Panning application launcher with target based folder creation and icon movement on a proximity-sensitive display

• US 9,141,272 B1
• Filed: 05/03/2012
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Cleron, Michael A., Guy, Romain P., Chakirov, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Durkin, James T
• Application Number:
  US13/463,383
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 715/788, 715/800, 715/815, 715/853, 715/863, 715/864, 345/173
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1633 Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

A computer-implemented user interface method includes displaying on a mobile device desktop a background image and one or more foreground items over the background image, receiving a user input to pan across the desktop, and panning the background images and one or more foreground images in a parallax manner relative to each other.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented user interface method comprising:

providing user interface elements for display on a first screen space of a plurality of screen spaces of a user interface and on a second screen space of the plurality of screen spaces, wherein;

the first screen space is visible on a proximity-sensitive display of a mobile device at a given point in time,

the second screen space is not visible at the given point in time, and

the first and second screen spaces are non-overlapping screen spaces;

receiving data indicative of an instruction to reposition a first user interface element onto a location on the first screen space that (i) was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is occupied by a second user interface element; and

responsive to receiving the data indicative of the instruction to reposition the first user interface element on the location of the first screen space;

determining whether the second user interface element is a target of the reposition or whether a desktop is the target of the reposition;

if the second user interface element is the target of the reposition, outputting, by the mobile device and for display, a folder within the graphical user interface, the folder including the first user interface element and the second user interface element; and

alternatively, if the desktop is the target of the reposition;

repositioning the first user interface element onto the location on the first screen space that (i) was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is occupied by the second user interface element,

identifying a location on the second screen space that (i) was not visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is not occupied by any other user interface element, and

repositioning the second user interface element from the location on the first screen space that was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, to the identified location on the second screen space that was not visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user interface element is a widget or a gadget.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicative of an instruction to reposition a first user interface element comprises a user input to re-size the first user interface element to occupy a larger portion of the desktop.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface is a multi-layered interface.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein none of the user interface elements are allowed to overlap visually on the multi-layered interface.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the multi-layered interface comprises a wallpaper image that is on a layer of the interface that is different to the layer of the interface with the user interface elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface element is a clock module or a date module.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device automatically identifies the location on the second screen space that (i) was not visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is not occupied by any other user interface element.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the other user interface element is included within a first folder, and wherein the folder is a second folder visually nested inside the first folder such that the second folder includes both the first user interface element and the second user interface element and the first folder includes the second folder.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein repositioning the particular user interface element onto the location on the first screen space comprises:

providing, by the mobile device and during the repositioning, tactile feedback as the first user interface element is moved across each location in a grid of the desktop interface.

11. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

providing user interface elements for display on a first screen space of a plurality of screen spaces of a user interface and on a second screen space of the plurality of screen spaces, wherein;

the first screen space is visible on a proximity-sensitive display of a mobile device at a given point in time,

the second screen space is not visible at the given point in time, and

the first and second screen spaces are non-overlapping screen spaces;

receiving data indicative of an instruction to reposition a first user interface element onto a location on the first screen space that (i) was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is occupied by a second user interface element; and

responsive to receiving the data indicative of the instruction to reposition the first user interface element on the location of the first screen space;

determining whether the second user interface element is a target of the reposition or whether a desktop is the target of the reposition;

if the second user interface element is the target of the reposition, outputting, by the mobile device and for display, a folder within the graphical user interface, the folder including the first user interface element and the second user interface element; and

alternatively, if the desktop is the target of the reposition;

repositioning the first user interface element onto the location on the first screen space that (i) was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is occupied by the second user interface element,

identifying a location on the second screen space that (i) was not visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is not occupied by any other user interface element, and

repositioning the second user interface element from the location on the first screen space that was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, to the identified location on the second screen space that was not visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the first user interface element is a widget or a gadget.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the user input to reposition a first user interface element comprises a user input to re-size the first user interface element to occupy a larger portion of the desktop.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface is a multi-layered interface.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein none of the user interface elements are allowed to overlap visually on the multi-layered interface.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the multi-layered interface comprises a wallpaper image that is on a layer of the interface that is different to the layer of the interface with the user interface elements.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the user interface element is a clock module or a date module.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

providing user interface elements for display on a first screen space of a plurality of screen spaces of a user interface, wherein;

the first screen space being visible on a proximity-sensitive display of a mobile device at a given point in time,

the second screen space is not visible at the given point in time, and

the first and second screen spaces are non-overlapping screen spaces;

receiving data indicative of an instruction to reposition a first user interface element onto a location on the first screen space that (i) was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is occupied by a second user interface element; and

responsive to receiving the data indicative of the instruction to reposition the first user interface element on the location of the first screen space;

determining whether the second user interface element is a target of the reposition or whether a desktop is the target of the reposition;

if the second user interface element is the target of the reposition, outputting, by the mobile device and for display, a folder within the graphical user interface, the folder including the first user interface element and the second user interface element; and

alternatively, if the desktop is the target of the reposition;

repositioning the first user interface element onto the location on the first screen space that (i) was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is occupied by the second user interface element,

identifying a location on the second screen space that (i) was not visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, and (ii) is not occupied by any other user interface element, and

repositioning the second user interface element from the location on the first screen space that was visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time, to the identified location on the second screen space that was not visible on the proximity-sensitive display at the given point in time.

19. The medium of claim 18, wherein the first user interface element is a widget or a gadget.

20. The medium of claim 18, wherein the user input to reposition a first user interface element comprises a user input to re-size the first user interface element to occupy a larger portion of the desktop.