Graphical user interface for navigating applications

• US 9,448,694 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Sharma, Sameer, Satzger, Douglas, Amit, Gadi, Hoshino, Yoshikazu, Stauber, Nicolas, Bourgeois, Solene
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Doon
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tsai, James T
• Application Number:
  US13/886,115
• Publication Number:
  US 20140137020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769, 715/810, 715/828, 345/352, 345/353
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

Technologies are provided in embodiments to provide a graphical user interface to navigate applications on a mobile device. At least one embodiment is configured to receive a request to display a rotatable menu of applications on a computing device and to generate the rotatable menu comprising a first set of one or more content cards, where at least one of the content cards of the first set represents at least one application in the computing device. The embodiment is also configured to provide the rotatable menu in a first orientation for display on the computing device. Embodiments may be configured to receive an indication of input to rotate the rotatable menu, rotate the rotatable menu to a second orientation, and cause, at least in part, actions that result in display of the rotatable menu in the second orientation.

Claims

1. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon for accessing applications through a user interface, the instructions when executed by one or more hardware processors cause the one or more hardware processors to:

generate a rotatable menu of applications on a computing device, the rotatable menu comprising a first set of content cards in a three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, a first content card of the first set of content cards representing an application that is open in the computing device and a second content card of the first set of content cards representing a content card folder associated with two or more applications;

provide the rotatable menu in a first orientation for display on the computing device;

receive a first indication of input to select the second content card;

generate a second rotatable menu comprising a second set of content cards in another three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, the second set of content cards representing the two or more applications associated with the content card folder; and

provide the second rotatable menu for display on the computing device;

receive a second indication of input to select the first content card;

after receiving the second indication of input, cause, at least in part, actions that result in display of a zoomed-in view of the rotatable menu, wherein a first location in the zoomed-in view includes the selected first content card with one or more graphical elements generated during execution by the open application, wherein second and third locations in the zoomed-in view are adjacent to opposite sides of the first location, the second location including a portion of one content card of the first set of content cards, the third location including a portion of another content card of the first set of content cards;

receive a third indication of input indicating an object of the open application was dragged to a menu control element in a fourth location of the zoomed-in view; and

after receiving the third indication of input, generate a new rotatable menu including a third set of content cards in a third three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, the third set of content cards contextually relevant to the open application and representing at least two applications that can perform actions associated with the object.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more hardware processors to:

receive a fourth indication of input to rotate the rotatable menu;

rotate the rotatable menu to a second orientation; and

cause, at least in part, actions that result in display of the rotatable menu in the second orientation, wherein in the second orientation of the rotatable menu, the first content card is defined in a rear location of the rotatable menu and one or more graphical elements associated with the first content card are not visible in the first content card on the display.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more hardware processors to:

receive the fourth indication of input when a finger gesture is detected on a touch-sensitive screen of a display.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first content card of the first set is selectable by a user if the first content card is defined in a selectable location in the rotatable menu displayed on the computing device, wherein the first content card of the first set is not selectable by the user if rotation of the rotatable menu causes the first content card to be defined in a different location that is not selectable in the rotatable menu displayed on the computer device.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more hardware processors to:

cause, at least in part, actions that result in display of the new rotatable menu.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 5, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more hardware processors to:

identify the at least two other applications for the new rotatable menu based, at least in part, on the application represented by the selected content card and on one or more context rules.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein a fourth set of one or more content cards are layered behind the selected first content card, wherein the selected first content card and the one or more content cards of the fourth set contain one or more graphical elements provided by the open application.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions when executed by the one or more processors further cause the one or more hardware processors to:

receive another indication of input to scroll through the one or more content cards of the fourth set.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein one of the content cards of the first set is selectable when the rotatable menu is displayed in a first orientation, and wherein, when the rotatable menu is displayed in a second orientation, a different one of the content cards of the first set is selectable.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the content cards of the first rotatable menu are provided in a contextual order based on relevance of the applications represented by the content cards to each other.

