Manipulation of objects in a multi-dimensional representation of an on-line connectivity universe

• US 20060053388A1
• Filed: 08/26/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cascade Basic Research Corporation
• Original Assignee: Cascade Basic Research Corporation
• Inventors: Michelman, Eric H.
• Granted Patent: US 9,021,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/775
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/14 Digital output to display device ; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 3/004 Artificial life, i.e. computing arrangements simulating life

Abstract

Enhanced presentation techniques for modeling a connectivity universe associated with a particular user or device are provided. Example embodiments provide a WorldView Display System (a “WVDS”), which automatically organizes a user'"'"'s online relationships with entities, such as devices, data collections, services, and people, and provides a user interface for accessing and interacting with these entities. The WVDS automatically determines the universe of objects that the user has relationships with, automatically groups objects having similar measures of access proximity, displays a multi-dimensional representation of these groups of objects on a display device, and provides a uniform user interface for initiating an interaction with any represented object. This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract, and it is submitted with the intention that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for modeling a connectivity universe having a plurality of devices and a plurality of data collections associated with a user, comprising:

automatically determining a plurality of objects and an assessment of access proximity relative to the user for each such object;

automatically determining a plurality of groupings of the determined objects, each grouping associated with a different class of access proximity and with at least one of a device or a data collection; and

displaying a multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity associated with the groupings.

2. The method of claim 1, the displaying the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects further comprising:

displaying a three dimensional proximity band for each class of access proximity.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the multi-dimensional representation is a two dimensional representation.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the multi-dimensional representation is a three dimensional representation.

5. The method of claim 1, the displayed multi-dimensional representation being capable of manipulation by a user in a manner that gives an impression that the user is moving through the connectivity universe.

6. The method of claim 1, the displayed multi-dimensional representation being capable of manipulation by a user in a manner that gives an impression that the user is flying through the connectivity universe.

7. The method of claim 1, the displayed multi-dimensional representation appearing as a virtual world that the user navigates by moving an input device to indicate three dimensional movement.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

causing animation effects associated with at least one of the determined objects.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a received input command, reorienting the multi-dimensional representation to perform at least one of zooming, panning, or changing a source of viewing perspective.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a received indication of a directional movement of an input device, causing the display of a new location in the connectivity universe.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a received input command, enabling interaction with a native user interface of a designated object.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the enabling the interaction with the native user interface of the designated object enables interaction with a native user interface of a designated object from within a representation of the connectivity universe.

13. The method of claim 1, the displaying the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects further comprising:

presenting an animation of a transition from a native user interface associated with an object to a multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity associated with the groupings.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the presented animation presents a smooth transition from the native user interface associated with the object to the multi-dimensional representation.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

presenting an animation of a transition from the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects to a native user interface associated with an object.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the presented animation presents a smooth transition from the multi-dimensional representation to the native user interface associated with the object.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the presented animation presents the native user interface associated with the object in a maximized form.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving screen output from a native operating environment associated with an object; and

displaying the received screen output in the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving input from an input device associated with the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects; and

forwarding the received input to a native operating environment associated with an object.

20. The method of claim 1, the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects being associated with at least one of a plurality of levels of perspective, and further comprising:

in response to a received indication from an input device, causing display of the connectivity universe according to a different level of perspective.

21. The method of claim 20, the plurality of levels of perspective representing progressively increasing amounts of detail of the connectivity universe, wherein the causing display of the connectivity universe according to the different level of perspective further comprises:

displaying the multi-dimensional representation of the groupings of the determined objects according to a current level of perspective.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the causing display of the connectivity universe according to the different level of perspective is associated with a zoom movement.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a received indication from an input device, causing the display of the connectivity universe to show an increasing level of detail by displaying data collections associated with each device.

24. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a received indication from an input device, causing the display of the connectivity universe to show an increasing level of detail by displaying data sub-collections associated with a designated media type.

25. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a received indication from an input device, causing an effect of zooming into a designated object such that content associated with a native user interface of the object is displayed in a manner that allows a user to interact with the native user interface of the object.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a received indication from an input device, causing an effect of zooming out from a designated object such that a native user interface display of the object is shown in a context of the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity.

27. A computer-readable memory medium containing instructions that, when executed, control a computer processor to model a connectivity universe of a plurality of devices and a plurality of data collections associated with a user, by:

automatically determining a plurality of objects and an assessment of access proximity relative to the user for each such object;

automatically determining a plurality of groupings of the determined objects, each grouping associated with a different class of access proximity and with at least one of a device or a data collection; and

displaying a multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity associated with the groupings.

