Content abstraction presentation along a multidimensional path

• US 7,747,968 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Pacurariu, Mihnea Calin, Ma, Jeffrey, Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare, Seymour, Eric Taylor, Madden, Thomas Michael, Jobs, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh; Ba
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iturralde; Enrique W
• Application Number:
  US11/530,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20080122870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: 715/763, 715/767, 715/810, 715/802, 715/716, 715/720, 715/727, 715/730, 715/739, 715/782, 715/783, 715/785, 715/815, 715/818, 715/821, 715/823, 715/825, 715/835, 715/836, 715/838, 715/848, 715/850, 715/855, 715/860, 345/640
• US Class Current: 715/821
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

Content abstractions are emerged in to an ingress terminus of a multidimensional path and depth transitioned through the multidimensional path to an egress terminus. The content abstractions are eliminated at the egress terminus.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a first set of one or more content menu items related to content;

generating a second set of a plurality of content menu items related to content;

simultaneously displaying the first and second sets of content menu items;

for each content menu item in the first set of content menu items, associating a corresponding set of content abstractions with the content menu item;

associating another set of content abstractions with the second set of content menu items, each content menu item in the second set of content menu items associated with a corresponding content abstraction in the another set of content abstractions;

highlighting one of the content menu items;

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the first set of content menu items, then displaying with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding set of content abstractions that corresponds to the highlighted content menu item in the first set of content menu items;

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the second set of content menu items, then displaying with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding content abstractions in the another set of content abstractions that correspond to the content menu items in the second set of content menu items;

defining a multidimensional path; and

generating overlapping depth transitions of the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

emerging the displayed content abstractions into the multidimensional path; and

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

emerging a displayed content abstraction into the multidimensional path after the displayed content abstraction is eliminated from the multidimensional path.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a sales content menu item associated with content offered for sale; and

including the sales content menu item in the first set of content menu items.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating user library content menu items associated with content stored in a user library; and

including the user library content menu items in the second set of content menu items.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the content comprises movie titles; and

the displayed content abstractions comprise video clips related to the movie titles.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein:

the content comprises song titles; and

the displayed content abstractions comprise video clips related to the song titles.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein

the content comprises video items;

and

the displayed content abstractions comprise images related to the video items.

9. The method of claim 2, comprising:

generating the content abstractions in multidimensional shapes; and

generating a rotational effect of the displayed content abstractions during the depth transitions.

10. A computer readable medium storing instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating a first set of one or more content menu items related to content items;

generating a second set of a plurality of content menu items related to content items;

simultaneously displaying the first and second sets of content menu items;

for each content menu item in the first set of content menu items, associating a corresponding set of content abstractions with the content menu item;

associating another set of content abstractions with the second set of content menu items, each content menu item in the second set of the content menu items associated with a corresponding content abstraction in the another set of content abstractions;

highlighting one of the content menu items;

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the first set of content menu items, then displaying with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding set of content abstractions that corresponds to the highlighted content menu item in the first set of content menu items;

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the second set of content menu items, then displaying with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding content abstractions in the another set of content abstractions that correspond to the content menu items in the second set of content menu items;

defining a multidimensional path having an ingress terminus and an egress terminus;

emerging the content abstractions into the multidimensional path at the ingress terminus;

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus; and

generating depth transitions of the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, storing further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

emerging a displayed content abstraction into the multidimensional path at the ingress terminus after the displayed content abstraction is eliminated from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 10, storing further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating a sales content menu item associated with content offered for sale; and

including the sales content menu item in the first set of content menu items.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 10, storing further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating user library content menu items associated with content stored in a user library; and

including the user library content menu items in the second set of content menu items.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 10, wherein:

the plurality of content items comprises video items; and

the displayed content abstractions comprise images related to the video items.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, storing further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating the content abstractions in multidimensional shapes; and

generating a rotational effect of the displayed content abstractions during the depth transitions.