Controlling content zoom level based on user head movement

• US 10,585,485 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2014
• Issued: 03/10/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karakotsios, Kenneth Mark, Mangiat, Stephen Vincent, Cheng, Peter, Ding, Yi
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US14/537,393
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 715784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computing device can be controlled based on changes in the angle of a user'"'"'s head with respect to the device, such as due to the user tilting the device and/or the user tilting his head with respect to the device. Such control based on the angle of the user'"'"'s head can be achieved even when the user is operating the device “off-axis” or when the device is not orthogonal and/or not centered with respect to the user. This can be accomplished by using an elastic reference point that dynamically adjusts to a detected angle of the user'"'"'s head with respect to the device. Such an approach can account for differences between when the user is changing his natural resting position and/or the resting position of the device and when the user is intending to perform a gesture based on the angle of the user'"'"'s head relative to the device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining a first angle of a computing device relative to a head of a user;

determining the first angle is below a threshold angle;

presenting, on a display screen of the computing device based at least in part on determining the first angle is below the threshold angle, a combined view of content, wherein the combined view includes a context view of the content overlaid on a detailed view of the content, wherein the context view provides a larger scale view of the content than the detailed view;

determining a second angle of the computing device relative to the head is within a first angular range;

presenting, on the display screen, the content in the context view based at least in part on determining the second angle is within the first angular range;

determining a third angle of the computing device relative to the head is within a second angular range; and

presenting, on the display screen, a first portion of the content in the detailed view based at least in part on determining the third angle is within the second angular range.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the first portion of the content is encompassed by a graphical element in the context view.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a fourth angle of the computing device relative to the head;

determining an opacity of the context view based at least in part on the fourth angle;

determining a transparency of the detailed view based at least in part on the fourth angle; and

rendering the context view by alpha blending the context view and the detailed view based at least in part on the opacity and the transparency.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, while presenting the first portion of the content in the detailed view, an indication to present a second portion of the content in the detailed view;

presenting the detailed view including the second portion of the content based at least in part on the indication;

determining a fourth angle of the computing device relative to the head is within the first angular range; and

presenting, on the display screen, the context view including the second portion of the content based at least in part on the fourth angle being within the first angular range.

5. A computing device, comprising:

a display screen;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the computing device to;

determine a head of a user is within a first physical space defined by a first range of angles between a first line and a second line that each extend from a reference point associated with the computing device, wherein at least the first line forms an acute angle with respect to a reference line normal to a surface of the display screen;

present, on the display screen, content at a first content scale based at least in part on the head being within the first physical space;

determine the head is within a second physical space defined by a second range of angles between the second line and a third line that extends from the reference point; and

present, on the display screen, a first portion of the content at a second content scale based at least in part on the head being within the second physical space.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

present, on the display screen while the content is presented at the first content scale, a graphical element that bounds the first portion of the content;

receive, while presenting the content at the first content scale, an indication to reposition the graphical element to bound a second portion of the content;

after receiving the indication, determine the head is within the second physical space; and

present, on the display screen, the second portion of the content at the second content scale.

7. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

receive, while presenting the first portion of the content at the second content scale, an indication to present a second portion of the content at the second content scale; and

determine updated content to be presented at the first content scale, the updated content including the second portion of the content.

8. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the second content scale provides at least one of a higher resolution than the first content scale, one or more text descriptions, or a magnified view.

9. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

determine the head is within a third physical space defined by at least a fourth line that extends from the reference point; and

present, on the display screen, the content at the first content scale overlaid on additional content at the second content scale.

10. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

receive, while presenting the first portion of the content at the second content scale, an indication to present a second portion of the content at the second content scale;

determine, while presenting the second portion of the content at the second content scale, the head is within the first physical space; and

present, on the display screen, a graphical object surrounding the second portion of the content.

11. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the first content scale is a larger scale than the second content scale.

12. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

determine an opacity of the content at the first content scale;

determine a transparency of additional content at the second content scale;

increase the opacity as the head moves toward the first physical space; and

increase the transparency as the head moves toward the first physical space.

13. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

determine an opacity of additional content at the second content scale;

determine a transparency of the content at the first content scale;

increase the opacity as the head moves toward the second physical space; and

increase the transparency as the head moves toward the second physical space.

14. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

determine a proportional value based at least in part on a location of the head within the first physical space; and

render the content at the first content scale by alpha blending the content at the first content scale and additional content at the second content scale based at least in part on the proportional value.

15. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the at least one memory further includes instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the computing device to:

determine a proportional value based at least in part on a location of the head within the second physical space; and

render additional content at the second content scale by alpha blending the additional content at the second content scale and the content at the first content scale based at least in part on the proportional value.

16. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining a head of a user is within a first physical space defined by a first range of angles between a first line and a second line that each extend from a reference point associated with a computing device, wherein at least the first line forms an acute angle with respect to a reference line normal to a surface of a display screen of the computing device;

presenting, on a display screen of the computing device, content at a first zoom-level based at least in part on the head being within the first physical space;

determining the head is within a second physical space defined by a second range of angles between the second line and a third line that extends from the reference point; and

presenting, on the display screen, a first portion of the content at a second zoom-level based at least in part on the head being within the second physical space.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, while presenting the first portion of the content at the second zoom-level, an indication to present a second portion of the content at the second zoom-level; and

determining updated content to be presented at the first zoom-level, the updated content including the second portion of the content.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

presenting, on the display screen while the content is presented at the first zoom-level, a graphical element that bounds the first portion of the content;

receiving, while presenting the content at the first zoom-level, an indication to reposition the graphical element to bound a second portion of the content;

after receiving the indication, determining the head is within the second physical space; and

presenting, on the display screen, the second portion of the content at the second zoom-level.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining the head is within a third physical space defined by at least a fourth line that extends from the reference point; and

presenting, on the display screen, the content at the first zoom-level overlaid on additional content at the second zoom-level.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the second zoom-level is higher than the first zoom-level.