Graphical user interface

• US 6,353,436 B1
• Filed: 05/08/2000
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Reichlen, Bruce A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vo, Cliff N.
• Application Number:
  US09/566,646
• Time in Patent Office: 666 Days
• Field of Search: 345/418, 345/419, 345/423, 345/424, 345/425, 345/427, 345/428, 345/429
• US Class Current: 345/427
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00

Abstract

A computer system provides an improved graphical user interface by defining a view space in which graphical user interface windows from separate computer processes can be selectively located by a user. This view space has a plurality of discrete portions each large enough to hold a plurality of such user interface windows. The system enables users to selectively associate view space portions with physical locations external to the system'"'"'s computing apparatus. The system also enables users to selectively locate a variable number of the user interface windows in each of the view space portions associated with such a physical location, including enabling the user to selectively move windows between such view space portions. The system detects when a user motions toward a given physical locations and responds to such a detection by presenting a visual display showing the given view space portion associated with the given physical location, together with any user interface window located in the given view space portion. In some versions of the invention, the physical location can be defined by a global positioning system and the system can detect when a user moves into a location defined by such global positioning.

Claims

1. A computerized method for providing an improved graphical user interface comprising:

defining a view space in which graphical user interface windows generated by separate computer processes can be selectively located by a user, said view space having a plurality of discrete portions each of which is large enough to hold a plurality of said windows;

enabling a user to selectively associate one or more of said view space portions with each of one or more physical locations external to, and not physically connected to, said computing apparatus;

generating one or more of said windows for each of one or more computer processes;

enabling a user to selectively locate a variable number of said windows in each of said view space portions which have been associated with one of said physical locations, including enabling the user to selectively move windows between said view space portions;

detecting when a user motions toward a given one of said physical locations; and

responding to a detection that the user has motioned toward said given physical location by presenting a visual display to the user which shows the given view space portion associated with the given physical location, together with any window located in the given view space portion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting when a user motions toward a given physical location detects when a user points toward the given location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said detecting when a user motions toward a given physical location detects when a user'"'"'s head points toward the given location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said detecting when a user motions toward a given physical location detects when a user motions toward a succession of physical locations with which view space portions have been associated; and

said responding to a detection that the user has motioned toward a location responds to a detection that the user has motioned toward a succession of locations with which view space portions have been associated by presenting visual displays of the succession of view spaces associated with the succession of locations.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said enabling a user to selectively locate and move windows includes enabling a user to drag a window from one view space portion to another through use of a pointing device.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the detecting when a user motions toward a given location also detects when the user motions away from the given location; and

the responding to a detection that the user has motioned toward a location includes responding to a detection that the user has motioned away from the given location by removing the visual display of the view space portion associated with the given location.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the responding to a detection that the user has motioned away from the given location includes removing the visual display of a view space portion associated with a first physical location in response to a detection that the user has motioned away from the first location, but not removing the visual display of a view space portion associated with a second physical location in response to a detection that the user has motioned away from the second locations.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising showing the visual display to the user on a head mounted display.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising detecting eye movements of the user and using the detections of said eye movements to enable the user to interact with windows in the portion of the workspace displayed to him or her by the head mounted display.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein said head mounted display enables the user to see his surroundings while using the head mounted display.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling the user to interact with the graphical user interface windows shown in the visual display through an input device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the enabling of the user to interact with windows includes enabling the user to interact with such windows using at least one of the following input devices:

a mouse, a device for detecting eye movement of the user, a keyboard, a microphone and voice recognition software;

a computer network input port, and a radio signal port.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the physical locations are each associated with a physical object related to subject matter of a window contained in the location'"'"'s associated view space portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the physical object associated with a physical location is an image related to subject matter of a window contained in the location'"'"'s associated view space portion.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer apparatus is a portable computer.

16. The method of claim 1:

wherein said associating a view space portion with one or more physical locations includes placing a location identifier object in each of the physical locations; and

wherein said detecting when a user motions toward a given physical location includes detecting a certain signal from a given location identifier object when the user motions toward the given location identifier object in the given location.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the location identifier objects are transmitters for transmitting codes which identify and distinguish between different such objects and the identifying device is a receiver for receiving such codes and using such codes to identify their associated location identifier objects.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said generating windows includes generating windows which can be dragged by the user with a pointing device; and

said enabling a user to selectively locate windows in said view space portions includes enabling a user to drag windows from one view space portion to another by use of said pointing device.

