to a speed at which the string of information
items moves along the path by including only straight sections at
zero speed of movement of the string of information items and
including one or more curves at increased speeds of movement of the
string of information items.
Inventors: |
REPONEN; Erika; (Tampere,
FI) ; ELOMAA; Timo; (Pirkkala, FI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Core Wireless Licensing S.a.r.l. |
Luxembourg |
|
LU |
|
|
Family ID: |
39358148 |
Appl. No.: |
14/446302 |
Filed: |
July 29, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11535104 |
Sep 26, 2006 |
8832575 |
|
|
14446302 |
|
|
|
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Current U.S.
Class: |
715/830 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/04812 20130101;
G06F 3/0482 20130101; H04M 1/72583 20130101; G06F 3/0485
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/830 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/0485 20060101
G06F003/0485; G06F 3/0482 20060101 G06F003/0482 |
Claims
1. An apparatus with a graphical user interface, said apparatus
comprising: a processor; a display screen coupled to said
processor; a navigational input device coupled to said processor;
wherein the processor is configured to: display a plurality of
information items on the display screen; position the information
items on the display screen as a string of information items along
a path; move the string of information items along said path in
response to input from said navigational input device; and change a
shape of said path in relation to a speed at which the string of
information items moves along the path by including only straight
sections at zero speed of movement of the string of information
items and including one or more curves at increased speeds of
movement of the string of information items.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 11/535,104, filed 26 Sep. 2006, the disclosure of which is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The disclosed embodiments relate to user interfaces of
apparatus, in particular to user interfaces of apparatus that
include a display screen on which a plurality of information items
can be moved along a path under user control through the use of a
navigational input device.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Increased processing power has made it easier to manipulate
information items on a display of a mobile electronic device, for
example through presence of improved graphics accelerators. Several
attempts have been made to put this increase processing power to
use in improving the user-friendliness of graphical Uls. For
example, it is now possible to show three dimensional objects on
mobile electronic devices and to show two-dimensional objects in a
three-dimensional UI space. However, these attempts have mainly
cluttered the user interface for the normal user when effects steal
the attention from the tasks to be performed. This is a new
situation in mobile electronic devices. Solutions for more
intuitive UI graphics are needed. Thus, there is a desire for more
flexible and intuitive ways of UI navigation visualizations.
[0004] On the above background, it would be advantageous to at
least partially fulfill one or more of the above indicated
desires.
[0005] It would also be advantageous to provide a more intuitive
way of visualizing information items that are displayed on a
display screen an electronic device.
SUMMARY
[0006] In one embodiment string of information items is displayed
on a display screen along a path, allowing the user to control the
speed of movement of the information items along the path through a
navigational input means and changing the shape of the path in
relation to the speed of movement of the string of items along the
path.
[0007] The changing shape of the path provides the user with an
optical feedback and thereby improves the feeling of control over
the speed of movement of the items in the string. Thus, user
confidence is improved and the acceptance of the technology is
increased.
[0008] Further features, advantages and properties of the
apparatus, the user interface, the method and the software product,
according to the disclosed embodiments will become apparent from
the detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] In the following detailed portion of the present
description, the disclosed embodiments will be explained in more
detail with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the
drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile electronic device
according to the disclosed embodiments;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the general
architecture of a mobile electronic device of FIG. 1,
[0012] FIG. 3 shows three screenshots illustrating a method of
operating the user interface according to the disclosed
embodiments;
[0013] FIG. 4 shows two screenshots illustrating another method of
operating the user interface according to the disclosed
embodiments; and
[0014] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of the user
interface according to the disclosed embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0015] In the following detailed description, the electronic device
and the method according to the disclosed embodiments in the form
of a personal computer, PDA, mobile terminal or a mobile
communication terminal in the form of a cellular/mobile phone are
described.
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a mobile terminal according to the
disclosed embodiments in the form of a mobile telephone by a front
view. The mobile phone 1 comprises a user interface having a
housing 2, a display 3, an on/off button (not shown), a speaker 5
(only the opening is shown), and a microphone 6 (not visible in
FIG. 1). The phone 1 according to at least one embodiment may be
adapted for communication via a cellular network, such as the GSM
900/1800 MHz network, but could just as well be adapted for use
with a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a 3G network,
or a TCP/IP-based network to cover a possible VoIP-network (e.g.
via WLAN, WIMAX or similar) or a mix of VoIP and Cellular such as
UMA (Universal Mobile Access).
[0017] The keypad 7 has a first group of keys 8 as alphanumeric
keys, by means of which the user can enter a telephone number,
write a text message (SMS), write a name (associated with the phone
number), etc. Each of the twelve alphanumeric keys 8 is provided
with a figure "0-9" or a sign "#" or "*", respectively. In alpha
mode each key is associated with a number of letters and special
signs used in the text editing.
