GRAPHICAL OBJECTS THAT RESPOND TO TOUCH OR MOTION INPUT

• US 20110193788A1
• Filed: 02/10/2010
• Published: 08/11/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bilbrey, Brett, King, Nicholas V., Benjamin, Todd
• Granted Patent: US 8,839,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 2203/04808 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2200/24 involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20101 Interactive definition of point of interest, landmark or seed
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/62 Semi-transparency

Abstract

A first graphical object on a user interface of a device can be transformed to a second graphical object on the user interface. The second graphical object can be manipulated by a user on the user interface using touch input or by physically moving the device. When manipulated, the object can be animated to appear to have mass that responds to real-world, physical forces, such as gravity, friction or drag. The data represented by the second graphical object can be compressed or archived using a gesture applied to the second graphical object. Graphical objects can be visually sorted on the user interface based on their mass (size). The visual appearance of graphical objects on the user interface can be adjusted to indicate the age of data represented by the graphical objects.

Claims

1. A method performed on one or more processors, comprising:

presenting at least one first graphical object on a user interface of a first device;

receiving touch input through the user interface;

responsive to the touch input, transforming the first graphical object into a second graphical object;

receiving motion input from one or more motion sensors onboard the first device; and

animating the second graphical object in the user interface to respond to the motion input.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first graphical object is a two-dimensional graphical object and the second graphical object is a three-dimensional graphical object.

3. The method of claim 1, where animating the second graphical object comprises:

animating the second graphical object to appear to be detached from the user interface.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

animating the second graphical object so that it moves in a direction on the user interface based on the motion input.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

animating the second graphical object to move at a speed on the user interface according to a size of the second graphical object.

6. The method of claim 5, where the speed of the second graphical object is based on a characteristic of the user interface.

7. The method of claim 1, where the second graphical object is a ball which appears to roll in the user interface in response to the motion input.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the presence of a second device;

establishing a wireless communication link with the second device;

responsive to the motion input, animating the second graphical object so that it appears to leave the user interface; and

transmitting data represented by the second graphical object to the second device.

9. The method of claim 1, where receiving input comprises:

receiving touch input from a user, the touch input visually associating two or more first graphical objects to form a set of first graphical objects; and

transforming the set of first graphical objects into the second graphical object.

10. The method of claim 9, where visually associating two or more graphical objects includes drawing a line around the two or more graphical objects in the user interface.

11. A method performed by one or more processors, comprising:

presenting a first graphical object on a user interface of a device;

receiving first touch input through the user interface;

responsive to the first touch input, transforming the first graphical object into a second graphical object;

receiving second touch input in response to a user touching the second graphical object; and

responsive to the second touch input, animating the second graphical object in the user interface so that it appears to become smaller, and compressing or archiving data represented by the second graphical object.

12. The method of claim 11, where the second touch input is a pinching gesture applied to the second graphical object in the user interface, and the resulting size of the second graphical object is reduced in accordance with a pinching distance.

13. The method of claim 12, were the second graphical object is a ball, and the radius of the ball is reduced in accordance with the pinching distance.

14. A method performed by one or more processors, comprising:

presenting a user interface on a display of a device;

displaying graphical objects representing files on the user interface;

receiving a request to sort the graphical objects based on the relative sizes of the files the graphical objects represent; and

responsive to the request, arranging the graphical objects in a hierarchy on the user interface according to the relative sizes of the files the graphical objects represent, where the arranging includes animating the graphical objects in the user interface so that each object appears to have a mass that responds to real world, physical forces.

15. The method of claim 14, where the request is indicated by touch input through the user interface or by motion of the device.

16. A method performed by one or more processors, comprising:

presenting a user interface on a display of a device;

displaying an object on the user interface, the object representing a file having an age; and

adjusting the visual appearance of the object on the user interface based on the age of the file.