19. A programmed computer system with an improved graphical user interface comprising:

computer instructions for defining a view space in which graphical user interface windows generated by separate computer processes can be selectively located by a user, said view space having a plurality of discrete portions each of which is large enough to hold a plurality of said windows;

computer instructions for enabling a user to selectively associating one or more of said view space portions with each of one or more physical locations external to, and not physically connected to, said computing system;

computing elements for generating one or more of said windows for each of one or more computer processes;

computer instructions for enabling a user to selectively locate a variable number of said windows in each of said view space portions which have been associated with one of said physical locations by use of a point and click interface, including enabling the user to selectively move windows from one view space portion to another with said point and click interface;

a detector for detecting when a user motions toward a given one of said physical locations; and

computer instructions for responding to a detection that the user has motioned toward said given physical location by presenting a visual display to the user which shows the given view space portion associated with the given physical location, together with any window located in the given view space portion.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

said detector for detecting when a user motions toward a given physical location detect when a user motions toward a succession of physical locations with which view space portions have been associated; and

said computer instructions for responding to a detection that the user has motioned toward a location respond to a detection that the user has motioned toward a succession of locations with which view space portions have been associated by presenting visual displays of the succession of view spaces associated with the succession of locations.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising a head mounted display for showing the visual display to the user.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the head mounted display further comprises a see through window.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein:

said detector is included in said head mounted display and is a directional detector which detects that a user has motioned toward a given physical location when it receives from a given physical object a signal identifying that object emanating from that object in response to said detector being pointed at said object, said detector being mounted on said head mounted display so a user who is wearing the apparatus can point the detector by moving his or her head;

said computer instructions for associating one of said view space portion with a physical location do so by associating said signal associated with a given physical object with said physical location;

said computer instructions for responding to a detection that the user has motioned toward said given physical location by presenting a visual display causes said visual display to be produced on said head mounted display;

whereby said user can select the display of a given portion of said view space by pointing his or her head so said directional detector on her or her head mounted display is pointed at the physical object associated with that given view space portion.

24. The system of claim 19, further comprising an input device to enable the user to interact with the graphical user interface windows shown in the visual display.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the physical locations with which view space portions are associated are those of location identifier objects and wherein the detector for detecting when a user motions toward a given physical location includes an identifying device for detecting a certain signal from a given location identifier object when the user motions toward the given location identifier object.

26. The system of claim 25, the location identifier objects are transmitters for transmitting codes which identify and distinguish between different such objects and the identifying device is a receiver for receiving such codes and using such codes to identify their associated location identifier objects.

27. A computer operating system stored in computer readable memory for providing an improved graphical user interface, said operating system comprising:

elements for defining a view space in which graphical user interface windows generated by separate computer applications can be selectively located by a user, said view space having a plurality of discrete portions each of which is large enough to hold a plurality of windows generated by separate computer applications;

elements for enabling a user to selectively associating one or more of said view space portions with each of one or more physical locations external to, and not physically connected to, said computing system;

elements for receiving information relating to one or more of said windows from said window'"'"'s associated computer application and for producing one of said graphical user interface window for each of said windows which can be dragged by the user with a pointing device;

elements for enabling a user to selectively locate one or more of said windows in one of said view space portions which has been associated with one of said physical locations, including enabling the user to drag said graphical user interface windows from one view space portion to another by use of said pointing device; and

elements for responding to a detection that the user has motioned toward a given one of said physical locations by presenting a visual display to the user which shows the given view space portion associated with the given physical location, together with any draggable graphical user interface window located in the given view space portion.

28. A computerized method for providing an improved graphical user interface comprising:

defining a view space in which graphical user interface windows each generated by a separate computer process can be selectively located by a user, said view space having a plurality of discrete portions each of which is large enough to hold a plurality of said windows;

enabling a user to selectively associate one or more of said view space portions with each of one or more physical locations defined by global positioning coordinates;

generating one or more of said windows for each of one or more computer processes;

enabling a user to selectively locate a variable number of said windows in each of said view space portions which have been associated with one of said physical locations, including enabling the user to selectively move windows between said view space portions;

using a global positioning system detector to detecting when a user moves said detector to one of said physical locations; and

responding to a detection that the user has moved said detector to one of said locations by presenting a visual display to the user at such location which shows the given view space portion associated with the given physical location, together with any window located in the given view space portion.