Dashboards, Widgets and Devices

• US 20080168368A1
• Filed: 01/07/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Computer Incorporated (Apple Inc.)
• Inventors: Christie, Gregory N., Forstall, Scott, Chaudhri, Imran A., Louch, John O., Borchers, Robert E.
• Application Number:
  US11/620,686
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168368A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Dashboards and widgets are tailored for use with a variety of devices having different capabilities. In some implementations, a device includes a touch-sensitive display and a processor operatively coupled to the display. The processor is operable for presenting a widget on the display in response to touch input. The widget is capable of displaying dynamic behavior determined by a scripting language file associated with the widget. The display can be multi-touch-sensitive.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display; and

a processor operatively coupled to the display, the processor operable for presenting a widget on the display in response to touch input, wherein the widget is capable of displaying dynamic behavior determined by a scripting language file associated with the widget.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the display is a multi-touch-sensitive display.

3. The device claim 1, wherein the widget is presented on the display with other widgets, and the widget responds to touch input by expanding to cover more of the display.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein a user can interact with the widget using multi-touch gesturing.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the device is from a group of devices consisting of a mobile phone, a computer, a personal digital assistant, a media player, an electronic tablet, a dashboard or widget device, a remote control and a wearable item.

6. The device of claim 1, further comprising:

an input device operatively coupled to the processor for interacting with the dashboard or widget, wherein the dashboard or widget are configured to interact with the input device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the input device is from a group of input devices consisting of a scroll wheel, a click-wheel, a touch screen, a multi-touch screen, a button, a keyboard, a user interface element, a mouse, a joystick, a gyroscopic device, a remote control and a microphone.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the input device is a scroll wheel configurable for scrolling through one or more lists associated with the dashboard environment or the widget.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the input device is a scroll wheel configurable for generating a search query.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein the input device is a keyboard including one or more keys for invoking the dashboard or widget.

11. The device of claim 6, wherein the input device is a remote control including one or more input mechanisms for invoking the dashboard or widget.

12. The device of claim 6, wherein the widget is configured to expose a flip side in response to the user touching the widget.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the widget is configured to present information on the flip side.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the widget is configured to present a second widget on the flip side, which can be touched by a user to invoke the second widget.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the widget is from a group of widgets consisting of a stocks widget, a yellow pages widget, a weather widget, a music widget and a map widget.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operable for generating a dashboard environment including a number of widgets and for presenting the widgets in a searchable stack on the display.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the stack can be arranged in response to user input.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is operable for generating a dashboard environment including a number of widgets and for presenting the widgets in a parade on the display, wherein the parade is animated to follow a motion path on the display.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configurable for generating a dashboard environment including a number of widgets and for presenting the widgets in a viewer disposed on the display, the viewer including one or more controls for scrolling through the widgets.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the display includes a configuration bar for presenting and interacting with the widget.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is configurable for generating a dashboard environment including a number of widgets and for allowing the widgets to be scrolled in the display by a user touching the display and gesturing with one or more fingers.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein open or closed widgets can be scrolled in the display.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein widgets can be scrolled on the display in multiple directions.

24. A device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display; and

a processor operatively coupled to the display, the processor operable for presenting widgets on the display in response to touch input, the processor further operable to scroll the widgets on the display in response to touch input.

25. The device of claim 24, wherein the display is a multi-touch-sensitive display and the widgets are scrolled in response to multi-touch input generated by a user making finger gestures.

26. The device of claim 24, wherein the widgets are scrolled so that one widget is displayed at a time.

27. The device claim 24, wherein the one displayed widget consumes substantially the entire display.

28. A method, comprising:

displaying a number of widgets;

receiving touch input; and

manipulating the widgets in response to the touch input, wherein at least one of the widgets includes dynamic behavior which is determined by a scripting language file associated with the widget.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein displaying further comprises:

displaying the widgets in a dashboard.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein manipulating further comprises:

scrolling the widgets on a display.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein receiving touch input further comprises:

receiving multi-touch input by a user touching a multi-touch-sensitive display and gesturing at least one finger in a desired scroll direction.

32. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

displaying a number of widgets;

receiving touch input; and

manipulating the widgets in response to the touch input, wherein at least one of the widgets is capable of displaying dynamic behavior determined by a scripting language file associated with the widget.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein receiving touch input further comprises:

receiving multi-touch input by a user touching a multi-touch-sensitive display and gesturing at least one finger to affect the manipulating of the widgets.

34. A system, comprising:

means for displaying a number of widgets;

means for receiving touch input; and

means for manipulating the widgets in response to the touch input, wherein at least one of the widgets is capable of displaying dynamic behavior determined by a scripting language file associated with the widget.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the means for display further comprises means for receiving multi-touch input.

36. A system, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor operatively coupled to the display, the processor operable for generating a dashboard environment including at least one widget and for presenting the widget on the display in response to touch input; and

communication circuitry coupled to the processor and operable for transmitting and receiving voice or data communications in response to an interaction with the widget.

37. The system of claim 36, further comprising:

a docking station configured for coupling to the device and for providing power to the device.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the touch-sensitive display is a multi-touch-sensitive display.

39. A system, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor operatively coupled to the display, the processor operable for generating a dashboard environment including at least one widget and for presenting the widget on the display in response to touch input; and

an audio system coupled to the processor and operable for playing audio files in response to an interaction with the widget.

40. The system of claim 39, further comprising:

a docking station configured for coupling to the device and for providing power to the device.

41. The system of claim 40, wherein the docking station includes speakers for emitting sound when the device is coupled to the docking station.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the touch-sensitive display is a multi-touch-sensitive display.

43. A system, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor operatively coupled to the display, the processor operable for generating a dashboard environment including at least one widget and for presenting the widget on the display in response to touch input; and

a digital camera coupled to the processor and operable in response to an interaction with the widget.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the touch-sensitive display is a multi-touch-sensitive display.

45. A device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display; and

a processor operatively coupled to the display, the processor operable for presenting a widget on the display in response to touch input, wherein the processor is configurable for generating a dashboard environment including a number of widgets and for allowing the widgets to be scrolled in multiple directions in the display by a user touching the display and gesturing with one or more fingers.

46. The device of claim 45, wherein the touch-sensitive display is a multi-touch sensitive display.

47. The device of claim 45, where the user gestures with multiple fingers.

48. A method, comprising:

displaying a set of widgets on a multi-touch-sensitive display;

receiving input specifying a widget from the set of widgets; and

responsive to the input, displaying the specified widget.

49. The method of claim 48, wherein receiving input comprises receiving multi-touch input.

50. The method of claim 48, wherein displaying the set of widgets comprises displaying representations of the widgets.

51. The method of claim 48, wherein displaying the specified widget comprises displaying the specified widget so that the widget occupies more display area than the representation of the specified widget.

52. A user interface, comprising:

a multi-touch-sensitive display area for displaying representations of widgets, wherein at least one of the widget representations is responsive to multi-touch input.

53. The user interface of claim 52, wherein responsive to the multi-touch input the widget is opened and expands to consume substantially all of the multi-touch-sensitive display area.

54. A user interface, comprising:

a multi-touch-sensitive display area for displaying representations of widgets together with representations for applications, wherein at least one of the widget representations and one of the application representations is responsive to multi-touch input.

55. The user interface of claim 54, wherein responsive to the multi-touch input the widget is opened and expands to consume substantially all of the multi-touch-sensitive display area.