APPARATUS, SYSTEM, AND METHOD FOR ROTATIONAL GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE NAVIGATION

• US 20090241067A1
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Published: 09/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Stewart, Aaron Michael, Dubs, Justin Tyler, Dudkowski, Eric Edward, Kluttz, Karen Ruth
• Granted Patent: US 8,286,099 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A display module displays a first face of a virtual multidimensional solid comprising a plurality of faces. Each face comprises graphical user interface controls for a unique function set. An input module receives a rotational command that rotates the multidimensional solid around at least one axis. A rotation module rotates the multidimensional solid to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the multidimensional solid.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program stored on a tangible storage device, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

display a first face of a virtual multidimensional solid comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls for a unique function set;

receive a rotational command configured to rotate the multidimensional solid around at least one axis; and

rotate the multidimensional solid to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the multidimensional solid.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to receive the rotational command from a touch screen.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to receive the rotational command from a thumbwheel GUI represented on the touch screen.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to receive the rotational command from a track ball GUI represented on the touch screen.

5. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the rotational command is generated in response to at least one finger being drawn along a surface vector of the touch screen.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein an input device selected from a mouse, a mechanical thumbwheel, a mechanical track ball, a pointing stick, a joy stick, and a touch pad generates the rotational command.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional solid is configured as a three-dimensional solid.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the three-dimensional solid is configured as a uniform prism rotatable about a central axis.

9. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional solid comprises a number of faces in the range of two to twenty.

10. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional solid is rotatable about a number of axes in the range of one to five.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed on a screen with a horizontal dimension in the range of one to twenty centimeters.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed on a screen with a vertical dimension in the range of one to ten centimeters.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed with a geometric shape conforming to a face geometry of the multidimensional solid when the multidimensional solid is being rotated and a face is displayed as filling a screen when the multidimensional solid is not being rotated.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to assign functions to a face in response to a user command.

15. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein faces with related function sets are grouped along an axis.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to shift from a first functional set group to a second functional set group in response to a user command.

17. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to rotate the multidimensional solid to display the first face when data for the first face becomes relevant.

18. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to rotate the multidimensional solid to display the first face when the second face is unused for a specified time interval.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a display module configured to display a first face of a virtual three-dimensional solid comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises GUI controls for a unique function set;

an input module comprising a touch screen and configured to receive a rotational command configured to rotate the three-dimensional solid around at least one axis; and

a rotation module configured to rotate the three-dimensional solid to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the three-dimensional solid.

20. A system comprising:

a touch screen;

a memory module configured to store instructions and data;

a processor module in communication with the touch screen and the memory module, executing the instructions and data, and comprising

a display module configured to display a first face of a virtual three-dimensional solid on the touch screen, the three-dimensional solid comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises GUI controls for a unique function set;

an input module configured to receive a rotational command from a thumbwheel GUI represented on the touch screen, the rotational command configured to rotate the three-dimensional solid around at least one axis; and

a rotation module configured to rotate the three-dimensional solid to display a second face in the touch screen in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the three-dimensional solid on the touch screen.