Animations

• US 20080295039A1
• Filed: 06/14/2007
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yawitz, Mitchell A., Nguyen, Laurent An Minh
• Granted Patent: US 7,853,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/325 Power saving in peripheral device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/31 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/109 by using specially-adapted hardware at the client
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/1235 with control of digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70

Abstract

Animations enhance viewing and consumption of electronic items that are presented to a user on a screen of a computing device. These animations may occur in response to receiving an instruction to move a position of a cursor displayed on the screen of the computing device. A user may trigger this instruction, for instance, by selecting a portion of the electronic content with use of the cursor. In response to the selection, the cursor or some other entity may undergo some form of animation. This animation may notify the user that the selection is being processed, and may also indicate a future position of the cursor at a time after the selection is processed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying electronic content;

displaying a cursor to select a portion of the electronic content, the cursor being located in a first position;

receiving an instruction to move the cursor to a second position; and

altering a shape of the cursor to indicate the second position in response to the receiving of the instruction.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a user of a device that displays the electronic content triggers the instruction to move the cursor.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a device that displays the electronic content triggers the instruction to move the cursor.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein selecting a portion of the electronic content with the cursor triggers the instruction to move the cursor.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein displaying a pop-up box triggers the instruction to move the cursor.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the altering of the shape of the cursor comprises growing the cursor towards the second position.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the altering of the shape of the cursor comprises growing the cursor towards the second position before shrinking the cursor towards the second position.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the altering of the shape of the cursor comprises extending the cursor from the first position to the second position.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the altering of the shape of the cursor comprises:

extending the cursor from the first position to the second position; and

after the extending of the cursor, contracting the cursor from the first position to the second position.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a display to present electronic content, the display comprising;

a first screen area to present the electronic content, the first screen area having a first refresh rate when altering the presented electronic content; and

a second screen area to enable selection of one or more portions of the presented electronic content, the second screen area having a second refresh rate that is different from the first refresh rate, and wherein the second screen area enables animation in response to a request to perform an operation on the presented electronic content; and

an animations module to enable the animation.

11. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the operation comprises a user of the apparatus triggering an instruction to alter a position of the cursor.

12. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the operation comprises the apparatus triggering an instruction to alter a position of the cursor.

13. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the operation comprises selecting a portion of the presented electronic content.

14. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the operation comprises presenting a pop-up box in the first screen area.

15. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area includes a cursor to select the one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and wherein the animation comprises growth of the cursor.

16. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area includes a cursor to select the one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and wherein the animation comprises reduction of the cursor.

17. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area includes a selectable marker to enable selection of the one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and wherein the animation comprises movement of the selectable marker.

18. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area includes a selectable marker to enable selection of the one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and wherein the animation comprises moving the selectable marker off of the second screen area.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area is configured to include a selectable marker to enable selection of the one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and wherein the animation comprises presenting a selectable marker on the second screen area.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area includes a selectable marker to enable selection of the one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and wherein the animation comprises shrinking of the selectable marker.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area is configured to include a selectable marker to enable selection of the one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and wherein the animation comprises growing a selectable marker on the second screen area.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area includes one or more selectable markers to enable selection of corresponding one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and a cursor to select the one or more selectable markers, and wherein the animation comprises growth of a selected selectable marker.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second screen area includes one or more selectable markers to enable selection of corresponding one or more portions of the presented electronic content, and a cursor to select the one or more selectable markers, and wherein the animation comprises reduction of a non-selected selectable marker.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the animation comprises an animated wait symbol.

25. An apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the second refresh rate is faster than the first refresh rate.

26. An apparatus comprising:

a display comprising;

a first screen area to display electronic content; and

a second screen area to display a cursor to select a portion of the electronic content, wherein a shape of the cursor changes responsive to receiving an instruction to alter a position of the cursor, and wherein the change in the shape of the cursor indicates the altered position of the cursor; and

an animations module to change the shape of the cursor responsive to receiving the instruction.

27. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein the electronic content comprises a digital item.

28. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein the electronic content comprises an electronic book.

29. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein the change in the shape of the cursor comprises a growth of the cursor.

30. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein the change in the shape of the cursor comprises expansion and contraction of the cursor.

31. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein the change in the shape of the cursor comprises the cursor extending towards the altered position.

32. An apparatus as recited in claim 26, wherein the change in the shape of the cursor comprises the cursor extending and contracting towards the altered position of the cursor.

33. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied in the medium for;

displaying electronic content;

displaying a cursor to select a portion of the electronic content, the cursor being located in a first position;

receiving an instruction to move the cursor to a second position; and

altering a shape of the cursor to indicate the second position in response to the receiving of the instruction.