Techniques for navigating layers of a user interface

• US 6,246,406 B1
• Filed: 02/03/2000
• Issued: 06/12/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Fogg, B J, Nielsen, Jakob
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US09/497,206
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 345/340, 345/344, 345/345, 345/145, 345/358, 345/156, 345/179
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/014 Force feedback applied to GUI
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence

Abstract

A graphical user interface permits navigating through a plurality of stacked window layers or image planes. In one form, moving through one image plane to an image plane below simulates pressing on an elastic membrane until it bursts. In another form, worm holes are used to access selected layers at different depths. In another embodiment, a property analogous to thickness, is associated with an image plane and the amount of time or force required to pass through the image plane is controlled as a function of thickness. In yet another form, a force feedback input/output device having three degrees of freedom is used to give a user the feel of physically penetrating through plural stacked layers.

Claims

1. A method of navigating through multiple layers of overlapping display planes, comprising the steps of:

a. attributing a property analogous to thickness to one or more of said layers; and

b. controlling an amount of time required to cycle past a layer to a lower layer based on said thickness property.

2. A method of navigating through multiple layers of overlapping display planes, comprising the steps of:

a. attributing a property analogous to thickness to one or more of said layers; and

b. controlling an amount of force required to be applied to an input/output device to cycle past a layer to a lower layer based on said thickness property.

3. A method of navigating through multiple layers of overlapping display planes, comprising the step of:

a. when navigating through a display plane, modifying display of the plane to give the appearance of an elastic membrane being penetrated by an object.

4. The method of claim 3 in which a sound which changes with an amount of apparent penetration accompanies changes in said display.

5. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium;

said computer program comprising instructions for attributing a property analogous to thickness to one or more of image planes of a stack of image planes; and

controlling the amount of time required to navigate past a layer to a different layer based on said thickness property.

6. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program comprising instructions for attributing a property analogous to thickness to one or more of image planes of a stack of image planes; and

controlling the amount of force required to navigate past a layer to a different layer based on said thickness property.

7. The computer program product of claim 6 further comprising the steps of causing a minimum resistance point for different layers to occur at a different physical displacements along one direction of movement of said force feedback input/output device.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program comprising instructions for modifying the display of an image plane to give the appearance of an elastic membrane being penetrated by an object when navigating through one or more image planes.

9. A computer program product, comprising:

a. a memory medium; and

b. a computer program stored on said memory medium, said computer program comprising instructions for applying resistance to a force feedback input/output device, the resistance emulating pressing on and penetration of an elastic membrane when a user desires to navigate through one of a plurality of stacked image planes.

10. A method of navigating through multiple layers of overlapping display planes using an input/output device with force feedback, comprising the step of:

a. pressing in one direction on said input/output device while applying resistance emulating pressing on and penetration of an elastic membrane.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of causing a minimum resistance point for different layers to occur at different physical displacements along said direction.