RADIAL MENU SELECTION

• US 20090327963A1
• Filed: 06/28/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Migos, Charles J., Mouilleseaux, Jean-Pierre M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,245,156 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/834
• 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 method comprising of displaying a GUI object is disclosed. The method displays a first graphical user interface (GUI) object with multiple selectable GUI items. The method detects a movement of a cursor in a direction of a particular selectable GUI item. The method determines an expected location for the stopping of the cursor. The method displays, at the expected location, a second GUI object corresponding to the particular GUI item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a) displaying a first graphical user interface (GUI) object comprising a plurality of selectable GUI items;

b) detecting a movement of a cursor in a direction of a particular selectable GUI item;

c) determining an expected location for the stopping of the cursor; and

d) displaying, at the expected location, a second GUI object corresponding to the particular GUI item.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the stopping location comprises identifying a location at which the movement of the cursor actually stops.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the stopping location comprises predicting, before the movement stops, a location where the movement is expected to stop.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising moving said second display area from said location where said movement is expected to stop to a location where said movement actually stops.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the location where said movement is expected to stop is based at least partly on a speed and an acceleration of the cursor.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the movement of the cursor is determined by a movement of a stylus on a surface, and wherein the location where said movement is expected to stop is based at least partly on a pressure of the stylus on the surface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the surface is the surface of a graphics tablet.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the surface is the surface of a touch sensitive display.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second display area is displayed after a cursor control is released.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the determined stopping location is a location of the cursor when the cursor control is released, wherein the display area moves with the cursor until the cursor actually stops moving.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first display area comprises a radial menu and said second display area comprises a submenu of the radial menu.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the particular section comprises a menu item for opening said submenu.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a movement of the cursor comprises determining a direction of the movement of the cursor.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the second GUI object comprises a second plurality of selectable GUI items, the method further comprising:

a) detecting an outward motion of a cursor from a location in the second GUI object;

b) correlating the outward motion to a second selectable GUI item from the second plurality of selectable GUI items; and

c) performing a function associated with the second selectable GUI item.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein correlating the outward motion to a second selectable item comprises identifying a direction of the outward motion.

16. A method comprising:

a) defining a first display area for displaying about a cursor;

b) defining a second display area for displaying at a particular location; and

c) defining a set of modules for determining the particular location to display the second display area based on a movement of the cursor in a direction of a particular section of the first display area, the second display area corresponding to the particular section of the first display area.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining the particular location comprises predicting a location at which the cursor will stop its movement.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first display area is a menu, and the second display area is a submenu of the menu.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of modules are defined within an operating system.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of modules are defined within an application.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the menu and submenu are radial menus.

23. A computer readable medium storing a computer program for execution by at least one processor, said computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

a) displaying a display area around a cursor, said display area comprising a plurality of selectable items;

b) identifying a direction of a movement of said cursor;

c) performing a function corresponding to a particular selectable item corresponding to said direction of movement;

d) identifying a location of said cursor when a cursor control activation command is received; and

e) performing a function corresponding to a particular selectable item that the cursor is over when the cursor control activation signal is received.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein said cursor control activation signal comprises a signal that a stylus has contacted a surface.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein said cursor control activation signal comprises a signal that a mouse button has been pressed.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein said computer program further comprises sets of instructions for:

a) identifying a location of said cursor when said cursor has been over a particular selectable item for a time exceeding a preset duration; and

b) executing a command selected from said plurality of commands by said location of said cursor when said cursor has been over said particular selectable item for said time exceeding the preset duration.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 23, wherein said display area comprises a radial menu, said selectable items comprise a plurality of menu items corresponding to a plurality of commands, and said computer program further comprises a set of instructions to display a submenu when a selected menu item corresponds to a command to display said submenu.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein said submenu comprises a second plurality of menu items corresponding to a second plurality of commands.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 28, wherein said computer program further comprises sets of instructions for

a) displaying said submenu around said cursor;

b) identifying a direction of a movement of said cursor relative to said submenu;

c) executing a second command of said second plurality of commands corresponding to said direction;

d) identifying a second location of said cursor when a second cursor control activation command is received; and

e) executing a second command corresponding to said second location of said cursor when the second cursor control activation command is received.