Apparatus, system, and method for rotational graphical user interface navigation

• US 8,286,099 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 10/09/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dubs, Justin Tyler, Dudkowski, Eric Edward, Kluttz, Karen Ruth, Stewart, Aaron Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Kieu
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHAUDHURI, ANITA
• Application Number:
  US12/054,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20090241067A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,660 Days
• Field of Search: 715/762, 715/763, 715/765, 715/757, 715/784, 715/744, 715/758, 715/759, 715/864, 715/865, 715/773, 715/782, 715/850
• US Class Current: 715/850
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A display module displays a first face of a virtual multidimensional solid comprising a plurality of faces. Each face comprises graphical user interface controls for a unique function set. An input module receives a rotational command that rotates the multidimensional solid around at least one axis. A rotation module rotates the multidimensional solid to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the multidimensional solid.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having a computer readable program stored on a non-transitory tangible storage device, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

display a first face of a uniform prism rotatable only about a central horizontal axis and comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls for a unique function set, wherein the uniform prism is solid and only one face of the uniform prism is visible at a time;

receive a rotational command from a virtual thumbwheel GUI represented on a touch screen, the rotational command configured to rotate the uniform prism around the central horizontal axis; and

rotate the uniform prism to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the uniform prism; and

rotate the uniform prism to display the first face when the second face is unused for a specified time interval.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to also receive the rotational command from a track ball GUI represented on the touch screen.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the rotational command is generated in response to at least one finger being drawn along a surface vector of the touch screen.

4. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein an input device selected from a mouse, a mechanical track ball, a pointing stick, a joy stick, and a touch pad also generates the rotational command.

5. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the uniform prism comprises a number of faces in the range of two to twenty.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed on a screen with a horizontal dimension in the range of one to twenty centimeters.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed on a screen with a vertical dimension in the range of one to ten centimeters.

8. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed with a geometric shape conforming to a face geometry of the uniform prism when the uniform prism is being rotated and a face is displayed as filling a screen when the uniform prism is not being rotated.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to assign functions to a face in response to a user command.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to shift from a first functional set group to a second functional set group in response to a user command.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to rotate the uniform prism to display the first face when data for the first face becomes relevant.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a non-transitory storage device storing computer readable programs executable by a processor, the computer readable programs comprising;

a display module configured to display a first face of a virtual uniform prism rotatable only about a central horizontal axis and comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises GUI controls for a unique function set, wherein the uniform prism is solid and only one face of the uniform prism is visible at a time;

an input module comprising a touch screen and configured to receive a rotational command from a virtual thumbwheel GUI represented on the touch screen, the rotational command configured to rotate the uniform prism around the central horizontal axis; and

a rotation module configured to rotate the uniform prism to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the uniform prism; and

the rotation module further configured to rotate the uniform prism to display the first face when the second face is unused for a specified time interval.

13. A system comprising:

a touch screen;

a memory module configured to store instructions and data;

a processor module in communication with the touch screen and the memory module, executing the instructions and data, and comprising

a display module configured to display a first face of a uniform prism rotatable only about a central horizontal axis on the touch screen, the uniform prism comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises GUI controls for a unique function set, wherein the uniform prism is solid and only one face of the uniform prism is visible at a time;

an input module configured to receive a rotational command from a virtual thumbwheel GUI represented on the touch screen, the rotational command configured to rotate the uniform prism around the central horizontal axis; and

a rotation module configured to rotate the uniform prism to display a second face in the touch screen in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the uniform prism on the touch screen; and

the rotation module further configured to rotate the uniform prism to display the first face when the second face is unused for a specified time interval.