Focal-Control User Interface

• US 20100229130A1
• Filed: 03/06/2009
• Published: 09/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Wang, Min, Edge, Darren K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,631,354 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A user interface and techniques for manipulating a graphical representation via indirect manipulation of focal controls are described. Generally, the user interface includes a graphical representation (e.g., an image, video, application, browser, map, etc.), one or more visible or transparent focal controls, and gesture detection functionality to detect inputs from a user. The user may provide this input via a peripheral device (e.g., a mouse, keyboard, etc.), a touch-screen display, or in another suitable manner. In each instance, the user provides an input relative to the focal control and, in response to detecting the input, the gesture detection functionality manipulates the underlying graphical representation.

Claims

1. A user interface comprising:

a representation area to display a graphical representation;

a focal control disposed within the representation area; and

gesture detection functionality to detect input of a user relative to the focal control and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation.

2. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the focal control comprises a circular, oval, or polygonal ring that is displayed over the graphical representation.

3. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the focal control is approximately centrally located in the representation area.

4. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the gesture detection functionality is further to:

detect input of the user that is about the focal control without contact thereto and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a first manner; and

detect input of the user that is towards or away from the focal control and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a second manner that is different from the first manner.

5. The user interface as recited in claim 4, wherein:

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the first manner comprises zooming in or out on the graphical representation; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the second manner comprises panning the graphical representation.

6. The user interface as recited in claim 4, wherein the graphical representation comprises a series of concentric circles defining respective concentric regions between the concentric circles, and wherein:

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the first manner comprises expanding or contracting a concentric region within which the input of the user is received; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the second manner comprises scrolling the respective concentric regions towards an innermost concentric region or towards an outermost concentric region.

7. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the gesture detection functionality is further to:

detect input of the user that is into the focal control and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a first manner; and

detect input of the user that out of the focal control and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a second manner that is different from the first manner.

8. The user interface as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the graphical representation comprises multiple regions that each display respective content of a hierarchy;

the input of the user into the focal control originates from a first of the multiple regions; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the first manner comprises causing display of one or more children in the hierarchy of the content in the first region, the one or more children being displayed in respective regions of the multiple regions.

9. The user interface as recited in claim 7, wherein:

the graphical representation comprises multiple regions that each display respective content of a hierarchy, a first region of the multiple regions displaying a parent in the hierarchy before the input of the user out of the focal control; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the second manner comprises causing display of;

(i) the parent in the hierarchy of the content in the first region, and (ii) one or more siblings of the parent in the hierarchy, the parent and the one or more siblings being displayed in respective regions of the multiple regions other than the first region.

10. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the gesture detection functionality is further to:

detect input of the user that is in a first predefined direction relative to the focal control and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a first manner; and

detect input of the user that is in a second predefined direction that is substantially perpendicular to the first predefined direction and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a second manner that is different from the first manner.

11. The user interface as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the graphical representation comprises content arranged in a carousel;

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the first manner comprises rotating the carousel in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the second manner comprises tilting the carousel about an axis that passes through the carousel.

12. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the input of the user is received via a peripheral device or via a touch-screen display.

13. The user interface as recited in claim 1, wherein the input of the user comprises a touch input that is received via a touch-screen display, and wherein the gesture detection functionality is further to:

detect a touch input having a single point of contact and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a first manner; and

detect a touch input having multiple points of contact and, in response to the detection, manipulate the graphical representation in a second manner that is different from the first manner.

14. The user interface as recited in claim 13, wherein:

the manipulation of the graphical representation in one of the first manner or the second manner comprises zooming in or out on the graphical representation; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation in the other of the first manner or the second manner comprises panning the graphical representation.

15. A method comprising:

presenting a user interface with a graphical representation and a focal control disposed within the graphical representation; and

enabling a user to manipulate the graphical representation by indirectly manipulating the focal control, the indirect manipulation comprising input from the user that is towards or away from the focal control, about the focal control, into or out of the focal control or in a predefined direction relative to the focal control.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the graphical representation comprises multiple concentric rings defining multiple concentric regions there between;

the indirect manipulation comprises input from the user that towards, away from, or about the focal control; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation comprises;

scrolling through the multiple concentric regions in response to receiving an input that is towards or away from the focal control; and

expanding or contracting a respective concentric region in response to receiving an input that is about the focal control.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the indirect manipulation comprises input from the user that is towards or about the focal control; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation comprises panning the graphical representation in response to receiving an input that is towards the focal control and zooming in or out on the graphical representation in response to receiving an input that is about the focal control.

18. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the indirect manipulation comprises input from the user that is into or out of the focal control; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation comprises navigating downwards through a hierarchical tree in response to receiving an input into the focal control and navigating upwards through the hierarchical tree in response to receiving an input out of the focal control.

19. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein:

the graphical representation comprises content arranged in a carousel;

the indirect manipulation comprises input from the user that is in a predefined direction relative to the focal control; and

the manipulation of the graphical representation comprises;

rotating the carousel about the focal control in response to receiving an input that is in a first predefined direction relative to the focal control; and

tilting the carousel about an axis that passes through the carousel in response to receiving an input that is in a second predefined direction relative to the focal control, the second predefined direction being substantially perpendicular to the first predefined direction.

20. One or more computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform acts comprising:

presenting, on a touch-screen display configured to receive touch inputs from a user, a user interface with a graphical representation and a fixed focal ring, the fixed focal ring being displayed over and in a central location of the graphical representation;

detecting, on the touch-screen display, a touch input of a user towards the fixed focal ring and, in response to the detection, panning the graphical representation;

detecting, on the touch-screen display, a touch input of the user around the fixed focal ring in a clockwise direction and, in response to the detection, performing one of a zoom-in or a zoom-out operation on the graphical representation; and

detecting, on the touch-screen display, a touch input of the user around the fixed focal ring in a counterclockwise direction and, in response, performing the other of the zoom-in or the zoom-out operation on the graphical representation.