Zooming controller

• US 7,477,268 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2006
• Issued: 01/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Venolia, Daniel Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier; Jeffery A.
• Application Number:
  US11/648,480
• Publication Number:
  US 20070182763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 747 Days
• Field of Search: 345/661, 345/667, 345/676, 345/684, 345/184, 715719-723, 715/730, 715/731, 715/856
• US Class Current: 345/661
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

A method and device for accessing a broad data field having a fine resolution. The user selects a scale which can be varied. The scale controls a range within the data field. By moving the range to encompass different portions of the data field, the user can scan that portion of the data field. The present invention allows the user to simultaneously select the scale while moving the range over different portions of the data field. Thus, the user can “zoom in” and “zoom out” of different portions of the data field.

Claims

1. In a computer system, a method of navigating within a set of data items, comprising:

displaying a user interface on a display device comprising a scale and an identifier of a current position along the scale, wherein the scale corresponds to a range including at least a subset of the data items;

receiving user input indicating movement;

responsive to an indication of movement along a first axis or a second axis, controlling a position of a cursor on the display device;

responsive to the indication of movement along the first axis, changing the scale, wherein the scale corresponds to a resolution of the range, such that a change in the scale corresponds to a change in the resolution of the range, wherein changing the scale comprises remapping the user input indicating movement along the first axis to control the change in the scale; and

responsive to the indication of movement along the second axis, changing the current position along the scale, wherein changing the current position along the scale comprises remapping the user input indicating movement along the second axis to control the change in the current position along the scale.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the current position along the scale comprises:

responsive to an indication of movement in a first direction along the second axis, moving the current position identifier in a first direction along the scale; and

responsive to an indication of movement in a second direction along the second axis, moving the current position identifier in a second direction along the scale.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data items comprises a video sequence, and wherein the current position represents a frame of the video sequence.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying the frame represented by the current position.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying at least one context frame corresponding to a point along the scale.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data items comprises audio samples, and wherein the current position represents an audio sample in the audio samples.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising outputting the audio sample represented by the current position.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data items comprises a plurality of versions of a document, and wherein the current position represents one of the versions.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying the version represented by the current position.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data items comprises portions of a textual document, and wherein the current position represents one of the portions.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying at least the portion of the textual document represented by the current position.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising selectively displaying at least one portion of the document at a semantic zoom level corresponding to the scale.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising displaying a collapsed version of the document, wherein the degree to which the displayed version is collapsed corresponds to the scale.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein each portion of the textual document comprises a word.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a representative subset of the data items in the range, the subset substantially spanning the range.

16. The method of claim 1:

wherein receiving user input comprises receiving user input indicating substantially simultaneous movement along both the first axis and the second axis; and

wherein changing the scale and changing the current position are performed substantially simultaneously and responsively to the indication of substantially simultaneous movement along both the first axis and the second axis.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the data items are stored in a database.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving user input comprises detecting user movement of an input device indicating movement along a first axis, a second axis, or a combination thereof.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the input device comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

a mouse;

a trackball;

a touch tablet;

a joystick;

cursor direction keys; and

a touch pad.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the scale comprises:

responsive to an indication of movement in a first direction along the first axis, increasing the range of the scale; and

responsive to an indication of movement in a second direction along the first axis, decreasing the range of the scale.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the first axis is a vertical axis and the second axis is a horizontal axis.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving user input comprises detecting at least one key press indicating movement.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying a first on-screen indicator representing the scale; and

responsive to an indication of movement along the first axis, displaying a second on-screen indicator representing the changed scale.

24. A computer program product of navigating within a set of data items, comprising:

a computer readable medium; and

computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operations of;

displaying a user interface on a display device, the user interface comprising a scale and an identifier of a current position along the scale, wherein the scale corresponds to a range including at least a subset of the data items;

receiving user input indicating movement;

responsive to an indication of movement along a first axis or a second axis, controlling a position of a cursor on the display device;

responsive to the indication of movement along the first axis, changing the scale, wherein the scale corresponds to a resolution of the range, such that a change in the scale corresponds to a change in the resolution of the range, wherein changing the scale comprises remapping the user input indicating movement along the first axis to control the change in the scale; and

responsive to the indication of movement along the second axis, changing the current position along the scale, wherein changing the current position along the scale comprises remapping the user input indicating movement along the second axis to control the change in the current position along the scale.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of changing the current position along the scale comprises computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operations of:

responsive to an indication of movement in a first direction along the second axis, moving the current position identifier in a first direction along the scale; and

responsive to an indication of movement in a second direction along the second axis, moving the current position identifier in a second direction along the scale.

26. The computer program of claim 24, wherein the set of data items comprises a video sequence, and wherein the current position represents a frame of the video sequence.

27. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of displaying the frame represented by the current position.

28. The computer program product of claim 26, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of displaying at least one context frame corresponding to a point along the scale.

29. The computer program of claim 24, wherein the set of data items comprises audio samples, and wherein the current position represents an audio sample in the audio samples.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of outputting the audio sample represented by the current position.

31. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the set of data items comprises a plurality of versions of a document, and wherein the current position represents one of the versions.

32. The computer program product of claim 31, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of displaying the version represented by the current position.

33. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the set of data items comprises portions of a textual document, and wherein the current position represents one of the portions.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of displaying at least the portion of the textual document represented by the current position.

35. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of selectively displaying at least one portion of the document at a semantic zoom level corresponding to the scale.

36. The computer program product of claim 33, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of displaying a collapsed version of the document, wherein the degree to which the displayed version is collapsed corresponds to the scale.

37. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein each portion of the textual document comprises a word.

38. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operation of displaying a representative subset of the data items in the range, the subset substantially spanning the range.

39. The computer program product of claim 24:

wherein the computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of receiving user input comprises computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of receiving user input indicating substantially simultaneous movement along both the first axis and the second axis; and

wherein the computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operations of changing the scale and changing the current position comprises computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operations substantially simultaneously and responsively to the indication of substantially simultaneous movement along both the first axis and the second axis.

40. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the data items are stored in a database.

41. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of receiving user input comprises computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of detecting user movement of an input device indicating movement along a first axis, a second axis, or a combination thereof.

42. The computer program product of claim 41, wherein the input device comprises one selected from the group consisting of:

a mouse;

a trackball;

a touch tablet;

a joystick;

cursor direction keys; and

a touch pad.

43. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of changing the scale comprises computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operations of:

responsive to an indication of movement in a first direction along the first axis, increasing the range of the scale; and

responsive to an indication of movement in a second direction along the first axis, decreasing the range of the scale.

44. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the first axis is a vertical axis and the second axis is a horizontal axis.

45. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of receiving user input comprises computer program code for controlling a processor to perform the operation of detecting at least one key press indicating movement.

46. The computer program product of claim 24, further comprising computer program code, encoded on the medium, for controlling a processor to perform the operations of:

displaying a first on-screen indicator representing the scale; and

responsive to an indication of movement along the first axis, displaying a second on-screen indicator representing the changed scale.

47. The computer program product of claim 46, wherein each on-screen indicator comprises text.