SEMANTIC ZOOM IN A VIRTUAL THREE-DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE
First Claim
1. A computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors disposed in an electronic device, implement a method for operating a GUI, the method comprising the steps of:
- creating a virtual 3-D space in which a plurality of GUI objects may be populated, the GUI objects representing at least one of media content, information, data, or an interactive experience for a user of the GUI, the GUI objects being displayable on a 2-D display screen on the device;
supporting one or more user controls for interacting with the 3-D space so that by manipulating the controls, from a point of view on the display screen, the user may maneuver through the virtual 3-D space by zooming from close GUI objects to distant GUI objects, the close GUI objects providing a semantic construct for the distant GUI objects; and
enabling interaction with a GUI object to facilitate control over the device by the user.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A GUI adapted for use with portable electronic devices such as media players is provided in which interactive objects are arranged in a virtual three-dimensional space (i.e., one represented on a two-dimensional display screen). The user manipulates controls on the player to maneuver through the 3-D space by zooming and steering to objects of interest which can represent various types of content, information or interactive experiences. The 3-D space mimics real space in that close objects appear larger to user while distant objects appear smaller. The close objects will typically represent higher level content, information, or interactive experiences while the distant objects represent more detailed content, information, or experiences. This GUI navigation feature, referred to as a semantic zoom, makes it easy for the user to maintain a clear understanding of his location within the 3-D space at all times.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer-readable medium containing instructions which, when executed by one or more processors disposed in an electronic device, implement a method for operating a GUI, the method comprising the steps of:
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creating a virtual 3-D space in which a plurality of GUI objects may be populated, the GUI objects representing at least one of media content, information, data, or an interactive experience for a user of the GUI, the GUI objects being displayable on a 2-D display screen on the device; supporting one or more user controls for interacting with the 3-D space so that by manipulating the controls, from a point of view on the display screen, the user may maneuver through the virtual 3-D space by zooming from close GUI objects to distant GUI objects, the close GUI objects providing a semantic construct for the distant GUI objects; and enabling interaction with a GUI object to facilitate control over the device by the user. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A method for providing a media content delivery service to a remote portable media player, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving a request to download media content from the media content delivery service; supplying media content to an intermediary device in response to the request; providing a GUI object that is associated with the supplied media content, the GUI object being usable in GUI supported by the portable media player in a virtual 3-D space in which a plurality of GUI objects are populated, each of the GUI objects representing at least one of media content, information, data, or an interactive experience for a user of the GUI; and enabling the GUI object to be transferred from the intermediary device to the portable media player. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13)
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14. A portable media player, comprising:
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a display screen configured for rendering text and graphics in 2-D; user controls; a digital media processing system interfacing with the display screen to render a GUI and digital media content in the form of images or video; and memory bearing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors in the portable media player i) implement the GUI on the display screen, the GUI comprising a plurality of GUI objects that are populated within a virtual 3-D space that is renderable on the display screen in 2-D, and ii) enable the user controls to be manipulated by the user to fly along a path through the 3-D space among the GUI objects using a semantic zoom process, the semantic zoom process supporting a user experience in which close GUI objects in the 3-D space provide contextual meaning for distant GUI objects in the 3-D space. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification