CAUSING DISPLAY OF A THREE DIMENSIONAL GRAPHICAL USER INTERFACE

• US 20130285920A1
• Filed: 04/25/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Colley, Ashley
• Granted Patent: US 9,904,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

An apparatus comprises at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to cause a view of a three-dimensional graphical user interface to be displayed on a touch-sensitive display, the three-dimensional graphical user interface comprising a three-dimensional arrangement of a plurality of graphical objects, each of the graphical objects, when displayed, having an associated display parameter, to identify at least one graphical object for which the associated display parameter satisfies a predetermined criterion, and to enable individual selectability in respect of the identified at least one graphical object, wherein each individually selectable graphical object is selectable with a touch input and wherein individually selecting a graphical object with a touch input causes an action to be performed in respect of the selected graphical object.

Claims

1. Apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus:

to cause a view of a three-dimensional graphical user interface to be displayed on a touch-sensitive display, the three-dimensional graphical user interface comprising a three-dimensional arrangement of a plurality of graphical objects, each of the graphical objects, when displayed, having an associated display parameter;

to identify at least one graphical object for which the associated display parameter satisfies a predetermined criterion; and

to enable individual selectability in respect of the identified at least one graphical object, wherein each individually selectable graphical object is selectable with a touch input and wherein individually selecting a graphical object with a touch input causes an action to be performed in respect of the selected graphical object.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to adapt the appearance of the identified at least one graphical object so as to indicate to a user that the graphical object is individually selectable.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus:

to identify a plurality of the graphical objects for which the associated display parameter does not satisfy the predetermined criterion; and

to cause the three-dimensional arrangement of graphical objects to be adapted by causing the identified plurality of graphical objects for which the associated display parameter does not satisfy the predetermined criterion to be moved into a cluster.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus to enable selectability of the cluster via a touch input.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus:

to receive a signal indicative of a touch input having been received in respect of the cluster;

to respond by changing the point from which the adapted three-dimensional arrangement is viewed until the display parameters associated with each of the graphical objects in the cluster satisfy the predetermined criterion; and

to enable the individual selectability of the each of the graphical objects in the cluster.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus:

to cause a handle to be displayed in association with each of the graphical objects for which the display parameter does not satisfy the predetermined criterion, wherein a display parameter associated with at least part of the handle satisfies the predetermined criterion; and

to enable selectability of the handle associated with each graphical object.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus:

to receive a signal indicative a request to change the point from which the three-dimensional graphical user interface is viewed;

to respond by causing a changed view of the three-dimensional graphical user interface to be displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

to calculate an interaction metric in respect of the changed view; and

to optimise the interaction metric by automatically adjusting the point from which the three-dimensional graphical user interface is viewed or by adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured, with the at least one processor, to cause the apparatus:

to calculate the interaction metric for the three-dimensional graphical user interface at a plurality of different adjusted views or for a plurality of different adjusted three-dimensional arrangements; and

to cause the view or arrangement having the highest interaction metric to be displayed.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the associated display parameter comprises a display size of the graphical object.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the associated display parameter comprises a virtual distance of the graphical object from the touch-sensitive display.

11. A method comprising:

causing a view of a three-dimensional graphical user interface to be displayed on a touch-sensitive display, the three-dimensional graphical user interface comprising a three-dimensional arrangement of a plurality of graphical objects, each of the graphical objects, when displayed, having an associated display parameter;

identifying at least one graphical object for which the associated display parameter satisfies a predetermined criterion; and

enabling individual selectability in respect of the identified at least one graphical object, wherein each individually selectable graphical object is selectable with a touch input and wherein individually selecting a graphical object with a touch input causes an action to be performed in respect of the selected graphical object.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

adapting the appearance of the identified at least one graphical object so as to indicate to a user that the graphical object is individually selectable.

13. The method of claim 11, comprising:

identifying a plurality of the graphical objects for which the associated display parameter does not satisfy the predetermined criterion; and

causing the three-dimensional arrangement of graphical objects to be adapted by causing the identified plurality of graphical objects for which the associated display parameter does not satisfy the predetermined criterion to be moved into a cluster.

14. The method of claim 13, comprising enabling selectability of the cluster via a touch input.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicative of a touch input having been received in respect of the cluster;

responding by changing the point from which the adapted three-dimensional arrangement is viewed until the display parameters associated with each of the graphical objects in the cluster satisfy the predetermined criterion; and

enabling the individual selectability of the each of the graphical objects in the cluster.

16. The method of claim 11, comprising:

causing a handle to be displayed in association with each of the graphical objects for which the display parameter does not satisfy the predetermined criterion, wherein a display parameter associated with at least part of the handle satisfies the predetermined criterion; and

enabling selectability of the handle associated with each graphical object.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicative a request to change the point from which the three-dimensional graphical user interface is viewed;

responding by causing a changed view of the three-dimensional graphical user interface to be displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

calculating an interaction metric in respect of the changed view; and

optimising the interaction metric by automatically adjusting the point from which the three-dimensional graphical user interface is viewed or by adjusting the arrangement of the plurality of graphical objects.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein optimising the interaction metric comprises:

calculating the interaction metric for the three-dimensional graphical user interface at a plurality of different adjusted views or for a plurality of different adjusted three-dimensional arrangements; and

causing the view or arrangement having the highest interaction metric to be displayed.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the associated display parameter comprises a display size of the graphical object or wherein the associated display parameter comprises a virtual distance of the graphical object from the touch-sensitive display.

21. Computer-readable code which, when executed by computing apparatus, causes the computing apparatus to perform a method according to claim 11.

20. A non-transitory computer readable memory medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions, when executed by at least one processor, causing the at least one processor:

to cause a view of a three-dimensional graphical user interface to be displayed on a touch-sensitive display, the three-dimensional graphical user interface comprising a three-dimensional arrangement of a plurality of graphical objects, each of the graphical objects, when displayed, having an associated display parameter;

to identify at least one graphical object for which the associated display parameter satisfies a predetermined criterion; and

to enable individual selectability in respect of the identified at least one graphical object, wherein each individually selectable graphical object is selectable with a touch input and wherein individually selecting a graphical object with a touch input causes an action to be performed in respect of the selected graphical object.