CONTEXT DRIVEN HEADS-UP DISPLAY FOR EFFICIENT WINDOW INTERACTION

• US 20120182205A1
• Filed: 01/18/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/18/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Original Assignee: Schlumberger Technology Corporation (Schlumberger NV)
• Inventors: Gamst, Gaute Johannes
• Application Number:
  US13/008,386
• Publication Number:
  US 20120182205A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to methods and systems for interacting with software applications, and more specifically, to “context-driven” heads-up displays for efficient window interaction. In some embodiments, a method includes operating a software application; determining a context of usage of the software application; and displaying a heads-up display on a display device, the heads-up display including one or more user-selectable indicators, each user-selectable indicator being associated with an operation of the software application, at least one of the one or more user-selectable indicators being displayed based on the determined context of usage. In further embodiments, the heads-up display may have a plurality of user-selectable indicators circumferentially disposed about a dynamically-determined user-indicated location on the display device.

Claims

1. A method of interacting with a software application, comprising:

operating a software application;

determining a context of usage of the software application; and

displaying a heads-up display on a display device, the heads-up display including one or more user-selectable indicators, each user-selectable indicator being associated with an operation of the software application, at least one of the one or more user-selectable indicators being displayed based on the determined context of usage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a heads-up display on a display device comprises:

displaying a heads-up display having a plurality of user-selectable indicators circumferentially disposed about a dynamically-determined user-indicated location on the display device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a context of usage of the software application comprises:

determining one or more previous operations of the software application that have been performed; and

determining the context of usage based on the one or more previous operations.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a context of usage of the software application comprises:

determining at least one preference of a user of the software application based oh one or more previous operations of the software application by the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein displaying a heads-up display on a display device comprises:

displaying a heads-up display on a display device, the heads-up display including one or more user-selectable indicators corresponding to the at least one determined preference of the user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a heads-up display on a display device comprises:

displaying a heads-up display on a display device, the heads-up display including a plurality of user-selectable indicators radially spaced apart from and circumferentially disposed about a user-selectable position on the display device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user-selectable indicators are radially spaced apart from the user-selectable position at a first radial distance, the method further comprising:

receiving an input associated with a selection of one of the one or more user-selectable indicators by a user; and

displaying one or more additional user-selectable indicators at a second radial distance from the user-selectable position, the second radial distance being greater than the first radial distance.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of user-selectable indicators includes at least one of a choice icon, a menu of further user-selectable indicators, a branch structure of user-selectable indicators, a toolbar, or a pop-up window.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a context of usage of the software application comprises determining a most-likely-next operation, and wherein displaying a heads-up display on a display device comprises displaying a heads-up display on a display device, the heads-up display including at least one user-selectable indicator associated with the determined most-likely-next operation.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining a most-likely-next operation comprises:

determining a most-likely-next operation based on a user-preference established by one or more previous operations of the software application by a user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying a heads-up display on a display device comprises:

displaying the at least one user-selectable indicator associated with the determined most-likely-next operation in an emphasized manner relative to one or more other user-selectable indicators of the heads-up display.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein displaying a heads-up display on a display device comprises:

displaying a central icon associated with a most-recently-performed operation at a user-selected position on the display device;

displaying at least one user-selectable indicator associated with the most-likely-next operation at a first radial distance from the central icon; and

displaying at least one additional user-selectable indicator associated at least one additional operation at a second radial distance from the central icon, the second radial distance being greater than the first radial distance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein displaying at least one additional user-selectable indicator associated at least one other operation at a second radial distance from the central icon comprises:

displaying a plurality of additional user-selectable indicators at the second radial distance from, and circumferentially disposed about, the central icon.

14. A method of interacting with a software application on an electronic device, comprising:

operating the software application to establish a context of operation; and

displaying on a display device of the electronic device a heads-up display that includes one or more user-selectable indicators, each user-selectable indicator being associated with a possible operation of the software application, at least one of the one or more user-selectable indicators being displayed based on the established context of operation.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein displaying on a display device of the electronic device a heads-up display that includes one or more user-selectable indicators comprises:

displaying a heads-up display having a plurality of user-selectable indicators radially spaced apart from and circumferentially disposed about a dynamically-determined user-indicated location on the display device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

prior to displaying the heads-up display, receiving an input from a user via an interface device a signal indicative of the user-indicated location for displaying the heads-up display.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of user-selectable indicators are radially spaced apart from the user-indicated position at a first radial distance, the method further comprising:

receiving from a user via an interface device an input associated with a selection of one of the one or more user-selectable indicators; and

displaying one or more additional user-selectable indicators at a second radial distance from the user-selectable position, the second radial distance being greater than the first radial distance.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a most-likely-next operation based on the established context of operation; and

wherein displaying on a display device of the electronic device a heads-up display includes displaying at least one user-selectable indicator associated with the determined most-likely-next operation in an emphasized manner relative to at least one other displayed user-selectable indicator of the heads-up display.

19. One or more non-transitory media bearing device-readable instructions that, when executed, perform a process of interacting with a software application comprising:

operating the software application to establish a context of operation; and

displaying on a display device a heads-up display having a plurality of user-selectable indicators radially spaced apart from and circumferentially disposed about a dynamically-determined user-indicated location on the display device, each user-selectable indicator being associated with an operation of the software application.

20. The one or more non-transitory media of claim 19, wherein displaying on a display device a heads-up display having a plurality of user-selectable indicators comprises:

displaying on a display device a heads-up display having a plurality of user-selectable indicators, at least one of the one or more user-selectable indicators being displayed based on the established context of operation.