SELECTION USER INTERFACE

• US 20080307361A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Louch, John O., Peyton, Eric Steven, Bumgarner, Timothy Wayne, Hynes, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,914 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

Selection of visualization objects, such as icons, is represented by a flowing selection boundary. The region enclosed by the selection boundary can include a display properly, e.g., color and/or texture. The display property may be adjusted in response to an identified event, e.g., the presence of a cursor or a pending and/or active operation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving one or more selection inputs to select graphical representations of system objects displayed in a graphical user interface;

generating one or more selection boundaries; and

generating an animated boundary flow to expand the one or more selection boundaries to surround the selected graphical representations of system objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the graphical representations of system objects comprise icons.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

identifying regions defined by adjacent selected icons; and

wherein generating the animated boundary flow to expand the one or more selection boundaries to surround the selected graphical representations of system objects comprises generating the animated boundary flow to expand the one or more selection boundaries to surround the regions defined by the adjacent icons.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising:

identifying regions defined by divided selected icons; and

wherein generating the animated boundary flow to expand the one or more selection boundaries to surround the selected graphical representations of system objects comprises generating the animated boundary flow to expand the one or more selection boundaries to extend within the regions defined by divided selected icons.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising:

identifying one or more sets of divided selected icons;

wherein generating the animated boundary flow to expand the one or more selection boundaries lo surround the selected graphical representations of system objects comprises;

generating an animated boundary flow to expand one or more respective selection boundaries to separately surround each set of divided selected icons.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising;

generating a background color within the selection boundary.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

determining whether a cursor is within the selection boundary; and

adjusting a display intensity of the background color based on the determination.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

adjusting the display intensity of the background color based on the determination comprises increasing the display intensify of the background color when the cursor is within the selection boundary.

9. The method of claim 6, comprising:

identifying an operation to be performed on system objects represented by the selected graphical representations; and

adjusting a display intensity of the background color based on the determination.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein:

identifying an operation to be performed on system objects represented by the selected graphical representations; and

adjusting the background color based on the determination.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a deselection input to deselect a selected graphical representation of a system object; and

generating an animated boundary flow to contract the one or more selection boundaries to exclude the deselected graphical representation of the system object.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a deselection input to deselect a selected graphical representation of a system object; and

generating a boiling animation to contract the one or more selection boundaries to exclude the deselected graphical representation of the system object.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the graphical user interface comprises a two-dimensional desktop interface.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the graphical user interface comprises a three-dimensional desktop interface.

15. A computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to generate a graphical user interface on a display device and facilitate the processes of:

receiving one or more selection inputs to select icons displayed in the graphical user interface;

generating one or more selection boundaries; and

animating expansions of the one or more selection boundaries to surround the selected icons.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the instructions that are executable by a processing device comprise instructions that are executable by a mobile processing device.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the instructions cause the processing device to generate a graphical user interface on a display device and facilitate the processes of;

identifying one or more sets of divided selected icons; and

animating respective expansions of the one or more selection boundaries to separately surround each set of divided selected icons.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the instructions cause the processing device to generate a graphical user interface on a display device and facilitate the processes of;

generating a background color within a selection boundary;

determining whether a cursor is within the selection boundary; and

increasing the display intensity of the background color when the cursor is within the selection boundary.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the instructions cause the processing device to generate a graphical user interface on a display device and facilitate the processes of;

generating a background color within a selection boundary;

identifying an operation to be performed on system objects represented by the selected icons; and

adjusting a display intensity of the background color based on the determination.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

the instructions cause the processing device to generate a graphical user interface on a display device and facilitate the processes of;

generating a background color within a selection boundary;

identifying an operation to be performed on system objects represented by the selected icons; and

adjusting the background color based on the determination.

21. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating a selection boundary surrounding selected icons in a graphical user interface;

generating a background color within the selection boundary;

identifying an event occurrence related to the selection boundary; and

adjusting a display characteristic of the background color in response to the identified event occurrence.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein:

identifying an event occurrence related to the selection boundary comprises determining whether a cursor is within the selection boundary.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein:

identifying an event occurrence related to the selection boundary comprises identifying an operation to be performed on system objects represented by the selected graphical representations.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein:

adjusting a display characteristic of the background color in response to the identified event occurrence comprises adjusting a display intensity of the background color.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein:

adjusting a display characteristic of the background color in response to the identified event occurrence comprises adjusting the background color based.