Moving radial menus

• US 8,826,181 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mouilleseaux, Jean-Pierre M., Migos, Charles J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Belousov, Andrey
• Application Number:
  US12/164,033
• Publication Number:
  US 20090327964A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,257 Days
• Field of Search: 715/834, 715/856, 715/858, 715/861, 715/862
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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

Abstract

A computer readable medium storing a computer program for execution by at least one processor is disclosed. The computer program is for determining that a first identified location is too close to an edge of a window of a graphical user interface to display a radial display area. The computer program is also for identifying a second location far enough from the edge to fully display the radial display area within the window. The computer program is also for displaying the radial display area at the second location.

Claims

1. A computer readable memory storing a computer program for execution by at least one processor, the computer program comprising sets of instructions for:

displaying a radial menu comprising a plurality of selectable GUI items arranged radially around a location indicator, each of the selectable GUI items being associated with a set of angles from a center point of the radial menu;

identifying a movement of the location indicator to select one of the selectable GUI items, the selected GUI item associated with a submenu;

predicting, before the movement of the location indicator stops, an expected location at which the location indicator is expected to stop moving;

determining, that the expected location is too close to an edge of a window of a graphical user interface to fully display a radial submenu centered around the expected location;

responsive to determining that the expected location is too close to an edge of the window, displaying an expanding submenu, the expanding submenu fitting in the window by initially being displayed at a smaller size than a normal size with edges substantially at the edges of the screen, with the center of the submenu moving away from the edges of the screen as it expands until it reaches full size, wherein a location of the location indicator is positioned at a center of the submenu during an expansion of the expanding submenu.

2. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the movement of the location indicator is determined based upon an input from a touchscreen.

3. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for determining that the expected location is too close to the edge of the window comprises a set of instructions for comparing a distance from the expected location to an edge of the window to a size of the radial submenu.

4. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the expected location is a predicted location at which the movement of the location indicator is expected to stop, the predicted location based upon a velocity and an acceleration of movement of the location identifier.

5. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the radial submenu comprises a plurality of selectable GUI items arranged radially around the location indicator, at least one of the selectable GUI items associated with a further submenu.

6. The computer readable memory of claim 5, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the expanding submenu comprises a set of instructions for successively displaying the expanding submenu centered at a plurality of locations between the expected location and a second location that is calculated to be far enough away from the edges of the screen to display the submenu at full size.

7. The computer readable memory of claim 6, wherein the set of instructions for successively displaying the expanding submenu comprises a set of instructions for displaying an increasingly larger representation of the expanding submenu at each successive location.

8. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the location indicator is a cursor.

9. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the expanding submenu comprises a set of instructions which displays text of the expanding submenu only after the submenu is fully expanded.

10. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the set of instructions for displaying the expanding submenu comprises a set of instructions which displays text of the expanding submenu as the submenu expands.

11. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the instructions for identifying the movement of the location indicator to select one of the selectable GUI items includes instructions for identifying a depression of a mouse button.

12. The computer readable memory of claim 1, wherein the instructions for identifying the movement of the location indicator to select one of the selectable GUI items includes instructions for identifying a tap gesture on a touchscreen.

13. A method comprising:

displaying a radial menu comprising a plurality of selectable GUI items arranged radially around a location indicator, each of the selectable GUI items being associated with a set of angles from a center point of the radial menu;

identifying a movement of the location indicator to select one of the selectable GUI items, the selected GUI item associated with a submenu;

predicting, before the movement of the location indicator stops, an expected location at which the location indicator is expected to stop moving;

determining, that the expected location is too close to an edge of a window of a graphical user interface to fully display a radial submenu centered around the expected location;

responsive to determining that the expected location is too close to an edge of the window, displaying an expanding submenu, the expanding submenu fitting in the window by initially being displayed at a smaller size than a normal size with edges substantially at the edges of the screen, with the center of the submenu moving away from the edges of the screen as it expands until it reaches full size, wherein a location of the location indicator is positioned at a center of the submenu during an expansion of the expanding submenu.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the graphical user interface is on a touch screen device and the location indicator movement is a result of interaction with the touch screen device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein identifying the movement of the location indicator to select one of the selectable GUI items includes identifying a depression of a mouse button.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the predicted location is predicted based upon a velocity and an acceleration of the movement of the location indicator.

17. A system comprising:

one or more computer processors coupled to a memory and configured to execute;

a menu controller module configured to;

display a radial menu comprising a plurality of selectable GUI items arranged radially around a location indicator, each of the selectable GUI items being associated with a set of angles from a center point of the radial menu;

identify a movement of the location indicator to select one of the selectable GUI items, the selected GUI item associated with a submenu;

predict, before the movement of the location indicator stops, an expected location at which the location indicator is expected to stop moving;

determine, that the expected location is too close to an edge of a window of a graphical user interface to fully display a radial submenu centered around the expected location;

responsive to determining that the expected location is too close to an edge of the window, display an expanding submenu, the expanding submenu fitting in the window by initially being displayed at a smaller size than a normal size with edges substantially at the edges of the screen, with the center of the submenu moving away from the edges of the screen as it expands until it reaches full size, wherein a location of the location indicator is positioned at a center of the submenu during an expansion of the expanding submenu.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the location indicator is a cursor.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the menu controller module is configured to calculate the expected location at which the location indicator is expected to stop moving based upon a velocity and acceleration of the movement of the location identifier.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the menu controller module is configured to display the expanding submenu by at least displaying text of the expanding submenu only after the submenu is fully expanded.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the menu controller module is configured to display the expanding submenu by at least displaying text of the expanding submenu as the expanding submenu expands.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the graphical user interface display module is configured to display the expanding submenu by successively displaying the expanding submenu centered at a plurality of locations between the expected location and a second location that is calculated to be far enough away from the edges of the screen to display the submenu at full size.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the graphical user interface display module is configured to successively display the expanding submenu by at least displaying an increasingly larger representation of the expanding submenu at each successive location.