Three-dimensional GUI windows with variable-speed perspective movement

• US 6,344,863 B1
• Filed: 11/24/1999
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Capelli, Ronald B., Wagner, Jonathan Mark, Sullivan, Michael Joseph, Kubik, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Cao H.
• Application Number:
  US09/448,458
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• Field of Search: 345/339, 345/340, 345/341, 345/342, 345/344, 345/355, 345/123, 345/127, 345/419, 345/764, 345/781, 345/786, 345/788, 345/790, 345/848, 345/783
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object

Abstract

A three-dimensional graphical user interface is provided wherein the windows have a “thickness” property. In the preferred embodiment, a window will have a Z plane position (z) and a Z plane thickness (cz) as well as the traditional x, cx, y and cy. This allows positioning anywhere in three dimensional space. Using either a three axis mouse or a conventional mouse with supplemental control (perhaps keyboard), each axis may be traversed to navigate the desktop. As the pointer moves along an axis, the user'"'"'s point of view can change, bringing the view either closer/farther/left/right, depending on the direction of motion, which may cause the windows perspective to change, e.g., larger or smaller. The user'"'"'s perspective can pass into and through the window-blocks. As the user moves through a window-block, the mouse mickey ratio changes so that, while the cursor position or user viewpoint might change relatively rapidly in “empty space,” it would change more slowly when the user'"'"'s perspective or the cursor is moving through a solid window-block, thus making the window-block seem more substantial.

Claims

1. A method for operating a graphical user interface, comprising:

displaying at least one window-block in a graphical user interface, the window-block having a three-dimensional appearance including an x-dimension, a y-dimension, and a z-dimension, wherein said graphical user interface is displayed only in said x-dimension and said y-dimension on a display medium;

in response to an input from a user, changing the perspective, at a first rate of change, of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block; and

in response to an input from the user, when the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block indicates that the user is moving through the window-block along said z-dimension, changing the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block at a second rate of change, wherein the second rate of change is slower that the first rate of change.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein application data is displayed on at least one side of the window-block.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein multiple window-blocks are displayed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the window-block can be rotated and reshaped in three dimensions.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the input from the user is received via a computer mouse.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the input from the user is received via a keyboard.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the color of the graphical user interface indicates when the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block indicates that the user is moving through the window-block.

8. A computer system having at least a processor, accessible memory, and an accessible display, the computer system comprising:

means for displaying at least one window-block in a graphical user interface, the window-block having a three-dimensional appearance including an x-dimension, a y-dimension, and a z-dimension, wherein said graphical user interface is displayed only in said x-dimension and said y-dimension within said computer system;

means for, in response to an input from a user, changing the perspective, at a first rate of change, of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block; and

means for, in response to an input from the user, when the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block indicates that the user is moving through the window-block along said z-dimension, changing the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block at a second rate of change, wherein the second rate of change is slower than the first rate of change.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein application data is displayed on at least one side of the window-block.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein multiple window-blocks are displayed.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the window-block can be rotated and reshaped in three dimensions.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the input from the user is received via a computer mouse.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the input from the user is received via a keyboard.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the color of the graphical user interface indicates when the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block indicates that the user is moving through the window-block.

15. A computer program product having computer readable program code on a computer usable medium, comprising:

instructions for displaying at least one window-block in a graphical user interface, the window-block having a three-dimensional appearance including an x-dimension, a y-dimension, and a z-dimension, wherein said graphical user interface is displayed only in said x-dimension and said y-dimension on a display medium;

instructions for, in response to an input from a user, changing the perspective, at a first rate of change, of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block; and

instructions for, in response to an input from the user, when the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block indicates that the user is moving through the window-block along said z-dimension, changing the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block at a second rate of change, wherein the second rate of change is slower than the first rate of change.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein application data is displayed on at least one side of the window-block.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein multiple window-blocks are displayed.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the window-block can be rotated and reshaped in three dimensions.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the input from the user is received via a computer mouse.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the input from the user is received via a keyboard.

21. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the color of the graphical user interface indicates when the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block indicates that the user is moving through the window-block.

22. A method for operating a graphical user interface, comprising:

displaying at least one window-block in a graphical user interface, the window-block having a three-dimensional appearance including an x-dimension, a y-dimension, and a z-dimension, and displaying on at least one surface including only said x-dimension and said y-dimension a subset of user data;

in response to an input from a user, changing the perspective, at a first rate of change, of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block; and

in response to an input from the user, when the perspective of the graphical user interface display with relation to the window-block indicates that the user is moving through the window-block along said z-dimension, displaying other subsets of the user data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the subsets of user data each represent different portions of text from an electronic book.