THREE-DIMENSIONAL INTERFACE FOR CONTENT LOCATION

• US 20150062121A1
• Filed: 09/08/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Karakotsios, Kenneth M., Bozarth, Bradley J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,946,803 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/00 3D [Three Dimensional] image rendering
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof

Abstract

Instances of content, such as search results or browse items, can be displayed using a plurality of three-dimensional elements, with selected pieces of information for each instance placed upon faces, sides, or other portions of those elements. A user can view similar information for each of the instances of content by rotating the elements, such as by interacting with an input element or rotating a portable computing device rendering the elements. The user can apply various filtering criteria or value ranges, whereby the relative position of the elements in three-dimensional space can be adjusted based at least in part upon the applied values. By rotating the elements, applying criteria, and changing the camera view of the elements, a user can quickly compare a large number of instances of context according to a number of different criteria, and can quickly locate items of interest from a large selection of items.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A computer-implemented method of displaying content using a computing device, comprising:

receiving a search query;

determining a plurality of instances of content relating to the search query, wherein the instances of content are arranged in an ordered set;

causing at least a portion of the plurality of instances of content to be displayed using a plurality of three-dimensional elements, as represented in a two-dimensional display, the plurality of three-dimensional elements being displayed according to the ordered set;

determining a first rotation of the computing device, with respect to a user, based at least in part upon a first input detected by at least one sensor of the computing device;

updating a presentation display for the three-dimensional elements, based at least in part upon the direction of the first rotation of the computing device;

in response to a second input from a user, generating a detail view of a first selected instance of content of the instances of content;

determining a second rotation of the computing device, with respect to a user, based at least in part upon a second input detected by at least one sensor of the computing device; and

enabling a display of at least one piece of information associated with the first selected instance of content, based at least in part upon a direction of the second rotation of the computing device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein updating the presentation display for the three-dimensional elements further comprises:

causing the three-dimensional element, corresponding to the first instance of content in the ordered set, to appear larger in the display of the computing device relative to the plurality of three-dimensional elements being displayed according to the ordered set;

choosing a second instance of content in the ordered set, wherein the second instance of content is adjacent in the ordered set to the first instance of content, and wherein the choosing is based at least in part on the direction of the first rotation of the computing device; and

causing the three-dimensional element corresponding to the second instance of content in the ordered set to appear larger in the display of the computing device relative to the plurality of three-dimensional elements being displayed according to the ordered set.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, further comprising causing a visual transition between the first instance of content in the ordered set appearing larger in the display and the second instance of content in the ordered set appearing larger in the display.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 4, wherein a speed of the visual transition is based at least in part on an amount of the first rotation of the computing device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the detail view comprises a display of one of a plurality of images associated with the first selected instance of content, and further comprising displaying a second image of the plurality of images based at least in part upon the direction of the second rotation of the computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

selecting the at least one piece of information associated with the first selected instance of content, from a plurality of pieces of information associated with the first selected instance of content, based at least in part upon the direction of the second rotation of the computing device.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising:

in response to a third input from a user, clearing from the display the detail view of the first selected instance of content of the instances of content; and

displaying the presentation display for the three-dimensional elements, wherein the three-dimensional element corresponding to the first selected instance of content appears closest to the user relative to a display element of the computing device.

9. A computing device for displaying content, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory device including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive a search query;

determine a plurality of instances of content relating to the search query, wherein the instances of content are arranged in an ordered set;

causing at least a portion of the plurality of instances of content to be displayed using a plurality of three-dimensional elements arranged in a three-dimensional space, as represented in a two-dimensional display of the computing device, wherein a relative position of each of the displayed plurality of three-dimensional elements in the three-dimensional space is determined based at least in part upon the ordered set;

determining a first rotation of the computing device, with respect to a user, based at least in part upon a first input detected by at least one sensor of the computing device;

