Three dimensional spatial user interface

• US 6,636,246 B1
• Filed: 03/17/2000
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Vizible Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vizible.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Gallagher, Peter J., Talbot, Jimmy D., Graham, Colin E., Dembo, Ron, Gallo, Anthony Carmen
• Primary Examiner(s): SAX, STEVEN PAUL
• Application Number:
  US09/527,917
• Time in Patent Office: 1,313 Days
• Field of Search: 345/805, 345/782, 345/742, 345/743, 345/748-749, 345/803-804, 345/848-855, 345/653, 345/836, 345/441, 345/676-680, 345/744-747, 345/757, 345/778-779
• US Class Current: 715/805
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• 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 method and system of providing a three dimensional spatial user interface (SUI) to a user of a computing device. The SUI may be manipulated in three dimensions and contains a plurality of portals. A portal may contain a sensory cue that provides a reminder as to the content of the portal. Upon selection of a portal, an application program associated with the cue in the portal is invoked. Portals may also contain further instances of the SUI of the present invention, thus providing hierarchical depth. In the preferred embodiment, the SUI is implemented as a sphere and may be viewed from an external or internal perspective.

Claims

1. A user interface for a computing device, said interface comprising:

a) a plurality of portals containing content, wherein said plurality of portals are arranged in a three dimensional graphical representation for display to a user, and wherein for each of said plurality of portals, an application that permits user interaction with the content contained therein is associated therewith; and

b) a plurality of sensory cues, wherein for each of said plurality of portals, a sensory cue is displayed therein that provides a cue to the content contained therein;

wherein said user interface is adapted to changes, based on the content contained in one or more portals of the user interface, to one or more geometric properties thereof dynamically, so that the graphical representation displayed to said user is changed, and said changes comprise at least one of the following group of changes;

(i) change to the shape of the user interface,

(ii) change to the shape of one or more portals of the user interface, and

(iii) change to the arrangement of portals of the user interface.

2. The interface of claim 1 further comprising user input means permitting said user to rotate said interface about a plurality of axes.

3. The interface of claim 1 further comprising user input means permitting said user to adjust the geometry of said interface.

4. The interface of claim 1 further comprising user input means, permitting said user to view the details of a portal of interest, said portal of interest increasing in size for enhanced viewing by said user.

5. The interface of claim 1 further comprising user input means permitting said user to select a portal to be made active, said selection resulting in the execution of the application associated with said portal.

6. The interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical representation is in the form of a sphere, with the exterior of the sphere displayed to said user.

7. The interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical representation is in the form of a sphere, with the interior of the sphere displayed to said user.

8. The interface of claim 1 wherein at least one of said portals contains a user interface.

9. The interface of claim 1, further comprising user input means, said user input means accepting input to permit said user to access an interior of said graphical representation.

10. The interface of claim 1 wherein said graphical representation includes an armature to visually define each of said portals.

11. The interface of claim 1 further comprising user input means for accepting input from said user to create a transparent pane for covering a portal, said transparent pane containing content editable by said user.

12. The interface of claim 6, wherein said sphere includes polar caps and labels.

13. The interface of claim 7, wherein said sphere includes polar caps and labels.

14. A method for creating a populated three dimensional user interface, said method comprising the steps of:

a) arranging a plurality of portals containing content in a three dimensional graphical representation for display to a user;

b) for each of said plurality of portals, associating an application therewith that permits user interaction with the content contained therein;

c) for each of said plurality of portals, displaying a sensory cue therein that facilitates recognition by a user of the application associated therewith; and

d) dynamically changing one or more geometric properties of said user interface based on the content contained in one or more portals of the user interface, so that the graphical representation displayed to said user is changed, and at least one of the following group of changes is made;

change to the shape of the user interface, change to the shape of one or more portals of the user interface, and change to the arrangement of portals of the user interface.

15. A computer device for displaying a three dimensional user interface, said device comprising means for displaying said interface, said interface comprising:

a plurality of portals containing content, wherein said plurality of portals are arranged in a three dimensional graphical representation for display to a user, and wherein for each of said plurality of portals, an application that permits user interaction with the content contained therein is associated therewith; and

a plurality of sensory cues, wherein for each of said plurality of portals, a sensory cue is displayed therein that provides a cue to the content contained therein; and

wherein said user interface is adapted to changes, based on the content contained in one or more portals of the user interface, to one or more geometric properties thereof dynamically, so that the graphical representation displayed to said user is changed, and said changes comprise at least one of the following group of changes;

(i) change to the shape of the user interface,

(ii) chance to the shape of one or more portals of the user interface, and

(iii) chance to the arrangement of portals of the user interface.

16. The device of claim 15 wherein at least one application is a further three dimensional interface.

17. The device of claim 15 wherein said graphical representation is hollow and at least one of said portals provides access to the interior of the space within said graphical representation, said interior containing a plurality of interior portals.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein the interior of said interface contains a further interface.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said further interface contains a plurality of additional interfaces to a depth selected by a creator of said three dimensional user interface.

20. The device of claim 15 wherein said graphical representation is spherical in shape.

21. The device of claim 20 wherein said graphical representation further comprises polar caps and labels.

22. A method for populating portals in a three dimensional user interface, said user interface comprising an arrangement of a plurality of portals and having an exterior and an interior, comprising the steps of:

a) establishing a connection with a first web page;

b) creating a sensory cue based on the first web page;

c) mapping said sensory cue to one of said plurality of portals located on the exterior of said user interface;

d) creating sensory cues for each additional web page accessible from said first web page and mapping said sensory cues to at least one portal of said plurality of portals located on the interior of said user interface; and

e) dynamically changing one or more geometric properties of said user interface based on the content contained in one or more portals of the user interface, so that the graphical representation displayed to said user is changed, and at least one of the following group of changes is made;

change to the shape of the user interface change to the shape of one or more portals of the user interface, and change to the arrangement of portals of the user interface.

23. A computer readable medium containing instructions for controlling one or more three dimensional user interfaces in a computing device, by:

a) permitting a user to select a user interface, said selected interface containing a plurality of portals, wherein said plurality of portals are arranged in a three dimensional graphical representation for display to said user, and wherein said selected interface is adapted to permit changes to one or more geometric properties of said selected interface dynamically based on the content contained in one or more portals of the user interface, so that the graphical representation displayed to said user is changed, and at least one of the following group of changes is made;

chance to the shape of the user interface, change to the shape of one or more portals of the user interface, and change to the arrangement of portals of the user interface;

b) monitoring for first user input, said input indicating a portal of interest to said user;

c) upon receiving said first user input, moving said selected interface to centrally display said portal of interest;

d) monitoring for second user input to make said portal of interest an active portal, if input other than said second user input is received, returning to step b);

e) upon receiving said second user input, invoking an application program, until said user provides third user input to move another portal; and

f) repeating steps b) to e) until said user provides third user input, thereby returning to step a).