User interface for simultaneous experiencing multiple application pages

• US 20070052725A1
• Filed: 09/02/2005
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gibson, Mark, Ostojic, Bojana, Vong, William, Glein, Christopher
• Application Number:
  US11/217,492
• Publication Number:
  US 20070052725A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/625
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A method and system for displaying a menu to a user via a user interface. The processor with instructions identifies an image type corresponding to a displayed image. Upon this determination, the processor selects a mask corresponding to the image type. Thereafter, the processor modifies the displayed image using the selected mask. As a result, a user can access other applications via an overlay menu while experiencing a current page or current application. Furthermore, a user select menu items and navigate through a menu while viewing an image in the background via a semi-transparent mask.

Claims

1. A method for displaying a menu to a user, comprising the steps of:

identifying an image type corresponding to a displayed image;

selecting a mask corresponding to the image type;

modifying the displayed image using the selected mask.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the modifying step further comprises:

placing the selected mask over a portion of the displayed image.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mask is semi-transparent.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the identifying step further comprises:

determining whether the displayed image is selected from the group consisting of text data or image data.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a menu over the modified image.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

navigating through one or more menu items of the menu via a cursor.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the menu includes one or more menu items selectable by a user.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the menu items has a first set of menu items selectable by a user.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the menu items has a second set of menu items selectable by a user corresponding to the first set of menu items.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a user can access other applications while simultaneously experiencing the displayed image.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a pivot axis, the pivot axis having one or more points in common with a background image; and

tilting the image around the pivot axis by at least 3.5 degrees.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

selecting a pivot region corresponding to an animation for tilting a gallery by at least 2 degrees.

13. A user interface stored as computer executable instructions in a memory of a computer system, the user interface comprising:

a displayed image;

a menu mask overlaid onto a displayed image, the menu mask being selected based on the displayed image;

a first set of menu items selectable using a selection cursor; and

a second set of menu items corresponding to at least one menu item of the first set, the second set of menu items being selectable using the selection cursor.

14. The user interface according to claim 13, wherein the first set of menu items is listed and displayed in a vertical band.

15. The user interface according to claim 13, wherein the second set of menu items is listed and displayed in a horizontal band.

16. The user interface according to claim 13, wherein the mask contains a horizontal band that is more opaque and has at least a 1.5 times higher intensity than a remaining portion.

17. The user interface according to claim 13, wherein one or more menu items of the first set and of the second set selected by a user navigable by a selection cursor.

18. The user interface according to claim 13, further comprising:

a magnifier module for magnifying a selected menu item.

19. The multimedia processing system according to claim 18, wherein the magnifier module magnifies the selected menu item by providing a motion sequence of frames of an animation when the user selects the one or more menu items from a first set of menu items, and the sequence divides the one or more menu items between a first plane and a second plane and animates the first and second planes moving away from each other in three dimensional space.