Display of a digital information content and method of selection

• US 7,240,333 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2001
• Issued: 07/03/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Brooke, Timothy, Mainwaring, Scott D.
• Primary Examiner(s): An; Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kang; Insun
• Application Number:
  US09/962,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061235A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 717/125, 717/105, 345/764, 345/727, 345/760, 345/853, 345/735, 345/581, 707/100, 707/104.1, 434/307.R
• US Class Current: 717/127
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

A method and apparatus conveying a generic digital information content to a user with a minimum amount of user interaction. The method includes associating a digital information content with a modeling system and displaying an association of the digital information content and the modeling system on a visual information display interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating items from an ecological metaphor with components of digital information content; and

displaying the items from the ecological metaphor on a display device;

wherein the items from the ecological metaphor displayed on the display device comprise at least one item selected from the group consisting of;

a seaweed, a rock, a coral, a type of fish, and a plant;

wherein the components of digital information content comprise a first set of components in a first genre and a second set of components in a second genre; and

wherein the operation of associating items from the ecological metaphor with the components of digital information content comprises;

associating the first set of components with a first species from the ecological metaphor; and

associating the second set of components with a second species from the ecological metaphor; and

wherein the method further comprises;

displaying individuals of the first species together as a first group in the display device; and

displaying individuals of the second species together as a second group in the display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said ecological metaphor is an aquatic environment model.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying one or more fish as at least some of the items from the ecological metaphor; and

moving at least one of the fish on the display device to simulate baiting of the fish when a user searches the components of digital information content.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying one or more fish as at least some of the items from the ecological metaphor; and

imparting a rhythmic motion to at least one of the displayed fish, the rhythmic motion corresponding to a rhythm for musical content stored in the digital information content associated with the at least one fish.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

a machine-accessible medium; and

instructions in the machine-accessible medium, wherein the instructions, when executed by a data processing system, cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising;

associating items from an ecological metaphor with components of digital information content;

displaying the items from the ecological metaphor on a display device; and

in response to user interaction with a displayed item from the ecological metaphor, performing an operation on the component of the digital information content associated with that displayed item;

wherein the items from the ecological metaphor displayed on the display device comprise at least one item selected from the group consisting of;

a seaweed, a rock, a coral, a type of fish, and a plant;

wherein the components of digital information content comprise a first set of components in a first genre and a second set of components in a second genre;

wherein the operation of associating items from the ecological metaphor with the components of digital information content comprises;

associating the first set of components with a first species from the ecological metaphor; and

associating the second set of components with a second species from the ecological metaphor; and

wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the data processing system to perform further operations comprising;

displaying individuals of the first species together as a first group in the display device; and

displaying individuals of the second species together as a second group in the display device.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said ecological metaphor is an aquatic environment model.

7. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising:

displaying one or more fish as at least some of the items from the ecological metaphor; and

moving at least one of the fish on the display device to simulate baiting of the fish when a user searches the components of digital information content.

8. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising:

displaying one or more fish as at least some of the items from the ecological metaphor; and

imparting a rhythmic motion to at least one of the displayed fish, the rhythmic motion corresponding to a rhythm for musical content stored in the digital information content associated with the at least one fish.

9. A data processing system, comprising:

a processor;

a machine-accessible medium in communication with the processor; and

instructions in the machine-accessible medium, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising;

associating items from an ecological metaphor with components of digital information content;

displaying the items from the ecological metaphor on a display device; and

in response to user interaction with a displayed item from the ecological metaphor, performing an operation on the component of the digital information content associated with that displayed item;

wherein the items from the ecological metaphor displayed on the display device comprise at least one item selected from the group consisting of;

a seaweed, a rock, a coral, a type of fish, and a plant;

wherein the components of digital information content comprise a first set of components in a first genre and a second set of components in a second genre;

wherein the operation of associating items from the ecological metaphor with the components of digital information content comprises;

associating the first set of components with a first species from the ecological metaphor; and

associating the second set of components with a second species from the ecological metaphor; and

wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the data processing system to perform further operations comprising;

displaying individuals of the first species together as a first group in the display device; and

displaying individuals of the second species together as a second group in the display device.

10. A data processing system, according to claim 9, wherein said ecological metaphor is an aquatic environment model.

11. A data processing system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising:

displaying one or more fish as at least some of the items from the ecological metaphor; and

moving at least one of the fish on the display device to simulate baiting of the fish when a user searches the components of digital information content.

12. A data processing system according to claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the data processing system to perform operations comprising:

displaying one or more fish as at least some of the items from the ecological metaphor; and

imparting a rhythmic motion to at least one of the displayed fish, the rhythmic motion corresponding to a rhythm for musical content stored in the digital information content associated with the at least one fish.