Gui applications for use with 3D remote controller

• US 8,760,400 B2
• Filed: 05/01/2008
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kerr, Duncan R., King, Nicholas V.
• Primary Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, JESUS J
• Application Number:
  US12/113,593
• Publication Number:
  US 20090322676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 2201/32 Remote control based on movements, attitude of remote control device
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 23/04 using light waves, e.g. infrared
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42206 characterized by hardware details
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42222 Additional components integrated in the remote control device, e.g. timer, speaker, sensors for detecting position, direction or movement of the remote control, microphone or battery charging device
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47217 for controlling playback functions for recorded or on-demand content, e.g. using progress bars, mode or play-point indicators or bookmarks specific graphical features in visual interfaces H04N21/4312
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region

Abstract

A remote wand for controlling the operations of a media system is provided. The wand may be operative to control the movement of a cursor displayed on screen by the position and orientation at which the wand is held. As the user moves the wand, the on-screen cursor may move. The user may use the wand to control a plurality of operations and applications that may be available from the media system, including for example zoom operations, a keyboard application, an image application, an illustration application, and a media application.

Claims

1. A method for scrolling through content with a media system comprising a screen and a wand for providing user inputs, the method comprising:

displaying content on the screen, wherein the content comprises an indication that additional content is hidden from view beyond at least a first edge of the screen;

detecting that the wand was moved based on a transmission received from the wand, the transmission comprising either an instruction to move a cursor towards the first edge of the screen or an instruction to move the cursor beyond the first edge of the screen;

in the event that the transmission comprises the instruction to move the cursor towards the first edge of the screen, scrolling the content on the screen such that at least a portion of the additional content hidden from view beyond the first edge of the screen is displayed and a portion of the content previously displayed is hidden from view beyond a second edge of the screen opposite the first edge, wherein the content is scrolled at a rate based in part on a distance between the cursor and the center of the screen; and

in the event that the transmission comprises the instruction to move the cursor beyond the first edge of the screen, paging the content on the screen such that at least a portion of the additional content hidden from view beyond the first edge of the screen is displayed and all of the content previously displayed is hidden from view beyond the second edge of the screen, wherein the content is paged at a rate based in part on a distance between the first edge of the screen and a point beyond the first edge of the screen that the wand is pointing to.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the transmission comprising an output of at least one motion detection component incorporated in the wand; and

moving the cursor on the screen based on the received transmission.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the motion detection component comprises at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

determining the amount and orientation of the movement of the wand based on the output of the at least one motion detection component; and

wherein displaying the additional content further comprises displaying the additional content based on the determined amount and orientation.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first edge of the screen corresponds to one of a right edge or a left edge and the second edge of the screen corresponds to the other of the right edge or the left edge.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the first edge of the screen corresponds to one of a top edge or a bottom edge and the second edge of the screen corresponds to the other of the top edge or the bottom edge.

5. A system for displaying content to a user, the system comprising an electronic device, a display, and a wand, the electronic device operative to:

direct the display to display a plurality of initial objects in a display area of the display, wherein the plurality of initial objects form a portion of a set of objects, the set of objects further including a plurality of undisplayed objects, and to further display an indication that the plurality of undisplayed objects of the set of objects is hidden beyond a first edge of the display;

receive a transmission from a motion detection component of the wand indicating that the wand was moved towards the first edge;

in response to the received transmission, determining whether the wand was moved beyond the first edge;

in the event that the wand was not moved beyond the first edge, directing the display to scroll the set of objects such that at least one object from the plurality of undisplayed objects moves into the display area from beyond the first edge, toward which the wand was moved, and at least one object of the plurality of initial objects moves out of the display area beyond a second edge of the display, the second edge opposite the first edge, wherein the set of objects are scrolled at a rate based in part on a distance between the center of the display and a point within the display that the wand is pointing to; and

in the event that the wand was moved beyond the first edge, directing the display to page the set of objects such that at least two of the plurality of undisplayed objects move into the display area from beyond the first edge, beyond which the wand was moved, and all of the plurality of initial objects move out of the display area beyond the second edge, wherein the set of objects are paged at a rate based in part on a distance between the first edge and a point beyond the first edge that the wand is pointing to.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the motion detection component comprises at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is further operative to:

determine the speed with which the wand was moved from the received transmission; and

direct the display to scroll or page the set of objects at a rate related to the determined speed.

8. A non-transitory machine-readable medium for scrolling through content with a media system comprising a screen and a wand for providing user inputs, comprising machine program logic recorded thereon for:

displaying content on the screen, wherein the content comprises an indication that additional content is hidden from view beyond at least a first edge of the screen;

detecting that the wand was moved based on a transmission received from the wand, the transmission comprising either an instruction to move a cursor towards the at least one edge of the screen or an instruction to move the cursor beyond the first edge of the screen;

in the event that the transmission comprises the instruction to move the cursor towards the first edge of the screen, scrolling the content on the screen such that at least a portion of the additional content hidden from view beyond the first edge of the screen is displayed and a portion of the content previously displayed is hidden from view beyond a second edge of the screen opposite the first edge, wherein the content is scrolled at a rate based in part on a distance between the cursor and the center of the screen; and

in the event that the transmission comprises the instruction to move the cursor beyond the first edge of the screen, paging the content on the screen such that at least a portion of the additional content hidden from view beyond the first edge of the screen is displayed and all of the content previously displayed is hidden from view beyond the second edge of the screen, wherein the content is paged at a rate based in part on a distance between the first edge of the screen and a point beyond the first edge of the screen that the wand is pointing to.

9. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising additional machine program logic recorded thereon for:

receiving the transmission comprising an output of at least one motion detection component incorporated in the wand; and

moving the cursor on the screen based on the received transmission.

10. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the motion detection component comprises at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope.