Context Based Navigation

• US 20100037174A1
• Filed: 08/11/2008
• Published: 02/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dassault Systemes Americas Corp. (Dassault Systemes SA)
• Original Assignee: Dassault Systemes Delmia Corporation
• Inventors: Muser, Marino, Morgenstein, Michael L., Perroux, Francois
• Granted Patent: US 8,095,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• 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: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

When navigating in a screen view composed of entities of differing types, a user may want to focus on any particular entity. Depending on the type of entity the user wants to focus on, the invention system adapts the screen view, as well as navigation behavior, to navigate the desired entity. This is accomplished without explicit action from the user like running a command and selecting the desired entity. Accordingly, a computer method and computer corresponding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention are provided to capture the user'"'"'s intention to navigate the desired entity and to change the screen view and the navigation behavior. For example, when the user navigates an entity of a given type and the desired entity occupies a greater percentage of the screen view or becomes closer to the desired entity, the screen view and the navigation behavior change conveniently without explicit action from the user.

Claims

1. A method for navigating a screen view of entities of differing entity types, the method comprising:

determining an intention to navigate a subject entity based on a percentage of the screen view occupied by the subject entity; and

as a function of the determined intention, selecting a navigation mode with which to navigate the subject entity, the selected navigation mode identifies the subject entity and provides a navigation behavior for navigating the subject entity.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining includes calculating the percentage of the screen view occupied by the subject entity from a modeled viewing distance and a dimension of a shape circumscribing the subject entity.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein determining includes calculating the percentage of the screen view occupied by the subject entity from a modeled projection distance that determines the size of the screen view and the size of the subject entity in the screen view.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the shape is one of a circle, polygon, sphere, parallelepiped, or regular geometry;

and the dimension of the shape is an element that, at least in part, defines the shape mathematically.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein given the shape circumscribing the subject entity is a sphere and the dimension is a radius of the sphere, calculating the percentage includes calculating a percentage that is determinative of an intention to navigate the subject entity when a multiple of the radius of the sphere circumscribing the subject entity exceeds the modeled viewing distance.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the navigation mode includes identifying to a user the subject entity separate and distinct from other entities of the screen view.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein identifying to the user the subject entity includes displaying in a manner that contrasts the subject entity from the other entities in the screen view.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein identifying to the user the subject entity includes removing the other entities from the screen view.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the navigation mode includes providing a user with the navigation behavior for navigating the subject entity while other entities of the screen view are unaffected by the provided navigation behavior.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein selecting the navigation mode includes switching to the navigation mode by:

(i) changing from a previously navigated entity to the subject entity; and

(ii) changing from a previous navigation behavior to the navigation behavior for navigating the subject entity.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the screen view is of a planned process having a process entity and at least one product entity:

determining the intention includes determining a user'"'"'s intention to navigate a process entity based on a percentage of the screen view occupied by the product entity; and

selecting the navigation mode includes;

(i) identifying to the user the product entity separate and distinct from the process entity and other product entities of the screen view of the planned process, and (ii) providing to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the product entity while the process entity and the other product entities of the screen view of the planned process are unaffected by the provided navigation behavior.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein selecting the navigation mode includes:

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate a process entity, providing to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the process entity on a plane; and

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate a product entity, providing to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the product entity in a space.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the screen view is of a mapped city having a city entity and at least one building entity:

determining the intention includes determining a user'"'"'s intention to navigate a building entity based on a percentage of the screen view occupied by the building entity; and

selecting the navigation mode includes;

(i) identifying to the user the building entity separate and distinct from the city entity and other building entities of the screen view of the mapped city, and (ii) providing to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the building entity while the city entity and the other building entities of the screen view of the mapped city are unaffected by the provided navigation behavior.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein selecting the navigation mode includes:

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate the city entity, providing to a user a navigation behavior for navigating the city entity at a bird'"'"'s eye view; and

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate the building entity, providing to a user a navigation behavior for navigating the building entity at a street-level view.

15. An apparatus to navigate a screen view of entities of differing entity types, the apparatus comprising:

a determining unit to determine an intention to navigate a subject entity based on a percentage of the screen view occupied by the subject entity; and

a selecting unit communicatively coupled to the determining unit to select, as a function of the determined intention, a navigation mode with which to navigate the subject entity, the selected navigation mode identifies the subject entity and provides a navigation behavior for navigating the subject entity.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the determining unit includes a calculating unit to calculate the percentage of the screen view occupied by the subject entity from a modeled viewing distance and a dimension of a shape circumscribing the subject entity.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the determining unit includes a calculating unit to calculate the percentage of the screen view occupied by the subject entity from a modeled projection distance that determines the size of the screen view and the size of the subject entity in the screen view.

18. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the shape is one of a circle, polygon, sphere, parallelepiped, or regular geometry;

and the dimension of the shape is an element that, at least in part, defines the shape mathematically.

19. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein given the shape circumscribing the subject entity is a sphere and the dimension is a radius of the sphere, the calculating unit calculates a percentage that is determinative of an intention to navigate the subject entity when a multiple of the radius of the sphere circumscribing the subject entity exceeds the modeled viewing distance.

20. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the selecting unit includes an identifying unit to identity to a user the subject entity separate and distinct from other entities of the screen view.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the identifying unit includes a displaying unit to display in a manner that contrasts the subject entity from the other entities in the screen view.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the identifying unit includes a removing unit to remove the other entities from the screen view.

23. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the selecting unit includes a unit to provide a user with the navigation behavior for navigating the subject entity while other entities of the screen view are unaffected by the provided navigation behavior.

24. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the selecting unit includes a switching unit to switch the navigation mode by changing from a previously navigated entity to the subject entity and by changing from a previous navigation behavior to the navigation behavior for navigating the subject entity.

25. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein in a screen view of a planned process having a process entity and at least one product entity:

the determining unit determines a user'"'"'s intention to navigate a process entity based on a percentage of the screen view occupied by the product entity; and

the selecting unit (i) identifies to the user the product entity separate and distinct from the process entity and other product entities of the screen view of the planned process and (ii) provides to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the product entity while the process entity and the other product entities of the screen view of the planned process are unaffected by the provided navigation behavior.

26. The apparatus of claim 25 wherein the selecting unit:

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate a process entity, provides to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the process entity on a plane; and

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate a product entity, provides to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the product entity in a space.

27. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein in a screen view of a mapped city having a city entity and at least one building entity:

the determining unit determines a user'"'"'s intention to navigate a building entity based on a percentage of the screen view occupied by the building entity; and

the selecting unit (i) identifies to the user the building entity separate and distinct from the city entity and other building entities of the screen view of the mapped city, and (ii) provides to the user a navigation behavior for navigating the building entity while the city entity and the other building entities of the screen view of the mapped city are unaffected by the provided navigation behavior.

28. The apparatus of claim 27 wherein the selecting unit:

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate a city entity, provides to a user a navigation behavior for navigating the city entity at a bird'"'"'s eye view; and

in an event the determined user'"'"'s intention is to navigate a building entity, provides to a user a navigation behavior for navigating the building entity at a street-level view.

29. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

determine an intention to navigate a subject entity based on a percentage of the screen view occupied by the subject entity; and

as a function of the determined intention, select a navigation mode with which to navigate the subject entity, the selected navigation mode identifies the subject entity and provides a navigation behavior for navigating the subject entity.