Interface for enhanced movement of objects in a display

• US 20070200871A1
• Filed: 12/18/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Creative Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Yee
• Application Number:
  US11/641,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20070200871A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• 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

Abstract

There is described a method for moving at least one object in a vertical plane in a display using an input device having a housing and a member that is rotatable relative to the housing. The method may comprise: selecting at least one object to be moved; rotating the member to move at least one object in a vertical plane; and determining enablement of an elevation control mode for the input device. The at least one object may move vertically when the elevation control mode is enabled. A corresponding graphical user interface facilitating the aforementioned method is also described.

Claims

1. A method for moving at least one object in a vertical plane in a display using an input device having a housing and a member that is rotatable relative to the housing, the method comprising:

selecting at least one object to be moved;

rotating the member to move at least one object in a vertical plane; and

determining enablement of an elevation control mode for the input device,

wherein the at least one object moves vertically when the elevation control mode is enabled.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display is selected from the group comprising:

two dimensional and three dimensional.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display is a screen of an electronic device.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one object is used to denote a source of audio signals at a specific location.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one objected is selected from a group comprising:

an icon, a vertice point and a cursor.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the housing is for a device selected from the group comprising:

a mouse, a MIDI keyboard, an alphanumeric keyboard and a combination of the aforementioned.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the elevation control mode is enabled from a list of preferences for the input device.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the member is depressible relative to the housing.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8, wherein depressing the member and subsequently rotating the member activates a vertical movement of at least one object by a predetermined amount.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the predetermined amount is defined from a list of preferences for the input device.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement of at least one object casts a shadow image on a reference horizontal plane in the display.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein a vertical height of at least one object can be inferred from the shadow image on the reference horizontal plane in the display.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the movement of at least one object alters the visible size of the object.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein a vertical height of at least one object can be inferred from the visible size of the object.

15. A computer usable medium comprising a computer program code that is configured to cause a processor to execute one or more functions to perform the method of claim 1.

16. A graphical user interface for moving at least one object in a vertical plane in a display using an input device having a housing and a member that is rotatable relative to the housing, with at least one object being moved by:

selecting at least one object to be moved;

rotating the member to move at least one object in a vertical plane; and

determining enablement of an elevation control mode for the input device,

wherein the at least one object moves vertically when the elevation control mode is enabled.

17. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein the display is selected from the group comprising:

two dimensional and three dimensional.

18. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein the display is a screen of an electronic device.

19. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least one object is used to denote a source of audio signals at a specific location.

20. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein at least one object is selected from the group comprising:

an icon, a vertice point and a cursor.

21. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein the housing is for a device selected from the group comprising:

a mouse, a MIDI keyboard, an alphanumeric keyboard and a combination of the aforementioned.

22. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein the elevation control mode is enabled from a list of preferences for the input device.

23. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein the member is depressible relative to the housing.

24. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 23, wherein depressing the member and subsequently rotating the member activates a vertical movement of at least one object by a predetermined amount.

25. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 24, wherein the predetermined amount is defined from a list of preferences for the input device.

26. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein the movement of at least one object casts a shadow image on a reference horizontal plane in the display.

27. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 26, wherein a vertical height of at least one object can be inferred from the shadow image cast on the reference horizontal plane in the display.

28. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, wherein the movement of at least one object alters the visible size of the object.

29. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 28, wherein a vertical height of at least one object can be inferred from the visible size of the object.

30. The graphical user interface as claimed in claim 16, further including at least one user input field to control the position of at least one object, selected from the group comprising:

angle, distance and elevation.

31. A computer usable medium comprising a computer program code that is configured to cause a processor to execute one or more functions to generate on a display the graphical user interface of claim 16.

32. The computer usable medium as claimed in claim 31, wherein the processor is able to execute one or more functions of the graphical user interface.