Virtual multiple sided virtual rotatable user interface icon queue

• US 8,812,987 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2012
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/20/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Wikipad, Incorporated (Gamevice, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Wikipad, Incorporated (Gamevice, Inc.)
• Inventors: Joynes, Matthew R., Bower, James, Dooley, Daniel P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Suhol, Dmitry
• Assistant Examiner(s): YEN, JASON TAHAI
• Application Number:
  US13/681,011
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 345/666, 463 36- 37, 715/702, 715/836, 715/849, 715/852
• US Class Current: 715/836
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/2145 the surface being also a display device, e.g. touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/24 Constructional details thereof, e.g. game controllers with detachable joystick handles
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/31 Communication aspects specific to video games, e.g. between several handheld game devices at close range
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/426 involving on-screen location information, e.g. screen coordinates of an area at which the player is aiming with a light gun
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/533 for prompting the player, e.g. by displaying a game menu
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/92 Video game devices specially adapted to be hand-held while playing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1025 details of the interface with the game device, e.g. USB version detection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1043 being characterized by constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/1075 using a touch screen
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/204 the platform being a handheld device
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/308 Details of the user interface
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34

Abstract

An apparatus generally directed to controlling a video game. The apparatus preferably includes a tablet computer, an electronic game communicating with the tablet computer, and an input device for controlling movement of a virtual object provided by the electronic game. Preferably, the input device includes a pair of opposing side structures adjacent opposing sides of a plurality of sides of the tablet computer. The input device further preferably includes a plurality of input switches, wherein said input switches are adjacent each of the at least two opposing sides of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer, and a bridge structure disposed between the pair of sides to form a three sided structure. The third structure mitigates inadvertent removal of the tablet computer from the three sided structure when the tablet computer is fully nested within the three sided structure.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a tablet computer, the tablet computer providing a plurality of sides, each of the plurality of sides are disposed between an electronic display screen of the tablet computer and a back of the tablet computer;

input device in electronic communication with the tablet computer, the input device providing side structures, the side structures adjacent to and confining the tablet computer on at least two opposing sides of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer, the input device providing a plurality of input switches, wherein said input switches are adjacent each of the at least two opposing sides of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer;

a warp widget displayed on the electronic display screen communicating with each the input device and the tablet computer, the warp widget responsive to an interaction by a user with the electronic display screen, wherein the warp widget is a virtual multiple sided virtual rotatable user interface icon queue computer application, when said warp widget is in an operating mode;

a plurality of application icons controlled by the warp widget, and wherein at least more than one side of the plurality of sides presents a plurality of icons, each icon upon selection and activation by a user launches a separate and distinct application associated with the selected icon rather than presenting an attribute associated with the selected application; and

means for controlling a movement, rotation, and activation of the warp widget on the electronic display screen of the tablet computer.

2. The device of claim 1, in which upon activation of said tablet computer, said warp widget is displayed at a home position on the electronic display when said warp widget is in a retracted, inactive mode, said home position is visually located at a predetermined location of the electronic display, wherein said warp widget visually moves from said home position on the electronic display in response to an activation of the warp widget by the user, and in which the at least more than one side is not less than three sides.

3. The device of claim 2, in which each side of said warp widget presents a plurality of cells, wherein each cell provides a portal that displays a predetermined application icon, the cell further responds to an activation request of the user by activating a computer application associated with the predetermined application icon, when said warp widget is displayed in an expanded, active mode.

4. The device of claim 3, in which the warp widget is a first warp widget, and a predetermined application icon of a cell of the plurality of cells is an application icon associated with a second warp widget, said second warp widget displayed in the home position responds to an activation request of the user for activation of the second warp widget icon.

5. The device of claim 4, in which a predetermined application icon of an alternate cell of the plurality of cells is a video game application icon associated with a video game, the video game fully operative in response to an activation request of the user for activation of the video game application icon.

6. The device of claim 5, in which a predetermined application icon of an alternative cell of the plurality of cells is a television media application icon associated with a television channel game, the television channel fully operative in response to an activation request of the user for activation of the television media application icon.

