Visualization of information associated with applications in user interfaces

• US 20080201649A1
• Filed: 02/15/2007
• Published: 08/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Reponen, Erika, Mattila, Jouka
• Granted Patent: US 8,713,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/763
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

Methods, computer program products and apparatus are provided that enable a user interface or user interface element (e.g., an icon) to communicate additional contextual information for an associated application or file through attributes of the user interface or user interface element. For example, a simulated shadow of an icon or a simulated image projected on an icon can communicate contextual information for the application or file corresponding to the icon. One exemplary method includes: displaying an icon associated with an application or file; and displaying in association with the icon a simulated shadow having contextual information associated with the application or file.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying an icon associated with an application or file; and

displaying in association with the icon a simulated shadow comprising contextual information associated with the application or file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information comprises a state of the application or file.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to the state of the application or file changing to a new state, displaying in association with the icon a new simulated shadow corresponding to the new state.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the simulated shadow comprises a first simulated shadow, wherein the first simulated shadow comprises a shape and a color, wherein the new simulated shadow comprises at least one of a different shape or a different color as compared to the first simulated shadow.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the displayed icon comprises a three dimensional icon or an object in a three dimensional space.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information is indicated by an indicating attribute of the simulated shadow, wherein the indicating attribute comprises at least one of a shape, a color, a texture, a blur effect, lighting, text and a graphic.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the contextual information comprises variable contextual information, the method further comprising:

generating the simulated shadow based on the variable contextual information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein generating the simulated shadow comprises creating a shading map, wherein displaying the simulated shadow comprises applying the shading map.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

in response to the variable contextual information changing to new variable contextual information, generating a new simulated shadow based on the new variable contextual information; and

displaying in association with the icon the new simulated shadow.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the simulated shadow comprises at least one of applying a shading map and applying an opacity map.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon comprises a first icon, wherein the simulated shadow comprises a first simulated shadow, wherein the application or file comprises a first application or file, wherein the contextual information comprises first contextual information, the method further comprising:

displaying a second icon associated with a second application or file; and

displaying in association with the second icon a second simulated shadow comprising second contextual information associated with the second application or file, wherein the second simulated shadow is independent of the first simulated shadow.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon comprises a first icon, wherein the simulated shadow comprises a first simulated shadow, wherein the application or file comprises a first application or file, wherein the contextual information comprises first contextual information, the method further comprising:

displaying a second icon associated with a second application or file; and

displaying in association with the second icon a second simulated shadow comprising second contextual information associated with the second application or file, wherein the second simulated shadow is connected to the first simulated shadow.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon and the simulated shadow are displayed in a user interface of a mobile electronic device.

14. A computer program product comprising program instructions embodied on a tangible computer-readable medium, execution of the program instructions resulting in operations comprising:

displaying an icon associated with an application or file; and

displaying in association with the icon a simulated shadow comprising contextual information associated with the application or file.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the contextual information comprises a state of the application or file, execution of the program instructions results in further operations comprising:

in response to the state of the application or file changing to a new state, displaying in association with the icon a new simulated shadow corresponding to the new state.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the contextual information is indicated by an indicating attribute of the simulated shadow, wherein the indicating attribute comprises at least one of a shape, a color, a texture, a blur effect, lighting, text and a graphic.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the contextual information comprises variable contextual information, the method further comprising:

generating the simulated shadow based on the variable contextual information.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein displaying the simulated shadow comprises at least one of applying a shading map and applying an opacity map.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the icon and the simulated shadow are displayed in a user interface of a mobile electronic device.

20. An electronic device comprising:

a display device; and

a data processor coupled to the display device, wherein the data processor is configured to;

display, on the display device, an icon associated with an application or file; and

display, on the display device, in association with the icon a simulated shadow comprising contextual information associated with the application or file.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the contextual information comprises a state of the application or file, wherein the data processor is further configured to:

in response to the state of the application or file changing to a new state, display, on the display device, in association with the icon a new simulated shadow corresponding to the new state.

22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the contextual information is indicated by an indicating attribute of the simulated shadow, wherein the indicating attribute comprises at least one of a shape, a color, a texture, a blur effect, lighting, text and a graphic.

23. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the contextual information comprises variable contextual information, wherein the data processor is further configured to:

generate the simulated shadow based on the variable contextual information.

24. The electronic device of claim 20, further comprising:

a memory coupled to the data processor, wherein the memory is configured to store at least one of a shading map and an opacity map, wherein the data processor is further configured to perform at least one of;

applying the shading map and applying the opacity map.

25. The electronic device of claim 20, further comprising:

a transceiver coupled to the data processor; and

at least one antenna coupled to the transceiver.

26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the electronic device comprises a mobile electronic device.

27. The electronic device of claim 26, wherein the mobile electronic device comprises a mobile phone.

28. A method comprising:

displaying a user interface element associated with an application or file; and

projecting a simulated image onto the user interface element, wherein the projected simulated image comprises contextual information associated with the application or file.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

determining whether the projected simulated image should be displayed, wherein the projecting of the simulated image is performed in response to determining that the projected simulated image should be displayed.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the contextual information comprises variable contextual information, the method further comprising:

generating the simulated image based on the variable contextual information.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein projecting the simulated image comprises at least one of applying a shading map and applying an opacity map.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the user interface element comprises a portion that is at least partially transparent, wherein projecting the simulated image comprises projecting the simulated image on a back of the user interface element such that the contextual information is visible to a user through the portion that is at least partially transparent.