Advanced navigation techniques for portable devices

• US 7,327,349 B2
• Filed: 03/02/2004
• Issued: 02/05/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric J., Robbins, Daniel C., Sarin, Raman K., Cutrell, Edward B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Jennifer T
• Application Number:
  US10/791,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20050195154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345/179, 345/661, 345/662, 345/688, 345/428
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a unique system and method that facilitates navigating smoothly and gracefully through any type of content viewable on portable devices such as cell-phones, PDAs, and/or any other hybrids thereof. In addition, such navigation can be performed while preserving perspective and context with respect to a larger amount of content. Pointing devices can also be used to navigate through content—the amount or detail of the content being dependant on the speed of the pointing device. Additionally, a semi-transparent overview of content can be overlaid a zoomed-in portion of content to provide perspective to the zoomed in portion. Content shown in the semi-transparent overview can depend on the location of the pointing device with respect to the content.

Claims

1. An advanced navigation system for portable devices comprising:

an input component that receives user input, the input component comprising a pointing device;

a navigation component that facilitates navigating through content displayed on a portable device screen based in part on speed and location of the input component with respect to the content displayed on the portable device screen;

a speed-sensing lens integrated into the device screen that is maneuvered over the content by the input component, the speed-sensing lens provides an enlarged or zoomed in view of content underlying the speed-sensing lens but does not substantially affect a view of other surrounding content displayed on the device screen, the enlarged or zoomed in view of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens is provided based on a level of detail and magnification that is continuously adjusted based on the speed of the input component with respect to the content displayed on the portable device screen; and

a mapping component that smoothly transitions a current view of content underlying the speed-sensing lens to a new or previous view and orients the content underlying the speed-sensing lens or the view thereof based in part on data received from the navigation component.

2. The system of claim 1, the current view comprising any one of an overview of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens, a zoomed in view of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens, and a zoomed out view of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens.

3. The system of claim 2, the mapping component overlays a semi-transparent overview of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens over at least a partially zoomed in view of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens to maintain or provide context and/or perspective of the content while transitioning from a current overview of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens to the zoomed in view of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens.

4. The system of claim 1, the pointing device comprises one or more of a stylus, a pen, a joystick, and a mouse.

5. The system of claim 1, the mapping component displays a less detailed view of the content underlying a faster-moving pointing device.

6. The system of claim 1, the mapping component displays a more detailed view of the content underlying a slower-moving pointing device.

7. The system of claim 1, the portable device comprising a PDA.

8. The system of claim 1, the content comprising document-based content, image-based content, map-based content, and calendars.

9. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon the components of claim 1, wherein the components are computer executable.

10. The system of claim 1, the mapping component adjusts size of the speed-sensing lens based at least in part on the speed of the input component with respect to the content displayed on the portable device screen.

11. A method that facilitates advanced navigation of content on portable devices comprising:

dragging a pointing device across content displayed on a portable device screen, the pointing device corresponding to a speed-sensing lens; and

orienting content underlying the speed-sensing lens based at least in part on speed and location of the pointing device, the orienting includes continuously adjusting a zoom level of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens based at least in part on the speed of the pointing device without substantially affecting a zoom level of other surrounding content displayed on the portable device screen.

12. The method of claim 11, orienting the content underlying the speed-sensing lens in less detail when the speed of the pointing device increases.

13. The method of claim 11, orienting the content underlying the speed-sensing lens in greater detail when the speed of the pointing devices decreases.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising superimposing a semi-transparent overview of the content displayed on the portable device screen over a more detailed view of some portion of the content displayed on the portable device screen while dragging the pointing device over some portion of the content displayed on the portable device screen.

15. The method of claim 14, the semi-transparent overview of the content displayed depends at least in part upon the location of the pointing device with respect to the content displayed on the portable device screen.

16. The method of claim 14, the semi-transparent overview of the content displayed on the portable device screen is a less-detailed view of the content.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising segmenting the content displayed on the portable device screen into at least two sub-segments for easier viewing.

18. A system that facilitates advanced navigation of content on portable devices comprising:

means for dragging a pointing device across content displayed on a portable device screen;

means for displaying a speed-sensing lens at a position of the pointing device with respect to the content displayed on the portable device screen;

means for orienting content underlying the speed-sensing lens based at least in part on speed and location of the pointing device; and

means for continuously altering a magnification and detail level of the content underlying the speed-sensing lens based at least in part on the speed of the pointing device without substantially altering a magnification or detail level of other surrounding content displayed on the portable device screen.

19. The system of claim 18, the means for orienting the content underlying the speed-sensing lens comprises means for orienting the content underlying the speed-sensing lens in less detail when the speed of the pointing device increases.

20. The system of claim 18, the means for orienting the content underlying the speed-sensing lens comprises means for orienting the content underlying the speed-sensing lens in greater detail when the speed of the pointing devices decreases.

21. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for displaying a superimposed semi-transparent overview of the content displayed on the portable device screen over a more detailed view of some portion of the content displayed on the portable device screen based at least in part on the speed of the pointing device.

22. The system of claim 21, the overview of the content displayed on the portable device screen is a less-detailed view of the content.

23. The system of claim 18, further comprising means for altering size of the speed-sensing lens based at least in part on the speed of the pointing device.

24. A data packet adapted to be transmitted between two or more computer processes facilitating providing suggestions to an online user, the data packet comprising:

information associated with dragging a pointing device across a portable device screen;

orienting content within a speed-sensing lens underlying the pointing device based at least in part on speed and location of the pointing device without substantially altering an orientation of content surrounding the speed-sensing lens; and

superimposing a semi-transparent overview of the content over a more detailed view of some portion of the content while dragging the pointing device over some portion of the content.