7. The device of claim 6, in which a predetermined application icon of a selected cell of the plurality of cells is a productivity application icon associated with a productivity application, the productivity application fully operative in response to an activation request of the user for activation of the productivity application icon.

8. The device of claim 3, in which the warp widget provides access to the tablet computer to an application provider upon acceptance by the user of an application offering of the application provider, the application provider installs on the tablet computer an application operational code for the application offering and provides an application icon associated with the application offering to the warp widget, the warp widget displays the provided application icon associated with the application offering in an open cell of the plurality of cells.

9. The device of claim 8, in which the warp widget creates a new side of the plurality of sides when all cells of the plurality of cells associated with the plurality of sides are populated with application icons, the new side of the plurality of sides providing an associated plurality of cells.

10. The device of claim 9, further comprising an application icon displayed on the electronic display, the application icon displayed on the electronic display is associated with and controlled by the warp widget upon a drag and drop of the application icon displayed on the electronic display onto an open cell of the plurality of cells of the warp widget.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a tablet computer, the tablet computer providing a plurality of sides, each of the plurality of sides are disposed between an electronic display screen of the tablet computer and a back of the tablet computer;

a warp widget displayed on the electronic display screen and communicating with the tablet computer, the warp widget is displayed in a contracted, non-active mode else in an expanded, active mode, the warp widget is a virtual multiple sided virtual rotatable user interface icon queue computer application, when said warp widget is displayed in the expanded, active mode in response to an activation of the warp widget by a user, and wherein the warp widget remains displayed in a user selected predetermined location of the display screen whether in the contracted, non-active mode, or the expanded, active mode; and

means for controlling a movement, rotation, and activation of the warp widget on the electronic display screen of the tablet computer.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the electronic display is a touch screen and means for controlling the movement of the warp widget on the electronic display is a touch of a user interacting with the touch screen.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, in which upon activation of said tablet computer, said warp widget is displayed at a home position on the electronic display when said warp widget is in a retracted, inactive mode, said home position is visually located at a predetermined location of the electronic display, and wherein said warp widget visually moves from said home position and displays the expanded, active mode on the electronic display in response to an activation of the warp widget by the user.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, in which the warp widget in the active mode reveals a front face, the front face providing a plurality of fully functional application icons, responsive to activation by a user.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, in which the warp widget, in the expanded, active mode, responds to a user manual contact scroll across the face of the warp widget by providing an appearance of rotation, wherein the direction, speed, and duration of the apparent rotation of the warp widget is directly proportional to the direction and speed of the users contacting scroll.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, in which each side of the warp widget, when rotated to a front face presents a plurality of fully functional application icons, responsive to an activation by a user, when the warp widget appears as non-rotating.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, in which the means for controlling the movement of the warp widget on the electronic display screen is provided by an input device, the input device comprises:

a pair of side structures, one of the pair of side structures is adjacent to and confines the tablet computer on a first side of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer, the second side structure of the pair of side structures is adjacent to and confines the tablet computer on a second side of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer, wherein the first and second sides of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer are opposing sides of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer;

a plurality of input switches, wherein said input switches are adjacent each of the at least two opposing sides of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer; and

a bridge structure disposed between the pair of side structures and adjacent a third side of the plurality of sides of the tablet computer, the bridge structure in combination with the pair of side structures form a three sided structure in which the tablet computer nests such that the tablet computer is confined by the three sided structure, and the three sided structure mitigates inadvertent removal of the tablet computer from the three sided structure when the tablet computer is fully nested within the three sided structure.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprises:

a first input/output connector provided by the tablet computer;

a second input/output connector provided by the input device; and

a communications protocol, the communications protocol provides structured communication between the tablet computer and the input device when the first and second input/output connectors are connected together.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, in which the communications protocol is a universal serial bus, and the first and second input/output connectors are universal serial bus connectors.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, in which a predetermined number of the plurality of switches collaborate with each other to form a command input, the command input controlling movement of the warp widget on the electronic display screen of the tablet computer.