Application menu for video system

• US 10,067,643 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2015
• Issued: 09/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Elbert D., Howard, Joe, McGlinn, Joshua, Lochhead, Jonathan, Keighran, Benjamin W., Van Os, Marcel, Bachman, William M., Robbin, Jeffrey L., Folse, Jennifer L. C., Kress, Lynne
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadeese
• Application Number:
  US14/747,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

The invention is directed to an electronic device. The electronic device generates for presentation on a display a user interface including a plurality of groups of icons. A plurality of the icons have been grouped based at least in part on metadata of applications associated with the icons. The electronic device receives input selecting a respective icon. In response to receiving the input selecting a respective icon, the electronic device invokes an instance of an application associated with the respective icon.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

at an electronic device with one or more processors and memory;

generating for presentation on a display a user interface including a plurality of groups of icons, wherein the user interface has first and second modes, and a plurality of the icons have been grouped based at least in part on metadata of applications associated with the icons;

receiving input selecting a respective icon;

in response to receiving the input selecting a respective icon, invoking an instance of an application associated with the respective icon;

receiving input requesting adding an additional application;

in response to receiving the input requesting adding the additional application;

in accordance with a determination that metadata of the additional application indicates an icon associated with the additional application should be displayed in a first group of icons, adding the icon associated with the additional application to the first group of icons; and

in accordance with a determination that the metadata of the additional application indicates the icon associated with the additional application should be displayed in a second group of icons, adding the icon associated with the additional application to the second group of icons;

receiving scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons; and

in response to receiving the scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons;

in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the first mode, scrolling the plurality of groups of icons in proportion to a magnitude of the scrolling input; and

in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the second mode and that the scrolling input meets one or more group-scrolling criteria, scrolling the plurality of groups of icons from a first group to a second group.

2. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

displaying the icons having a first visual characteristic in the first mode; and

displaying the icons having a second visual characteristic, different than the first visual characteristic, in the second mode.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the icons having the first visual characteristic includes displaying a single group of icons at a first zoom level, and displaying the icons having the second visual characteristic includes displaying multiple groups of icons at a second zoom level, different than the first zoom level.

4. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving additional input;

in response to receiving the additional input;

in the second mode, rearranging one or more groups of icons based on the additional input; and

in the first mode, forgoing rearranging the one or more groups of icons based on the additional input.

5. The method of claim 1, the method further comprising:

receiving first user input to change from the first mode to the second mode; and

receiving second user input to change from the second mode to the first mode;

wherein the first user input comprises a first gesture, and the second user input comprises a second gesture that is the first gesture in reverse.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

adding the icon associated with the additional application to the first group of icons comprises displaying the icon associated with the additional application in a next available position in the first group; and

adding the icon associated with the additional application to the second group of icons comprises displaying the icon associated with the additional application in a next available position in the second group.

7. The method of claim 1, the plurality of icons including a first icon automatically grouped in the first group, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to move the first icon to the second group; and

in response to receiving the request, moving the first icon from the first group to the second group.

8. The method of claim 1, the plurality of icons including a first icon automatically grouped in the first group, the method further comprising:

receiving a user request to add the first icon to a favorites group;

in response to receiving the user request, associating the first icon with the favorites group;

receiving a request to display the first group;

in response to receiving the request to display the first group, displaying the first icon in the first group;

receiving a request to display the favorites group;

in response to receiving the request to display the favorites group, displaying the first icon in the favorites group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each group includes a grid of icons, each grid of icons having a number of columns that depends on a number of items in the associated group.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first group of icons has a first number of columns based on a total number of icons in the first group, and the second group of icons has a second number of columns, different from the first number of columns, based on a total number of icons in the second group.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the scrolling input meets the one or more group-scrolling criteria in accordance with a determination that a magnitude of the scrolling input exceeds a threshold magnitude.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising in response to receiving the scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons, in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the second mode and that the scrolling input does not meet the group-scrolling criteria, forgoing scrolling the plurality of groups of icons from the first group to the second group.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the scrolling input is a swipe detected on a touch-sensitive surface of a device.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

generating for presentation on a display a user interface including a plurality of groups of icons, wherein the user interface has first and second modes, and a plurality of the icons have been grouped based at least in part on metadata of applications associated with the icons;

receiving input selecting a respective icon;

in response to receiving the input selecting a respective icon, invoking an instance of an application associated with the respective icon;

receiving input requesting adding an additional application;

in response to receiving the input requesting adding the additional application;

in accordance with a determination that metadata of the additional application indicates an icon associated with the additional application should be displayed in a first group of icons, adding the icon associated with the additional application to the first group of icons; and

in accordance with a determination that the metadata of the additional application indicates the icon associated with the additional application should be displayed in a second group of icons, adding the icon associated with the additional application to the second group of icons;

receiving scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons; and

in response to receiving the scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons;

in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the first mode, scrolling the plurality of groups of icons in proportion to a magnitude of the scrolling input; and

in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the second mode and that the scrolling input meets one or more group-scrolling criteria, scrolling the plurality of groups of icons from a first group to a second group.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the scrolling input meets the one or more group-scrolling criteria in accordance with a determination that a magnitude of the scrolling input exceeds a threshold magnitude.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, the instructions further for in response to receiving the scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons, in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the second mode and that the scrolling input does not meet the group scrolling criteria, forgoing scrolling the plurality of groups of icons from the first group to the second group.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the scrolling input is a swipe detected on a touch-sensitive surface of a device.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, the instructions further for:

displaying the icons having a first visual characteristic in the first mode; and

displaying the icons having a second visual characteristic, different than the first visual characteristic, in the second mode.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein displaying the icons having the first visual characteristic includes displaying a single group of icons at a first zoom level, and displaying the icons having the second visual characteristic includes displaying multiple groups of icons at a second zoom level, different than the first zoom level.

