USER-APPLICATION INTERFACE

• US 20100211872A1
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Published: 08/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Ligameri, Mark Richard, Koren, David, Rolston, Mark Edward, Nairn, Michael Andrew, Ficklin, Jared Leigh, Everette, Neil Wade, Hahn, Judah Gamliel
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,747 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A user interface apparatus includes a display device, display application, and processor. The display device includes a display area, and the display area includes an active area. The processor and display application are configured to display application stacks, each of which may be moved into and out of the active area in response to user input, and each of which contains one or more stack cards. Each application stack is associated with a computer application, and each stack card represents a content entity capable of being operated on by the computer application corresponding to its application stack. When an application stack is in the active area the application stack is activated such that its stack cards are displayed in sequence and at least one of them may be selected. Selecting a stack card causes the corresponding computer application to be executed and to operate on the corresponding content entity.

Claims

1. A user interface apparatus, comprising:

a display device including a display area, the display area including an active area;

a display application; and

a processor,

wherein the processor and the display application are jointly configured to display on the display area any of a plurality of application stacks, each of the application stacks being movable into and out of the active area in response to user input, and each of the application stacks containing one or more stack cards,

wherein each of the application stacks is associated with a respective corresponding computer application, and each of the stack cards represents a respective corresponding content entity capable of being operated on by the computer application corresponding to the application stack containing the stack card representing the content entity,

wherein when any given one of the application stacks is in the active area the given application stack is activated such that the one or more stack cards contained in the given application stack are displayed in a stack card sequence and at least one of the stack cards contained in the given application stack may be selected, the selecting of a stack card causing the respective computer application corresponding to the given application stack to be executed and to operate on the content entity represented by the selected stack card, and

wherein one or more of the application stacks may be in the active area simultaneously.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stack card sequence is a background-to-foreground sequence.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein only the stack card furthest in a foreground of the background-to-foreground sequence of the given application stack in the active area may be selected.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the stack cards in the stack card sequence are ordered according to a rule.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a position of any of the stack cards in the stack card sequence of the given application stack in the active area may be changed by scrolling the given stack card in the stack card sequence.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein any of the stack cards in the stack card sequence of the given application stack in the active area may be removed from the sequence so as no longer to be displayed on the display area, by scrolling the one or more stack cards in the stack card sequence.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application stacks are displayable in an application stack sequence ordered according to a rule, and wherein one or more of the application stacks are displayed in the display area simultaneously.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the content entities satisfies a rule, and the processor and the display application are jointly operable to update the display of the application stacks by (1) adding to one of the application stacks a given stack card representing a given content entity, if the given content entity satisfies a rule, and (2) removing from one of the application stacks a given stack card representing a given content entity, if the given content entity ceases to satisfy a rule.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the stack cards is a modified version of the content entity represented by the stack card.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a touch-sensitive screen for input of user input, and wherein the at least one stack card contained in the given application stack in the active area may be selected by user input.

11. A computer device, comprising:

the user interface apparatus of claim 1;

an application stack generator; and

a storage interface, for interfacing with the computer applications and the content entities when stored in a storage,

wherein the processor and the application stack generator are jointly operable to create the plurality of application stacks and to associate the application stacks with the corresponding computer applications, respectively.

12. The computer device of claim 11, wherein the processor and the application stack generator create a stack card for a content entity if the content entity satisfies a rule.

13. A method of facilitating interaction with content on a display device having a display area, comprising:

providing an active area in a display area of a display device;

displaying on the display area of the display device any of a plurality of application stacks, each of the application stacks being movable into and out of the active area in response to user input, each of the application stacks containing one or more stack cards, each of the application stacks being associated with a respective corresponding computer application, and each of the stack cards representing a respective corresponding content entity capable of being operated on by the computer application corresponding to the application stack containing the stack card representing the content entity, and

activating all of the application stacks displayed in the active area such that for each of the application stacks displayed in the active area;

the one or more stack cards contained in the respective application stack are displayed in a stack card sequence and at least one of the stack cards contained in the respective application stack may be selected, the selecting of a stack card causing the respective computer application corresponding to the respective application stack to be executed and to operate on the content entity represented by the selected stack card,

wherein one or more of the application stacks may be displayed in the active area simultaneously.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the stack card sequence is a background-to-foreground sequence.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein only the stack card furthest in a foreground of the background-to-foreground sequence of the respective application stack in the active area may be selected.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the stack cards displayed in the stack card sequence are ordered according to a rule.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising changing a displayed position of a given stack card in the stack card sequence of the respective application stack in the active area in accordance with a scrolling of the given stack card by a user.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising ceasing to display on the display area a given stack card in the stack card sequence of the respective application stack in the active area in accordance with a scrolling of the given stack card by a user.

19. The method of claim 13, further comprising causing the application stacks to be displayed in the display area in an application stack sequence ordered according to a rule, wherein one or more of the application stacks are displayed in the display area simultaneously.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the content entities satisfies a rule, and wherein the method further comprises updating the display of the application stacks by (1) adding to one of the application stacks a given stack card representing a given content entity, if the given content entity satisfies a rule, and (2) removing from one of the application stacks a given stack card representing a given content entity, if the given content entity ceases to satisfy a rule.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein each of the stack cards is a modified version of the content entity represented by the stack card.

22. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving user input via a touch-sensitive screen associated with the display device, and wherein the at least one stack card contained in the respective application stack in the active area may be selected by user input.

23. The method of claim 13, further comprising creating the plurality of application stacks and associating the application stacks with the corresponding computer applications, respectively.