Human-computer interface incorporating personal and application domains

• US 7,917,869 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2004
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomas G. Anderson
• Inventors: Anderson, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pesin, Boris
• Assistant Examiner(s): Parker, Brandon
• Application Number:
  US10/801,756
• Publication Number:
  US 20040237050A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,569 Days
• Field of Search: 715/848, 715/733, 715/803, 715/764, 715/850, 711/154
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T

Abstract

The present invention provides a human-computer interface. The interface includes provision of an application domain, for example corresponding to a three-dimensional application. The user is allowed to navigate and interact with the application domain. The interface also includes a personal domain, offering the user controls and interaction distinct from the application domain. The separation into two domains allows the most suitable interface methods in each: for example, three-dimensional navigation in the application domain, and two- or three-dimensional controls in the personal domain. Transitions between the application domain and the personal domain are under control of the user, and the transition method is substantially independent of the navigation in the application domain. For example, the user can fly through a three-dimensional application domain, and always move to the personal domain by moving a cursor near one extreme of the display.

Claims

1. A method of providing a human-computer interface, using an input device having a range of motion in three dimensions, denoted the x-device dimension, the y-device dimension, and the z-device dimension, comprising:

a) Providing a display space, having mutually orthogonal x-display and y-display dimensions, where the x-display dimension and the y-display dimension together define a plane orthogonal to a user direction of view into the display space, and a z-display dimension orthogonal to both the x-display dimension and the y-display dimension;

b) Establishing a correspondence between motion of the input device and motion of a cursor relative to the display space;

c) Providing a three-dimensional application domain, having corresponding interface characteristics;

d) Providing a personal domain, having corresponding interface characteristics;

e) If the user is interacting according to the application domain characteristics, then determining if user motion of the input device corresponds to cursor motion into an application-to-personal defined range of coordinates in the z-display dimension, and, if so, then providing interaction according to the personal domain characteristics;

f) If the user is interacting according to the personal domain characteristics, then determining if user motion of the input device corresponds to motion of the cursor into a personal-to-application defined range of coordinates in the z-display dimension, and, if so, then providing interaction according to the application domain characteristics.

2. A method of providing a human-computer interface, using an input device having a range of motion in three dimensions, denoted the x-device dimension, the y-device dimension, and the z-device dimension, comprising:

a) Providing a display space, having mutually orthogonal x-display and y-display dimensions, where the x-display dimension and the y-display dimension define a plane orthogonal to a user direction of view into the display space, and a z-display dimension orthogonal to both the x-display dimension and the y-display dimension;

b) Providing a three-dimensional application domain, having corresponding interface characteristics;

c) Providing a personal domain, having corresponding interface characteristics;

d) If the user is interacting according to the application domain characteristics, then determining if the input device has moved into an application-to-personal defined range of coordinates in the z-device dimension, and, if so, then providing interaction according to the personal domain characteristics;

e) If the user is interacting according to the personal domain characteristics, then determining if the input device has moved into a personal-to-application defined range of coordinates in the z-device dimension, and, if so, then providing interaction according to the application domain characteristics.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein determining if the input device has moved into an application-to-personal defined range of coordinates in the z-device dimension comprises determining if the input device has crossed an application-to-personal surface in the space defined by the x-device dimension, the y-device dimension, and the z-device dimension.

4. A method as in claim 3, wherein the application-to-personal surface comprises a surface separating the space defined by the x-device dimension, the y-device dimension, and the z-device dimension into an application portion and a personal transition portion, wherein the volume of the application portion is at least three times larger than the volume of the personal transition portion.

5. A method as in claim 4, wherein the application-to-personal surface comprises a plane orthogonal to the z-device dimension at a coordinate in the z-device dimension such that more than two-thirds of the coordinate space in the z-device dimension is in the application portion.

6. A method as in claim 2, wherein determining if the input device has moved into a personal-to-application defined range of coordinates in the z-device dimension comprises determining if the device has crossed an personal-to-application surface in the space defined by the x-device dimension, the y-device dimension, and the z-device dimension.

7. A method as in claim 6, wherein the personal-to-application surface comprises a surface separating the space defined by the x-device dimension, the y-device dimension, and the z-device dimension into a personal portion and an application transition portion, wherein the volume of the personal portion is at least three times larger than the volume of the application transition portion.

8. A method as in claim 6, wherein the personal-to-application surface comprises a plane orthogonal to the z-device dimension at a coordinate in the z-device dimension such that more than two-thirds of the coordinate space in the z-device dimension is in the personal portion.

9. A method as in claim 2,

a) wherein providing for interaction according to the application domain comprises providing a display of the application domain having active application characteristics and providing a display of the personal domain having inactive personal characteristics;

b) wherein providing for interaction according to the personal domain comprises providing a display of the personal domain having active personal characteristics, comprising enhanced perceptual characteristics relative to inactive personal characteristics, and providing a display of the application domain having inactive application characteristics, comprising reduced perceptual characteristics relative to active application characteristics.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein active personal characteristics comprise objects displayed at an active size, and wherein inactive personal characteristics comprise an inactive size less than the active size.

11. A method as in claim 9, wherein active personal characteristics comprise objects displayed at an active visual intensity, and inactive personal characteristics comprise objects displayed at an inactive visual intensity less than the active visual intensity.

12. A method as in claim 9, wherein inactive personal characteristics comprise objects displayed semitransparently.

13. A method as in claim 2, wherein providing interaction according to the application domain comprises providing a display of the application domain using an application portion of the displayable space, and providing a display of the personal domain using a personal portion of the displayable space, wherein the application portion is at least 3 times the size of the personal portion.

14. A method as in claim 2, wherein providing interaction according to the personal domain comprises providing a display of the application domain using an application portion of the displayable space, and providing a display of the personal domain using a personal portion of the displayable space, wherein the personal portion is at least 3 times the size of the application portion.

15. A method as in claim 2, wherein

a) providing interaction according to the application domain comprises providing a display of the application domain using an active application portion of the displayable space, and providing a display of the personal domain using an inactive personal portion of the displayable space,

b) providing interaction according to the personal domain comprises providing a display of the application domain using an inactive application portion of the displayable space, and providing a display of the personal domain using an active personal portion of the displayable space;

c) wherein the active personal portion is at least one third larger than the inactive personal portion.