Item selection using helical menus
First Claim
1. A method for item selection comprising the steps of:
- displaying a helical surface having an axis;
providing a plurality of items on said helical surface; and
selecting one of said plurality of items and clipping from view items on said helical surface which are above said clipping plane.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Systems and methods according to the present invention address these needs and others by providing techniques for selecting items from a list that can be operated using, for example, a pointing device or a wheel device. According to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, items are arranged in a list as regions along a three dimensional helical surface. For example, each item can be allocated to a wedge-shaped region along the helical surface. The user can select items by, for example, using a pointing device to pick that item'"'"'s wedge or by using a wheel device to sequence through the items on the helical surface. Alternatively, a combination of a wheel and pointing device can be used to first scroll the helical surface, and then select an individual item. A clipping plane is used to remove parts of the helical surface from view once the user scrolls past them and reveal the selections in the cycle of the helical surface immediately beneath the clipping plane. Another feature of the helical surface menu is that it can be turned on its side and navigated at a coarse granularity.
146 Citations
39 Claims
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1. A method for item selection comprising the steps of:
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displaying a helical surface having an axis;
providing a plurality of items on said helical surface; and
selecting one of said plurality of items and clipping from view items on said helical surface which are above said clipping plane. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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8. (Canceled)
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13. A user interface comprising:
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a helical surface having an axis;
a plurality of items displayed on said helical surface;
means for selecting one of said plurality of items; and
a clipping plane for clipping from view items on said helical surface which are above said clipping plane. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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20. (Canceled)
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37. A computer-readable medium containing a program that performs the steps of:
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displaying a helical surface having an axis;
providing a plurality of items on said helical surface;
selecting one of said plurality of items; and
clipping from view items on said helical surface which are above said clipping plane.
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38. A method for item selection comprising the steps of:
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displaying a helical surface having an axis;
providing a plurality of items on said helical surface;
selecting one of said plurality of items; and
wherein said axis is substantially parallel to a plane associated with a screen on which said helical surface is displayed
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39. A user interface comprising:
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a helical surface having an axis;
a plurality of items displayed on said helical surface;
means for selecting one of said plurality of items; and
wherein said axis is substantially parallel to a plane associated with a screen on which said helical surface is displayed.
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Specification