Radial menus with variable selectable item areas

• US 9,436,380 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2009
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chmielewski, Paul R., Cragun, Brian J., Fork, Michael J.
• Primary Examiner(s): KEATON, SHERROD L
• Application Number:
  US12/468,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20100299637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,667 Days
• Field of Search: 715/765, 715/834, 715/854
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method and apparatus for facilitating selection of items from a radial menu. Radial menu items may be differentiated from one another based on a desired difficulty of selection from the radial menu. Where it is desirable to make a radial menu item easy to select, the radial menu item may be placed in a relatively larger pie slice of the radial menu. Conversely, where it is desirable to make a radial menu item difficult to select, the radial menu item may be placed in a relatively smaller pie slice of the radial menu.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for displaying a radial menu, comprising configuring one or more processors to perform an operation comprising:

displaying, on a screen of an output device, the radial menu comprising a plurality of pie slices, each pie slice defining a selection zone for a respective radial menu item, wherein a first pie slice of the plurality of pie slices has a first predefined size;

receiving a first gesture that moves a screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, thereby activating the first pie slice of the radial menu; and

in response to the activation of the first pie slice, executing a menu manager on one or more of the processors to temporarily change a size of the first pie slice from the first predefined size to a second predefined size while the first pie slice is activated,

wherein the second predefined size is smaller than the first predefined size and is based on a selectability value for a destructive function associated with the first pie slice,

wherein changing the size of the first pie slice comprises, while the first pie slice is activated by the first gesture that moves the screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, decreasing an angle between lines bounding the first pie slice while maintaining a radial length of the first pie slice, and

wherein, if the first pie slice is deactivated after being activated, the size of the first pie slice is returned to the first predefined size by increasing the angle between the lines bounding the first pie slice while the radial length of the first pie slice is maintained.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the size of the first pie slice from the first predefined size to the second predefined size comprises overlapping the activated first pie slice with at least a portion of one or more pie slices adjacent to the first pie slice.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving at least a portion of a predefined second gesture in the portion of the pie slices adjacent to the first pie slice that overlap the activated first pie slice; and

activating a radial menu item corresponding to one of the overlapping pie slices in response to receiving the gesture.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a third gesture that moves the screen pointer outside a bounds of the activated first pie slice having the second predefined size,

wherein the first pie slice is deactivated in response to the third gesture.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein:

changing the size of the first pie slice to the second predefined size reduces a probability of accidental selection of the first pie slice.

5. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising a program product which, when executed, is configured to perform an operation for displaying a radial menu, the operation comprising:

display, on a screen of an output device, the radial menu comprising a plurality of pie slices, each pie slice defining a selection zone for a respective radial menu item, wherein a first pie slice of the plurality of pie slices has a first predefined size;

receiving a first gesture that moves a screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, thereby activating the first pie slice of the radial menu; and

in response to the activation of the first pie slice, temporarily changing a size of the first pie slice from the first predefined size to a second predefined size while the first pie slice is activated,

wherein the second predefined size is smaller than the first predefined size and is based on a selectability value for a destructive function associated with the first pie slice,

wherein changing the size of the first pie slice comprises, while the first pie slice is activated by the first gesture that moves the screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, decreasing an angle between lines bounding the first pie slice while maintaining a radial length of the first pie slice, and

wherein, if the first pie slice is deactivated after being activated, the size of the first pie slice is returned to the first predefined size by increasing the angle between the lines bounding the first pie slice while the radial length of the first pie slice is maintained.

6. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein changing the size of the first pie slice from the first predefined size to the second predefined size comprises overlapping the activated first pie slice with at least a portion of one or more pie slices adjacent to the first pie slice.

7. The computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving at least a portion of a predefined second gesture in the portion of the pie slices adjacent to the first pie slice that overlap the activated first pie slice; and

activating a radial menu item corresponding to one of the overlapping pie slices in response to receiving the gesture.

8. The computer readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the operation further comprises:

receiving a third gesture that moves the screen pointer outside a bounds of the activated first pie slice having the second predefined size,

wherein the first pie slice is deactivated in response to the third gesture.

9. A system, comprising:

a memory comprising a program; and

a processor which, when executing the program, is configured to;

display, on a screen of an output device, a radial menu comprising a plurality of pie slices, each pie slice defining a selection zone for a respective radial menu item, wherein a first pie slice of the plurality of pie slices has a first predefined size,

receive a first gesture that moves a screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, thereby activating the first pie slice of the radial menu, and

in response to the activation of the first pie slice, temporarily change a size of the first pie slice from the first predefined size to a second predefined size while the first pie slice is activated,

wherein the second predefined size is smaller than the first predefined size and is based on a selectability value for a destructive function associated with the first pie slice,

wherein changing the size of the first pie slice comprises, while the first pie slice is activated by the first gesture that moves the screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, decreasing an angle between lines bounding the first pie slice while maintaining a radial length of the first pie slice, and

wherein, if the first pie slice is deactivated after being activated, the size of the first pie slice is returned to the first predefined size by increasing the angle between the lines bounding the first pie slice while the radial length of the first pie slice is maintained.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein changing the size of the first pie slice from the first predefined size to the second predefined size comprises overlapping the activated first pie slice with at least a portion of one or more pie slices adjacent to the first pie slice.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive at least a portion of a predefined second gesture in the portion of the pie slices adjacent to the first pie slice that overlap the activated first pie slice; and

activate a radial menu item corresponding to one of the overlapping pie slices in response to receiving the gesture.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a third gesture that moves the screen pointer outside a bounds of the activated first pie slice having the second predefined size,

wherein the first pie slice is deactivated in response to the third gesture.

13. A computer implemented method for displaying a radial menu, comprising:

configuring one or more processors to perform an operation, comprising;

receiving a predefined screen pointer event for displaying a radial menu on a screen of an output device;

in response to receiving the predefined screen pointer event, determining a plurality of radial menu items to be displayed in the radial menu, wherein each of the plurality of radial menu items has an associated weight value, each of the weight values has an associated pie slice size, and each of the weight values is determined based on at least one of a corresponding expense, reversibility of a function associated with the associated radial menu item, and whether the function associated with the associated radial menu item is a destructive function;

displaying, on the screen, the plurality of radial menu items in corresponding pie slices of the radial menu, wherein a size of each of the pie slices is determined based on the weight value of a corresponding radial menu item; and

in response to activation of a first pie slice by a gesture that moves the screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, temporarily changing a size of the first pie slice from a first size to a second size while the first pie slice is activated,

wherein the second size is smaller than the first size and is based on a first weight value for a destructive function associated with one of the radial menu items displayed in the first pie slice,

wherein changing the size of the first pie slice comprises, while the first pie slice is activated by the gesture that moves the screen pointer over the first pie slice on the screen, decreasing an angle between lines bounding the first pie slice while maintaining a radial length of the first pie slice, and

wherein, if the first pie slice is deactivated after being activated, the size of the first pie slice is returned to the first size by increasing the angle between the lines bounding the first pie slice while the radial length of the first pie slice is maintained.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein radial menu items having a relatively greater weight value are displayed in relatively larger pie slices.