Three-dimensional graphic user interface, and apparatus and method of providing the same

• US 8,024,671 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2006
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Keum-Koo, Kim, Sung-woo, Kwon, Yong-hwan, Seong, Ki-ae
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): BECKER, SHASHI KAMALA
• Application Number:
  US11/583,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20070097113A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,796 Days
• Field of Search: 715/848, 715/850, 715/853
• US Class Current: 715/848
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus and method for providing a three-dimensional graphic user interface includes a control module which creates a three-dimensional interface space having a predetermined plane and an axis perpendicular to the plane, and a plurality of objects presented in the space, and a user interface module which presents a plurality of object groups including the plurality of objects in the space, and moves an object group including a selected object among the plurality of presented object groups along the axis.

Claims

1. An apparatus for providing a three-dimensional graphic user interface, the apparatus comprising:

a control module which creates a three-dimensional interface space having a predetermined plane and an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane, a plurality of three-dimensional high-level objects, and a plurality of three-dimensional low-level objects presented in the three-dimensional interface space; and

a user interface module which presents at least one high-level object group including the plurality of high-level objects for selection in a first plane at a foremost position in the three-dimensional interface space parallel to the predetermined plane, and in response to selection of one of the plurality of high-level objects changes a color of the selected high-level object so as to emphasize the selected high-level object and presents at least one low-level object group including the plurality of low-level objects for selection as a submenu of the selected one of the plurality of high-level objects in a second plane parallel to the predetermined plane in the three-dimensional interface space at a position further from a user than the at least one high-level object group in the first plane, and in response to selecting a low-level object from the low-level object group, the user interface module changes a color of the selected low-level object so as to emphasize a selected low-level object and moves the low-level object group including the selected low-level object along the perpendicular axis to a third plane at a new foremost position in the three-dimensional interface space parallel to the predetermined plane closer to the user than the first plane, and simultaneously changes a view point to a direction toward the low-level object group including the selected object while also displaying the at least one high-level object group,

wherein at least one of the control module and the user interface module is a hardware unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of object groups comprises:

a high-level object group including a plurality of high-level objects; and

a low-level object group including a plurality of low-level objects associated with a high-level selected object among the plurality of high-level objects.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the low-level object group is presented in the three-dimensional interface space only when the associated high-level object is selected.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface module changes at least one of a size and transparency of the selected object so as to emphasize the selected object.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the user interface module changes at least one of the size, color, and transparency of objects not selected so as to emphasize the selected object.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the objects comprises one or more surfaces, on which information to be transmitted to a user is displayed.

7. A method of providing a three-dimensional graphic user interface, the method comprising:

creating a three-dimensional interface space having a predetermined plane and an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane, a plurality of three-dimensional high-level objects, and a plurality of three-dimensional low-level objects presented in the three-dimensional interface space;

presenting at least one high-level object group including the plurality of high-level objects for selection in a first plane at a foremost position in the three-dimensional interface space parallel to the predetermined plane, and in response to selection of one of the plurality of high-level objects changing a color of the selected high-level object so as to emphasize the selected high-level object and presenting at least one low-level object group including the plurality of low-level objects for selection as a submenu of the selected one of the plurality of high-level objects in a second plane parallel to the predetermined plane in the three-dimensional interface space at a position further from a user than the at least one high-level object group in the first plane; and

in response to selecting a low-level object from the low-level object group, changing a color of the selected low-level object so as to emphasize the selected low-level object and moving the low-level object group including the selected low-level object along the perpendicular axis to a third plane at a new foremost position in the three-dimensional interface space parallel to the predetermined plane closer to the user than the first plane, and simultaneously changing a view point to a direction toward the low-level object group including the selected object while also displaying the at least one high-level object group.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the plurality of object groups comprises:

a high-level object group including a plurality of high-level objects; and

a low-level object group including a plurality of low-level objects associated with a high-level selected object among the plurality of high-level objects.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the presenting of the plurality of object groups comprises presenting the low-level object group in the three-dimensional interface space only when the associated high-level object is selected.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the moving of the object group further comprises changing at least one of a size and transparency of the selected object so as to emphasize the selected object.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the moving of the object group comprises changing at least one of the size, color, and transparency of objects not selected so as to emphasize the selected object.

12. A system for providing a three-dimensional graphic user interface, said system comprising:

a control module which creates a three-dimensional space having a predetermined plane and an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane, and a plurality of three-dimensional objects;

an input module which receives data related to an action of the at least one of the plurality of three-dimensional objects;

an output module, and

and object management module,

wherein the output module displays at least one high-level object group including a plurality of high-level objects in a first plane parallel to the predetermined plane in the three-dimensional space, and in response to selection of one of the plurality of high-level objects changes a color of the selected high-level object so as to emphasize the selected high-level object and displays at least one low-level object group as a submenu of the selected one of the plurality of high-level objects including a selected low-level object in a second plane parallel to the predetermined plane, among a plurality of presented object groups,

wherein the at least one low-level object group including the selected low-level object is displayed at a new foremost position in the three-dimensional space along the perpendicular axis in a third plane parallel to the predetermined plane and a color of the selected low-level object is changed so as to emphasize the selected low-level object,

wherein the object management module simultaneously changes a view point to a direction toward the object group in the third plane including the selected object based on input to the input module while also displaying the at least one high-level object group in the first plane, and

wherein at least one of the control module, the input module, the output module and the object management module is a hardware unit.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the output module displays a plurality of object groups comprising a high-level object group including a plurality of high-level objects, and a low-level object group including a plurality of low-level objects associated with a high-level selected object among the plurality of high-level objects.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the output module displays the low-level object group in the space only when the user selects the associated high-level object.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the output module displays the low-level object group in the three-dimensional space at a position along the perpendicular axis further from a user than the at least one high-level object group containing the associated high-level object.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the object management module changes at least one of a size and transparency of the object selected based on input to the input module so as to emphasize the selected object.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the object management module changes at least one of the size, color, and transparency of objects not selected so as to emphasize the selected object.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the output module displays each of the objects comprising one or more surfaces on which information to be transmitted to a user is displayed.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored therein a program for causing a processing device to execute a method for providing a three-dimensional graphic user interface, the program instructions comprising:

creating a three-dimensional interface space having a predetermined plane and an axis perpendicular to the predetermined plane, a plurality of three-dimensional high-level objects, and a plurality of three-dimensional low-level objects presented in the three-dimensional interface space;

presenting at least one high-level object group including the plurality of high-level objects for selection in a first plane at a foremost position in the three-dimensional interface space parallel to the predetermined plane, and in response to selection of one of the plurality of high-level objects changing a color of the selected high-level object so as to emphasize the selected high-level object and presenting at least one low-level object group including the plurality of low-level objects for selection as a submenu of the selected one of the plurality of high-level objects in a second plane parallel to the predetermined plane in the three-dimensional interface space at a position further from a user than the at least one high-level object group in the first plane; and

in response to selecting a low-level object from the low-level object group, changing a color of the selected low-level object so as to emphasize the selected low-level object and moving the low-level object group including the selected low-level object along the perpendicular axis to a third plane at a new foremost position in the three-dimensional interface space parallel to the predetermined plane closer to the user than the first plane, and simultaneously changing a view point to a direction toward the low-level object group including the selected object while also displaying the at least one high-level object group.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the plurality of object groups presented by the program instructions comprises:

a high-level object group including a plurality of high-level objects; and

a low-level object group including a plurality of low-level objects associated with a high-level selected object among the plurality of high-level objects.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the program instructions for presenting of the plurality of object groups comprises presenting the low-level object group in the space only when the associated high-level object is selected.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions for the moving of the object group further comprises changing at least one of a size and transparency of the selected object so as to emphasize the selected object.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions for the moving of the object group comprises changing at least one of the size, color, and transparency of objects not selected so as to emphasize the selected object.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the processing device executing the program instructions is a computer.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the program instructions further comprise displaying information to be transmitted to a user on one or more surfaces of each of the objects.