CONTEXT-SENSITIVE HELP FOR IMAGE VIEWING AND EDITING APPLICATION

• US 20130238990A1
• Filed: 09/27/2012
• Published: 09/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ubillos, Randy, Roberts, Samuel M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,363,220 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/708
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/54 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0242 Determining effectiveness of advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0251 Targeted advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/01 Social networking
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/001 Texturing; Colouring; Generation of texture or colour inpainting G06T5/77
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/224 providing notification on incoming messages, e.g. pushed notifications of received messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/387 Composing, repositioning or otherwise geometrically modifying originals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/4074 using histograms

Abstract

Some embodiments provide an image-viewing application. The application receives a selection of a help activation item in a graphical user interface (GUI) of the image-viewing application. The application displays help indicators for a first set of selectable GUI items. The application receives a selection of one of the first set of selectable GUI items. In response to receiving the selection, the application displays (i) a second set of GUI items and (ii) help indicators for the second set of GUI items, and removes the help indicators from the first set of selectable GUI items while maintaining the display of the first set of selectable GUI items.

Claims

1. A machine readable medium storing an image-viewing application for execution by at least one processing unit, the image-viewing application comprising sets of instructions for:

receiving a selection of a help activation item in a graphical user interface (GUI) of the image-viewing application;

displaying help indicators for a first set of selectable GUI items;

receiving a selection of one of the first set of selectable GUI items; and

in response to receiving the selection;

displaying (i) a second set of GUI items and (ii) help indicators for the second set of GUI items; and

removing the help indicators from the first set of selectable GUI items while maintaining the display of the first set of selectable GUI items.

2. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the image-viewing application further comprises a set of instructions displaying help indicators for a third set of selectable GUI items irrespective of whether one of the first set of selectable GUI items is selected.

3. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein a particular one of the second set of GUI items is moveable within the GUI, the image-viewing application further comprising a set of instructions for moving the help indicator for the particular moveable GUI item along with the particular moveable GUI item.

4. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein a particular help indicator for a particular GUI item is selectable to access a help manual entry for the particular GUI item.

5. The machine readable medium of claim 4, wherein the help manual entry is stored with the image-viewing application.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 4, wherein the help manual entry is stored remotely and is accessible through a network.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first set of selectable GUI items comprises a set of color property modification sliders and a white balance options item, the selected one of the selectable GUI items is the white balance options item, and the second set of GUI items is a set of white balance options.

8. A machine readable medium storing an image-viewing application for execution by at least one processing unit, the image-viewing application comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying a set of help indication items in a graphical user interface (GUI) of the application, each help indication item in the set attached to a different selectable GUI item;

receiving input to move a particular GUI item within the GUI; and

moving, in response to the input, the help indication item for the particular GUI item along with the particular GUI item.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the particular GUI item is a slider that moves along a track in order to edit a property of an image.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the image-viewing application further comprises sets of instructions for:

identifying that the movement of the help indication item for the particular GUI item causes the help indication item for the particular GUI item to overlap with a help indication item for a second GUI item; and

automatically modifying the help indication item for the second GUI item to avoid the overlap.

11. The machine readable medium of claim 10, wherein the set of instructions for automatically modifying the help indication item for the second GUI item comprises a set of instructions for moving a portion of the help indication item to a new location.

12. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein the image-viewing application is for execution by at least one processing unit of a touchscreen device and the GUI is displayed on a touchscreen.

13. The machine readable medium of claim 12, wherein the input to move the particular GUI item comprises a touch and drag input.

14. A machine readable medium storing an image-viewing application for execution by at least one processing unit, the image-viewing application comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying, in response to receiving a selection of a help activation item in a graphical user interface (GUI) of the application, a first set of help indication items attached to a first set of selectable edit tool activation GUI items and a second set of help indication items attached to a second set of selectable GUI items;

receiving a selection of one of the first set of selectable GUI items; and

in response to the selection;

displaying a set of editing tools associated with the selected GUI item; and

replacing the first set of help indication items with a third set of help indication items attached to the set of editing tools while maintaining the display of the second set of help indication items.

15. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the set of selectable edit activation tool GUI items comprises a crop tool activation item, an exposure adjustment tool activation item, a color adjustment tool activation item, a brushes activation item, and a special effects activation item.

16. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the second set of selectable GUI items comprises an undo item for removing an edit made to an image and a show original item for toggling a display of an image between an original version of the image and an edited version of the image.

17. The machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein a plurality of the help indication items comprise text bubbles attached to their respective selectable GUI items.

18. A method for displaying a context-sensitive help feature for an image-viewing application, the method comprising:

receiving a selection of a help activation item in a graphical user interface (GUI) of the image-viewing application;

displaying help indicators for a first set of selectable GUI items;

receiving a selection of one of the first set of selectable GUI items; and

in response to receiving the selection;

displaying (i) a second set of GUI items and (ii) help indicators for the second set of GUI items; and

removing the help indicators from the first set of selectable GUI items while maintaining the display of the first set of selectable GUI items.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising displaying help indicators for a third set of selectable GUI items irrespective of whether one of the first set of selectable GUI items is selected.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

receiving a second selection of the help activation item; and

in response to the second selection, removing all help indicators from the display.

21. A method for defining a graphical user interface (GUI) for an application that operates on a particular device, the method comprising:

defining a selectable GUI item for accessing help indication GUI items;

defining a first state for the selectable GUI item in which the selectable GUI item is static and displayed in a same manner as other selectable items in the GUI; and

defining a second, different state for the selectable GUI item in which the selectable GUI item is displayed in a conspicuous manner different from the other selectable items in the GUI, wherein the selectable GUI item is for display (i) in the second state when the selectable GUI item has never been selected within the application operating on the particular device, and (ii) in the first state after the selectable GUI item has been selected at least once on the particular device.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the second state comprises the selectable GUI item pulsating within the GUI.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the pulsating GUI item rapidly increases and decreases in size.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the selectable GUI item comprises a question mark icon.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the second state comprises the selectable GUI item blinking within the GUI.