User interface for multifunction device

• US 8,339,362 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Harman International Industries Incorporated (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: O'Brien, Darren Kelly, Lau, Dannie C.
• Primary Examiner(s): CERULLO, LILIANA P
• Application Number:
  US11/966,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20080303803A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,824 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 715/716, 715/719, 715/727, 715/810, 715/825, 715/828, 715/834, 715/835, 715/864
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A system implements a circular navigation paradigm that matches a physical input device to a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI may be displayed on a personal navigation device, music player, or any other electronic device that employs a GUI. The match between the physical input device and the GUI facilitates ready understanding and intuitive interaction with the GUI by the device operator. The circular navigation paradigm may also extend over multiple screens within an application, and across multiple applications, to provide consistency of operation throughout the entire feature set of this device.

Claims

1. A user interface system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising processor executable instructions configured to direct the processor to perform operations comprising

detecting an angular position and a rate of change of a rotatable control of an input device;

converting the angular position and the rate of change to a rotational movement;

analyzing the rotational movement against a user interface mapping comprising a user interface element angular transition threshold for radially arranging user interface elements on a first graphical user interface, where the user interface system includes multiple interface mappings and multiple angular transition thresholds, and wherein a scaling factor is chosen such that a predetermined maximum degree of movement of the rotatable control is multiplied by the scaling factor to obtain one of the multiple angular transition thresholds;

determining whether the rotational movement exceeds the angular transition threshold; and

directing, when the rotational movement exceeds the angular transition threshold, a display device to change highlighting on the first graphical user interface from a first radially arranged user interface element to a subsequent radially arranged user interface element in the direction of the rotational movement.

2. The system of claim 1, where the memory further comprises a mapping database comprising the user interface mapping and further comprising the multiple user interface mappings for multiple screens of a graphical user interface.

3. The system of claim 1, where the scaling factor is set such that the angular transition threshold is reduced which requires less rotational movement or is increased which requires more rotational movement.

4. The system of claim 2, where the mapping database further comprises multiple user interface mappings for multiple executable applications that each comprises a different graphical user interface.

5. The system of claim 1 where the angular transition thresholds and scaling factor for each of the graphical user interfaces is customizable.

6. The system of claim 1, where the input device comprises a rotatable ring that may be rotated to provide angular position information.

7. The system of claim 1, where the instructions are configured to direct the processor to perform further operations comprising:

detecting an activation of a selection button on the input device; and

initiating processing corresponding to a highlighted user interface element in response to the activation of the selection button.

8. The system of claim 1, where the instructions are configured to direct the processor to perform further operations comprising:

detecting an activation of a function button on the input device; and

performing a predetermined function in response to the activation of the function button.

9. The system of claim 8, where the function button corresponds to a function user interface element of the first graphical user interface, the function user interface element disposed on at a similar location and orientation as the function button on the input device.

10. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising processor executable instructions for controlling a user interface system for displaying one of a plurality of screens, the processor executable instructions configured to cause a processor to perform operations comprising:

identifying one of the plurality of screens for display;

detecting an angular position and a rate of change of a rotatable control of an input device;

converting the angular position and the rate of change to a rotational movement;

receiving a plurality of user interface mappings from a mapping database, where each of the user interface mappings includes an angular transition threshold for each of the plurality of screens, where each of the plurality of screens includes radially arranged user interface elements on a graphical user interface, wherein the identified screen includes a first radially arranged user interface element and a subsequent radially arranged user interface element,

analyzing the rotational movement against one of the user interface mappings for the identified screen;

modifying the angular transition threshold using a scaling factor chosen such that a predetermined maximum degree of movement of the rotatable control is multiplied by the scaling factor to obtain the modified angular transition threshold;

determining whether the rotational movement exceeds the modified angular transition threshold; and

directing, when the rotational movement exceeds the modified angular transition threshold, a display device to change highlighting from the first radially arranged user interface element to the subsequent radially arranged user interface element in the direction of the rotational movement in the identified screen.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 10, where the processor is coupled with the mapping database which stores the plurality of screens of the graphical user interface.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, where the mapping database further comprises the angular transition threshold and the scaling factor.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, where the mapping database further comprises multiple user interface mappings for multiple executable applications.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, where the mapping database further comprises multiple angular transition thresholds and multiple scaling factors for multiple executable applications, where each of the executable applications is associated with one of the plurality screens.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 10, where the input device comprises a rotatable ring that may be rotated to provide angular position information.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 10, where the processor executable instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

detecting and activation of a selection button on the input device; and

initiating processing corresponding to a highlighted user interface element on the identified screen in response to the activation of the selection button.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 10, where the scaling factor is set such that the angular transition threshold is reduced for increased sensitivity of the input device or is increased for reduced sensitivity of the input device, where the sensitivity reflects an amount of the rotational movement.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 10, where the processor executable instructions are configured to cause the processor to perform further operations comprising:

detecting an activation of a function button on the input device, where the function button corresponds to a function user interface element on the identified screen of the graphical user interface, the function user interface element disposed on the identified screen at a similar location and orientation as the function button on the input device.