Graphical Interface Having Adjustable Borders

• US 20140258902A1
• Filed: 05/27/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Wheeler, Aaron, Chi, Liang-Yu (Tom), Thrun, Sebastian, Raffle, Hayes Solos, Patel, Nirmal
• Granted Patent: US 10,067,559 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/765
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 27/017 Head mounted
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/012 Head tracking input arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

Methods and systems involving navigation of a graphical interface are disclosed herein. An example system may be configured to: (a) cause a head-mounted display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface, the graphical interface comprising (i) a view port having a view-port orientation and (ii) at least one navigable area having at least one border, the at least one border having a first border orientation; (b) receive input data that indicates movement of the view port towards the at least one border; (c) determine that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation; and (d) based on at least the determination that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation, adjust the first border orientation from the first border orientation to a second border orientation.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable medium; and

program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to;

cause a head-mountable display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface comprising (i) a graphical interface area, (ii) an intermediate area that occupies a portion of the graphical interface area, wherein the intermediate area is movable within the graphical interface area and (iii) a view port that occupies a portion of the intermediate area, wherein the view port is movable within the intermediate area;

receive head-movement data indicating a movement of the HMD;

based on the head-movement data, cause the view port to move towards a border of the intermediate area with a movement speed;

determine that the movement speed exceeds a predetermined movement-speed threshold; and

based at least on the determination that the movement speed exceeds the predetermined movement-speed threshold, move the intermediate area within the graphical interface area such that the border of the intermediate area is a predetermined difference from the view port.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein (i) the graphical interface area is a recursive graphical interface area comprising a span of 360 degrees, (ii) the intermediate area comprises an intermediate span of 180 degrees, and (iii) the view port comprises a viewing span of less than 180 degrees.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

provide a continuous visual indication of the moving of the intermediate area.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the system further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

determine that the movement speed exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold that is greater than the first predetermined movement-speed threshold.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the predetermined difference is a first predetermined difference, the system further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

based at least on the determination that the movement speed exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold, move the intermediate area within the graphical interface such that the border is an additional second predetermined difference from the view port.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

provide a continuous visual indication of the moving of the intermediate area.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the second predetermined difference is greater than the first predetermined difference.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the intermediate area is a first intermediate area, the graphical interface further comprises a second intermediate area that occupies a portion of the graphical interface area that is different from the portion of the graphical interface area occupied by the first intermediate area.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the system further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:

determine that (i) the movement speed exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within a predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area; and

based on at least the determination that (i) the movement speed exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within the predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area, cause the view port to enter the second intermediate area.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the graphical interface comprises a soft border that separates the first intermediate area and the second intermediate area.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:

causing a head-mountable display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface comprising (i) a graphical interface area, (ii) an intermediate area that occupies a portion of the graphical interface area, wherein the intermediate area is movable within the graphical interface area and (iii) a view port that occupies a portion of the intermediate area, wherein the view port is movable within the intermediate area;

receiving head-movement data indicating a movement of the HMD;

based on the head-movement data, causing the view port to move towards a border of the intermediate area with a movement speed;

determining that the movement speed exceeds a predetermined movement-speed threshold; and

based at least on the determination that the movement speed exceeds the predetermined movement-speed threshold, moving the intermediate area within the graphical interface area such that the border of the intermediate area is a predetermined difference from the view port.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the functions further comprising:

determining that the movement speed exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold that is greater than the first predetermined movement-speed threshold.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the predetermined difference is a first predetermined difference, the functions further comprising:

based at least on the determination that the movement speed exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold, moving the intermediate area within the graphical interface such that the border is an additional second predetermined difference from the view port.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the second predetermined difference is greater than the first predetermined difference.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein (i) the graphical interface area is a recursive graphical interface area comprising a span of 360 degrees, (ii) the intermediate area comprises an intermediate span of 180 degrees, and (iii) the view port comprises a viewing span of less than 180 degrees.

16. A method comprising:

causing a head-mountable display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface comprising (i) a graphical interface area, (ii) an intermediate area that occupies a portion of the graphical interface area, wherein the intermediate area is movable within the graphical interface area and (iii) a view port that occupies a portion of the intermediate area, wherein the view port is movable within the intermediate area;

receiving head-movement data indicating a movement of the HMD;

based on the head-movement data, causing the view port to move towards a border of the intermediate area with a movement speed;

determining that the movement speed exceeds a predetermined movement-speed threshold; and

based at least on the determination that the movement speed exceeds the predetermined movement-speed threshold, moving the intermediate area within the graphical interface area such that the border of the intermediate area is a predetermined difference from the view port.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining that the movement speed exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold that is greater than the first predetermined movement-speed threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

based at least on the determination that the movement speed exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold, moving the intermediate area within the graphical interface such that the border is an additional second predetermined difference from the view port.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the intermediate area is a first intermediate area, the graphical interface further comprises a second intermediate area that occupies a portion of the graphical interface area that is different from the portion of the graphical interface area occupied by the first intermediate area.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the method further comprising:

determining that (i) the movement speed exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within a predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area; and

based on at least the determination that (i) the movement speed exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within the predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area, causing the view port to enter the second intermediate area.