28. The memory medium of claim 27 wherein the multi-dimensional representation comprises a three dimensional proximity band for each class of access proximity.

29. The memory medium of claim 27 wherein the multi-dimensional representation comprises a two dimensional representation.

30. The memory medium of claim 27 wherein the multi-dimensional representation comprises a three dimensional representation.

31. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, enable a user to navigate within the multi-dimensional representation in a manner that gives an impression that the user is moving through the connectivity universe.

32. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, enable a user to navigate within the multi-dimensional representation in a manner that gives an impression that the user is flying through the connectivity universe.

33. The memory medium of claim 27, the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects in the connectivity universe being presented as a virtual world.

34. The memory medium of claim 33, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause animation effects associated with at least one of the determined objects.

35. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, reorient the multi-dimensional representation to perform at least one of zooming, panning, or changing a source of viewing perspective.

36. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, in response to a received indication of a directional movement of an input device, cause the display of a new location in the connectivity universe.

37. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, in response to a received input command, enable interaction with a native user interface of a designated object.

38. The memory medium of claim 37 wherein the enabled interaction enables interaction with a native user interface of a designated object from within a representation of the connectivity universe.

39. The memory medium of claim 27, wherein the displaying the multi-dimensional representation further comprises instructions that, when executed, present an animation of a transition from a native user interface associated with an object to a multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity associated with the groupings.

40. The memory medium of claim 39, wherein the presented animation presents a smooth transition from the native user interface associated with the object to the multi-dimensional representation.

41. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed present an animation of a transition from the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects to a native user interface associated with an object.

42. The memory medium of claim 41 wherein the presented animation presents a smooth transition from the multi-dimensional representation to the native user interface associated with the object.

43. The memory medium of claim 41 wherein the presented animation presents the native user interface associated with the object in a maximized form.

44. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed control a computer processor by:

receiving screen output from a native operating environment associated with an object; and

displaying the received screen output in the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects.

45. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed control a computer processor by:

receiving input from an input device associated with the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects; and

forwarding the received input to a native operating environment associated with an object.

46. The memory medium of claim 27, the multi-dimensional representation being associated with at least one of a plurality of levels of perspective, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause display of the connectivity universe according to a different level of perspective.

47. The memory medium of claim 46, the plurality of levels of perspective representing progressively increasing amounts of detail of the connectivity universe, and wherein the multi-dimensional representation is displayed according to a current level of perspective.

48. The memory medium of claim 46, the display of the connectivity universe according to the different level of perspective associated with a zoom movement.

49. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the display of the connectivity universe to show an increasing level of detail by displaying data collections associated with each device.

50. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the display of the connectivity universe to show an increasing level of detail by displaying data sub-collections associated with a designated media type.

51. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the display of the connectivity universe to cause an effect of zooming into a designated object such that content associated with a native user interface of the object is displayed in a manner that enables a user to interact with the native user interface of the object.

52. The memory medium of claim 27, further comprising instructions that, when executed, cause the display of the connectivity universe to causing an effect of zooming out from a designated object such that a native user interface display of the object is shown in a context of the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity.

53. A computer system for managing a connectivity universe of a plurality of devices and a plurality of data collections associated with a user, comprising:

a display manager that is structured to automatically determine a plurality of objects and an assessment of access proximity for each such object relative to the user;

automatically determine a plurality of groups of the determined objects, each group associated with a different class of access proximity; and

displaying a multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity associated with the groups.

54. The system of claim 53 wherein the multi-dimensional representation comprises a two dimensional representation.

55. The system of claim 53 wherein the multi-dimensional representation comprises a three dimensional proximity band for each class of access proximity.

56. The system of claim 53 wherein the multi-dimensional representation comprises a three dimensional representation.

57. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to support navigation within the multi-dimensional representation in a manner that simulates the user moving through the connectivity universe.

58. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to support navigation within the multi-dimensional representation in a manner that simulates the user flying through the connectivity universe.

59. The system of claim 53, the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects in the connectivity universe comprising a virtual world.

60. The system of claim 59, the display manager further structured to cause animation effects associated with at least one of the determined objects.

61. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to perform at least one of zooming, panning, or changing a source of viewing perspective.

62. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to, in response to a received indication of a directional input, cause the display of a new location in the connectivity universe.

63. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to enable interaction with a native user interface of a designated object.

