POSITIONAL EFFECTS IN A THREE-DIMENSIONAL DESKTOP ENVIRONMENT

• US 20110126161A1
• Filed: 11/25/2009
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Do, Lydia M., DELUCA, LISA SEACAT, Nesbitt, Pamela A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,448,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus

Abstract

Systems, methods and articles of manufacture are disclosed for arranging display elements in a three-dimensional desktop environment. In one embodiment, each display element may include an attribute. A user request may be received to apply the positional effect to the display elements. The positional effect may be applied to the display elements based on the attribute, responsive to the user request.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

configuring one or more computer processors to perform an operation for arranging a plurality of display elements in a three-dimensional desktop environment, comprising;

receiving a user request to apply a positional effect to the plurality of display elements, wherein each display element of the plurality of display elements includes a respective attribute, and wherein each display element of the plurality of display elements is disposed at an initial position in the three-dimensional desktop environment; and

in response to the received user request, applying the positional effect to each of the plurality of display elements by;

determining, for each of the plurality of display elements, a final position based on said respective attribute; and

rendering an animation of each of the plurality of display elements moving from the respective initial position to the respective final position.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the final position for one or more of the display elements is disposed at a distance from a plane defined by the three-dimensional desktop environment, and wherein the distance is determined from the attribute of the respective display element.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein each display element represents one of a file, a folder, a shortcut, and an executing application.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a value for the attribute of each of the plurality of display elements; and

setting the value of the attribute of each of the plurality of display elements.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a plane in the three-dimensional desktop environment against which the positional effect is to be applied;

wherein the positional effect is applied to the plurality of display elements against the specified plane.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying one or more of the plurality of display elements for which the positional effect is not to be applied;

wherein the positional effect is applied to all of the plurality of display elements except the one or more specified display elements.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a plane in the three-dimensional desktop environment to which the specified display element is to be affixed; and

affixing the specified display element to the specified plane;

wherein the specified display element remains affixed to the specified plane when the positional effect is applied.

8. A computer-readable storage medium containing a program, which, when executed on a processor, performs an operation for arranging a plurality of display elements in a three-dimensional desktop environment, wherein the operation comprises:

receiving a user request to apply a positional effect to the plurality of display elements, wherein each display element of the plurality of display elements includes a respective attribute, and wherein each display element of the plurality of display elements is disposed at an initial position in the three-dimensional desktop environment; and

in response to the received user request, applying the positional effect to each of the plurality of display elements by;

determining, for each of the plurality of display elements, a final position based on said respective attribute; and

rendering an animation of each of the plurality of display elements moving from the respective initial position to the respective final position.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the final position for one or more of the display elements is disposed at a distance from a plane defined by the three-dimensional desktop environment, wherein the distance is determined from the attribute of the respective display element.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein each display element represents one of a file, a folder, a shortcut, and an executing application.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a value for the attribute of each of the plurality of display elements; and

setting the value of the attribute of each of the plurality of display elements.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a plane in the three-dimensional desktop environment against which the positional effect is to be applied;

wherein the positional effect is applied to the plurality of display elements against the specified plane.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying one or more of the plurality of display elements for which the positional effect is not to be applied;

wherein the positional effect is applied to all of the plurality of display elements except the one or more specified display elements.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a plane in the three-dimensional desktop environment to which the specified display element is to be affixed; and

affixing the specified display element to the specified plane;

wherein the specified display element remains affixed to the specified plane when the positional effect is applied.

15. A system, comprising:

one or more computer processors; and

a memory containing a program, which when executed by the one or more computer processors is configured to perform an operation for arranging a plurality of display elements in a three-dimensional desktop environment, the operation comprising;

receiving a user request to apply a positional effect to the plurality of display elements, wherein each display element of the plurality of display elements includes a respective attribute, and wherein each display element of the plurality of display elements is disposed at an initial position in the three-dimensional desktop environment, and

in response to the received user request, applying the positional effect to each of the plurality of display elements by;

determining, for each of the plurality of display elements, a final position based on said respective attribute; and

rendering an animation of each of the plurality of display elements moving from the respective initial position to the respective final position.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the final position for one or more of the display elements is disposed at a distance from a plane defined by the three-dimensional desktop environment, wherein the distance is determined from the attribute of the respective display element.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each display element represents one of a file, a folder, a shortcut, and an executing application.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a value for the attribute of each of the plurality of display elements; and

setting the value of the attribute of each of the plurality of display elements.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a plane in the three-dimensional desktop environment against which the positional effect is to be applied;

wherein the positional effect is applied to the plurality of display elements against the specified plane.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying one or more of the plurality of display elements for which the positional effect is not to be applied;

wherein the positional effect is applied to all of the plurality of display elements except the one or more specified display elements.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving user input specifying a plane in the three-dimensional desktop environment to which the specified display element is to be affixed; and

affixing the specified display element to the specified plane;

wherein the specified display element remains affixed to the specified plane when the positional effect is applied.