Transition animation for menu structure

• US 6,049,336 A
• Filed: 08/12/1998
• Issued: 04/11/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Mugura, Kazuto, Liu, Chris Shi-Chai, Fong, Bryan Lew
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jackson, Chadwick A
• Application Number:
  US09/133,025
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 345/341, 345/350, 345/352, 345/353, 345/356, 345/357
• US Class Current: 715/830
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72469 for operating the device by selecting functions from two or more displayed items, e.g. menus or icons

Abstract

Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) are routinely used to provide visual interfaces between applications and users. Typically, a GUI displays on a screen a menu containing a plurality of menu items. A new menu may be invoked by selecting one of the menu items from the screen. Unfortunately, available GUIs do not provide satisfactory continuity in the transition from a current menu to a subsequent menu. To overcome the shortcomings of the available art, an improved GUI provides an animation in the transition from a current menu to a subsequent menu. Specifically, after a menu item has been selected from a display screen, the selected menu item is continuously moved to the top position of the display screen, while the menu selection is being processed. In the meantime, the subsequent menu items resulting from the menu selection are continuously moved into the display screen.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

displaying a screen having a menu title region and a display region;

displaying at least one menu item in the display region, the menu item being associated with a plurality of sub menu items;

activating the menu item;

automatically and continuously scrolling the activated menu item to the menu title region upon activation of the menu item; and

automatically and continuously scrolling the sub menu items into the display region while the activated menu item is being automatically scrolled toward the menu title region.

2. The method of claim 1,

wherein the menu title region is located on a top position of the screen;

and

wherein the sub menu items are automatically scrolled one item by one item into the display region from a bottom position of the screen.

3. The method of claim 1,

wherein the menu title region is located on a top position of the screen;

and

wherein the sub menu items are automatically scrolled one item by one item into the display region from the top position of the screen.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the display region contains a plurality of menu items, the method further comprising the step of:

erasing other menu items that are not activated from the display region.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the step of:

inverting a display pattern for the activated menu item before moving the activated menu item.

6. A method comprising the steps of:

displaying a screen having a menu title region and a display region;

displaying in the display region a first level menu associated with a plurality of first level menu items;

displaying an associated icon beside each of the first level menu items;

activating one of the plurality of first level menu items, the activated first level menu item being associated with at least one second level menu item;

automatically and continuously scrolling the activated first level menu item and an icon associated with the activated first menu item to the menu title region;

automatically and continuously scrolling the at least one second level menu item associated with the activated first level menu item into the display region while the activated first level menu item is automatically scrolled toward the menu title region.

7. The method of claim 6,

wherein the menu title region is located on a top position of the screen;

and

wherein the at least one second level menu item associated with the activated first level menu item is automatically scrolled from the top position into the display region.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of:

erasing other first level menu items that are not activated from the display region.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

inverting the display pattern for the activated first level menu item before automatically scrolling the activated first level menu item.

10. A method for displaying a tag containing a tag head and a message, comprising the steps of:

displaying a screen;

displaying the tag head in the screen;

activating the tag;

automatically and continuously scrolling the tag head to a top position of the screen upon activation of the tag; and

automatically and continuously scrolling the message into the screen while the tag head is automatically scrolled towards the top position of the screen.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of:

displaying a user message on the screen;

wherein the tag covers a portion of the user message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user message is a user menu.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the tag head is gradually scrolled out of the screen while the message is automatically scrolled into the whole screen.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of:

erasing the message from the screen; and

re-displaying the menu on the screen.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a screen having a menu title region and a display region;

means for displaying at least one menu item in the display region, the menu item being associated with a plurality of sub menu items;

means for activating the menu item;

means for automatically and continuously scrolling the activated menu item to the menu title region upon activation of the menu item; and

means for automatically and continuously scrolling the sub menu items into the display region while the activated menu item is automatically scrolled toward the menu title region.

16. The apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the menu title region is located on a top position of the screen;

and

wherein the sub menu items are automatically scrolled one item by one item into the display region from a bottom position of the screen.

17. The apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the menu title region is located on a top position of the screen;

and

wherein the sub menu items are automatically scrolled one item by one item into the display region from the top position of the screen.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the display region contains a plurality of menu items, the apparatus further comprising:

means for erasing other menu items that are not activated from the display region.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for inverting a display pattern for the activated menu item before scrolling the activated menu item.

20. A apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a screen having a menu title region and a display region;

means for displaying in the display region a first level menu associated with a plurality of first level menu items;

means for displaying an associated icon beside each of the first level menu items;

means for activating one of the first level menu items, the activated first level menu item being associated with at least one second level menu item;

means for automatically and continuously scrolling the activated first level menu item and an icon associated with the activated first level menu item to the menu title region;

means for automatically and continuously scrolling the second level menu item associated with the activated first level menu item into the display region while the activated first level menu item is automatically scrolled toward the menu title region.

21. The apparatus of claim 20,

wherein the menu title region is located on a top position of the screen;

and

wherein the second level menu item associated with the activated first level menu item is automatically scrolled from the top position into the display region.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for erasing other first level menu items that are not activated from the display region.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

means for inverting the display pattern for the activated first level menu item before scrolling the activated first level menu item.

24. An apparatus for displaying a tag containing a tag head and a message, comprising:

means for displaying a screen;

means for displaying the tag head in the screen;

means for activating the tag;

means for automatically and continuously scrolling the tag head to a top position of the screen upon activation of the tag; and

means for automatically and continuously scrolling the message into the screen while the tag head is automatically scrolled towards the top position of the screen.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:

means for displaying a user message on the screen;

wherein the tag covers a portion of the user message.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the user message is contained in a user menu.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the tag head is gradually, automatically scrolled out of the screen while the message is automatically scrolled into the whole screen.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for erasing the message from the screen; and

means for re-displaying the menu on the screen.

29. A method comprising the steps of:

displaying a screen having a menu title region and a display region;

displaying in the display region a first level menu associated with a plurality of first level menu items;

displaying an associated icon beside each of the first level menu items;

activating one of the first level menu item, the activated first level menu item being associated with at least one second level menu item;

continuously moving the activated first level menu item and an icon associated with the activated first menu item to the menu title region;

continuously moving the at least one second level menu item associated with the activated first level menu item into the display region while the activated first level menu item is being moved toward the menu title region;

activating the at least one second level menu item, the activated second level menu item being associated with at least one third level menu item;

continuously moving the activated second level menu item to the menu title region to replace the first level menu item previously displayed in the menu title region;

keeping the icon associated with the first level menu item in the menu title region; and

continuously moving the at least one third level menu item into the display region, upon movement of the activated second level menu item into the menu title region.

30. A apparatus comprising:

means for displaying a screen having a menu title region and a display region;

means for displaying in the display region a first level menu associated with a plurality of first level menu items;

means for displaying an associated icon beside each of the first level menu items;

means for activating one of the plurality of first level menu items, the activated first level menu item being associated with at least one second level menu item;

means for continuously moving the activated first level menu item and an icon associated with the activated first menu item to the menu title region;

means for continuously moving the at least one second level menu item associated with the activated first level menu item into the display region while the activated first level menu item is being moved toward the menu title region;

means for activating the at least one second level menu item, the activated second level menu item being associated with at least one third level menu item;

means for continuously moving the activated second level menu item to the menu title region to replace the first level menu item previously displayed in the menu title region;

means for keeping the icon associated with the first level menu item in the menu title region; and

means for continuously moving the at least one third level menu item into the display region, upon movement of the activated second level menu item into the menu title region.