ROTATIONAL GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE NAVIGATION

• US 20120272191A1
• Filed: 06/28/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo Singapore Pte Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Dubs, Justin Tyler, Dudkowski, Eric Edward, Kluttz, Karen Ruth, Stewart, Aaron Michael
• Granted Patent: US 9,292,198 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/851
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

For rotational graphical user interface navigation, a display module displays a first face of a uniform prism rotatable only about a central horizontal axis. The uniform prism includes a plurality of faces. Each face has Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls for a unique function set. Only one face of the uniform prism is visible at a time. Each face is displayed with a geometric shape conforming to a face geometry of the multidimensional solid when the multidimensional solid is being rotated, and a face is displayed as filling a screen when the multidimensional solid is not being rotated. An input module receives a rotational command. The rotational command rotates the uniform prism around the central horizontal axis. The rotation module rotates the uniform prism to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the uniform prism.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored on a tangible storage device, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to:

display a first face of a uniform prism rotatable only about a central horizontal axis and comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls for a unique function set, wherein only one face of the uniform prism is visible at a time, each face is displayed with a geometric shape conforming to a face geometry of the multidimensional solid when the multidimensional solid is being rotated, and a face is displayed as filling a screen when the multidimensional solid is not being rotated;

receive a rotational command, the rotational command rotating the uniform prism around the central horizontal axis; and

rotate the uniform prism to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the uniform prism.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computer to receive the rotational command from a touch screen.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computer to receive the rotational command from a thumbwheel GUI represented on the touch screen.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computer to receive the rotational command from a track ball GUI represented on the touch screen.

5. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the rotational command is generated in response to at least one finger being drawn along a surface vector of the touch screen.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein an input device selected from a mouse, a mechanical thumbwheel, a mechanical track ball, a pointing stick, a joy stick, and a touch pad generates the rotational command.

7. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional solid comprises a number of faces in the range of two to twenty.

8. The computer program of claim 1, wherein the multidimensional solid is rotatable about a number of axes in the range of one to five.

9. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed on a screen with a horizontal dimension in the range of one to twenty centimeters.

10. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein each face is displayed on a screen with a vertical dimension in the range of one to ten centimeters.

11. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program is further configured to cause the computer to assign functions to a face in response to a user command.

12. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computer to shift from a first functional set group to a second functional set group in response to a user command.

13. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computer to rotate the multidimensional solid to display the first face when data for the first face becomes relevant.

14. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computer to rotate the multidimensional solid to display the first face when the second face is unused for a specified time interval.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a computer readable storage medium storing computer readable programs executable by a processor, the computer readable programs comprising;

a display module displaying a first face of a uniform prism rotatable only about a central horizontal axis and comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls for a unique function set, wherein only one face of the uniform prism is visible at a time, each face is displayed with a geometric shape conforming to a face geometry of the multidimensional solid when the multidimensional solid is being rotated, and a face is displayed as filling a screen when the multidimensional solid is not being rotated;

an input module receiving a rotational command, the rotational command configured to rotate the uniform prism around the central horizontal axis; and

a rotation module rotating the uniform prism to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the uniform prism.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the rotational command is received from a thumbwheel GUI represented on a touch screen.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the rotational command is received from a track ball GUI represented on a touch screen.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the rotational command is generated in response to at least one finger being drawn along a surface vector of a touch screen.

19. A system comprising:

a touch screen;

a memory module configured to store instructions and data;

a processor module in communication with the touch screen and the memory module, executing the instructions and data, and comprising

a display module displaying a first face of a uniform prism rotatable only about a central horizontal axis and comprising a plurality of faces wherein each face comprises Graphical User Interface (GUI) controls for a unique function set, wherein only one face of the uniform prism is visible at a time, each face is displayed with a geometric shape conforming to a face geometry of the multidimensional solid when the multidimensional solid is being rotated, and a face is displayed as filling a screen when the multidimensional solid is not being rotated;

an input module receiving a rotational command, the rotational command configured to rotate the uniform prism around the central horizontal axis; and

a rotation module rotating the uniform prism to display a second face in response to the rotational command, displaying the rotation of the uniform prism.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the rotational command is received from a thumbwheel GUI represented on a touch screen.