Manipulation of graphical objects on a display or a proxy device

• US 8,068,121 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 11/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, Lorna M., Williamson, John, Hodges, Stephen E., Scott, James W.
• Primary Examiner(s): HARRISON, CHANTE E
• Application Number:
  US11/771,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20090002391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,614 Days
• Field of Search: 345/649, 345/659, 345/651, 345/657, 345/619, 345/652, 715/864, 715/866, 348/333.11, 348/333.12
• US Class Current: 345/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/60 Editing figures and text; Combining figures or text

Abstract

Methods of manipulating graphical objects are described. One or more graphical objects are displayed in a fixed orientation with reference to a sensed reference direction. Manipulation is achieved by fixing the orientation or position of a displayed graphical object with reference to an apparatus, such as the display itself or a proxy device, detecting a change in orientation of that apparatus and editing the orientation of the graphical object based on the detected change.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying at least two stored graphical objects on a display at a first orientation and at least one stored graphical object at a second orientation, with each orientation being set with respect to a sensed reference direction;

setting, in response to a first user input, the first orientation of at least one of the at least two stored graphical objects on the display to a fixed value with respect to the sensed reference direction; and

editing the orientation of the at least one stored graphical object at the second orientation, responsive to a sensed change in orientation of the display with respect to the sensed reference direction, to the first orientation of the at least two stored graphical objects.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first orientation that is fixed with respect to the sensed reference direction is defined by a base orientation parameter associated with the at least two stored graphical objects.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein editing the orientation of the at least one stored graphical object responsive to a sensed change in orientation of the display with respect to the reference direction comprises:

editing the base orientation parameter associated with the at least one stored graphical object responsive to the display being rotated in a clockwise or counter-clockwise motion.

4. A method according to claim 2, wherein the base orientation parameter comprises a tag associated with the at least one stored graphical object.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein editing the orientation of the at least one stored graphical object responsive to a sensed change in orientation of the display with respect to the reference direction comprises:

storing an edited version of the at least one stored graphical object, the edited version comprising the at least one graphical object rotated through an angle corresponding to the sensed change in orientation of the display with respect to the reference direction.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein editing the orientation comprises detecting rotation of the display and a button on the display is held down.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the sensed reference direction comprises one of:

vertical, horizontal and magnetic north.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the at least one stored graphical object comprises at least one image.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said defined criteria comprises proximity to a centre of the display.

10. A computer readable media storing information to enable a computing device to perform a process, the computing device comprising a display and a sensor that provides information indicating an orientation of the display, the process comprising:

using the sensor to sense a reference direction;

displaying two or more stored images on the display in a first orientation and at least one stored image at a second orientation, with each orientation being set with respect to the reference direction;

setting, responsive to a user input, the first orientation of at least one of the two or more stored images on the display to a fixed value for a desired orientation;

sensing a change of orientation of the display; and

editing the orientation of the at least one stored image at the second orientation, responsive to the sensed change in orientation of the display with respect to the reference direction, to the first orientation of the one stored image.

11. A computer readable media according to claim 10, wherein the computer device further comprises a persistent data store and wherein editing the orientation of the at least one stored image comprises:

storing a rotated version of the at least one stored image in the persistent data store.

12. A computer readable media according to claim 10, wherein displaying two or more stored images on the display in an orientation that is fixed with respect to the reference direction comprises:

accessing an orientation parameter associated with the at least one stored image; and

displaying the at least one stored image in an orientation that is fixed according to the orientation parameter and the reference direction.

13. A computer readable media according to claim 12, wherein editing the orientation of the at least one stored image comprises:

editing the orientation parameter associated with the at least one stored image.

14. A system comprising:

a display screen that displays an image at a first orientation and a plurality of images at a second orientation, the first orientation being different than the second orientation;

a sensor that determines the orientation of the display screen;

a user interface device for setting the first orientation to a fixed value and setting the second orientation to a variable value; and

an applications logic component that receives an indication of a change in the display screen orientation from the sensor and adjusts second orientation of the plurality of images to match the first orientation.

15. A system according to claim 14, further comprising an object store to store the plurality of images at the second orientation and the image at the first orientation.

16. A system according to claim 14, further comprising a reference store to store the variable value and the fixed value.