SYSTEM FOR ORGANIZING AND VISUALIZING DISPLAY OBJECTS

• US 20090307623A1
• Filed: 04/18/2007
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Agarawala, Anand, Balakrishnan, Ravin
• Granted Patent: US 8,402,382 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor

Abstract

A method, system and computer program for organizing and visualizing display objects within a virtual environment is provided. In one aspect, attributes of display objects define the interaction between display objects according to pre-determined rules, including rules simulating real world mechanics, thereby enabling enriched user interaction. The present invention further provides for the use of piles as an organizational entity for desktop objects. The present invention further provides for fluid interaction techniques for committing actions on display objects in a virtual interface. A number of other interaction and visualization techniques are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for organizing and visualizing display objects in a virtual environment, the method comprising:

(a) displaying the display objects in the virtual environment, the display objects representing one or more collections of data; and

(b) enabling real-time user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment, characterised in that the user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment is defined by pre-determined mechanics rules.

2. The method of claim 1 further characterised in that the virtual environment is a desktop and the display objects are icons representing files, directories and programs.

3. The method of claim 1 further characterised in that attributes of the display objects define the user interaction according to the mechanics rules.

4. The method of claim 3 further characterised in that the attributes of the display objects are associated with the one or more collections of data.

5. The method of claim 4 further characterised in that appearance of the display objects are defined by attributes of the one or more collections of data.

6. The method of claim 1 further characterised in that the mechanics rules include simulation rules relating to gravity, position of the display objects, mass of the display objects, velocity of the display objects, friction between the display objects, collisions between the display objects or rigidity of the display objects.

7. The method of claim 1 further characterised in that the virtual environment is a virtual two dimensional or virtual three dimensional desktop.

8. The method of claim 1 further characterised in that the one or more collections of data are digital files selected from the group consisting of text, documents, images, audio, web pages, web content, web search results, products in an online store, services in an online store, videos, software programs and file system directories.

9. The method of claim 1 further characterised in that the user interaction includes piling of the display objects.

10. The method of claim 9 further characterised in that the piling includes pile-pile interactions, intra-pile interaction, pile widgets, hierarchical piles, transition between unpiled and piled display objects, and piling of arbitrarily sized display objects.

11. The method of claim 1 further characterised in that the user interaction includes enhanced interaction and visualization techniques using an input device.

12. The method of claim 11 further characterised in that the input device is a touch-sensitive input device such as a digital pen or a touch-sensitive surface.

13. The method of claim 11 further characterised in that the interaction and visualization techniques include LassoMenu, Lasso'"'"'n'"'"'Cross, Crossable Pile Widgets, Display Object tossing, Pressure Widgets, PressureLock, Drag'"'"'n'"'"'Cross, Dwell'"'"'n'"'"'Scrub, and Exploding Piles.

14. A system for organizing and visualizing display objects in a virtual environment, the display objects representing one or more collections of data, the system comprising:

(a) a display means;

(b) an input device;

(c) a computer; and

(d) an application loaded on to the computer, the application being operable to provide instructions to the computer that;

(i) display the display objects in the virtual environment, the display objects representing one or more collections of data; and

(ii) enable real-time user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment, characterised in that the user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment is defined by pre-determined mechanics rules.

15. A system for organizing and visualizing display objects in a virtual environment, the display objects representing one or more collections of data, the system comprising:

(a) a server computer;

(b) an application linked to the server computer, the application being operable to provide instructions to the server computer that;

(i) display the display objects in the virtual environment, the display objects representing one or more collections of data; and

(ii) enable real-time user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment, characterised in that the user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment is defined by pre-determined mechanics rules.

16. A computer program for organizing and visualizing display objects in a virtual environment, the display objects representing one or more collections of data, the computer program comprising:

(a) a computer readable medium bearing software instructions; and

(b) the software instructions for enabling the computer to perform predetermined operations, the predetermined operations including;

(i) displaying the display objects in the virtual environment, the display objects representing one or more collections of data; and

(ii) enabling real-time user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment, characterised in that the user interaction with the display objects in the virtual environment is defined by pre-determined mechanics rules.