adjusting the relative position of the plurality of three-dimensional elements arranged in the three-dimensional space as presented by the display, based at least in part upon the first rotation of the computing device;

in response to a second input from a user, generating a detail view of a first selected instance of content of the instances of content;

determining a second rotation of the computing device, with respect to a user, based at least in part upon a second input detected by at least one sensor of the computing device; and

enabling a display of at least one piece of information associated with the first selected instance of content, based at least in part upon a direction of the second rotation of the computing device.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein adjusting the relative position of the plurality of three-dimensional elements comprises:

causing one of the plurality of three-dimensional elements to appear larger in the display of the computing device relative to the plurality of three-dimensional elements being displayed according to the ordered set; and

causing a next one of the plurality of three-dimensional elements to appear larger in the display of the computing device relative to the plurality of three-dimensional elements being displayed according to the ordered set, wherein the next one of the plurality of three-dimensional elements is chosen based at least in part on the order of the instances of content in the ordered set and a direction of the first rotation of the computing device.

11. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising causing a visual transition between causing one of the plurality of three-dimensional elements to appear larger in the display and causing a next one of the plurality of three-dimensional elements to appear larger in the display.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein a speed of the visual transition is based at least in part on an amount of the first rotation of the computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the detail view comprises a display of one of a plurality of images associated with the first selected instance of content, and further comprising displaying a second image of the plurality of images based at least in part upon the direction of the second rotation of the computing device.

14. The computing device of claim 9, further comprising selecting the at least one piece of information associated with the first selected instance of content, from a plurality of pieces of information associated with the first selected instance of content, based at least in part upon the direction of the second rotation of the computing device.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein each of the at least one piece of information associated with the first selected instance of content is associated with a different direction of the second rotation of the computing device.

16. The computing device of claim 9, wherein adjusting the relative position of the plurality of three-dimensional elements arranged in the three-dimensional space as presented by the display comprises shifting the plurality of three-dimensional elements forward or backward along a z-axis, wherein the z-axis is orthogonal to the primary plane of the display.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein a direction of shifting the plurality of three-dimensional elements forward or backward along a z-axis corresponds to a direction of the first rotation of the computing device.

18. The computing device of claim 16, wherein a speed of shifting the plurality of three-dimensional elements forward or backward along the z-axis is based at least in part on an amount of the first rotation of the computing device.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for displaying content, the instructions when executed by a processor causing the processor to:

receive a search query;

determine a plurality of instances of content relating to the search query, wherein the instances of content are arranged in a first order;

cause at least a portion of the plurality of instances of content to be concurrently displayed using a plurality of three-dimensional elements arranged in three-dimensional space, as represented in a two-dimensional display, the plurality of three-dimensional elements being arranged in three-dimensional space according to a second order, the second order corresponding to the first order;

cause a first three-dimensional element in the second order to appear closer to a display element of the computing device than a second three-dimensional element in the second order;

determine a direction of a first rotation of the computing device, with respect to a user, based at least in part upon a first input detected by at least one sensor of the computing device;

based on the direction of the first rotation, cause the second three-dimensional element in the second order to appear closer to the display element of the computing device than a third three-dimensional element in the second order, the first three-dimensional element being removed from the display;

in response to a second input from a user selecting a three-dimensional element, generate a detail view of a first selected instance of content corresponding to the selected three-dimensional element;

determine a second rotation of the computing device, with respect to a user, based at least in part upon a second input detected by at least one sensor of the computing device; and

enable a display of at least one piece of information associated with the first selected instance of content.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the second order comprises an order of the plurality of three-dimensional elements along a z-axis, wherein the z-axis is oriented orthogonally to the display element of the computing device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 20, wherein the detail view comprises a display of one of a plurality of images associated with the first selected instance of content and wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processor to display a second image of the plurality of images based at least in part upon the direction of the second rotation of the computing device, and wherein the direction of the first rotation of the computing device corresponds to a direction along the z-axis.