Configuring movement-based user interface control

• US 9,606,710 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2014
• Issued: 03/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Doucette, Jason Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Ipakchi, Maryam
• Application Number:
  US14/230,072
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• 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 3/0346 with detection of the device orientation or free movement in a 3D space, e.g. 3D mice, 6-DOF [six degrees of freedom] pointers using gyroscopes, accelerometers or tilt-sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials

Abstract

Movement of a user interface (UI) element may be controlled through a magnet based physics model that controls movement of the UI element as if it were under a magnetic force. The magnet based physical model and other parameter settings may be configured through an evolution theory algorithm based on training data representing various device operating conditions. Runtime data may also be collected to refine the model and parameter settings.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method, comprising:

detecting a first physical movement of a device;

interpreting the first physical movement of the device;

rendering a sliding panel user interface (UI) element in response to the first physical movement, wherein the rendering is based on the first physical movement of the device and a first simulated magnetic force pulling the sliding panel UI element in a first direction;

detecting a second physical movement of the device within a predetermined period of time, the second physical movement being predominantly in an opposite direction to the first physical movement;

adjusting a set of parameters based on the second physical movement, wherein a second simulated magnetic force is configured to pull the sliding panel UI element in a second direction, the second simulated magnetic force based on the set of parameters; and

storing the set of parameters in a memory for future use.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first physical movement and the second physical movement are detected on a first device, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting the set of parameters from the memory to a second device for the second device to render and control movement of a second sliding panel UI element on the second device.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first physical movement and the second physical movement are detected based on an output from an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other detector of rotational movement of the device.

4. A computing system, comprising:

at least one memory; and

at least one processor in communication with the at least one memory, the at least one processor being configured to;

detect a first physical movement of a device;

render, in response to the first physical movement, a user interface (UI) element graphically moving between a first position and a second position, wherein the rendering is based on;

a first simulated magnetic force pulling the UI element toward the first position, the first simulated magnetic force based on a position of the UI element, and

a second simulated magnetic force pulling the UI element toward the second position, the second simulated magnetic force based on the position of the UI element;

detect a second physical movement of the device, the second physical movement being within a threshold period of time from the first physical movement; and

adjust the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force based on the first physical movement, the rendering of the UI element, and the second physical movement of the device.

5. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the second physical movement of the device is predominantly in an opposite direction from the first physical movement of the device.

6. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine whether the rendering of the UI element was intended by a user operating the device during the first physical movement, and wherein the adjusting is based at least in part on whether the rendering of the UI element was intended by the user.

7. The computing system of claim 6, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine whether the rendering of the UI element was intended by the user by comparing the first physical movement to the second physical movement.

8. The computing system of claim 4, wherein adjusting the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force would result in a different rendering of the UI element in response to the first physical movement of the device.

9. The computing system of claim 4, wherein:

the adjusting is further based on a comparison of a first movement vector of the UI element to a second movement vector of the UI element;

the first movement vector is based on the first physical movement of the device, the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force; and

the second movement vector is based on the second physical movement of the device, the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force.

10. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

identify an application operating on the device during the first physical movement; and

adjust the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force based at least in part on the application.

11. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

store a set of parameters related to the adjusted first simulated magnetic force and the adjusted second simulated magnetic force; and

send the set of parameters to a second device.

12. The computing system of claim 4, wherein the first physical movement of the device and second physical movement of the device are detected based on output from an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other detector of rotational movement of the device.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing processor-executable instructions for controlling a computing system, comprising program code to configure the computing system to:

detect a first physical movement of a device;

render a user interface (UI) element graphically moving between a first position and a second position, wherein the rendering is based on;

the first physical movement,

a first simulated magnetic force pulling the UI element toward the first position, the first simulated magnetic force based on a position of the UI element, and

a second simulated magnetic force pulling the UI element toward the second position, the second simulated magnetic force based on the position of the UI element;

detect a second physical movement of the device, the second physical movement being within a threshold period of time from the first physical movement; and

adjust the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force based on the first physical movement, the rendering of the UI element, and the second physical movement of the device.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the second physical movement of the device is predominantly in an opposite direction from the first physical movement of the device.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program code further configures the system to determine whether the rendering of the UI element was intended by a user operating the device during the first physical movement, and wherein the adjusting is based at least in part on whether the rendering of the UI element was intended by the user.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the program code further configures the system to determine whether the rendering of the UI element was intended by the user by comparing the first physical movement to the second physical movement.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein adjusting the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force would result in a different rendering of the UI element in response to the first physical movement of the device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein:

the adjusting is further based on a comparison of a first movement vector of the UI element to a second movement vector of the UI element;

the first movement vector is based on the first physical movement of the device, the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force; and

the second movement vector is based on the second physical movement of the device, the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program code further configures the system to:

identify an application operating on the device during the first physical movement; and

adjust the first simulated magnetic force and the second simulated magnetic force based at least in part on the application.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the program code further configures the system to:

store a set of parameters related to the adjusted first simulated magnetic force and the adjusted second simulated magnetic force; and

send the set of parameters to a second device.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the first physical device movement and second physical movement of the device are detected based on output from an accelerometer, gyroscope, or other detector of rotational movement of the device.