DETAIL-IN-CONTEXT LENSES FOR INTERACTING WITH OBJECTS IN DIGITAL IMAGE PRESENTATIONS

• US 20080077871A1
• Filed: 11/05/2007
• Published: 03/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cloudrock LLC (Slingshot Technologies LLC)
• Original Assignee: Noregin Assets N.V. LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Solehdin, Ali, Baar, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,577,762 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/762
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

Methods for initiating an electronic shopping transaction, for initiating a control operation for a user-selectable video game character, for emphasizing an advertisement in a computer generated display, and for presenting multiple GUIs in desktop user interfaces using detail-in-context graphical distortions. The method for initiating an electronic shopping transaction, for a user-selectable item presented in a computer generated original image on a display, comprising: receiving a selection signal for the item from a user; distorting the original image to produce a distorted region for the item to provide the user with detailed information for the item; and, receiving a purchase signal for the item from the user.

Claims

1. A method for generating a presentation of a second graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) over a first GUI in an original image that avoids occlusion of an element of the first GUI, comprising;

determining an occluding region of the second GUI that will occlude the element when the second GUI is overlaid on the first GUI;

distorting the second GUI to produce a distorted GUI having a distorted region incorporated therein for the occluding region, the distorted region having a magnified region for presenting at least a portion of the occluding region at a magnification to provide detailed information for the portion of the occluding region, at least partially surrounded by an at least partially compressed region where the magnification decreases to that of undistorted regions of the second GUI to provide context for the magnified region with respect to the undistorted regions, the magnified and compressed regions being shifted away from the element to avoid occlusion of the element when the distorted GUI is overlaid on the first GUI;

overlaying the distorted GUI on the first GUI in the original image to generate the presentation; and

,

displaying the presentation on a display screen.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the distorting further includes applying a distortion function to the second GUI to produce the distorted GUI by displacing at least portions of the second GUI onto the distortion function and projecting the displaced at least portions of the second GUI onto a plane.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the distortion function includes a focal region corresponding to the magnified region and having an elevation to provide the magnification upon the projecting onto the plane and a shoulder region corresponding to the compressed region where the elevation decreases to provide the decreasing magnification upon the projecting onto the plane and wherein the focal region is folded with respect to the shoulder region to provide shifting of the magnified and compressed regions away from the element upon the projecting onto the plane.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the distorting further includes displaying a third GUI over the distorted region for receiving one or more signals for adjusting the distortion function.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the third GUI includes at least one of:

a slide bar icon for adjusting the elevation and hence the magnification;

a slide bar icon for adjusting a degree of concavity for the distortion function;

a bounding rectangle icon with at least one handle icon for adjusting an extent for the focal region;

a bounding rectangle icon with at least one handle icon for adjusting an extent for the shoulder region;

a move icon for adjusting a location for the distortion function within the second GUI;

a pickup icon for adjusting a location for an outline of the shoulder region within the second GUI; and

, a fold icon for adjusting a location for the focal region relative to the shoulder region to define a degree and a direction of folding of the distortion function.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first GUI is a desktop GUI.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the element is an icon in the desktop GUI.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the second GUI is a menu.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the menu is one of a pop-up menu and a pull-down menu.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the magnified region extends across the menu.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first GUI is a first menu.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the first menu is one of a pop-up menu and a pull-down menu.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the element is an item in the first menu.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the second GUI is a second menu.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein the second menu is one of a pop-up menu and a pull-down menu.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the magnified region extends across the second menu.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the element is one or more elements.

18. A system for generating a presentation of a second graphical user interface (“

GUI”

) over a first GUI in an original image that avoids occlusion of an element of the first GUI, comprising;

a processor coupled to memory and a display screen; and

,

modules within the memory and executed by the processor, the modules including;

a module for determining an occluding region of the second GUI that will occlude the element when the second GUI is overlaid on the first GUI;

a module for distorting the second GUI to produce a distorted GUI having a distorted region incorporated therein for the occluding region, the distorted region having a magnified region for presenting at least a portion of the occluding region at a magnification to provide detailed information for the portion of the occluding region, at least partially surrounded by an at least partially compressed region where the magnification decreases to that of undistorted regions of the second GUI to provide context for the magnified region with respect to the undistorted regions, the magnified and compressed regions being shifted away from the element to avoid occlusion of the element when the distorted GUI is overlaid on the first GUI;

a module for overlaying the distorted GUI on the first GUI in the original image to generate the presentation; and

,

a module displaying the presentation on the display screen.