64. The system of claim 53, wherein the display manager enables interaction with the native user interface of the designated object from within a representation of the connectivity universe.

65. The system of claim 53 wherein the display manager is further structured to present an animation of a transition from a native user interface associated with an object to a multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity associated with the groupings.

66. The system of claim 65 wherein the presented animation presents a smooth transition from the native user interface associated with the object to the multi-dimensional representation.

67. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to:

present an animation of a transition from the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects to a native user interface associated with an object.

68. The system of claim 67 wherein the presented animation presents a smooth transition from the multi-dimensional representation to the native user interface associated with the object.

69. The system of claim 67 wherein the presented animation presents the native user interface associated with the object in a maximized form.

70. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to:

receive screen output from a native operating environment associated with an object; and

display the received screen output in the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects.

71. The system of claim 53, the display manager further structured to:

receive input from an input device associated with the displayed multi-dimensional representation of the determine objects; and

forwarding the received input to a native operating environment associated with an object.

72. The system of claim 53, the multi-dimensional representation being associated with at least one of a plurality of levels of perspective, the display manager further structured to cause display of the connectivity universe according to a different level of perspective.

73. The system of claim 72, the plurality of levels of perspective representing progressively increasing amounts of detail of the connectivity universe, and wherein the multi-dimensional representation is displayed according to a current level of perspective.

74. The system of claim 72 wherein the display of the connectivity universe according to the different level of perspective is associated with a zoom movement.

75. The system of claim 72, the display manager further structured to show an increasing level of detail by displaying data collections associated with each device.

76. The system of claim 72, the display manager further structured to show an increasing level of detail by displaying data sub-collections associated with a designated media type.

77. The system of claim 72, the display manager further structured to cause an effect of zooming into a designated object such that content associated with a native user interface of the object is displayed in a manner that allows a user to interact with the native user interface of the object.

78. The system of claim 72, the display manager further structured to cause an effect of zooming out from a designated object such that a display of a native user interface of the object is shown in a context of the multi-dimensional representation of the determined objects arranged according to the classes of access proximity.

79. A method for interacting with a device from within a representation of a connectivity universe comprising a plurality of devices displayed on a host computer system, comprising:

receiving an indication of a designated device from among the plurality of devices displayed within the representation of the connectivity universe;

initiating execution of an application on the host system to communicate with the designated device from the host system;

causing corresponding code to be executed on the designated device; and

receiving output from the corresponding code executing on designated device through the application executing on the host system; and

causing the received output to be displayed on a display device of the host system.

80. The method of claim 79 wherein the application executing on the host system is a terminal emulator.

81. The method of claim 79 wherein the causing the received output to be displayed on the display device of the host system comprises causing display of the received output on the display device within a context of the displayed connectivity universe.

82. The method of claim 79 wherein the causing the received output to be displayed on the display device of the host system comprises causing display of the received output on the display device in a maximized form.

83. The method of claim 79, further comprising:

receiving input from an input device of the host system; and

forwarding the received input to the corresponding code executing on the designated device through the application executing on the host system.

84. A method for navigating between presentations on a display screen of a native user interface of an object and a representation of a connectivity universe to which the object belongs, comprising:

receiving an indication to transition from the presented native user interface of the object to the representation of the connectivity universe; and

presenting a transition from the displayed native user interface to a display of the connectivity universe representation.

85. The method of claim 84 wherein the transition is presented in a manner that gradually shifts from viewing the native user interface of the object to viewing the object within a broader collection of objects that belong to the connectivity universe.

86. The method of claim 84 wherein the transition is presented as an abrupt shift to the display of the connectivity universe representation.

87. The method of claim 84 wherein the transition is presented as a smooth animation.

88. The method of claim 84 wherein the received indication is from a “

restore”

button located within the presented native user interface.

89. The method of claim 84 wherein the received indication is a zoom operation.

90. The method of claim 84 wherein the native user interface is the interface of an operating system.

91. The method of claim 84, further comprising:

forwarding displayable output from the native user interface of the object to a representation of the object presented within the displayed connectivity universe representation.

92. The method of claim 84, further comprising:

redirecting input from an input device associated with the displayed connectivity universe representation to the native user interface of the object.

93. The method of claim 84, further comprising:

receiving an indication to transition from the presented representation of the connectivity universe to the native user interface of the object; and

presenting a transition from the displayed connectivity universe representation to a display of the native user interface.

94. The method of claim 93 wherein the received indication is a zoom operation.

95. The method of claim 93 wherein the native user interface is displayed in a maximized form.