Embedded navigation interface

• US 7,707,516 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2006
• Issued: 04/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rohlf, John, Kaplan, Audrey, O'Mullan, Beth Ellyn
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Thanh T
• Application Number:
  US11/442,227
• Publication Number:
  US 20070273712A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 715/788, 715/834, 715/854, 715/855, 715/848, 715/850, 715/851, 715/734, 715/735, 715/736, 715/771, 345/161, 345/650, 345/661, 345/676, 345/679, 345/680, 345/682, 345/418, 345/619
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• 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 3/04815 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

A navigation interface is embedded in imagery and includes various controls for manipulating the imagery. The controls provide various navigation operations, including but not limited to: rotation, tilt, zoom and 360 degree. In some implementations, one or more controls can be operated to restore the imagery to a predetermined state. Some implementations include a control for providing 360 degree movement of imagery. One or more controls can provide incremental and continuous motion of imagery. The navigation interface can fade out or otherwise be obfuscated when the user is not interacting with the navigation controls. A compass or other graphic can replace the navigation interface when it is no longer displayed.

Claims

1. A method of navigating imagery, comprising:

providing a user interface for presentation on a display device, the user interface including a display area for presenting imagery;

providing a navigation interface overlying the imagery, the navigation interface including a rotation control for rotating the imagery in the display area in response to a user interaction with the rotation control, where the rotation control includes a direction indicating portion thereon, the direction indicating portion indicates a predetermined compass direction associated with the imagery;

receiving a user input invoking the direction indicating portion of the rotation control; and

restoring the imagery and the rotation control synchronously to a predetermined orientation in the display area such that the direction indicating portion of the rotation control indicates the predetermined compass direction associated with the imagery.

2. The method of claim 1, where the rotation control is in the shape of a wheel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

incrementally rotating the imagery in the display area in response to a user interaction with the rotation control outside of the direction indicating portion.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a tilt control in the navigation interface for tilting the imagery in the display area.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising

continuously tilting the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the tilt control;

and

incrementally tilting the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the tilt control.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined tilt state in response to a third user interaction with the tilt control.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a zoom control in the navigation interface for zooming the imagery in the display area.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

continuously zooming the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the zoom control; and

incrementally zooming the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the zoom control.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined zoom state in the display area in response to a third user interaction with the zoom control.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing button controls in the navigation interface for moving the imagery up, down, left and right in the display area.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

continuously moving the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the button controls; and

incrementally moving the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the button controls.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined state in the display area in response to a third user interaction with the button controls.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

providing a joystick control in the navigation interface for moving the imagery 360 degrees in the display area in response to user interaction with the joystick control;

providing visual feedback on the joystick control in response to user interaction with one or more of the button controls.

14. The method of claim 1, where at least some of the imagery is three-dimensional.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying the navigation interface in the display area in response to a first user interaction with the navigation interface; and

obfuscating the navigation interface in the display area in response to a second user interaction with the navigation interface.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

displaying a user interface element in place of the navigation interface when the navigation interface is obfuscated.

17. The method of claim 16, where the user interface element indicates direction.

18. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the operations of:

providing a user interface for presentation on a display device, the user interface including a display area for presenting imagery;

providing a navigation interface overlying the imagery, the navigation interface including a rotation control for rotating the imagery in the display area in response to a user interaction with the rotation control, where the rotation control includes a direction indicating portion thereon, the direction indicating portion indicates a predetermined compass direction associated with the imagery;

receiving a user input invoking the direction indicating portion of the rotation control; and

restoring the imagery and the rotation control synchronously to a predetermined orientation in the display area such that the direction indicating portion of the rotation control indicates the predetermined compass direction associated with the imagery.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, where the rotation control is in the shape of a wheel.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

incrementally rotating the imagery in the display area in response to a user interaction with the rotation control outside of the direction indicating portion.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a tilt control in the navigation interface for tilting the imagery in the display area.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21, wherein the operations further comprise:

continuously tilting the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the tilt control; and

incrementally tilting the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the tilt control.

