3D View Of File Structure

• US 20110179368A1
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: King, Nicholas V., Benjamin, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 10,007,393 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A file structure or data hierarchy can be navigated using 3D gesture inputs. For example, objects can be arranged in a plurality of layers. A user input, including a 3D gesture input having a movement in proximity to a display surface can be detected. Different layers can be navigated in response to a movement component that is perpendicular to the display surface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

arranging objects in a plurality of layers;

detecting a first user input comprising a 3D gesture input having a first movement in proximity to a display surface, the first movement having a first component that is perpendicular to the display surface; and

navigating among different layers in response to the first movement component that is perpendicular to the display surface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting a second user input that includes a second movement having a second component that is parallel to the display surface, and navigating within a layer based on the second movement component that is parallel to the display surface.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising, upon navigating to a particular layer, rendering at least one object in the particular layer visible on the display automatically without requiring additional user input.

4. The method of claim 1 in which arranging objects in a plurality of layers comprises arranging representations of file objects in a plurality of layers, each file object comprising a file or a folder.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising presenting a 3D view of the representations of file objects on the display, and rendering the representations in different layers visible on the display in response to 3D gesture inputs having movement components that are perpendicular to the display surface.

6. The method of claim 4 in which the 3D gesture input indicates selection of a first file object in a first layer, moving from the first layer to the second layer, and dropping the first file object into a second file object in a second layer.

7. The method of claim 1 in which detecting a first user input comprises detecting a first user input that comprises a pinch-and-pull gesture input that includes a movement away from the display surface, and

navigating among different layers comprises navigating from a first layer to a second layer that is above the first layer in response to the pinch-and-pull gesture input.

8. The method of claim 1 in which detecting a first user input comprises detecting a first user input that comprises a pinch-and-push gesture input that includes a movement towards the display surface, and

navigating among different layers comprises navigating from a first layer to a second layer that is below the first layer in response to the pinch-and-push gesture input.

9. The method of claim 1 in which detecting the first user input comprises detecting a movement of a finger or a pointing device relative to the display surface, and

navigating among different layers comprises moving from a first layer to a second layer above the first layer in response to the finger or pointing device moving away from the display surface, and moving from the second layer to a third layer below the second layer in response to the finger or pointing device moving toward the display surface.

10. The method of claim 1 in which arranging objects in a plurality of layers comprises arranging groups of objects that are associated with a same time period in the same layer, different layers having objects that are associated with different time periods.

11. The method of claim 10 in which arranging objects in a plurality of layers comprises arranging backup files that that are associated with a same time period in the same layer, different layers having backup files that that are associated with different time periods, and

the method further comprises identifying backup files that are associated with different time periods based on different amounts of movement components that are perpendicular to the display surface.

12. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying a data hierarchy;

detecting a first user input comprising a three-dimensional (3D) gesture input having a movement in proximity to a surface, the first movement having a first component that is perpendicular to the surface; and

navigating the data hierarchy or manipulating an object in the data hierarchy based on the first user input, including navigating to different levels of the data hierarchy based on the first movement component that is perpendicular to the surface.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising detecting a second user input that includes a second movement having a second component that is parallel to the surface, and navigating within a level of the data hierarchy based on the second movement component that is parallel to the surface.

14. The method of claim 12 in which detecting the first user input comprises detecting a movement of a finger or a pointing device relative to the surface, and

navigating to different levels comprises moving from a first level to a second level that is higher than the first level in response to the finger or pointing device moving away from the surface, and moving from the second level to a third level that is lower than the second level in response to the finger or pointing device moving toward the surface.

15. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

providing a search interface that provides multiple views of search results, each view arranging the search results according to at least one of a plurality of properties;

detecting a first user input including a three-dimensional (3D) gesture input comprising a movement in proximity to a surface, the movement having a component perpendicular to the surface; and

identifying different subgroups of the objects within one of the views according to the movement component perpendicular to the surface.

16. The method of claim 15 in which providing a search interface comprises providing a search interface that provides multiple views of file objects resulting from a search, each view presenting the file objects according to at least one of a plurality of properties of the file objects.

17. The method of claim 16 in which providing a search interface that provides multiple views of file objects comprises providing a search interface that provides multiple views of electronic mail or message items resulting from a search, each view presenting the electronic mail or message items according to at least one of a plurality of properties of the electronic mail or message items.

18. The method of claim 16 in which the properties comprise at least one of name, size, created date, modified date, file extension type, sent time, received time, subject line, attachment, or priority.

19. The method of claim 16 in which receiving the second gesture input comprises receiving a gesture input indicating removal of the at least one of the objects.

20. The method of claim 19 in which the gesture input indicating removal of the at least one of the objects comprises a flicking gesture resembling flicking away the at least one of the objects.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a sensor module to detect three-dimensional (3D) gesture inputs, each 3D gesture input comprising a movement in proximity to a surface and having a component in a direction perpendicular to the surface; and

a data processor to arrange objects in a plurality of layers,

receive signals output from the sensor module, the signals representing detected 3D gesture inputs, and

navigate among different layers based on the movement components in a direction perpendicular to the surface.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 in which the surface comprises the surface of at least one of a display or a touchpad.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a storage device to store information about a mapping between movements in proximity to a surface and predefined 3D gestures.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 in which the sensor module comprises a capacitive based touch sensor that can detect the 3D gesture inputs.

25. An apparatus comprising:

a computer storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising;

arranging objects in a plurality of layers;

detecting a first user input comprising a 3D gesture input having a first movement in proximity to a display surface, the first movement having a first component that is perpendicular to the display surface; and

navigating among different layers in response to the first movement component that is perpendicular to the display surface.