17. The method of claim 16, where adjusting the visual appearance of the object comprises:

adjusting the color or transparency of the object in the user interface, where the adjusting is based on the age of the file represented by the object.

18. The method of claim 16, where adjusting the visual appearance of the object comprises:

animating the object to have motion in the user interface, where the amount of motion is based on the age of the file represented by the object.

19. The method of claim 16, where adjusting the visual appearance of the object comprises:

moving the object to a different location on the user interface.

20. The method of claim 17, where the transparency is adjusted linearly over a defined time period, such that older files are more transparent than newer files.

21. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising;

presenting at least one first graphical object on a user interface of the system;

receiving touch input through the user interface;

responsive to the touch input, transforming the first graphical object into a second graphical object;

receiving motion input from one or more motion sensors onboard the system; and

animating the second graphical object in the user interface to respond to the motion input.

22. The system of claim 21, where the first graphical object is a two-dimensional graphical object and the second graphical object is a three-dimensional graphical object.

23. The system of claim 21, where animating the second graphical object comprises:

animating the second graphical object to appear to be detached from the user interface.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

animating the second graphical object so that it moves in a direction on the user interface based on the motion input.

25. The system of claim 23, further comprising:

animating the second graphical object to move at a speed on the user interface according to a size of the second graphical object.

26. The system of claim 25, where the speed of the second graphical object is based on a characteristic of the user interface.

27. The system of claim 21, where the second graphical object is a ball which appears to roll in the user interface in response to the motion input.

28. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

detecting the presence of a second system;

establishing a wireless communication link with the second system;

responsive to the motion input, animating the second graphical object so that it appears to leave the user interface; and

transmitting data represented by the second graphical object to the second system.

29. The system of claim 21, where receiving input comprises:

receiving touch input from a user, the touch input visually associating two or more first graphical objects to form a set of first graphical objects; and

transforming the set of first graphical objects into the second graphical object.

30. The system of claim 29, where visually associating two or more graphical objects includes drawing a line around the two or more graphical objects in the user interface.

31. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising;

presenting a first graphical object on a user interface of the system;

receiving first touch input through the user interface;

responsive to the first touch input, transforming the first graphical object into a second graphical object;

receiving second touch input in response to a user touching the second graphical object; and

responsive to the second touch input, animating the second graphical object in the user interface so that it appears to become smaller, and compressing or archiving data represented by the second graphical object.

32. The system of claim 31, where the second touch input is a pinching gesture applied to the second graphical object in the user interface, and the resulting size of the second graphical object is reduced in accordance with a pinching distance.

33. The system of claim 32, were the second graphical object is a ball, and the radius of the ball is reduced in accordance with the pinching distance.

34. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising;

presenting a user interface on a display of the system;

displaying graphical objects representing files on the user interface;

receiving a request to sort the graphical objects based on the relative sizes of the files the graphical objects represent; and

responsive to the request, arranging the graphical objects in a hierarchy on the user interface according to the relative sizes of the files the graphical objects represent, where the arranging includes animating the graphical objects in the user interface so that each object appears to have a mass that responds to real world, physical forces.

35. The system of claim 34, where the request is indicated by touch input through the user interface or by motion of the system.

36. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

a computer-readable medium coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions, which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations, comprising;

presenting a user interface on a display of the system;

displaying an object on the user interface, the object representing a file having an age; and

adjusting the visual appearance of the object on the user interface based on the age of the file.

37. The system of claim 36, where adjusting the visual appearance of the object comprises:

adjusting the color or transparency of the object in the user interface, where the adjusting is based on the age of the file represented by the object.

38. The system of claim 36, where adjusting the visual appearance of the object comprises:

animating the object to have motion in the user interface, where the amount of motion is based on the age of the file represented by the object.

39. The system of claim 36, where adjusting the visual appearance of the object comprises:

moving the object to a different location on the user interface.

40. The system of claim 37, where the transparency is adjusted linearly over a defined time period, such that older files are more transparent than newer files.