20. The electronic device of claim 14, the instructions further for:

receiving additional input;

in response to receiving the additional input;

in the second mode, rearranging one or more groups of icons based on the additional input; and

in the first mode, forgoing rearranging the one or more groups of icons based on the additional input.

21. The electronic device of claim 14, the instructions further for:

receiving first user input to change from the first mode to the second mode; and

receiving second user input to change from the second mode to the first mode;

wherein the first user input comprises a first gesture, and the second user input comprises a second gesture that is the first gesture in reverse.

22. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein:

adding the icon associated with the additional application to the first group of icons comprises displaying the icon associated with the additional application in a next available position in the first group; and

adding the icon associated with the additional application to the second group of icons comprises displaying the icon associated with the additional application in a next available position in the second group.

23. The electronic device of claim 14, the plurality of icons including a first icon automatically grouped in the first group, the instructions further for:

receiving a request to move the first icon to the second group; and

in response to receiving the request, moving the first icon from the first group to the second group.

24. The electronic device of claim 14, the plurality of icons including a first icon automatically grouped in the first group, the instructions further for:

receiving a user request to add the first icon to a favorites group;

in response to receiving the user request, associating the first icon with the favorites group;

receiving a request to display the first group;

in response to receiving the request to display the first group, displaying the first icon in the first group;

receiving a request to display the favorites group;

in response to receiving the request to display the favorites group, displaying the first icon in the favorites group.

25. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein each group includes a grid of icons, each grid of icons having a number of columns that depends on a number of items in the associated group.

26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the first group of icons has a first number of columns based on a total number of icons in the first group, and the second group of icons has a second number of columns, different from the first number of columns, based on a total number of icons in the second group.

27. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with one or more processors and memory, cause the device to:

generate for presentation on a display a user interface including a plurality of groups of icons, wherein the user interface has first and second modes, and a plurality of the icons have been grouped based at least in part on metadata of applications associated with the icons;

receive input selecting a respective icon; and

in response to receiving the input selecting a respective icon, invoke an instance of an application associated with the respective icon;

receive input requesting adding an additional application;

in response to receiving the input requesting adding the additional application;

in accordance with a determination that metadata of the additional application indicates an icon associated with the additional application should be displayed in a first group of icons, add the icon associated with the additional application to the first group of icons; and

in accordance with a determination that the metadata of the additional application indicates the icon associated with the additional application should be displayed in a second group of icons, add the icon associated with the additional application to the second group of icons;

receive scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons; and

in response to receiving the scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons;

in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the first mode, scroll the plurality of groups of icons in proportion to a magnitude of the scrolling input; and

in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the second mode and that the scroll input meets one or more group-scrolling criteria, scrolling the plurality of groups of icons from a first group to a second group.

28. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the scrolling input meets the one or more group-scrolling criteria in accordance with a determination that a magnitude of the scrolling input exceeds a threshold magnitude.

29. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, the instructions further causing the device to in response to receiving the scrolling input scrolling the plurality of groups of icons, in accordance with a determination that the user interface is in the second mode and that the scrolling input does not meet the group scrolling criteria, forgo scrolling the plurality of groups of icons from the first group to the second group.

30. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein the scrolling input is a swipe detected on a touch-sensitive surface of a device.

31. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, the instructions further causing the device to:

display the icons having a first visual characteristic in the first mode; and

display the icons having a second visual characteristic, different than the first visual characteristic, in the second mode.

32. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 31, wherein displaying the icons having the first visual characteristic includes displaying a single group of icons at a first zoom level, and displaying the icons having the second visual characteristic includes displaying multiple groups of icons at a second zoom level, different than the first zoom level.

33. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, the instructions further causing the device to:

receive additional input;

in response to receiving the additional input;

in the second mode, rearrange one or more groups of icons based on the additional input; and

in the first mode, forgo rearranging the one or more groups of icons based on the additional input.

34. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, the instructions further causing the device to:

receive first user input to change from the first mode to the second mode; and

receive second user input to change from the second mode to the first mode;

wherein the first user input comprises a first gesture, and the second user input comprises a second gesture that is the first gesture in reverse.

35. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein:

adding the icon associated with the additional application to the first group of icons comprises displaying the icon associated with the additional application in a next available position in the first group; and

adding the icon associated with the additional application to the second group of icons comprises displaying the icon associated with the additional application in a next available position in the second group.

36. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, the plurality of icons including a first icon automatically grouped in the first group, the instructions further causing the device to:

receive a request to move the first icon to the second group; and

in response to receiving the request, move the first icon from the first group to the second group.

37. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, the plurality of icons including a first icon automatically grouped in the first group, the instructions further causing the device to:

receive a user request to add the first icon to a favorites group;

in response to receiving the user request, associate the first icon with the favorites group;

receive a request to display the first group;

in response to receiving the request to display the first group, display the first icon in the first group;

receive a request to display the favorites group;

in response to receiving the request to display the favorites group, display the first icon in the favorites group.

38. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 27, wherein each group includes a grid of icons, each grid of icons having a number of columns that depends on a number of items in the associated group.

39. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the first group of icons has a first number of columns based on a total number of icons in the first group, and the second group of icons has a second number of columns, different from the first number of columns, based on a total number of icons in the second group.