Multi-Dimensional Application Environment

• US 20080307351A1
• Filed: 06/08/2007
• Published: 12/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran A., Louch, John O., Peyton, Eric Steven, Bumgarner, Timothy Wayne, Hynes, Christopher
• Granted Patent: US 8,381,122 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/782
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A back surface is axially disposed from a viewing surface, and one or more side surfaces extend from the back surface to the viewing surface. An application content frame for an executing application is generated on the back surface. One or more application control elements for the execution application are generating on the one or more side surfaces.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface, comprising:

a viewing surface;

a back surface axially disposed from the viewing surface to define a depth; and

one or more side surfaces extending from the back surface to the viewing surface;

an application content presentation surface displayed on the back surface; and

one or more application control elements displayed on the one or more side surfaces.

2. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein:

a reflection effect that generates a reflection of the application content presentation on one or more of the side surfaces.

3. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein:

the application content presentation surface comprises an application window for displaying editable data.

4. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more application control elements comprise application menu items.

5. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more application control elements comprise application toolbars.

6. The graphical user interface of claim 5, wherein:

the application toolbars comprise a plurality of three-dimensional function icons.

7. The graphical user interface of claim 4, wherein:

the one or more application control elements comprise three-dimensional function icons.

8. The graphical user interface of claim 7, further comprising:

a physics model applied to one or more of the three-dimensional function icons.

9. The graphical user interface of claim 7, wherein:

the three-dimensional function icons are stackable.

10. The graphical user interface of claim 3, wherein:

the one or more application control elements comprise;

a plurality of stack elements, each stack element corresponding to the application, the stack elements including file elements associated with application document files and an application element associated an application executable; and

a stack item associated with the plurality of stack elements, the stack item comprising an aggregation of the stack elements, the aggregation including a preeminent disposition of the application element.

11. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein:

the aggregation comprises an overlapping display of the stack items.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 10, wherein:

the preeminent disposition of the application element comprises displaying the application element on the top of the overlapping display.

13. The graphical user interface of claim 1, further comprising:

an application portal displayed on one of the side surfaces;

wherein

selection of the application portal transitions from a first application environment to a second application environment.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 1, wherein:

the back surface is defined by a curvilinear geometry.

15. The graphical user interface of claim 14, wherein:

the one or more side surfaces are defined by arcuate regions.

16. A method, comprising:

axially disposing a first surface from a viewing surface;

extending one or more second surfaces from the first surface to the viewing surface;

generating an application content frame for an application on the first surface; and

generating one or more application control elements for the application on the one or more second surfaces.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

generating a reflection of the application content frame on one or more of the second surfaces.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising:

displaying editable data in the application content frame.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

generating one or more application control elements comprises generating application menu items.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein:

generating one or more application control elements comprises generating an application toolbar.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein:

generating one or more application control elements comprises generating a plurality of three-dimensional function icons.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising:

applying a physics model to one or more of the three-dimensional function icons.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein:

generating one or more application control elements comprises;

generating file elements associated with application document files;

generating an application element associated an application executable;

aggregating the file elements and the application element into a stack element; and

preeminently disposing the application element.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

the aggregation comprises an overlapping display of the file elements and the application element.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein:

preeminently disposing the application element comprises displaying the application element on the top of the overlapping display.

26. The method of claim 16, comprising:

generating an application portal on one of the second surfaces; and

transitioning from a first application environment to a second application environment in response to a selection of the application portal.

27. A graphical user interface, comprising:

first means displayed for generating a three-dimensional depth aspect;

second means displayed in a back portion of the depth aspect for generating application content; and

third means displayed in a side portion of the depth aspect for facilitating operations on the application content.