User interfaces and methods for displaying content

• US 10,474,345 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2014
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shawn Shey
• Original Assignee: Shawn Shey
• Inventors: Shey, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesghen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Quiles, Ivelisse Martinez
• Application Number:
  US14/245,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,048 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/22 Cropping

Abstract

A user interface method includes: obtaining an image; obtaining a mask; receiving a user input at a device, the user input indicating that a portion of the image is desired to be viewed by a user; and in response to the user input, displaying on a screen of the device a portion of the image while covering a remaining portion of the image using at least a part of the mask.

Claims

1. A user interface method, comprising:

obtaining an image;

obtaining a mask from a non-transitory medium that stores the mask;

displaying the mask on a screen of a device based on a selection of the image;

receiving a user input at the device, the user input indicating that a portion of the image is desired to be viewed by a user;

in response to the user input, displaying on the screen of the device the portion of the image while preventing public viewing of a remaining portion of the image by covering the remaining portion of the image using at least a part of the mask, wherein the portion of the image is displayed in a viewing window; and

translating an entirety of the viewing window relative to the mask in response to a movement of a finger of the user while the finger is placed against the screen;

wherein a relative position of the viewing window with respect to a finger-contact location on the screen remains the same during at least a part of the movement of the finger while the finger is placed against the screen; and

wherein the relative position of the viewing window with respect to the finger-contact location is adjustable, and wherein an entirety of the viewing window is offset from the finger-contact location to prevent the finger from blocking the image being displayed in the viewing window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the screen of the device is a touchscreen; and

the user input is resulted from the user touching a portion of the screen to prescribe a reference position and the viewing window for viewing the portion of the image, wherein the viewing window has a size that is smaller than a size of the image, and the viewing window is at a pre-determined position relative to the reference position prescribed by the user touching the portion of the screen.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an additional input from the user at the device resulted from the user swiping his/her finger across at least a part of the screen along a trajectory;

and moving the viewing window in the trajectory that corresponds with the additional input to display different portions of the image.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an additional user input at the device, the additional user input indicating that an entirety of the image is desired to be viewed by the user of the device; and

in response to the additional user input, displaying on the screen of the device the entirety of the image.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional user input is resulted from the user touching a dedicated area of a masked image.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional user input is resulted from the user making a pre-defined maneuver pattern with one or more fingers.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an additional user input at the device, wherein the additional user input is resulted from the user touching a dedicated area of a masked image or making a pre-defined maneuver pattern with one or more fingers; and

in response to the additional user input, executing a program that comprises user input instructions.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtaining the mask is performed by the device receiving the mask wirelessly or through a wired connection.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory medium is in the device, and wherein the obtaining the mask is performed by the device retrieving the mask from the non-transitory medium in the device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a plurality of masks for selection by the user, and wherein the obtaining the mask comprises receiving an input from the user for selecting one mask of the plurality of masks.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein a transparency of the mask, and/or a size of the viewing window is adjustable.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a signal to an other device during a sync-play mode to cause an image portion that is identical to the portion of the image to be displayed on a screen of the other device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the signal comprises the user input.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the signal comprises a screen display duplication signal.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the signal comprises instructions, which when executed by the other device, will cause the other device to create the image portion, or to copy the portion of the image as the image portion, for display at the other device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the device comprises a cell phone, a smart phone, an iPhone®

, a personal-digital-assistant (PDA), a BlackBerry®

, an iPad®

, a Mini-iPad®

, a tablet, a computer screen, a television screen, or a digital camera.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a user of the device, and the user input is from the user of the device.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising transmitting the user input to an other device that is in communication with the device through a wired or wireless network.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is a user of an other device, and the user input is from the other device that is in communication with the device through a wired or wireless network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the image comprises a message or a media content, and the mask is selectively configurable for private viewing of the message or the media content.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the mask has a default state in which the mask masks an entirety of the image, and wherein the user input is for changing the default state of the mask to a viewing state in which the mask allows the user to view the portion of the image.

22. The user interface method of claim 1, wherein an entirety of a perimeter of the viewing window is moveable relative to the mask in a same direction as a single unit.

