Variable orientation user interface

• US 8,930,834 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2006
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sunday, Derek E., Whytock, Chris, Storrusten, Dane, Boler, Sabrina, Coddington, Nicole
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): STITT, ERIK V
• Application Number:
  US11/378,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20070220444A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,214 Days
• Field of Search: 715/764, 715/249, 715/810, 715/779, 715/786, 715/782, 715/781
• US Class Current: 715/764
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A graphical user interface system is described in which users can be located at any angle. Different application interfaces can be generated on the display to appear in different orientations, such that different users sitting at different positions around the periphery of a display surface may each have an interface that is readable and accessible. The location and orientation of a new interface may be specified by user request, or may be automatically determined based on a characteristic of the request, such as the location of a tap or the direction of a swipe gesture. Interfaces may be radial in nature, and may have a central origin on the display, or at corners of the display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for implementing a graphical user interface, comprising the steps of:

displaying a first application user-interface in a first orientation on a display of a device;

receiving a user request to open a menu window of the first application while the first application is displaying, wherein the request indicates a second orientation that is different than the first orientation, wherein the request indicates the second orientation via a location of the request received on the display and an angle of the request with respect to the first orientation, wherein the menu window includes a parent object and a child object of the parent object, wherein the parent object is a panel of the menu window, wherein the panel is the outermost border of the menu window that includes an origin point field for receiving an origin coordinate of the panel of the menu window with respect to the display device and an angular field for receiving an angular orientation of the panel of the menu window with respect to the display device, wherein the child object is a control of the menu window that includes an origin offset value that indicates an offset of the origin of the control from the origin coordinate of the panel of the menu window, wherein the child object includes an angular offset value that indicates an angular offset of the control from the angular orientation of the panel of the menu window;

receiving a user selection designating a menu window display preference comprising selectively permitting the menu window as overlapping the first application user-interface and preventing the menu window as overlapping the first application user-interface;

in response to receiving the user request to open the menu window of the first application while the first application is displaying, recalculating the orientation of the menu window by;

setting an origin value in the origin point field of the panel of the menu window based on the indicated location of the request with respect to the display,

setting an angular value in the angular field of the panel of the menu window based on the indicated angle of the request with respect to the first orientation,

maintaining the origin offset value of the control and content of the control with respect to the set origin value of the panel of the menu window,

maintaining the angular offset value of the control and the content of the control with respect to the set angular value of the panel of the menu window, and

displaying the menu window of the first application according to the second orientation while the first application user interface is maintained in the first orientation and according to the menu window display preference, wherein the menu window is movable within the entire display independent from any confines of the first application user interface.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user request is determined from a detection of a touch input within a dedicated display area of the display device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the menu window of the first application is a corner interface having child objects orientated radial from a first corner of the display device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein an input gesture in the direction of a second corner of the display device automatically causes the menu window of the first application to move from the first corner to the second corner.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the menu window is converted into a corner interface upon detecting the movement of the menu window to a corner of the display device.

6. A volatile or non-volatile computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform a method for implementing a graphical user interface, the method comprising:

displaying a first application user-interface in a first orientation on a display of a device;

receiving a user request to open a menu window of the first application while the first application is displaying, wherein the request indicates a second orientation that is different than the first orientation, wherein the request indicates the second orientation via a location of the request received on the display and an angle of the request with respect to the first orientation, wherein the menu window includes a parent object and a child object of the parent object, wherein the parent object is a panel of the menu window, wherein the panel is the outermost border of the menu window that includes an origin point field for receiving an origin coordinate of the panel of the menu window with respect to the display device and an angular field for receiving an angular orientation of the panel of the menu window with respect to the display device, wherein the child object is a control of the menu window that includes an origin offset value that indicates an offset of the origin of the control from the origin coordinate of the panel of the menu window, wherein the child object includes an angular offset value that indicates an angular offset of the control from the angular orientation of the panel of the menu window;

receiving a user selection designating a menu window display preference comprising selectively permitting the menu window as overlapping the first application user-interface and preventing the menu window as overlapping the first application user-interface;

in response to receiving the user request to open the menu window of the first application while the first application is displaying, recalculating the orientation of the menu window by;

setting an origin value in the origin point field of the panel of the menu window based on the indicated location of the request with respect to the display,

setting an angular value in the angular field of the panel of the menu window based on the indicated angle of the request with respect to the first orientation,

maintaining the origin offset value of the control and content of the control with respect to the set origin value of the panel of the menu window,

maintaining the angular offset value of the control and the content of the control with respect to the set angular value of the panel of the menu window, and

displaying the menu window of the first application according to the second orientation while the first application user interface is maintained in the first orientation and according to the menu window display preference, wherein the menu window is movable within the entire display independent from any confines of the first application user interface.

7. The volatile or non-volatile computer storage medium of claim 6, wherein the user request is determined from a detection of a touch input within a dedicated display area of the display device.

8. The volatile or non-volatile computer storage medium of claim 6, wherein the menu window of the first application is a corner interface having child objects orientated radial from a first corner of a display device.

9. The volatile or non-volatile computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein an input gesture in the direction of a second corner of the display device automatically causes the menu window of the first application to move from the first corner to the second corner.

10. The volatile or non-volatile computer storage medium of claim 6, wherein the menu window is converted into a corner interface upon detecting the movement of the menu window to a corner of a display device.

11. A system for implementing a graphical user interface, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having computer-executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer-executable instructions are configured for;

displaying a first application user-interface of a first application in a first orientation on a display device;

receiving a user request to open a second application-user interface of a second application while the first application is displaying, wherein the first application and the second application are different, wherein the request indicates a second orientation that is different than the first orientation, wherein the request indicates the second orientation via a location of the request received on the display and an angle of the request with respect to the first orientation, wherein the second application-user interface includes a parent object and a child object of the parent object, wherein the parent object includes an origin point field and an angular field, wherein the child object includes an origin offset value that indicates an offset from the origin value of the parent object, wherein the child object includes an angular offset value that indicates an offset from the angular value of the parent object;

receiving a user selection designating an interface display preference comprising selectively permitting the second application-user interface as overlapping the first application user-interface and preventing the second application-user interface as overlapping the first application user-interface;

in response to receiving the user request to open the second application-user interface while the first application is displaying, calculating the orientation of the second application-user interface by;

setting an origin value in the origin point field of the parent object based on the indicated location of the request,

setting an angular value in the angular field of the parent object based on the angle of the request with respect to the first orientation,

maintaining the origin offset value and the angular offset value of the child object and content of the child object, and

displaying the second application-user interface according to the second orientation while the first application user interface is maintained in the first orientation and according to the interface display preference, wherein the second application user interface is movable within the entire display independent from any confines of the first application user interface within the display.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the user request is determined from a detection of a touch input within a dedicated display area of the display device.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the second application user interface window is a corner interface having child objects orientated radial from a first corner of the display device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein an input gesture in the direction of a second corner of the display device automatically causes the second application user interface to move from the first corner to the second corner.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the second application user interface window is converted into a corner interface upon detecting the movement of the second application user interface window to a corner of the display device.