ADVANCED NAVIGATION TECHNIQUES FOR PORTABLE DEVICES

• US 20090128483A1
• Filed: 02/01/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. (d/b/a DJI) (iFlight Technology Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Horvitz, Eric J., Robbins, Daniel C., Sarin, Raman K., Cutrell, Edward B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,907,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04804 Transparency, e.g. transparent or translucent windows
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

The present invention provides a unique system and method that facilitates navigating smoothly and gracefully through any type of content viewable on portable devices such as cell-phones, PDAs, and/or any other hybrids thereof. In addition, such navigation can be performed while preserving perspective and context with respect to a larger amount of content. Pointing devices can also be used to navigate through content—the amount or detail of the content being dependant on the speed of the pointing device. Additionally, a semi-transparent overview of content can be overlaid a zoomed-in portion of content to provide perspective to the zoomed in portion. Content shown in the semi-transparent overview can depend on the location of the pointing device with respect to the content.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A system for rendering a navigation display at a mobile device, comprising:

a memory having stored thereon navigation data; and

a processor that executes code to render the navigation data, wherein movement is represented through the rendered navigation data as a function of increasing level of detail of a subset of the navigation data as a function of velocity of the movement, and the subset of navigation data is selected as a function of user interest to create an appearance of a lens over the subset of the rendered navigation data.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor applies a lesser level of detail to the subset of the rendered navigation data as the velocity of the movement increases.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor applies a greater level of detail to the subset of the rendered navigation data as the velocity of the movement decreases.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor determines size of the subset of the rendered navigation data as a function of the velocity of the movement.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the movement corresponds to navigation of an input device through the rendered navigation data.

26. The system of claim 24, wherein the input device is a stylus that is moved over a display area for the rendered navigation data.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the velocity of the movement is based on one or more characteristics of the navigation data.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the navigation data corresponds to a map of one or more roadways and the characteristics thereof comprise respective traffic densities.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the processor overlays a semi-transparent overview of navigation data underlying the subset of the rendered navigation data at a substantially identical level of detail as a level of detail applied to navigation data surrounding the subset of the rendered navigation data.

30. The system of claim 21, further comprising a button engageable by a user, wherein the processor renders alternate navigation data in place of originally-rendered navigation data in response to engagement of the button.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the processor renders the originally-rendered navigation data in place of the alternate navigation data in response to de-engagement of the button.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the processor renders the originally-rendered navigation data in place of the alternate navigation data upon expiration of a predetermined period of time following engagement of the button.

33. A method of rendering a navigation display on a mobile device screen, comprising:

identifying navigation display content;

identifying movement of an area of interest associated with the navigation display content;

rendering a first portion of the navigation display content that surrounds the area of interest at a first magnification level applied as a function of speed of the movement; and

rendering a second portion of the navigation display content located outside the first portion of the navigation display content at a second magnification level to create an appearance of a lens overlying the first portion of the navigation display content.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the rendering a first portion of the navigation display content comprises rending the first portion of the navigation display content with a decreasing magnification level as the speed of the movement increases.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the rendering a first portion of the navigation display content comprises rending the first portion of the navigation display content with an increasing magnification level as the speed of the movement decreases.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the rendering a first portion of the navigation display content comprises determining a size of the first portion of the navigation display content as a function of speed of the movement.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the identifying movement of an area of interest comprises identifying movement of a stylus across the mobile device screen.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising rendering a semi-transparent overview of navigation display content underlying the first portion of the navigation display content at the second magnification level.

39. A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions operable to perform the method of claim 33.

40. A method of displaying content on a portable device screen, comprising:

identifying data to be displayed on the portable device screen;

displaying the identified data on the portable device screen;

detecting movement of a stylus across the portable device screen;

continuously monitoring velocity of the detected movement; and

zooming displayed data on the portable device screen located within a radius of the stylus, wherein size of the radius and an extent to which displayed data located within the radius are zoomed are continuously adjusted as a function of the velocity of the detected movement.