Scrolling displayed objects using a 3D remote controller in a media system

• US 20090158203A1
• Filed: 12/14/2007
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kerr, Duncan R., King, Nicholas V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,881,049 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars

Abstract

An electronic device associated with a remote wand controlling the operations of the electronic device is provided. The wand may include a motion detection component operative to provide an output reflecting the motion of the wand to the electronic device, such that the movements of a cursor displayed by the electronic device may be related to the output of the motion detection component. The wand may also include an input mechanism operative to receive user inputs. Using the input mechanism, the wand may detect a user'"'"'s inputs and direct the electronic device to zoom or scroll displayed objects. The electronic device may display a screen saver by which the user may select particular media items for playback while remaining in the screen saver mode. In some embodiments, the electronic device may display video with a scroll bar that includes a preview window of the video.

Claims

1. A method for scrolling a plurality of displayed objects using an input mechanism, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of objects;

receiving a first input comprising a swipe of the user'"'"'s hand on the input mechanism;

scrolling the display of the plurality of objects using a first type of scrolling in response to receiving the first input;

receiving a second input comprising a swipe of the user'"'"'s hand on the input mechanism;

scrolling the display of the plurality of objects using a second type of scrolling different than the first type of scrolling in response to receiving the second input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of scrolling comprises coarse scrolling, and the second type of scrolling comprises fine scrolling.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of scrolling comprises scrolling, and the second type of scrolling comprises paging.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of scrolling comprises scrolling, and the second type of scrolling comprises jumping to a chapter marker.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first type of scrolling comprises scrolling through the displayed objects, and the second type of scrolling comprises scrolling through categories of objects.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein scrolling the display using the second type of scrolling further comprises:

receiving a selection of a new category in response to receiving the second input; and

displaying a plurality of objects associated with the new category.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein displaying a plurality of objects associated with the new category further comprises removing from display the plurality of objects displayed prior to receiving the second input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input and the second input each comprise a swipe of the user'"'"'s finger.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the swipe of the user'"'"'s finger associated with the first input is in a different axis than the swipe of the user'"'"'s finger associated with the second input.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the swipe of the user'"'"'s finger associated with the first input is a horizontal swipe, and the swipe of the user'"'"'s finger associated with the second input is a vertical swipe.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the input mechanism comprises at least one of a touch screen and a touchpad.

12. A method for controlling the playback of media using an input mechanism, the method comprising:

displaying a plurality of media objects available for playback;

receiving a first input comprising a swipe of the user'"'"'s hand across the input mechanism;

performing a first playback operation in response to receiving the first input;

receiving a second input comprising a swipe of the user'"'"'s hand across the input mechanism;

performing a second playback operation different than the second playback operation in response to receiving the second input.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first playback operation is one of fast-forward and rewind, and the second playback operation is one of skip forward and skip backward.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving a third input comprising a first finger substantially immobile on the input mechanism and a simultaneous swipe of another finger across the input mechanism; and

performing a third playback operation in response to receiving the third input.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the third playback operation comprises controlling the volume of the played back media.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein:

the first and second inputs each comprise a swipe of the user'"'"'s finger; and

the axis of the swipe associated with the first input is different than the axis of the swipe associated with the second input.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the axes associated with the first and second inputs are perpendicular axes.

18. An electronic device operative to display a plurality of objects, the electronic device coupled to a wand comprising an input mechanism, the electronic device comprising a processor, the processor operative to:

provide an output signal representing a plurality of objects;

receive a first input comprising a swipe of a user'"'"'s finger in a first axis across the input mechanism;

provide an output signal scrolling the displayed plurality of objects in a first manner in response to receiving the first input;

receive a second input comprising a swipe of a user'"'"'s finger in a second axis different than the first axis across the input mechanism; and

provide an output signal scrolling the displayed plurality of objects in a second manner different than the first manner in response to receiving the second input.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the processor is further operative to:

receive a third input from the input mechanism;

determine which of the first and second axes is associated with the received third input; and

provide an output signal scrolling the display of the plurality of objects using the manner of scrolling associated with the determined one of the first and second axes associated with the received third input in response to determining.

20. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the wand further comprises a motion detection component, wherein the processor is further operative to:

provide an output signal representing a cursor;

receive an output associated with a particular movement of the wand from the motion detection component; and

provide an output signal changing the position of the cursor on the display based on the received output in response to receiving the output.

21. A wand for use with an electronic device, comprising:

an input mechanism associated with at least two axes of swipes for detecting a swipe of a user'"'"'s finger; and

communications circuitry for providing information to the electronic device for a swipe received by the input mechanism, wherein the electronic device scrolls the display of a plurality of objects using different types of scrolling based on the axis associated with the received swipe.

22. The wand of claim 21, wherein the input mechanism is further operative to:

detect a swipe of a user'"'"'s finger;

determine the particular axis of the at least two axes associated with the detected swipe; and

identify the determined particular axis to the communications circuitry for providing to the electronic device.

23. The wand of claim 22, wherein the input mechanism is further operative to:

determine the particular axis of the at least two axis that most closely reflects the detected swipe.

24. The wand of claim 21, wherein the input mechanism is further operative to:

detect a swipe of a user'"'"'s finger;

determine the amount of each of the at least two axes associated with the detected swipe; and

identify the amount of the detected swipe associated with each of the at least two axes to the communications circuitry for providing to the electronic device.

25. The wand of claim 21, wherein the input mechanism further comprises at least one of a touch screen and a touchpad.