Three-dimensional, multi-depth presentation of icons associated with a user interface

• US 9,582,144 B2
• Filed: 01/20/2011
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: DeLuca, Michael Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yongjia
• Application Number:
  US13/010,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20120192114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,231 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• 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

Abstract

A three-dimensional display presents a plurality of icons that are associated with a user interface. These icons include at least a first icon presented at a first depth of presentation and at least a second icon presented at a second, different depth of presentation. By one approach this first icon is available for interaction by an input component of the user interface while the second icon is unavailable for interaction by the input component of the user interface. The aforementioned first depth of presentation may be substantially coincide with a surface, for example, a touch-sensitive display, of the corresponding electronic device. So configured, the first icon (which is presently available for selection) appears at a depth that coincides with that surface. This approach can serve to facilitate three-dimensional presentation of an icon based on whether it is available for interaction via an input component of a user interface.

Claims

1. A method in an electronic device having a touch-sensitive input component and a display apparatus capable of conveying a stereoscopic perception of three dimensional depth to a viewer, the method comprising:

concurrently presenting a plurality of icons in a multi-depth virtual three dimensional image via the display apparatus on a user interface of the electronic device, the plurality of icons including a first icon presented at a first depth of presentation that is at least substantially coincident with a surface of the touch-sensitive input component and a second icon presented at a second depth of presentation that is different from the first depth of presentation and substantially not coincident with the surface of the touch-sensitive input component; and

automatically switching at least some of the plurality of the icons from one depth of presentation allowing interaction to another depth of presentation disabling interaction, within the user interface, by

moving the first icon at the first depth of presentation to the second depth of presentation; and

moving the second icon at the second depth of presentation to the first depth of presentation;

wherein automatically switching the at least some of the plurality of icons occurs after a predetermined period of time; and

wherein only icons at the first depth of presentation coincident with the surface of the touch-sensitive input component are available for user interaction by the touch-sensitive input component and icons at other than the first depth of presentation are unavailable for user interaction and an icon that is unavailable for interaction with the touch-sensitive input component is available for interaction with a second input component for further facilitating the user interface, the second input component comprising at least one of a keypad, a keyboard, and a button.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein presenting via the display apparatus the plurality of icons comprises:

presenting a third icon at a third depth of presentation.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the first depth of presentation appears between the second depth of presentation and the third depth of presentation.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

responsive to an instruction, permitting, via the user interface, movement of at least one of the plurality of icons from other than the first depth of presentation to the first depth of presentation, thereby causing said at least one of the plurality of icons to become available for interaction by the touch-sensitive input component of the user interface.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

receiving via the user interface a user interface gesture; and

moving the second icon from the second depth of presentation to the first depth of presentation in response to the user interface gesture that was received, thereby causing the second icon to become available for interaction by the touch-sensitive input component of the user interface.

6. The method of claim 5 further comprising:

moving the first icon from the first depth of presentation to the second depth of presentation in response to the user interface gesture that was received, thereby causing the first icon to become unavailable for interaction by the touch-sensitive input component of the user interface.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein permitting the movement of at least one of the plurality of icons comprises moving the icons currently at other than the first depth of presentation as a group to the first depth of presentation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of icons comprises a three-dimensional image.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving via the touch-sensitive input component a user interface gesture indicative of a selection of the first icon; and

invoking a process associated with the first icon.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein automatically switching at least some of the plurality of the icons comprises using an animated technique presenting the icons as a group traversing a same path together when moving from one depth of presentation to another.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the path forms a non-linear shape of interest comprising an arc.

12. An apparatus comprising:

a control circuit;

a user interface; and

a display apparatus capable of conveying a stereoscopic perception of three dimensional depth to a viewer operably coupled to the control circuit;

wherein the control circuit is configured to;

cause the display apparatus to concurrently present a plurality of icons in a virtual multi-depth presentation of a three-dimensional scene on a user interface, including at least a first icon presented at a first depth of presentation that is at least substantially coincident with a surface of a touch-sensitive input component of the user interface and simultaneously present a second icon presented at a second depth of presentation that is different from the first depth of presentation and substantially not coincident with the surface of the touch-sensitive input component; and

automatically switch at least some of the plurality of the icons from one depth of presentation allowing interaction to another depth of presentation disabling interaction, within the user interface, by;

moving the first icon at the first depth of presentation to the second depth of presentation; and

moving the second icon at the second depth of presentation to the first depth of presentation;

wherein automatically switching the at least some of the plurality of icons occurs after a predetermined period of time;

wherein the touch-sensitive input component provides for interaction with icons that are presented at the first depth of presentation coincident with the surface of the touch-sensitive input component; and

wherein the touch-sensitive input component disables interaction with icons that are presented at depths of presentation other than the first depth of presentation and an icon that is unavailable for interaction with the touch-sensitive input component is available for interaction with a second input component for further facilitating the user interface, the second input component comprising at least one of a keypad, a keyboard, and a button.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the apparatus comprises a portable electronic device.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the display apparatus comprises, at least in part, a touch-sensitive display.

15. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein, responsive to an instruction, the control circuit is configured to permit movement of the plurality of icons amongst the depths of presentation to thereby select which of the plurality of icons are available for interaction by the touch-sensitive input component of the user interface.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

a second input component of the user interface, wherein the second input component is capable of detecting a change;

wherein the control circuit is configured to move ones of the plurality of icons amongst the depths of presentation in response to a detected change at the second input component.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the second input component of the user interface comprises at least one of a button, key, scroll wheel, track pad, touch pad, touch-sensitive surface, camera, accelerometer, gyroscope, and proximity sensor.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein permitting the movement of the plurality of icons comprises moving the icons currently at other than the first depth of presentation as a group to the first depth of presentation.

19. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least one of the first icon and second icon comprises a three-dimensional image.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the control circuit automatically switches at least some of the plurality of the icons after a predetermined period of time using an animated technique presenting the icons as a group traversing a same path together when moving from one depth of presentation to another.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the path forms a non-linear shape of interest comprising an arc.