Content abstraction presentation along a multidimensional path

• US 8,296,677 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2010
• Issued: 10/23/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Brodersen, Rainer, Goldeen, Rachel Clare, Ma, Jeffrey, Pacurariu, Mihnea Calin, Madden, Thomas Michael, Seymour, Eric Taylor, Jobs, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo, Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): Iturralde, Enrique
• Application Number:
  US12/786,843
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/720, 715/727, 715/730, 715/739, 715/763, 715/767, 715/782, 715/783, 715/785, 715/802, 715/810, 715/815, 715/818, 715/848, 715/850, 715/855, 715/860, 715821-838
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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: H04N 21/4438 Window management, e.g. event handling following interaction with the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

Content abstractions are emerged in to an ingress terminus of a multidimensional path and depth transitioned through the multidimensional path to an egress terminus. The content abstractions are eliminated at the egress terminus.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

generating a first set of one or more content menu items related to content, where the first set of content menu items represent categories of content;

generating a second set of a plurality of content menu items related to content, where the second set of content menu items represent individual items of content and are independent of the first set of content menu items;

simultaneously displaying in a display device the first and second sets of content menu items, where the display of the second set of content menu items is independent of input associated with the first set of content menu items;

for each content menu item in the first set of content menu items, associating a corresponding set of content abstractions with the content menu item, where the corresponding set of content abstractions represent items of content within the category associated with a respective content menu item in the first set of content menu items;

associating another set of content abstractions with the second set of content menu items, each content menu item in the second set of content menu items associated with a corresponding content abstraction in the another set of content abstractions, where the corresponding content abstractions represent the individual items of content corresponding to each of the second set of content menu items;

highlighting one of the content menu items;

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the first set of content menu items, then displaying in the display device with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding set of content abstractions that correspond to content items within the category associated with the highlighted content menu item in the first set of content menu items; and

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the second set of content menu items, then displaying in the display device with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding content abstractions in the another set of content abstractions that correspond to the individual items of content associated with the content menu items in the second set of content menu items.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a multidimensional path;

emerging the displayed content abstractions into the multidimensional path at an ingress terminus;

rotating the displayed content abstractions about a first axis at the ingress terminus;

transitioning the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path;

rotating the displayed content abstractions about a second axis at an egress terminus; and

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining a multidimensional path;

emerging the displayed content abstractions into the multidimensional path at an ingress terminus;

transitioning the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path to an egress terminus;

respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus; and

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus comprise:

rotating each of the displayed content abstraction at a first angular rate at the ingress terminus; and

rotation each of the displayed content abstraction at a second angular rate at the ingress terminus.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the second angular rate is greater than the first angular rate; and

respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus comprises increasing the respective rotation of each of the displayed content abstractions from the first angular rate to the second angular rate while the displayed content abstraction is being transitioned from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating user library content menu items associated with content stored in a user library; and

including the user library content menu items in the second set of content menu items.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the content comprises song titles; and

the displayed content abstractions comprise video clips related to the song titles.

8. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating the content abstractions in multidimensional shapes;

generating overlapping depth transitions of the displayed content abstractions; and

generating a rotational effect of the displayed content abstractions during the depth transitions.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating a first set of one or more content menu items related to content items, where the first set of content menu items represent categories of content;

generating a second set of a plurality of content menu items related to content items, where the second set of content menu items represent individual items of content and are independent of the first set of content menu items;

simultaneously displaying in a display device the first and second sets of content menu items, where the display of the second set of content menu items is independent of input associated with the first set of content menu items;

for each content menu item in the first set of content menu items, associating a corresponding set of content abstractions with the content menu item, where the corresponding set of content abstractions represent items of content within the category associated with a respective content menu item in the first set of content menu items;

associating another set of content abstractions with the second set of content menu items, each content menu item in the second set of the content menu items associated with a corresponding content abstraction in the another set of content abstractions, where the corresponding content abstractions represent the individual items of content corresponding to each of the second set of content menu items;

highlighting one of the content menu items;