23. A device comprising:

a non-transitory medium storing an image and a mask;

a processing unit to receive a user input, the user input indicating that a portion of the image is desired to be viewed by a user; and

a screen operable by the processing unit to display the portion of the image in a viewing window in response to the user input while preventing public viewing of a remaining portion of the image by covering the remaining portion of the image using at least a part of the mask;

wherein the processing unit is configured to translate an entirety of the viewing window relative to the mask in response to a movement of a finger of the user while the finger is placed against the screen;

wherein a relative position of the viewing window with respect to a finger-contact location on the screen remains the same during at least a part of the movement of the finger while the finger is placed against the screen; and

wherein the relative position of the viewing window with respect to the finger-contact location is adjustable, and wherein an entirety of the viewing window is offset from the finger-contact location to prevent the finger from blocking the image being displayed in the viewing window.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein:

the screen of the device is a touchscreen; and

the user input is resulted from the user touching a portion of the screen to prescribe a reference position and the viewing window for viewing the portion of the image, wherein the viewing window has a size that is smaller than a size of the image, and the viewing window is at a pre-determined position relative to the reference position prescribed by the user touching the portion of the screen.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive an additional input from the user resulted from the user swiping his/her finger across at least a part of the screen along a trajectory;

and

wherein the processing unit is configured to operate the screen to move the viewing window in the trajectory that corresponds with the additional input to display different portions of the image.

26. The device of claim 23, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive an additional user input, the additional user input indicating that an entirety of the image is desired to be viewed by the user of the device;

and

wherein the processing unit is configured to operate the screen to display the entirety of the image in response to the additional user input.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein the additional user input is resulted from the user touching a dedicated area of a masked image.

28. The device of claim 26, wherein the additional user input is resulted from the user making a pre-defined maneuver pattern with one or more fingers.

29. The device of claim 23, wherein the processing unit is configured to receive an additional user input resulted from the user touching a dedicated area of a masked image or making a pre-defined maneuver pattern with one or more fingers;

and

wherein the processing unit is configured to execute a program that comprises user input instructions in response to the additional user input.

30. The device of claim 23, further comprising a wireless receiver for receiving the mask wirelessly or a connector for receiving the mask through a wired connection.

31. The device of claim 23, wherein the non-transitory medium stores a plurality of masks for selection by the user, and wherein the mask is selected from the plurality of masks.

32. The device of claim 23, wherein a transparency of the mask and/or a size of the viewing window is adjustable.

33. The device of claim 23, wherein the processing unit is configured to generate a signal for transmission to an other device during a sync-play mode to cause an image portion that is identical to the portion of the image to be displayed at the other device during the sync-play mode.

34. The device of claim 33, wherein the signal comprises the user input.

35. The device of claim 33, wherein the signal comprises a screen display duplication signal.

36. The device of claim 33, wherein the signal comprises instructions, which when executed by the other device, will cause the other device to create the image portion, or to copy the portion of the image as the image portion, for display at the other device.

37. The device of claim 23, wherein the device comprises a cell phone, a smart phone, an iPhone®

, a personal-digital-assistant (PDA), a BlackBerry®

, an iPad®

, a Mini-iPad®

, a tablet, a computer screen, a television screen, or a digital camera.

38. The device of claim 23, wherein the user is a user of the device, and the processing unit is configured to receive the user input from the user of the device.

39. The device of claim 38, further comprising transmitting the user input to an other device that is in communication with the device through a wired or wireless network.

40. The device of claim 23, wherein the user is a user of an other device that is in communication with the device through a wired or wireless network, and the processing unit is configured to receive the user input from the other device through the wired or wireless network.

41. The device of claim 23, wherein the image comprises a message or a media content, and the mask is selectively configurable for private viewing of the message or the media content.

42. A program product that includes a non-transitory medium usable by a processing unit, the non-transitory medium having a set of stored instructions, an execution of which by the processing unit causes a process to be performed, the process comprising:

obtaining an image;

obtaining a mask from a memory unit that stores the mask;

displaying the mask on a screen of a device based on a selection of the image;

receiving a user input at the device, the user input indicating that a portion of the image is desired to be viewed by a user;

in response to the user input, displaying on the screen of the device the portion of the image while preventing public viewing of a remaining portion of the image by covering the remaining portion of the image using at least a part of the mask, wherein the portion of the image is displayed in a viewing window; and

translating an entirety of the viewing window relative to the mask in response to a movement of a finger of the user while the finger is placed against the screen;

wherein a relative position of the viewing window with respect to a finger-contact location on the screen remains the same during at least a part of the movement of the finger while the finger is placed against the screen; and

wherein the relative position of the viewing window with respect to the finger-contact location is adjustable, and wherein an entirety of the viewing window is offset from the finger-contact location to prevent the finger from blocking the image being displayed in the viewing window.

43. The program product of claim 42, wherein the image comprises a message or a media content, and the mask is selectively configurable for private viewing of the message or the media content.

44. The program product of claim 42, wherein a transparency of the mask and/or a size of the viewing windows is adjustable.