23. The computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein the operations further comprise:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined tilt state in response to a third user interaction with the tilt control.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a zoom control in the navigation interface for zooming the imagery in the display area.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24, wherein the operations further comprise:

continuously zooming the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the zoom control; and

incrementally zooming the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the zoom control.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 25, wherein the operations further comprise:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined zoom state in the display area in response to a third user interaction with the zoom control.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing button controls in the navigation interface for moving the imagery up, down, left and right in the display area.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise:

continuously moving the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the button controls; and

incrementally moving the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the button controls.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the operations further comprise:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined state in the display area in response to a third user interaction with the button controls.

30. The computer-readable medium of claim 27, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a joystick control in the navigation interface for moving the imagery 360 degrees in the display area in response to user interaction with the joystick control; and

providing visual feedback on the joystick control in response to user interaction with one or more of the button controls.

31. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, where at least some of the imagery is three-dimensional.

32. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the navigation interface in the display area in response to a first user interaction with the navigation interface; and

obfuscating the navigation interface in the display area in response to a second user interaction with the navigation interface.

33. The computer-readable medium of claim 32, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a user interface element in place of the navigation interface when the navigation interface is obfuscated.

34. The computer-readable medium of claim 33, wherein the user interface element indicates direction.

35. A system comprising:

one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

providing a user interface for presentation on a display device, the user interface including a display area for presenting imagery;

providing a navigation interface overlying the imagery, the navigation interface including a rotation control for rotating the imagery in the display area in response to a user interaction with the rotation control, where the rotation control includes a direction indicating portion thereon, the direction indicating portion indicates a predetermined compass direction associated with the imagery;

receiving a user input invoking the direction indicating portion of the rotation control; and

restoring the imagery and the rotation control synchronously to a predetermined orientation in the display area such that the direction indicating portion of the rotation control indicates the predetermined compass direction associated with the imagery.

36. The system of claim 35, where the rotation control is in the shape of a wheel.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the operations further comprise:

incrementally rotating the imagery in the display area in response to a user interaction with the rotation control outside of the direction indicating portion.

38. The system of claim 35, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a tilt control in the navigation interface for tilting the imagery in the display area.

39. The system of claim 38, wherein the operations further comprise:

continuously tilting the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the tilt control; and

incrementally tilting the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the tilt control.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the operations further comprise:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined tilt state in response to a third user interaction with the tilt control.

41. The system of claim 35, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a zoom control in the navigation interface for zooming the imagery in the display area.

42. The system of claim 41, wherein the operations further comprise:

continuously zooming the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the zoom control; and

incrementally zooming the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the zoom control.

43. The system of claim 42, wherein the operations further comprise:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined zoom state in the display area in response to a third user interaction with the zoom control.

44. The system of claim 35, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing button controls in the navigation interface for moving the imagery up, down, left and right in the display area.

45. The system of claim 44, wherein the operations further comprise:

continuously moving the imagery in response to a first user interaction with the button controls; and

incrementally moving the imagery in response to a second user interaction with the button controls.

46. The system of claim 45, wherein the operations further comprise:

restoring the imagery to a predetermined state in the display area in response to a third user interaction with the button controls.

47. The system of claim 45, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a joystick control in the navigation interface for moving the imagery 360 degrees in the display area in response to user interaction with the joystick control; and

providing visual feedback on the joystick control in response to user interaction with one or more of the button controls.

48. The system of claim 35, where at least some of the imagery is three-dimensional.

49. The system of claim 35, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying the navigation interface in the display area in response to a first user interaction with the navigation interface; and

obfuscating the navigation interface in the display area in response to a second user interaction with the navigation interface.

50. The system of claim 49, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying a user interface element in place of the navigation interface when the navigation interface is obfuscated.

51. The system of claim 50, wherein the user interface element indicates direction.