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the first set of content menu items, then displaying in the display device with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding set of content abstractions that correspond to content items within the category associated with the highlighted content menu item in the first set of content menu items; and

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the second set of content menu items, then displaying in the display device with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding content abstractions in the another set of content abstractions that correspond to the individual items of content associated with the content menu items in the second set of content menu items.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, storing further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

defining a multidimensional path;

emerging the displayed content abstractions into the multidimensional path at an ingress terminus;

rotating the displayed content abstractions about a first axis at the ingress terminus;

transitioning the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path;

rotating the displayed content abstractions about a second axis at an egress terminus; and

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, storing further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

defining a multidimensional path;

emerging the displayed content abstractions into the multidimensional path at an ingress terminus;

transitioning the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path to an egress terminus;

respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus; and

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus comprise:

rotating each of the displayed content abstraction at a first angular rate at the ingress terminus; and

rotation each of the displayed content abstraction at a second angular rate at the ingress terminus.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein:

the second angular rate is greater than the first angular rate; and

respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus comprises increasing the respective rotation of each of the displayed content abstractions from the first angular rate to the second angular rate while the displayed content abstraction is being transitioned from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein:

the plurality of content items comprises video items; and

the displayed content abstractions comprise images related to the video items.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 9, storing further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating the content abstractions in multidimensional shapes;

generating overlapping depth transitions of the displayed content abstractions; and

generating a rotational effect of the displayed content abstractions during the depth transitions.

16. A system, comprising:

a display device;

a processing device coupled to the display device; and

a memory coupled to the processing device, the memory storing instructions that upon execution by the processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising;

generating a first set of one or more content menu items related to content items, where the first set of content menu items represent categories of content;

generating a second set of a plurality of content menu items related to content items, where the second set of content menu items represent individual items of content and are independent of the first set of content menu items;

simultaneously displaying in the display device the first and second sets of content menu items, where the display of the second set of content menu items is independent of input associated with the first set of content menu items;

for each content menu item in the first set of content menu items, associating a corresponding set of content abstractions with the content menu item, where the corresponding set of content abstractions represent items of content within the category associated with a respective content menu item in the first set of content menu items;

associating another set of content abstractions with the second set of content menu items, each content menu item in the second set of the content menu items associated with a corresponding content abstraction in the another set of content abstractions, where the corresponding content abstractions represent the individual items of content corresponding to each of the second set of content menu items;

highlighting one of the content menu items;

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the first set of content menu items, then displaying in the display device with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding set of content abstractions that correspond to content items within the category associated with the highlighted content menu item in the first set of content menu items; and

if the highlighted content menu item belongs to the second set of content menu items, then displaying in the display device with the first and second sets of content menu items only the corresponding content abstractions in the another set of content abstractions that correspond to the individual items of content associate with the content menu items in the second set of content menu items.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory stores further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

defining a multidimensional path;

emerging the displayed content abstractions into the multidimensional path at an ingress terminus;

rotating the displayed content abstractions about a first axis at the ingress terminus;

transitioning the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path;

rotating the displayed content abstractions about a second axis at an egress terminus; and

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory stores further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

defining a multidimensional path;

emerging the displayed content abstractions into the multidimensional path at an ingress terminus;

transitioning the displayed content abstractions through the multidimensional path to an egress terminus;

respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus; and

eliminating the content abstractions from the multidimensional path at the egress terminus.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus comprise:

rotating each of the displayed content abstraction at a first angular rate at the ingress terminus;

rotation each of the displayed content abstraction at a second angular rate at the ingress terminus, wherein the second angular rate is greater than the first angular rate; and

respectively rotating each of the displayed content abstractions during the transition from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus comprises increasing the respective rotation of each of the displayed content abstractions from the first angular rate to the second angular rate while the displayed content abstraction is being transitioned from the ingress terminus to the egress terminus.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the memory stores further instructions that upon execution by a processing device cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

generating the content abstractions in multidimensional shapes;

generating overlapping depth transitions of the displayed content abstractions; and

generating a rotational effect of the displayed content abstractions during the depth transitions.