GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE

• US 20080263452A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 10/23/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: QNX Software Systems Limited (Canada) (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Tomkins, Steve
• Granted Patent: US 8,140,996 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A system includes a display that is controlled by a processor. Software code may be executed by the processor to link a plurality of images of an image set into an endless loop in virtual space. The images of the image set may be scrolled along the endless loop for display. The endless loop may include one or more portions to which the images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display are linked, and one or more further portions to which the images of the image set that are currently visible on the display are linked.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a processor;

a display controlled by the processor;

software code executable by the processor to link a plurality of images of an image set into an endless loop in virtual space, where the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop for display.

2. The system of claim 1, where the endless loop comprises one or more portions to which the images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display are linked, and one or more further portions to which the images of the image set that are currently visible on the display are linked.

3. The system of claim 1, where images appearing in a foreground of the display are displayed as solid objects that overlap images appearing in a background of the display.

4. The system of claim 1, where the endless loop comprises a figure-eight shape having first and second lobes meeting at a crossover region.

5. The system of claim 4, where images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display are linked to the first lobe and images of the image set that are currently visible on display are linked to the second lobe.

6. The system of claim 5, where the crossover region defines where images of the image set transition between the first lobe and second lobe.

7. The system of claim 6, where images linked to the second lobe are scaled vertically as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.

8. The system of claim 6, where images linked to the second lobe are scaled horizontally as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.

9. The system of claim 6, where an image linked to the second lobe transitions to the first lobe when the image reaches an angle of 180°

±

θ

_safety with respect to a normal viewing angle of the display, where θ

_safety corresponds to a safety tolerance angle.

10. The system of claim 9, where θ

_safety is about 10°

.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of human interface controls.

12. The system of claim 11, where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the rate at which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.

13. The system of claim 11, where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the direction in which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.

14. The system of claim 1, where the images are thumbnail images and where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of a displayed thumbnail image to provide a corresponding full-sized image on the display.

15. The system of claim 1, where the images are thumbnail images that correspond to software applications and where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of a displayed thumbnail image to launch the corresponding software application.

16. The system of claim 1, where the images are thumbnail images that correspond to audio and/or video media and where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of a displayed thumbnail image to playback the corresponding audio and/or video media.

17. A method for providing a graphic user interface comprising:

generating an endless loop in virtual space;

linking a plurality of the images of an image set into the endless loop;

scrolling the images of the image set along the endless loop for provision to a display.

18. The method of claim 17, where the generation of the endless loop comprises generating an endless loop comprising one or more portions to which the images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display are linked, and one or more further portions to which the images of the image set that are currently visible on the display are linked.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying images appearing in a foreground of the display as solid objects that overlap images appearing in a background of the display.

20. The method of claim 17, where the endless loop is generated as a figure-eight shape having first and second lobes meeting at a crossover region.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

linking images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display to the first lobe; and

linking images of the image set that are currently visible on display to the second lobe.

22. The method of claim 21, where the crossover region defines where images of the image set transition between the first lobe and second lobe.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising vertically scaling images linked to the second lobe as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising horizontally scaling images linked to the second lobe as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising transitioning an image linked to the second lobe to the first lobe when the image reaches an angle of 180°

±

θ

_safety with respect to a normal viewing angle of the display, where θ

_safety corresponds to a safety tolerance angle.

26. The method of claim 17, further providing a plurality of human interface controls.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising responding to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the rate at which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising responding to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the direction in which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.

29. The method of claim 17, further comprising displaying a full-sized image on the display in response to selection of a displayed image.

30. The system of claim 17, where the images are thumbnail images and further comprising launching a software application corresponding to a thumbnail image when the thumbnail image is actuated.

31. The method of claim 17, where the images are thumbnail images that correspond to audio and/or video media and further comprising playing back audio and/or video media corresponding to a thumbnail image when the thumbnail image is actuated.

32. A method for providing a graphic user interface comprising:

means for generating an endless loop in virtual space;

means for linking a plurality of the images of an image set into the endless loop;

means for scrolling the images of the image set along the endless loop for provision to a display.