Globe container

• US 8,499,239 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2009
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dollar, Jocelyn, Talat, Salman, Tanninen, Petri Juhani, Horgan, James, Kennedy, Kevin, Storrusten, Dane
• Primary Examiner(s): SALOMON, PHENUEL S
• Application Number:
  US12/550,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20110055696A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 715/702, 715/781, 715/808, 715/700
• US Class Current: 715/700
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A globe container includes a front-side spherical cap. A plurality of content items are arranged with a convex three-dimensional perspective on the front-side spherical cap. The globe container has a changeable virtual orientation that determines which of the plurality of content items are arranged with the convex three-dimensional perspective on the front-side spherical cap. The globe container allows selection of any of the content items displayed on the front-side spherical cap.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

a touch display;

a user interface module to display a globe container via the touch display, the globe container including a front-side spherical cap, a band level descriptor, and a back-side spherical cap, the front-side spherical cap including a plurality of content items visible with a convex three-dimensional perspective along a plurality of lines of latitude, where a size of each content item is based on a line of latitude of that content item, the band level descriptor associated with content items arranged along a line of latitude and identifying a common attribute of content items arranged along that line of latitude, and the back-side spherical cap including a plurality of content-item blanks visible with a concave three-dimensional perspective behind the front-side spherical cap while both the front-side spherical cap and the back-side spherical cap are displayed, each of the content-item blanks appearing to be a content item facing away from the front-side spherical cap, the globe container having a virtual orientation, the virtual orientation of the globe container determining which of the plurality of content items are arranged with the convex three-dimensional perspective on the front-side spherical cap;

a navigation module to change the virtual orientation of the globe container responsive to a navigation gesture directed to a portion of the touch display displaying the globe container; and

a selection module to recognize selection of a content item responsive to a selection gesture directed to a portion of the touch display displaying that content item.

2. The computing system of claim 1, further comprising a pop-out module to display a detail window via the touch display, the detail window related to a selected content item.

3. The computing system of claim 2, where an initial orientation of the detail window is aligned with the virtual orientation of the globe container when the selected content item is selected.

4. The computing system of claim 1, where the globe container color codes content items arranged along a line of latitude.

5. The computing system of claim 1, where an object is positioned at a pole of the globe container, the object visible when on the front-side spherical cap and hidden when on the back-side spherical cap.

6. The computing system of claim 1, where the globe container is configured to display more content items than fit on the front-side spherical cap and the back-side spherical cap.

7. A computing system, comprising:

a touch display;

a user interface module to display a globe container via the touch display, the globe container including a front-side spherical cap, a band level descriptor, and a back-side spherical cap visible behind the front-side spherical cap, the globe container having a virtual orientation that determines which of a plurality of content items are arranged with a convex three-dimensional perspective along a plurality of lines of latitude on the front-side spherical cap, where a size of each content item is based on a line of latitude of that content item, the band level descriptor being associated with content items arranged along a line of latitude and identifying a common attribute of content items arranged along that line of latitude, and where a plurality of content-item blanks are arranged with a concave three-dimensional perspective along the plurality of lines of latitude on the back-side spherical cap;

a navigation module to change the virtual orientation of the globe container responsive to a navigation gesture directed to a portion of the touch display displaying the globe container;

a selection module to recognize selection of a content item responsive to a selection gesture directed to a portion of the touch display displaying that content item; and

a pop-out module to display a detail window related to a selected content item via the touch display.

8. The computing system of claim 7, where an initial orientation of the detail window is aligned with the virtual orientation of the globe container when the selected content item is selected.

9. The computing system of claim 7, where the globe container color codes content items arranged along a line of latitude.

10. The computing system of claim 7, where an object is positioned at a pole of the globe container, the object visible when on the front-side spherical cap and hidden when on the back-side spherical cap.

11. A data-holding subsystem holding instructions executable by a logic subsystem to implement a method of providing a user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a globe container including a front-side spherical cap including a plurality of content items arranged with a convex three-dimensional perspective along a plurality of color-coded lines of latitude, where a size of each content item is based on a line of latitude of that content item and a band level descriptor identifies a common attribute of content items arranged along a line of latitude, the globe container having a virtual orientation determining which of the plurality of content items are arranged with a convex three-dimensional perspective on the front-side spherical cap;

changing the virtual orientation of the globe container responsive to a navigation gesture directed to the globe container;

recognizing selection of a content item responsive to a selection gesture directed to that content item; and

displaying a detail window related to a selected content item.

12. The data-holding subsystem of claim 11, where the globe container further includes a back-side spherical cap visible behind the front-side spherical cap, where a plurality of content-item blanks are arranged with a concave three-dimensional perspective on the back-side spherical cap.

13. The data-holding subsystem of claim 11, where an initial orientation of the detail window is aligned with the virtual orientation of the globe container when the selected content item is selected.