[0018] The keypad 2 has additionally a second group of keys
comprising two softkeys 9, two call handling keys (offhook key 11
and onhook key 12), and a 5-way navigation key 10 (up, down, left,
right and center: select/activate). The function of the softkeys 9
depends on the state of the phone, and navigation in the menu is
performed by using the navigation-key 10. The present function of
the softkeys 9 is shown in separate fields (soft labels) in a
dedicated area 4 of the display 3, just above the softkeys 9. The
two call handling keys 11,12 are used for establishing a call or a
conference call, terminating a call or rejecting an incoming call.
This key layout is characteristic for e.g. the Nokia 6230i.TM.
phone.
[0019] The navigation key 10 is a four- or five-way key which can
be used for cursor movement, scrolling and selecting (five-way key)
and is placed centrally on the front surface of the phone between
the display 3 and the group of alphanumeric keys 7.
[0020] A releasable rear cover (not shown) gives access to the SIM
card (not shown), and the battery pack (not shown) in the back of
the phone that supplies electrical power for the electronic
components of the mobile phone 1.
[0021] The mobile phone 1 has a flat display 3 that is typically
made of an LCD with optional back lighting, such as a TFT matrix
capable of displaying color images. A touch screen may be used
instead of a conventional LCD display.
[0022] FIG. 2 illustrates in block diagram form the general
architecture of the mobile phone 1 constructed in accordance with
the presently disclosed embodiments. The processor 18 controls the
operation of the terminal and has an integrated digital signal
processor 17 and an integrated RAM 15. The processor 18 controls
the communication with the cellular network via the
transmitter/receiver circuit 19 and an internal antenna 20. A
microphone 6 coupled to the processor 18 via voltage regulators 21
transforms the user's speech into analogue signals, the analogue
signals formed thereby are A/D converted in an ND converter (not
shown) before the speech is encoded in the DSP 17 that is included
in the processor 18. The encoded speech signal is transferred to
the processor 18, which e.g. supports the GSM terminal software.
The digital signal-processing unit 17 speech-decodes the signal,
which is transferred from the processor 18 to the speaker 5 via a
D/A converter (not shown).
[0023] The voltage regulators 21 form the interface for the speaker
5, the microphone 6, the LED drivers 91 (for the LEDS backlighting
the keypad 7 and the display 3), the SIM card 22, battery 24, the
bottom connector 27, the DC jack 31 (for connecting to the charger
33) and the audio amplifier 32 that drives the (hands-free)
loudspeaker 25.
[0024] The processor 18 also forms the interface for some of the
peripheral units of the device, including a (Flash) ROM memory 16,
the graphical display 3, the keypad 7, the ringing tone selection
unit 26, an incoming call detection unit 28, a music data recording
medium 36, a music player 37 and a music reproduction unit 38.
[0025] The processor 18 may include a graphics accelerator, such as
a 3D graphics accelerator, or the graphics accelerator may be a
separate processor (not shown).
[0026] The software in the RAM 15 and/or in the flash ROM 16
contains instructions for the processor 18 to perform a plurality
of different applications and functions.
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates three screenshots of a gallery
application according to the disclosed embodiments in which
thumbnails of pictures stored in the memory of the mobile phone 1
are displayed as a string of information items 43 on the display
screen 3. The left softkey label 41 and the right softkey label 42
are displayed on the lower part of the display screen 3, and allow
the user to access options related menu via the left softkey 9 and
to leave the gallery application via the right softkey 9.
[0028] In screenshot 3.1 the string of information items 43 is not
moving and the information items are arranged in the string in
accordance with a substantially rectangular path 45. When the user
presses the navigation key 10 on the left or on the right side the
processor 18 will start to move the stream of information items
along the path 45. One of the information items 43 is highlighted
by a box 46, and the highlighted information item can be selected
by centrally pressing the navigation key 10. When the information
item is a picture, the picture associated with the thumbnail will
be shown on the display screen 3 when the information item is
selected.
[0029] According to other embodiments, the information items can be
other items than picture thumbnails. The following is a
non-exhaustive list of types of information items that can be used
in connection with the disclosed embodiments: thumbnails of videos
thumbnails (video stills), pictures of audio, such as album art,
mp3-tagging (rock, pop, funk, house, classical, continue yourself),
phonebook pictures/names, sms'es (text or pictures of the person
sending them), radio stations (tag of music, picture), command
buttons, and menu items.
[0030] In screenshot 3.2 the user has pressed the navigation key 10
on the right side, and the processor has started to move the
information items 43 in the string along the path 45 in the
direction of the arrow (pressing the left side of the navigation
key 10 will result in a movement in the opposite direction). When
the string was not moving, the path 45 had a substantially
rectangular shape. Now that the string of information items 43 is
moving at a relatively low speed, the corners of the path 45 are no
longer sharp, but have become rounded off to form curved sections
of the path 45, so that the rectangle has become a rounded
rectangle. Further, the shape of the information items has changed
from a rectangle to a parallelogram to indicate to the user that a
certain amount of speed is associated with these information items
43.
[0031] The processor 18 increases the speed of the movement of the
string of information items for as long as the user keeps pressing
the navigation key 10. According to an embodiment the processor
limits the maximum speed of movement of the string information
items, so after a while there will be no further increase in speed
when the user keeps on pressing the navigation key 10.
