Image-Derived User Interface Enhancements

• US 20110131497A1
• Filed: 12/02/2009
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Goran, Charles, Malekzadeh, Feridoon
• Granted Patent: US 9,003,290 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/723
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations

Abstract

A device configured to select a portion of an image, the selecting being based at least on parameters associated with a user interface element of the device, is disclosed herein. The device is further configured to apply the selected portion of the image to the user interface element.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a telecommunication device, the method comprising:

selecting a portion of an image, the selecting being based at least on parameters associated with a user interface element of the telecommunication device; and

applying the selected portion of the image to the user interface element.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the image, the receiving including capturing the image via a video or image capture component of the telecommunication device, receiving the image from a remote or local device, receiving the image from an application, or enabling a user to create or modify the image.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically selecting the image from a plurality of images of the telecommunication device.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising specifying the parameters in a lookup table having entries for user interface elements and corresponding entries for parameters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the lookup table is one of a plurality of lookup tables of a template,

wherein the plurality of lookup tables include tables for at least one of a telecommunication device, a platform, an operating system or an application, or

wherein a subset of the plurality of lookup tables are associated with a theme, the theme being associated with a level of service.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising dynamically constructing the lookup table based on parameters received from application providers, the application providers providing the parameters via an application programming interface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameters include at least one of a portion size, an image location, a coordinate pair, a brightness/darkness parameter, or a color variation parameter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface element is one of a header, a menu item, a list item, a contact, an icon, a button, a slide control, a form element, or a background.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising applying one or more graphic effects associated with the user interface element to the selected portion of the image.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the graphic effects include at least one of shading, brightening, dimpling, rippling, a button effect, a blurring, a color inversion effect, or a black and white effect.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying further comprises providing the selected portion of the image and an indication of its corresponding user interface element to a telecommunication device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the applying further comprises generating a modified user interface element based on the selected portion of the image.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising displaying the modified user interface element in place of the user interface element.

14. A method implemented in one or more computing devices, the method comprising:

receiving an image associated with a user profile;

selecting one or more portions of the image for one or more user interface elements of one or more computing and/or telecommunication devices that are associated with the user profile; and

one or both of;

providing the selected portions of the image to the computing and/or telecommunication devices, and/or

applying one of the selected portions of the image to one of the user interface elements.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more computing devices comprise a server, a web server, and/or data storage cluster.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the user profile is associated with a telecommunication device service account.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the computing and/or telecommunication devices include at least one of the one or more computing devices performing the selecting, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant, a television, a personal computer, or a game device.

18. A telecommunication device comprising:

a processor;

a video and/or image capture component coupled to the processor; and

one or more modules of executable instructions configured to be executed by the processor and to perform operations including;

receiving a video or sequence of images from the video and/or image capture component;

while receiving the video or sequence of images,

selecting a portion of a video frame of the video, an image of the sequence of images or a multi-frame loop of the video,

applying the selected portion of the frame, image, or loop to a user interface element of the telecommunication device, and

repeatedly performing the selecting and applying until an indication is received.

19. The telecommunication device of claim 18, wherein the selecting is based at least on parameters associated with the user interface element.

20. The telecommunication device of claim 18, wherein the indication is input received from a telecommunication device user indicating a portion of a video frame of the video, an image of the sequence of images, or a multi-frame loop of the video which the user wishes to select for the user interface element.