Wedge menu

• US 20070136690A1
• Filed: 12/12/2005
• Published: 06/14/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Cheng, Lili, MacLaurin, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US11/299,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20070136690A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/822
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

A unique menu user interface that facilitates more efficient viewing and selection of menu items is provided. The menu user interface involves arranging a plurality of menu items around a semicircular portion of an action area. The action area is constructed by creating a circle centered about a cursor or pointer. Thus, the menu items are arranged in an arc-like manner to one side of the action area to allow the user to interact with other onscreen content apart from the menu and menu items. Each menu item also includes an extension or extended portion that extends from the rectangular portion of the menu item to about the center of the semicircle. The extension on each menu item creates a larger selectable area for each item. In addition, it allows each item to have a distinct visual shape or appearance, both of which improve the user'"'"'s viewing and selection capabilities.

Claims

1. A menu user interface that facilitates improved menu item selection comprising:

an action area constructed around a pointer; and

a plurality of menu items arranged in an arc and centered around the pointer in a semicircular portion of the action area, thereby maintaining the pointer'"'"'s mobility to easily move about a display space apart from the menu user interface.

2. The user interface of claim 1, the action area is circular.

3. The user interface of claim 1, the pointer is a cursor.

4. The user interface of claim 1, the plurality of menu items do not surround the pointer.

5. The user interface of claim 1, the pointer is located at about a center of the action area.

6. The user interface of claim 1, the menu items comprise a rectangular shape that is extended by two lines extending from upper and lower corners of one side of the rectangular shape and meeting at about the center of the action area to create a triangular portion that is visually connected to the rectangular portion.

7. The user interface of claim 1, the menu items each have a distinctive visual shape that improves visual recognition of each menu item.

8. The user interface of claim 1, the plurality of menu items are arranged equally apart from one another in the semicircular portion of the action area.

9. The user interface of claim 8, an angle at which each menu item is positioned in the semicircular portion is determined by dividing 180 by the number of desired menu items to be presented to a user.

10. The user interface of claim 1, the plurality of menu items comprising a default menu item that is presented first to a user before any other available menu items.

11. The user interface of claim 1, the plurality of menu items comprise a larger selectable area per item, thereby mitigating a user'"'"'s need of selection precision or fine motor skills.

12. The user interface of claim 1, the menu items are any one of vertically or horizontally oriented.

13. An arc-based menu user interface comprising:

a circular action area constructed around a cursor such that the cursor is at or near the center of the circular action area; and

more than one menu item arranged in an arc-like manner along one side of the circular action area, each menu item comprising a rectangular portion, the rectangular portion comprising text, and a triangular portion extending from the rectangular portion to the center of the circular action area to provide a larger selectable area for each menu item, thus facilitating selection of a desired menu item with more efficiency and accuracy.

14. The user interface of claim 13, the menu items are arranged vertically along a right side of the circular action area.

15. The user interface of claim 13, the triangular portion creates a distinct visual shape to each menu item.

16. An arc-based menu fabrication method that facilitates improved menu item selection comprising:

constructing an action area around a pointer, the pointer is located at or about the center of the action area;

subdividing half of the circle into sections, the number of sections is based on a desired number of menu items to present to a user;

spatially arranging the menu items with respect to the sections in the half circle; and

forming extensions to the menu items by extending lines from upper and lower corners from the same side of each menu item to the center of the circle to create a greater selectable area for each menu item and to make the menu items visually distinct.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising dynamically arranging the menu items based in part on a position of the menu when activated by the user for viewing or selection therefrom.

18. The method of claim 16, spatially arranging the menu items evenly around the half circle based at least in part on a number of menu items to present to the user.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising presenting at least a subset of the menu items when the menu is activated by the user.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising highlighting each menu item as the pointer passes over it.