Method and system for conveying an image position

• US 20050229112A1
• Filed: 04/13/2004
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mason, James P., Klemm, Timothy D., Clay, Timothy M., Patino, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US10/822,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20050229112A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/817
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

The invention concerns a system (100) and method (300, 600) of conveying an image (400, 700, 800) position. The method includes the steps of displaying (312, 612) at least a portion of an image on a display (112) and modifying (314, 614) the portion of the image to convey to a user a position of the portion of the image in relation to the entire image. The image can include a background (412) and at least one symbol (410) superimposed on the background. The modifying step can include graduating (316) the contrast of at least a portion of the background in relation to the symbols. In addition, the step of graduating the contrast includes varying (318) at least one of the hue, brightness and saturation of the background.

Claims

1. A method of conveying an image position, comprising the steps of:

displaying at least a portion of an image on a display; and

modifying the portion of the image to convey to a user a position of the portion of the image in relation to the entire image.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background and wherein the modifying step comprises graduating the contrast of at least a portion of the background in relation to the symbols.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the step of graduating the contrast includes varying at least one of the hue, brightness and saturation of the background.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background and wherein the modifying step further comprises graduating the contrast of at least a portion of the symbols in relation to the background.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the step of graduating the contrast includes varying at least one of the hue, brightness and saturation of the symbols.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background and wherein the modifying step comprises graduating the contrast of at least a portion of the background and the symbols in relation to one another.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the step of graduating the contrast includes varying at least one of the hue, brightness and saturation of both the background and the symbols.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is substantially fixed.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background, wherein the background is a bitmap and the symbol is a list that includes at least one entry and the number of entries in the list is fixed.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the image is adjustable and the method further comprises the step of scaling the image to accommodate changes to the image.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background, wherein the background is a bitmap and the symbol is a list that includes at least one entry and the number of entries in the list is capable of being adjusted and the background bitmap is scaled to accommodate changes in the number of entries in the list.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the modifying the image step comprises the step of inserting positional indicators in the image.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the image includes at least one list entry and the positional indicators are selectively superimposed over the list entries based on the number of list entries.

14. A method of conveying an image position, comprising the step of:

displaying on a display at least a portion of a list and a background, wherein the list contains at least one entry and the entries are superimposed on the background;

graduating the contrast of at least a portion of the background in relation to the entries of the list to indicate to a user the position of displayed entries in relation to the entire list.

15. A system for conveying an image position, comprising:

a display, wherein the display displays at least a portion of an image; and

a processing unit coupled to the display, wherein the processing unit modifies the portion of the image to convey to a user a position of the portion of the image in relation to the entire image.

16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background, wherein the processing unit modifies the image by graduating the contrast of at least a portion of the background in relation to the symbols.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the processing unit graduates the contrast of the background in relation to the symbols by varying at least one of the hue, brightness and saturation of the background.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background, wherein the processing unit modifies the image by graduating the contrast of at least a portion of the symbols in relation to the background.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the processing unit graduates the contrast of the symbols in relation to the background by varying at least one of the hue, brightness and saturation of the symbols.

20. The system according to claim 15, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background, wherein the processing unit modifies the image by graduating the contrast of at least a portion of the background and symbols in relation to one another.

21. The system according to claim 20, wherein the processing unit graduates the contrast of the background and the symbols by varying at least one of the hue, brightness and saturation of both the background and the symbols.

22. The system according to claim 15, wherein the image is substantially fixed.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background, wherein the background is a bitmap and the symbol is a list that includes at least one entry and the number of entries in the list is fixed.

24. The system according to claim 15, wherein the image is adjustable and the processing unit scales the image to accommodate changes to the image.

25. The system according to claim 24, wherein the image includes a background and at least one symbol superimposed on the background, wherein the background is a bitmap and the symbol is a list that includes at least one entry and the number of entries in the list is capable of being adjusted, wherein the processing unit scales the background bitmap such that the background bitmap accommodates changes in the number of entries in the list.

26. The system according to claim 15, wherein the processing unit modifies the image by inserting positional indicators in the image.

27. The system according to claim 26, wherein the image includes at least one entry and the processing unit selectively superimposes the positional indicators over the list entries based on the number of list entries.

28. A system for conveying an image position, comprising:

a display, wherein the display displays at least a portion of a list and a background, wherein the list contains at least one entry and the entries are superimposed on the background; and

a processing unit coupled to the display, wherein the processing unit graduates the contrast of at least a portion of the background in relation to the entries of the list to indicate to a user the position of displayed entries in relation to the entire list.