Method of representing information on a three-dimensional user interface

• US 20020163546A1
• Filed: 05/07/2002
• Published: 11/07/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vizible Corporation (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vizible.com Incorporated
• Inventors: Gallo, Anthony Carmen
• Granted Patent: US 7,412,650 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/848
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• 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

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of representing information on a three-dimensional user interface having multiple portals, in which data is associated with each of the portals. A symbolic marker is associated with each of the portals according to a pre-specified scheme, and displayed in the respective portals. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the symbolic marker is a colored marker. By color-coding the portals, data associated with the portals can be classified into a number of categories to provide the user with a summary of the data on the three-dimensional user interface at a high level of abstraction. The three-dimensional user interface may be adapted to update the colored markers more efficiently, and to display them using less computing resources than would be required if more memory-sensitive visual cues were displayed.

Claims

1. A method of representing information on a three-dimensional user interface, said three-dimensional user interface comprising a plurality of portals, said method comprising the steps of:

a) associating data with each of said plurality of portals;

b) associating a symbolic marker with each of said plurality of portals that represents the data associated therewith; and

c) displaying the symbolic marker in each of said plurality of portals associated therewith, such that said three-dimensional user interface can be displayed in an active state and at least two non-active states, wherein each non-state is one of a symbolic state or a passive state.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a symbolic marker is a coloured marker.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said method further comprises the steps of associating a colour with each of said plurality of portals, wherein the colour associated with a portal is determined based on the data associated with the portal according to a colour coding scheme, and displaying a coloured marker in each of said plurality of portals such that the coloured marker displayed therein is coloured with the colour associated therewith.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the coloured marker displayed in each of said plurality of portals is a vector graphic.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(d) upon receiving at least one first pre-specified user input, wherein said at least one first pre-specified user input identifies a first designated portal of said plurality of portals, displaying a sensory cue in each of a subset of said plurality of portals, wherein the sensory cue displayed in a portal of said subset facilitates recognition of the data associated with the portal of said subset.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said subset of said plurality of portals comprises exactly one portal, and wherein said exactly one portal is said first designated portal.

7. The method of representing information on a three dimensional user interface as claimed in claim 6, wherein said subset of said plurality of portals comprises a group of portals on said three dimensional user interface.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein a first image of said three-dimensional user interface is projected onto a two dimensional display for viewing by a user before receiving said at least one first pre-specified user input, and wherein said first image is replaced by a second image of said subset of said plurality of portals which is shown in said two-dimensional display magnified as compared to said first image, after receiving said at least one first pre-specified user input.

9. The method as claimed in claim 5, further comprising the step of:

(e) upon receiving at least one second pre-specified user input, wherein said at least one second pre-specified user input identifies a second designated portal, executing an application and displaying the output of said application to a user, wherein said application permits user interaction with data associated with said second designated portal.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said second image is replaced by a third image of said second designated portal which is shown in a two-dimensional display magnified as compared to said second image after receiving said at least one second pre-specified user input, wherein said second designated portal is used to display the output of said application to said user.

11. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the output of said application is shown in an application window separate from said three-dimensional user interface, wherein said application window is shown in a two-dimensional display.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the steps of said method are repeated, such that the symbolic marker being displayed in each of a plurality of portals represents the data currently associated therewith.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the steps of said method are repeated at a pre-specified time interval.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein the steps of said method are repeated upon the occurrence of a pre-specified event.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the steps of detecting a change in data associated with at least one monitored portal of said plurality of portals, and associating a different symbolic marker for display in said at least one monitored portal after said change.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said symbolic marker and said different symbolic markers are coloured markers, and wherein the step of associating a different symbolic marker for display in said at least one monitored portal comprises the step of changing the colour of the symbolic marker associated with each of said at least one monitored portal.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of repositioning said plurality of portals according to a grouping scheme on said three-dimensional user interface, such that said symbolic markers displayed on said three-dimensional user interface are arranged in a plurality of groups on said three-dimensional user interface.

18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein said symbolic markers are coloured markers, and wherein said plurality of portals on said three-dimensional user interface are arranged such that portals displaying a coloured marker of a specific colour are grouped together on said three-dimensional user interface.

19. A user interface for a computing device, said user interface comprising a graphic representation of a plurality of portals arranged in a three-dimensional space, said user interface comprising a module for displaying symbolic markers in said plurality of portals, wherein said module is programmed to execute the following steps:

a) associating data with each of said plurality of portals;

b) associating a symbolic marker with each of said plurality of portals that represents the data associated therewith; and

c) displaying the symbolic marker in each of said plurality of portals associated therewith, such that said three-dimensional user interface can be displayed in an active state and at least two non-active states, wherein each non-state is one of a symbolic state or a passive state.

20. A module for displaying symbolic markers in a plurality of portals of a user interface, said user interface comprising a graphic representation of a plurality of portals arranged in a three-dimensional space, wherein said module is programmed to execute the following steps:

a) associating data with each of said plurality of portals;

b) associating a symbolic marker with each of said plurality of portals that represents the data associated therewith; and

c) displaying the symbolic marker in each of said plurality of portals associated therewith, such that said three-dimensional user interface can be displayed in an active state and at least two non-active states, wherein each non-state is one of a symbolic state or a passive state.