Device and method for processing information

• US 20060069997A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hong Fu Jin Precision Industry (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Hsieh, Kuan-Hong, Li, Xiao-Guang, Lu, Xin
• Granted Patent: US 7,681,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/713
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

A method for processing information includes steps of: classifying a plurality of files into a plurality of groups, and each group is represented by one or more displayable images; designating each group according to a hierarchy of the groups; displaying images of one or more groups in a same level of the hierarchy in the form of a first virtual ellipse; locating centers of the displayed first virtual ellipses along a path of a second virtual ellipse; wherein a selected one of the groups in the same level of the hierarchy has its first virtual ellipse displayed in a size larger than that of any other displayed first virtual ellipse, a selected one of the images of the first virtual ellipse of the selected group is displayed in an active area of the first virtual ellipse of the selected group.

Claims

1. An electronic device for displaying and selecting information, comprising a memory, an input unit, a processor, and a display unit, wherein:

the memory stores a plurality of files and images, the files are classified into a plurality of groups, and each group is represented by one or more displayable images;

the input unit generates control signals according to operations of a user;

the processor designates each group according to a hierarchy of the groups;

images of one or more groups in a same level of the hierarchy are each displayed in the form of a first virtual ellipse on the display unit, centers of the displayed first virtual ellipses are located along a path of a second virtual ellipse;

a selected one of the groups in the same level of the hierarchy has its first virtual ellipse displayed in a size larger than that of any other displayed first virtual ellipse, a selected one of the images of the first virtual ellipse of the selected group is displayed in an active area of the first virtual ellipse of the selected group, the selected group can be changed to a new selected group according to corresponding control signals; and

the display unit displays at least a part of the images.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the selected image in the active area of the selected group is displayed in a size larger than any other images of the selected group.

3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor moves the groups in the same level of the hierarchy along the second virtual ellipse in the predetermined direction until a desired group reaches the first virtual ellipse which is across the active area.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor moves the images of the desired group along the first virtual ellipse of the desired group in a predetermined direction until a desired group reaches an active area of the first virtual ellipse.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the desired image in the active area is displayed in a particular mode, the particular mode being selected from the group consisting of a flashing mode and a steady mode.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein names of the images in and adjacent to the active area are respectively displayed on a content area.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein after the user selected the image in the active area, the display unit displays a next level of the hierarchy similar to the first level.

8. A method for displaying and selecting information, comprising the steps of:

classifying a plurality of files into a plurality of groups, and each group is represented by one or more displayable images;

designating each group according to a hierarchy of the groups;

displaying images of one or more groups in a same level of the hierarchy in the form of a first virtual ellipse;

locating centers of the displayed first virtual ellipses along a path of a second virtual ellipse;

wherein a selected one of the groups in the same level of the hierarchy has its first virtual ellipse displayed in a size larger than that of any other displayed first virtual ellipse, a selected one of the images of the first virtual ellipse of the selected group is displayed in an active area of the first virtual ellipse of the selected group, the selected group can be changed to a new selected group according to corresponding operations of a user.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the selected image in the active area of the selected group is displayed in a size larger than any other images of the selected group.

10. The method according to claim 8 also comprising a step:

moves the groups in the same level of the hierarchy along the second virtual ellipse in the predetermined direction until a desired group reaches the first virtual ellipse which is across the active area.

11. The method according to claim 8 also comprising a step moves the images of the desired group along the first virtual ellipse of the desired group in a predetermined direction until a desired group reaches an active area of the first virtual ellipse.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the desired image in the active area is displayed in a particular mode, the particular mode being selected from the group consisting of a flashing mode and a steady mode.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein names of the images in and adjacent to the active area are respectively displayed on a content area.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein after the image in the active area has been selected, a next level of the hierarchy similar to the first level is displayed.

15. A method for displaying and selecting information, comprising the steps of:

grouping information to be displayed into a plurality of groups;

arranging said plurality of groups in a predefined order;

displaying said plurality of groups on a same visual plane based on said predefined order; and

emphatically displaying a user-selective group of said plurality of groups on said same visual plane so as to make said user-selective group easier-recognizable than other groups of said plurality of groups on said same visual plane.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said plurality of groups is displayed along a track of a visual ellipse defined on said same visual plane.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said user-selective group of said plurality of groups is sized as a largest displayed one on said same visual plane in said emphatically-displaying step, and a closer-located group to said user-selective group on said same visual plane is sized larger than a farther-located group away from said user-selective group on said same visual plane.

18. The method according to claim 15, wherein each group of said plurality of groups has a plurality of sub-groups expandable and displayable on said same visual plane when said each group is confirmatively selected by users to expand.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein said each group of said plurality of groups is a song-style group, and each sub-group of said plurality of sub-groups is an artist group which is expandable to include a plurality of album groups, each of which is expandable to include a plurality of songs therein.