Selection user interface

• US 8,423,914 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Louch, John O., Hynes, Christopher, Bumgarner, Timothy Wayne, Peyton, Eric Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): LEGGETT, ANDREA C.
• Application Number:
  US11/760,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20080307361A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,139 Days
• Field of Search: 715/823, 715/860, 715/859, 715/835, 715/822, 715/845
• US Class Current: 715/860
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

Selection of visualization objects, such as icons, is represented by a flowing selection boundary. The region enclosed by the selection boundary can include a display properly, e.g., color and/or texture. The display property may be adjusted in response to an identified event, e.g., the presence of a cursor or a pending and/or active operation.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving a first input selecting a first graphical object displayed in a graphical user interface and a second input selecting a second graphical object displayed in the graphical user interface;

in response to the first input, providing for display a first boundary around the first graphical object;

in response to the second input, providing for display a second boundary around the second graphical object; and

expanding a contour of the first boundary toward the second boundary to create a merged boundary wherein, following expansion of the contour of the first boundary, an area enclosed by the first boundary bulges toward the second boundary in an animated flow motion inside of a path confined by one or more unselected graphical objects until the merged boundary surrounds both the first graphical object and the second graphical object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of the first graphical object or the second graphical object comprises an icon.

3. The method of claim 2,

wherein expanding the first boundary toward the second boundary in the animated boundary flow motion includes modeling bulging of the first boundary towards the second boundary after a fluid flow.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising:

expanding a contour of the second boundary toward the first boundary to create the merged boundary, wherein, following expansion of the contour of the second boundary, an area enclosed by the second boundary bulges toward the first boundary in an animated flow motion inside of the path confined by the one or more unselected graphical objects.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising:

identifying one or more sets of divided selected icons; and

expanding the contour of the first boundary toward each set of divided selected icons, wherein, following expansion of the contour of the first boundary, the area enclosed by the first boundary bulges toward the divided selected icons in another animated flow motion to surround each set of divided selected icons.

6. The method of claim 1, comprising:

generating a background color within the merged boundary.

7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

determining whether a cursor is within the merged boundary; and

adjusting a display intensity of the background color based on the determination.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

adjusting the display intensity of the background color based on the determination comprises increasing the display intensity of the background color when the cursor is within the merged boundary.

9. The method of claim 6, comprising:

identifying an operation to be performed on a system object represented by the first graphical object or the second graphical object; and

adjusting a display intensity of the background color based on the operation.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein:

identifying an operation to be performed on a system object represented by the first graphical object or the second graphical object; and

adjusting the background color based on the operation.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a deselection input to deselect the second graphical object; and

contracting a contour of the merged boundary wherein, following contraction of the contour of the merged boundary, the area enclosed by the first boundary retreats toward the first graphical object in another animated flow motion to exclude the deselected second graphical object.

12. The method of claim 1, comprising:

receiving a deselection input to deselect the second graphical object; and

providing for display a boiling animation of the merged boundary to contract the merged boundary to exclude the second graphical object.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the graphical user interface comprises a two-dimensional desktop interface.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the graphical user interface comprises a three-dimensional desktop interface.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first input selecting a first icon displayed in a graphical user interface and a second input selecting a second icon displayed in the graphical user interface;

in response to the first input, providing for display a first boundary around the first icon;

in response to the second input, providing for display a second boundary around the second icon; and

expanding a contour of the first boundary toward the second boundary to create a merged boundary wherein, following expansion of the contour of the first boundary, an area enclosed by the first boundary bulges toward the second boundary in an animated flow motion inside of a path confined by one or more unselected graphical objects until the merged boundary surrounds both the first icon and the second icon.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein:

expanding the first boundary toward the second boundary in the animated boundary flow motion includes modeling bulging of the first boundary towards the second boundary after a fluid flow.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising:

identifying one or more sets of divided selected icons; and

expanding the contour of the first boundary toward each set of divided selected icons, wherein, following expansion of the contour of the first boundary, the area enclosed by the first boundary bulges toward the divided selected icons in another animated flow motion to surround each set of divided selected icons.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

generating a background color within the merged boundary;

determining whether a cursor is within the selection boundary; and

increasing a display intensity of the background color when the cursor is within the merged boundary.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising:

generating a background color within the merged boundary;

identifying an operation to be performed on a system object represented by the first icon or second icon; and

adjusting a display intensity of the background color based on the operation.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, the operations comprising:

generating a background color within the merged boundary;

identifying an operation to be performed on a system object represented by the first icon or second icon; and

adjusting the background color based on the operation.

21. A system, comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices, and upon such execution cause the one or more processing devices to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first input selecting a first graphical object displayed in a graphical user interface and a second input selecting a second graphical object displayed in the graphical user interface;

in response to the first input, providing for display a first boundary around the first graphical object;

in response to the second input, providing for display a second boundary around the second graphical object; and

expanding a contour of the first boundary toward the second boundary to create a merged boundary wherein, following expansion of the contour of the first boundary, an area enclosed by the first boundary bulges toward the second boundary in an animated flow motion inside of a path confined by one or more unselected graphical objects until the merged boundary surrounds both the first graphical object and the second graphical object.

22. The system of claim 21, the operations further comprising:

generating a background color within the merged boundary;

identifying an event occurrence related to the merged boundary, including determining whether a cursor is within the selection boundary; and

adjusting a display characteristic of the background color in response to the identified event occurrence.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein:

identifying an event occurrence related to the merged boundary comprises identifying an operation to be performed on a system object represented by the first graphical object or second graphical object.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein:

adjusting the display characteristic of the background color in response to the identified event occurrence comprises adjusting a display intensity of the background color.

25. The system of claim 22, wherein:

adjusting a display characteristic of the background color in response to the identified event occurrence comprises adjusting the background color based on a determination that an operation is to be performed on a system object represented by the first graphical object or second graphical object.