User interface with parallax animation

• US 8,250,494 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Issued: 08/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Butcher, Larry R., Friedman, Jonathan D., Voss, Chad Aron, Kruzeniski, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): TANK, ANDREW L
• Application Number:
  US12/484,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20100107068A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,163 Days
• Field of Search: 715/782, 715/797, 715/840, 715/863, 715/702, 715/719, 715/764, 715/766, 715/768, 715/799, 715848-850, 715/858, 345173-178
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9535 Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0236 using selection techniques to select from displayed items
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 13/80 2D [Two Dimensional] animation, e.g. using sprites
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72466 with selection means, e.g. keys, having functions defined by the mode or the status of the device
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 : for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 : Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 : Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 : from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

User interface animation techniques are described. In an implementation, an input having a velocity is detected that is directed to one or more objects in a user interface. A visual presentation is generated that is animated so a first object in the user interface moves in parallax with respect to a second object. The presentation is displayed so the first object appears to moves at a rate that corresponds to the velocity.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

detecting an input, via touchscreen functionality of a display device of the computer, that has a velocity and is directed to one or more objects in a user interface displayed on the display device;

responsive to the detecting, generating a presentation by the computer that includes a parallax animation of the one or more objects; and

displaying the presentation that includes the parallax animation in the user interface on the display device, the parallax animation configured to continue after the detected input that has a velocity is completed.

2. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the presentation is displayed when at least one of the one or more objects is available for selection to access additional information for display in the user interface.

3. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the one or more objects include:

a photograph;

an icon;

a shortcut;

a label;

or

visual content.

4. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the displaying of the parallax animation associated with the input is performed such that as the animation nears termination at least one of the one or more object'"'"'s motion appears to dampen.

5. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the input is a gesture received via touchscreen functionality of the computer; and

the displaying is performed so the one or more objects move in a direction of the gesture.

6. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the computer is configured as a mobile communications device that includes telephone functionality.

7. A computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the one or more objects appear in a corresponding one of a plurality of layers according to type; and

each said layer is assigned a different speed in the parallax animation for moving respective said objects that are included in the layer.

8. A mobile communications device comprising:

a display device having touchscreen functionality; and

user interface module to generate a user interface that includes objects for output on the display device, the user interface module being configured to;

associate an apparent distance with each said object from a screen of the display device;

generate a presentation of the objects in response to detection of a gesture that has a direction and a velocity; and

display the presentation including a parallax animation so a first said object that appears closer to the screen moves at a rate that is greater than that of a second said object that appears farther away from the screen, the first and second said objects being moved in a direction that corresponds to the gesture, the parallax animation configured to continue after completion of the gesture.

9. A mobile communications device as described in claim 8, wherein the second said object is a picture and the first said object comprises one or more of:

a label or

a border.

10. A mobile communications device as described in claim 8, wherein the first said object is included in a layer that is appears closer to the screen than a layer that includes the second said object.

11. A mobile communications device as described in claim 8, wherein the gesture includes a pan-and-drag of a user'"'"'s finger in the direction.

12. A mobile communications device as described in claim 8, wherein each said object is included in a respective one of a plurality of layers based on object type.

13. A mobile communications device as described in claim 8, further comprising one or more modules to provide telephone functionality and wherein the user interface includes objects that relate to the telephone functionality.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that are executable on a mobile communications device to provide a user interface that is operable to:

generate a presentation that is animated to follow a gesture received using touchscreen functionality of a display device of the mobile communications device, the presentation including a plurality of objects that are available for selection and each said object is included in a respective one of a plurality of layers based on object type; and

display the presentation on a display device of the mobile communications device to include the animation so a first said object appears to move in parallax with respect to one or more other said objects, the movement in parallax configured to continue after completion of the gesture.

15. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 14, wherein the other said objects included in the layer are perceived as having a different distance from a surface of the display device than another said object in a different layer.

16. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 14, wherein at least one said object type is text that is assigned to a first said layer and another said object type is images assigned to another said layer, the first said layer exclusively comprising said text object type and the another said layer exclusively comprising said images object type.

17. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 14, wherein the presentation is generated in response to detection of the gesture and the first said object is associated with information available for display in the user interface.

18. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 14, wherein the parallax motion of the first said object is related to a velocity detected for the gesture.

19. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 14, wherein the first said object'"'"'s motion dampens from a velocity associated with the gesture as the display of the animation nears termination.

20. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 14, where in the first said object'"'"'s motion includes a bounce mimicking an elastic collision.