REFLECTIONS IN A MULTIDIMENSIONAL USER INTERFACE ENVIRONMENT

• US 20080307366A1
• 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: Ording, Bas, Paquette, Michael James, Chaudhri, Imran A., Louch, John O.
• Granted Patent: US 8,432,396 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/848
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A graphical user interface has a back surface disposed from a viewing surface to define a depth. A visualization of receptacle is disposed between the back surface and a viewing surface and contains a visualization object. A reflection surface is defined such that a reflection of the visualization object is displayed on the reflection surface.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

axially disposing a back surface from a viewing surface;

disposing a reflection surface between the viewing surface and the back surface;

disposing a visualization receptacle containing a visualization object between the reflection surface and the viewing surface;

transforming visualization data associated with the visualization object to produce a reflection of the visualization object on the reflection surface; and

displaying the visualization receptacle, the visualization object and the reflection of the visualization object on the viewing surface.

2. The method of claim 1, comprising:

defining a reflection content surface disposed in a first layer between the back surface and the reflection surface;

transforming visual content that passes through the reflection content surface produce reflected visual content on the reflection surface; and

displaying the reflected visual content on the viewing surface

3. The method of claim 2, comprising:

providing an application interface having application visual content between the back surface and the reflection surface that is transformed as part of the visual content.

4. The method of claim 3, comprising:

obscuring reflected application visual content with the visual representation of the visualization object.

5. The method of claim 2, comprising:

compositing the visual content from layers between the back surface and the reflection surface; and

compositing the reflected visual content with the reflection of the visualization object, the visualization receptacle and the visualization object.

6. The method of claim 2, comprising:

determining changes to the visual content and the visual representation of the visualization object; and

transforming the changes to update the reflection surface.

7. The method of claim 2, comprising:

scaling the reflected visual content.

8. The method of claim 2, comprising:

applying an affine transformation to determine the reflection of the reflection of the visualization object and reflected visual content.

9. The method of claim 1, comprising

determining transparency information associated with surfaces between the back surface and the viewing surface;

producing a shadow that is cast from visual content in surface closer to the viewing surface onto a surface further from the viewing surface.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising:

scaling the reflection of the visualization object relative to the visualization object.

11. A graphical user interface, comprising:

a viewing surface;

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

a reflection surface disposed between the viewing surface and the back surface; and

a visualization receptacle disposed between the reflection surface and the viewing surface, the visualization receptacle containing a visualization object,

wherein a reflection of the visualization object is displayed on the reflection surface.

12. The graphical user interface of claim 11, comprising:

an application interface disposed between the back surface and the reflection surface, the application interface containing visual content.

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

a reflection of the visual content is displayed on the reflection surface.

14. The graphical user interface of claim 13, wherein:

visual content is partially obscured by the visualization object.

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

the reflection of the visualization object is scaled the relative to the visualization object.

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

a shadow is cast from the visualization object toward the back surface.

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

an amount transparency is applied to the visualization receptacle.

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

the visualization receptacle comprises a dock, and the visualization object comprises an icon.

19. A computer readable medium storing instructions that are executable by a processing device, and upon such execution cause the processing device to:

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

define a reflection surface disposed between the viewing surface and the back surface;

display a visualization receptacle disposed between the reflection surface and the viewing surface, the visualization receptacle containing a visualization object; and

display a reflection of the visualization object on the reflection surface.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein upon execution the instructions cause the processing device to apply a transform to the visualization object to determine the reflection of the visualization object.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein upon execution the instructions cause the processing device to display an application interface containing visual content.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 21, wherein upon execution the instructions cause the processing device to apply a transform to the visual content and to display a reflection of the visual content on the reflection surface.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein upon execution the instructions cause the processing device to scale a size of the reflection of the visualization object relative to the visualization object.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein upon execution the instructions cause the processing device to create a shadow that is cast behind the visualization object toward the back surface.