RADIAL MENU SELECTION

• US 20120278762A1
• Filed: 07/09/2012
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Charles J. Migos, Jean-Pierre M. Mouilleseaux
• Original Assignee: Charles J. Migos, Jean-Pierre M. Mouilleseaux
• Inventors: Mouilleseaux, Jean-Pierre M., Migos, Charles J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,459,791 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/834
• 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 method comprising of displaying a GUI object is disclosed. The method displays a first graphical user interface (GUI) object with multiple selectable GUI items. The method detects a movement of a cursor in a direction of a particular selectable GUI item. The method determines an expected location for the stopping of the cursor. The method displays, at the expected location, a second GUI object corresponding to the particular GUI item.

Claims

1-29. -29. (canceled)

30. A method comprising:

defining a first radial menu for displaying around a position indicator;

defining a second radial menu as a submenu of the first radial menu, the second radial menu for displaying at a particular location; and

defining a set of modules for determining the particular location for the second radial menu by predicting a stopping location of the position indicator using direction and at least one additional parameter of the position indicator when the position indicator is moved from the center of the first radial menu in order to select a particular menu item of the first radial menu that corresponds to the second radial menu.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first radial menu comprises a first plurality of selectable GUI items for arranging radially around the position indicator and the submenu comprises a second plurality of selectable GUI items for arranging radially around the particular location.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the set of modules are defined within an operating system.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the set of modules are defined within an application that runs on top of an operating system.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein the additional parameter comprises at least one of speed and acceleration of the position indicator.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein the additional parameters comprise both speed and acceleration of the position indicator as the position indicator moves from the center of the menu out of the menu.

36. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for execution by at least one processor, said computer program comprising:

a set of instructions for displaying a display area around a position indicator, the display area comprising a plurality of selectable items, each of the selectable items being associated with a set of angles from a center of the display area;

a set of instructions for identifying an angle of a movement of the position indicator out of the display area as associated with a particular selectable item;

a set of instructions for identifying a location of the position indicator over the particular selectable item when an activation command is received; and

a set of instructions for performing the function corresponding to the particular selectable item when one of (i) the angle of movement is identified as associated with the particular selectable item and (ii) the position indicator is located over the particular selectable item as the activation command is received.

37. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the activation command comprises a signal that a stylus has contacted a surface.

38. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the activation command comprises a signal that a mouse button has been pressed.

39. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for identifying the position indicator having been located over the particular selectable item for a time exceeding a preset duration, wherein the set of instructions for performing the function corresponding to the particular selectable item is also for performing the function when the position indicator has been identified as being located over the particular selectable item for the time exceeding the preset duration.

40. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 36, wherein the display area comprises a radial menu, wherein the plurality of selectable items corresponds to a plurality of functions, the computer program further comprising a set of instructions for displaying a submenu when a selectable item corresponding to a function to display the submenu is selected.

41. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 40, wherein the plurality of selectable items is a first plurality of selectable items and the plurality of functions is a first plurality of functions, wherein the submenu comprises a second plurality of selectable items corresponding to a second plurality of functions.

42. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 41, wherein the computer program further comprises:

a set of instructions for displaying the submenu around the position indicator, each of the second plurality of selectable items being associated with a set of angles from a center of the submenu;

a set of instructions for identifying an angle of a movement of the position indicator out of the submenu as associated with a second selectable item;

a set of instructions for identifying a location of the position indicator over the second selectable item when a second activation command is received; and

a set of instructions for performing the function corresponding to the second selectable item when one of (i) the angle of movement is identified as associated with the particular second item and (ii) the position indicator is located over the second selectable item as the second activation command is received.

43. A method comprising:

defining a display area for display around a position indicator, the display area comprising a plurality of selectable items, each of the selectable items being associated with a set of angles from a center of the display area;

defining a module for identifying an angle of a movement of the position indicator out of the display area as associated with a particular selectable item;

defining a module for identifying a location of the position indicator over the particular selectable item when an activation command is received; and

defining a module for performing the function corresponding to the particular selectable item when one of (i) the angle of movement is identified as associated with the particular selectable item and (ii) the position indicator is located over the particular selectable item as the activation command is received.

44. The method of claim 43 further comprising defining a module for identifying the position indicator having been located over the particular selectable item for a time exceeding a preset duration, wherein the module for performing the function corresponding to the particular selectable item is also for performing the function when the position indicator has been identified as being located over the particular selectable item for the time exceeding the preset duration.

45. The method of claim 43 further comprising defining a module for receiving an activation command for displaying the display area.

46. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing a computer program for execution by at least one processing unit, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying a first graphical user interface (GUI) object comprising a plurality of selectable GUI items arranged radially around a position indicator, each of the selectable GUI items being associated with a set of angles from a center point of the first GUI object;

detecting a movement of the position indicator;

as the position indicator moves out of the GUI object at a particular angle associated with a particular one of the selectable GUI items, determining an expected location at which the position indicator will stop moving based on the direction and at least one additional parameter of the position indicator; and

displaying, at the expected location, a second GUI object corresponding to the particular selectable GUI item.

47. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 46, wherein the set of instructions for determining the expected location comprises a set of instructions for predicting, before the movement stops, a location where the movement is expected to stop.

48. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 47, wherein the computer program further comprises a set of instructions for moving the second GUI object from the expected location to a location where the movement actually stops.

49. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 46, wherein the one additional parameter is one of (i) speed and (ii) acceleration of the position indicator as the position indicator moves out of the GUI object.

50. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 46, wherein the movement of the position indicator is determined by a movement of a stylus on a surface and the expected location is determined based at least partly on a pressure of the stylus on the surface.

51. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 50, wherein the surface is the surface of a graphics tablet.

52. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 50, wherein the surface is the surface of a touch sensitive display.

53. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 46, wherein the second GUI object comprises a second plurality of selectable GUI items arranged radially around the expected location, the computer program further comprising sets of instructions for:

detecting an outward motion of the position indicator from the center of the second GUI object;

correlating the outward motion to a second selectable GUI item from the second plurality of selectable GUI items; and

performing a function associated with the selected GUI item.

54. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 46, wherein the set of instructions for correlating the outward motion to the second selectable item comprises a set of instructions for identifying a direction of the outward motion.