11. An apparatus for accessing applications through a user interface, comprising:

at least one hardware processor;

at least one memory storing one or more applications; and

a menu manager module, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, is to;

generate a rotatable menu of applications on a computing device, the rotatable menu comprising a first set of content cards in a three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, a first content card of the first set of content cards representing an application that is open in the computing device and a second content card of the first set of content cards representing a content card folder associated with two or more applications;

provide the rotatable menu in a first orientation to be displayed on the computing device;

receive a first indication of input to select the second content card;

generate a second rotatable menu comprising a second set of content cards in another three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, the second set of content cards representing the two or more applications associated with the content card folder;

provide the second rotatable menu for display on the computing device;

receive a second indication of input to select the first content card;

after receiving the second indication of input, cause, at least in part, actions that result in display of a zoomed-in view of the rotatable menu, wherein a first location in the zoomed-in view includes the selected first content card with one or more graphical elements generated during execution by the open application, wherein second and third locations in the zoomed-in view are adjacent to opposite sides of the first location, the second location including a portion of one content card of the first set of content cards, the third location including a portion of another content card of the first set of content cards;

receive a third indication of input indicating an object of the open application was dragged to a menu control element in a fourth location of the zoomed-in view; and

after receiving the third indication of input, generate a new rotatable menu including a third set of content cards in a third three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, the third set of content cards contextually relevant to the open application and representing at least two applications that can perform actions associated with the object.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the menu manager, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, is to:

receive an fourth indication of input to rotate the rotatable menu;

rotate the rotatable menu to a second orientation; and

cause, at least in part, actions that result in display of the rotatable menu in the second orientation, wherein, in the second orientation of the rotatable menu, the first content card is defined in a rear location of the rotatable menu and one or more graphical elements associated with the first content card are not visible in the first content card on the display.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first content card of the first set is selectable by a user if the first content card is defined in a selectable location in the rotatable menu displayed on the computing device, wherein the first content card of the first set is not selectable by the user if rotation of the rotatable menu causes the first content card to be defined in a different location that is not selectable in the rotatable menu displayed on the computing device.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the menu manager, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, is to:

cause, at least in part, actions that result in display of the new rotatable menu.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the menu manager, when executed by the at least one hardware processor, is to:

identify the at least two other applications for the new rotatable menu based, at least in part, on the application represented by the selected first content card and on one or more context rules.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the content cards of the first rotatable menu are provided in a contextual order based on relevance of the applications represented by the content cards to each other.

17. A method for accessing applications through a user interface, the method comprising:

generating a rotatable menu of applications on a computing device, the rotatable menu comprising a first set of content cards in a three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, a first content card of the first set of content cards representing an application that is open in the computing device and a second content card of the first set of content cards representing a content card folder associated with two or more applications;

providing the rotatable menu in a first orientation for display on the computing device,

receiving a first indication of input to select the second content card;

generating a second rotatable menu comprising a second set of content cards in another three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, the second set of content cards representing the two or more applications associated with the content card folder;

providing the second rotatable menu for display on the computing device;

receiving a second indication of input to select the first content card;

after receiving the second indication of input, causing, at least in part, actions that result in display of a zoomed-in view of the rotatable menu, wherein a first location in the zoomed-in view includes the selected first content card with one or more graphical elements generated during execution by the open application, wherein second and third locations in the zoomed-in view are adjacent to opposite sides of the first location, the second location including a portion of one content card of the first set of content cards, the third location including a portion of another content card of the first set of content cards;

receive a third indication of input indicating an object of the open application was dragged to a menu control element in a fourth location of the zoomed-in view; and

after receiving the third indication of input, generating a new rotatable menu including a third set of content cards in a third three-dimensional view of a carousel configuration, the third set of content cards contextually relevant to the open application and representing at least two applications that can perform actions associated with the object.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

receiving a fourth indication of input to rotate the rotatable menu;

rotating the rotatable menu to a second orientation; and

causing, at least in part, actions that result in display of the rotatable menu in the second orientation.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the content cards of the first rotatable menu are provided in a contextual order based on relevance of the applications represented by the content cards to each other.