USER INTERFACE FOR A COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20140189523A1
• Filed: 12/23/2013
• Published: 07/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canonical Group Limited
• Original Assignee: Canonical Group Limited
• Inventors: SHUTTLEWORTH, Mark, WEEVERS, Ivo, MESKANEN, Mika, HOREV, Oren, PRINGLE, Calum, LEA, John, GREENSLADE, Otto, HASLAM, Marcus, MAJIC, Ivanka, ZHU, Xi
• Application Number:
  US14/138,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189523A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/741
• 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 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/0484 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/67 by electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

There is disclosed a smartphone, tablet or other computing device comprising: (a) a touch sensitive display; (b) one or more processors; (c) computer memory; (d) one or more computer programs stored in the computer memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors and including instructions for displaying a welcome screen with a pictorial infographic or a data visualization that graphically represents each of a number of variables relating to the device or one or more of its users.

Claims

1. A smartphone, tablet or other computing device comprising:

(a) a touch sensitive display;

(b) one or more processors;

(c) computer memory;

(d) one or more computer programs stored in the computer memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors and including instructions for displaying a welcome screen with a pictorial infographic or a data visualization that graphically represents each of a number of variables relating to the device or one or more of its users.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the infographic or data visualisation is dynamic.

3. The device of claim 2 in which the infographic or data visualisation dynamically updates in real-time.

4. The device of claim 1 in which the variables are a synthesis of data from multiple sources, applications, online services, and the device.

5. The device of claim 1 in which the data visualisation is personal and unique to the user of the device.

6. The device of claim 1 in which the data visualisation is specific to a particular time period, such as each day over a month.

7. The device of claim 1 in which the data visualisation cycles, or can be cycled, to cover different types of variable.

8. The device of claim 1 in which the variables include one or more of the following:

number of tweets received, e-mails received, distance walked today;

number of minutes of talk time left;

hours left at rest, or anything else of interest to the user.

9. The device of claim 1 in which a user can define different activities and states to include in the welcome screen.

10. The device of claim 1 in which the device graphically represents each of a number of variables by assigning to each variable a position, shape, space or volume in a geometric or other figure or figures.

11. The device of claim 1 in which the device graphically represents each of a number of variables by assigning to each variable a shape, whose size varies with the value of the variable.

12. The device of claim 1 in which the device graphically represents each of a number of variables by assigning to each variable a colour, that alters or varies in tone with the value of the variable.

13. The device of claim 1 in which the geometric figure is a circle and each shape is a portion of a shaded circle.

14. The device of claim 1 in which the data visualisation is personal and unique to a specific user at a specific time.

15. The device of claim 1 in which the data visualisation is personal and unique to a specific user at a specific time and also place.

16. The device of claim 1 in which the welcome screen is the default screen that is shown after the device has been idle for a predefined time period or is first switched on and it is not a home screen.

17. The device of claim 1 in which the infographic or data visualisation graphically represents each of a number of variables relating to the device (such as number of tweets received, e-mails received, distance walked today;

number of minutes of talk time left;

hours left at rest, or anything else of interest to the user) by assigning to each variable (a) a position in a geometric or other figure or figures and (b) a shape, proximate to the variable'"'"'s position in the figure(s), whose size varies with the value of the variable.

18. The device of claim 1 in which a swipe in from an edge unlocks the phone or enables the phone to be accessed and in addition causes the device to behave (e.g. display a screen or part of a screen, or invoke a function) in a way that depends on the specific edge swiped-in from (e.g. left, right, top or bottom).

19. The device of claim 1 in which a user can unlock to the previous used state, i.e. the state before the device was locked, in the welcome screen by swiping from the right edge and then, depending on user settings, the device will then prompt for a pincode or passphrase before letting the user in.

20. The device of claim 1 in which, from the welcome screen, the user can swipe from the left edge to reveal the launcher, showing favourite and running apps which can be launched directly, and, depending on the application that was launched may or may not prompt for a pincode or passphrase to use.

21. The device of claim 20 in which launching a camera app does not require a pincode or other authentication to be entered, while an email client does require a pincode or other authentication to be entered.

22. The device of claim 1 in which, from the welcome screen, the user can swipe from the right edge to bring up a home page.

23. The device of claim 1 in which, when the welcome screen is shown, the user can swipe down from the top to reveal system indicators.

24. A method comprising the following steps, performed at a computing device with a touch sensitive display:

(a) displaying a welcome screen with a pictorial infographic or a data visualization that graphically represents each of a number of variables relating to the device or one or more of its users.

25. The method of claim 24 in which the infographic or data visualisation is dynamic.

26. The method of claim 24 in which the infographic or data visualisation dynamically updates in real-time.

27. The method of claim 24 in which the variables are a synthesis of data from multiple sources, applications, online services, and the device.

28. The method of claim 24 in which the data visualisation is personal and unique to the user of the device.

29. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by a computing device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the device to:

display a welcome screen with a pictorial infographic or a data visualization that graphically represents each of a number of variables relating to relating to the device or one or more of its users.