[0032] In screenshot 3.3 the user has pressed the navigation key 10
on the right side for a longer period of time, and the string of
information items moves at a higher speed. This is indicated to the
user by the fact that the path 45 has become more curved and the
path 45 now includes only curved sections with the overall shape of
the path resembling an ellipse. Further, the parallelogram shape of
the information items has been further changed with more slanting
sides.
[0033] When the speed of the string of information items reduces,
the information items 43 and the path 45 reassume (gradually or
stepwise) the shape that they had at low or no speed.
[0034] The embodiment of FIG. 3 equally applies to strings of
information items with another nature, such as menu items in a menu
application, virtual command buttons and other graphical user
interface objects.
[0035] FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment by two screenshots of
a gallery application in which thumbnails of pictures stored in the
memory of the mobile phone 1 are displayed as a string of
information items 43 on the display screen 3. The left softkey
label 41 and the right softkey label 42 are displayed on the lower
part of the display screen 3, and allow the user to access an
options related menu via the left softkey 9 and to leave the
gallery application via the right softkey 9.
[0036] In screenshot 4.1 the string of information items 43 is not
moving and the information items 43 are arranged in the string in
accordance with a substantially rectangular path 45. When the user
presses the navigation key 10 on the left or on the right side, the
processor 18 will start moving the string of information items
along a path 45. The path 45 does not fit within the display screen
3, and thus, when the string of information items is moving, new
information items 43 are added to the string at one end and removed
from the string at the other end to create an endless loop of
information items.
[0037] One of the information items 43 is highlighted by having an
enlarged size 46', and the highlighted information item can be
selected by centrally pressing the navigation key 10.
[0038] In screenshot 4.2 the user has pressed the navigation key 10
on the right side for a longer period of time and the processor 18
moves the information items 43 in the string along the path 45 in
the direction of the arrow at a relatively high speed. The
processor 18 has adapted the shape of the path 45 to the high
speed, so that the path 45 has become curved and resembles a
horseshoe. Further, the processor 18 has reduced the distance
between neighboring information items, and neighboring information
items partially overlap one another. The change in the shape of the
path and the change in the distance between the neighboring
information items can be can be gradual with increasing or
decreasing speed of movement of the string of information items or
stepwise with increasing and decreasing speed of the string of
information items. Also in this embodiment the speed of movement is
controlled by the length of continuously pressing the navigation
key 10.
[0039] The method of operation of the user interface according to
one embodiment is further illustrated by the flowchart of FIG. 5.
In step 5.1 the processor 18 displays the string of information
items 43 on the display screen 3. The string of information items
is initially displayed statically on a predetermined path 45. In
step 5.2 the processor monitors the user input from the
navigational input device 10. The processor 18 controls the speed
of the movement of the string of information items along the
predetermined path 45 in response to user input from the
navigational input device 10. In step 5.3 the processor determines
if the speed of movement of the string of information items has
changed. If the speed has not changed, the process returns to step
5.1 and the string of information item follows the same path 45 at
the same speed. If the speed has changed, the processor 18 adapts
the shape of the path 45 to the current speed in step 5.4. This
change may be gradual or stepwise in accordance with one or more
predetermined speed thresholds. A large plurality of different
shapes for the path can be preprogrammed and associated to various
levels of speed.
[0040] According to an embodiment, the color of the information
items can be changed in relation to the speed of movement of the
string of information items along the path.
[0041] According to another embodiment, the size of the information
items can be changed in relation to the speed of movement of the
string of information items along the path.
[0042] According to another embodiment (not shown) the navigational
input device for controlling the speed of the sting of information
items can be a scrollbar, such as a touch sensitive scroll bar, a
touch pad, a rotator, a scroll wheel, a touch wheel or a
joystick.
[0043] The disclosed embodiments have numerous advantages.
Different implementations may yield one or more of the following
advantages. It should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list
and there may be other advantages which are not described herein.
One advantage of the disclosed embodiments is that a user will
easily recognize at which speed the string of information items is
moving. Another advantage is that the way of displaying information
items is intuitive, since most things in real world react
differently with speed. Another advantage is that a rectangular
path is visually good when there is no movement, using the maximum
available space on of the small device screen, but for fast
movement it is visually better to use a curved path shape, since it
is easier to see items in fast movement when they move smoothly
along a curved shape. However, when navigating slowly, it is more
effective to use the whole available space of the display screen.
Further, the user interface according to the disclosed embodiments
feels more "alive" and realistic, which gives sophisticated
feedback for user actions, thus making use of the device easier.
Trust to the device is increased due to improved intuitive
feedback. Another advantage is that the user receives additional
information about navigation activities.
[0044] The term "comprising" as used in the claims does not exclude
other elements or steps. The term "a" or "an" as used in the claims
does not exclude a plurality. The single processor or other unit
may fulfill the functions of several means recited in the
claims.
[0045] Although the disclosed embodiments have been described in
detail for purpose of illustration, it is understood that such
detail is solely for that purpose, and variations can be made
therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the
scope of the disclosed embodiments.
* * * * *