SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR FLIPPING THROUGH CONTENT

• US 20130111395A1
• Filed: 10/28/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Flipboard Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Flipboard Incorporated
• Inventors: Ying, Charles, McCue, Mike, Hilhorst, Didier, Weskamp, Marcos, Johnston, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,935,629 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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: H04M 1/72427 for supporting games or graphical animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

Systems and methods for enabling users to rapidly flip through displayed pages of content in an intuitive manner are provided. Graphical animations for transitioning from one page to another can be executed so that portions of three or more pages can be simultaneously viewed. This enables a user to make snap judgments as to whether she wishes to explore any one of those pages in more detail as she rapidly flips through the pages.

Claims

1. A method, implemented in a device having touch hardware, for enabling a user to flip through a plurality of pages, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of gesture inputs via the touch hardware within a predetermined period of time; and

executing a flip transition animation in response to each received gesture input, wherein execution of each transition animation sends a page inflight along a flight path, wherein viewable portions of the inflight page and a different page change as the inflight page progresses along its flight path, and wherein the predetermined period of time is such that at least two pages are simultaneously inflight.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each page comprises first and second halves separated by an axis.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the flight path of each flip transition animation comprises flipping the first half about the axis on top of the second half or flipping the second half about the axis on top of the first half.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein a half of the inflight page is mated to a half of the different page, and as the inflight page progresses along its flight path, the mated halves of the inflight and different pages flip about the axis, and a position of the mated halves within the flight path dictates the viewable portions of the inflight page and the different page.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining inflight characteristics for each transition animation based on the received gesture input responsible for triggering a particular transition animation; and

wherein executing the particular flip transition animation comprises sending the page inflight along the flight path in accordance with the inflight characteristics determined for that particular transition animation.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the inflight characteristics comprise a speed and direction in which a particular transition animation is executed.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting lighting attributes associated with each page as it progresses along its flight path.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a processor to execute instructions;

a touch processing module;

an inflight module; and

a memory coupled with the processor to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the processor to interface with the touch processing and inflight modules and be operative to;

receive a first gesture input;

process the first gesture input and determine inflight characteristics for a first transition animation;

execute the first transition animation in accordance with the determined inflight characteristics so that the first transition animation is visibly inflight;

receive a second gesture input while the first transition animation is inflight;

process the second gesture input and determine inflight characteristics for a second transition animation; and

execute the second transition animation in accordance with the determined inflight characteristics so that the second transition animation is visibly inflight, wherein the first and second transition animations are simultaneously inflight.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the processor is operative to:

receive a third gesture input while the first and second transition animations are inflight;

process the third gesture input and determine inflight characteristics for a third transition animation; and

execute the third transition animation in accordance with the determined inflight characteristics so that the third transition animation is visibly inflight, wherein the first, second, and third transition animations are simultaneously inflight.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first transition animation is a user viewable transition from a first page to a second page, and wherein the second transition animation is user viewable transition from the second page to a third page.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein when the first and second transition animations are simultaneously inflight, the first, second, and third pages are simultaneously user viewable.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the first, second, and third pages each represent a cover page of a media asset.

13. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising a lighting module, wherein the processor interfaces with the lighting module and is operative to:

dynamically adjust lighting parameters associated with the first and second transition animations.

14. The electronic device of claim 8, further comprising a physics module, wherein the processor interfaces with the physics module and is operative to:

determine the inflight characteristics of the first and second transition animations based on the received first and second gesture inputs, respectively.

15. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first and second gesture inputs are swipe gestures, each swipe gesture including a touchdown event, a drag event, and a liftoff event.

16. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the first and second transition animations are page flipping transition animations.

17. A method comprising:

displaying a first page having a plurality of selectable categories;

receiving user selection of one of the selectable categories;

executing a multiflip transition animation in response to the received user selection to transition from the first page to a content page, the multiflip transition animation including simultaneous inflight display of several blank pages; and

dynamically adjusting lighting parameters associated with each blank page as it progresses along its inflight path.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the multiflip transition animation from the first page to the content page comprises:

visually transitioning from the first page to a first of the blank pages;

animating the simultaneous inflight display of each of the blank pages, starting with the first blank page and ending with a last blank page; and

visually transitioning from the last blank page to the content page.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first page and at least two blank pages are simultaneously viewable by a user.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein at least two blank pages and the content page are simultaneously viewable for the user.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein at least three blank pages are simultaneously viewable by the user.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the content page is the first of several content pages associated with the selected category.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the executing the multiflip animation comprising:

visually flipping the first page and the blank pages about a flip axis.

24. A method comprising:

displaying a first page having a plurality of selectable categories;

receiving user selection of one of the selectable categories; and

executing a multiflip transition animation in response to the received user selection to transition from the first page to a landing page, the multiflip transition animation including simultaneous inflight display of several content pages.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the multiflip transition animation from the first page to the landing page comprises:

visually transitioning from the first page to a first of the content pages;

animating the simultaneous inflight display of each of the content pages, starting with the first content page and ending with a last content page; and

visually transitioning from the last cached content page to the landing page.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein the content pages are cached in memory and are lower resolution versions of content pages obtained from one or more data sources.