Pan-zoom tool

• US 7,814,439 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Autodesk, Inc.
• Inventors: Pieke, Robert J., Fitzmaurice, George W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault; Steven B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Tuyetlien T
• Application Number:
  US10/684,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20040141010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,554 Days
• Field of Search: 715/856, 715/711, 715/808, 715/810, 715/840, 715/864, 715/708, 715/721, 715/768, 715/798, 715/714, 715/845, 345/157
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

The present invention is a system that provides a user with a pan-zoom tool that is controlled by a limited input device, such as a pen or stylus, of a pen based computer. The pan-zoom tool is a semitransparent, bull'"'"'s eye type tracking menu that tracks the position of the pen. A pen-cursor or tracking symbol that corresponds to the location of the pen is allowed to move about within a pan-zoom tool graphic. The tool is moved when the location of the pen encounters a tracking boundary of the tool at an exterior edge of the menu. While moving within the pen-mouse the pen can select pan and zoom functions located in concentric rings of the tool graphic as the active function of the tool. Once one of the pan or zoom functions is activated motion of the pen on the surface of the display is interpreted as corresponding pan or zoom control commands, the tool is becomes transparent and the tracking symbol is replaced by a corresponding pan or zoom icon. The concentric ring menu can have additional button type controls, for functions in addition to pan and zoom, located on a boundary between the rings forming access lanes for movement of the tracking menu during function selection. The function or control of the center ring can be the most recently selected function.

Claims

1. A graphical user interface display, comprising:

a first region control initiating a first function when activated;

a second region control associated with the first region control, the second region control having an outer edge and initiating a second function;

a tracking menu boundary surrounding the first and second region controls and coincident with the outer edge and the tracking menu boundary surrounding a menu and the first and second region controls which are always visible when one of the first and second region controls is not activated and always not visible when one of the first and second region controls is activated when a position transducer is in a down state over one of the first and second region controls; and

a tracking symbol tracking a position of the position transducer moved by a user when the position transducer is in a tracking state, movable within the first and second region controls, initiating movement of the interface to track the tracking symbol when the tracking menu boundary is encountered by the tracking symbol during movement of the tracking symbol and the position transducer is in the tracking state and indicating event focus for activating and performing the first and second functions when the position transducer is in a down state over one of the first and second region controls.

2. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the second region control surrounds the first region control.

3. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 2, wherein the first region control is circular in shape.

4. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the second region control is a most frequently used function.

5. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the first function is a zoom function and the second function is a pan function.

6. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display is semi transparent when the functions are not activated, transparent when the functions are activated and one of a zoom and a pan icon replaces the tracking symbol when the functions are activated.

7. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the first region control is circular shaped and the second region control is ring shaped.

8. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 7, wherein the second region control is made invisible during movement and an icon for the second region control is displayed when the tracking symbol is over the second region control.

9. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 7, wherein the second region control is segmented into ring segments each being a different control.

10. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 7, further comprising a ring control having a ring shape surrounding the second control region and initiating a third function when activated.

11. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 10, further comprising a button control initiating a third function when activated and located on a boundary between the first and second region controls.

12. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 10, further comprising a button control initiating a third function when activated and located within a region.

13. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface display is transparent when the one of the functions are activated and semitransparent when the functions are not activated.

14. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, further comprising a button control initiating a third function when activated and located on a boundary between the first and second region controls.

15. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, further comprising button controls initiating a function when activated and located on a boundary between the first and second region controls and creating access channels for movement of the tracking symbol within the interface.

16. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the second region control has an exterior graphic edge and the tracking boundary coincides with the exterior graphic edge.

17. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is invoked by pressing an activation key.

18. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is displayed while an activation key is active.

34. A graphical user interface display as recited in claim 1, wherein said initiating movement of the interface to track the tracking symbol occurs when the menu and controls are not visible when the position transducer is in the down state.

19. A graphical user interface display, comprising:

a circular shaped first region control initiating a zoom function when activated;

a ring shaped second region control surrounding the circular shaped first control region control and initiating a pan function when activated;

a ring control having a ring shape surrounding the ring shaped second control region having an outer edge and initiating a third function when activated, the third function being a most frequently used function;

button controls initiating additional functions when activated, located on a boundary between the first and second region controls and creating access channels for movement of a tracking symbol within the graphical user interface display;

a tracking menu boundary surrounding the ring control and coincident with the outer edge and the tracking menu boundary surrounding a menu and the controls which are always visible when one of the controls is not activated and always not visible when one of the controls is activated when the tracking symbol is in a down state over one of the controls,

wherein the graphical user interface is semi transparent when any of the functions are not activated, transparent when any of the functions are activated when the tracking symbol is in the down state and a function icon replaces the tracking symbol when the functions are activated,

wherein the ring shaped second region control is made invisible during movement and an icon for the ring shaped second region control is displayed when the tracking symbol is over the ring shaped second region control, and

wherein the ring shaped second region control has an exterior graphic edge and the tracking boundary coincides with the exterior graphic edge.

20. A user interface display, comprising:

a movable control having a first function activatable in an entire peripheral region of the control and a second function activatable in a central region of the movable control having an exterior edge; and

a tracking symbol movable within the control in a tracking state and moving the control when the tracking symbol is in the tracking state and the exterior edge of the peripheral region is encountered and the control is always visible when one of the functions is not activated and always not visible when one of the functions is activated when the tracking symbol is in a down state over the central region of the movable control or entire peripheral region of the movable control.

21. A user interface display, comprising:

a tracking menu having a first function activatable in an entire peripheral region of the tracking menu and the tracking menu having an exterior edge, a second function activatable in a central region of the tracking menu and a tracking symbol tracking a position of a user positionable input transducer when in a tracking state and causing the tracking menu to move when the exterior edge is encountered and when the user positionable input transducer is in the tracking state and the tracking menu is always visible when one of the functions is not activated and always not visible when one of the functions is activated when the user positionable input transducer is in a down state over the entire peripheral region of the tracking menu or the central region of the tracking menu.

22. A method, comprising:

displaying a pan-zoom tracking menu tool having an exterior edge;

allowing a user to select pan and zoom operations using the pan-zoom tracking menu tool and an input transducer;

performing a selected one of the pan and zoom operations responsive to movements of the input transducer by the user and causing the menu to move when the exterior edge is encountered when the input transducer is in a tracking state;

presenting the menu as always visible when one of the operations is not activated and always not visible when one of the operations is activated and the input transducer is in a down state.

23. A method as recited in claim 22, displaying a corresponding pan and zoom tracking symbol icon as a replacement for the tool during the performing.

24. A method as recited in claim 23, wherein replacement occurs when the tool is pinned.

25. A method as recited in claim 22, further comprising designating a zoom control axis responsive to initial movement of the input transducer after the zoom operation is selected.

26. A method as recited in claim 25, further comprising controlling a zoom scale factor responsive to a projection of transducer movements onto the control axis.

27. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the tool includes a replaceable control and said method further comprises designating the replaceable control as the most recently selected pan and zoom operation.

28. A method as recited in claim 22, wherein the tool can be pinned and the tool is unpinned when the transducer moves beyond an unpin border.

29. An apparatus, comprising:

a display;

a pen type input transducer; and

a computer coupled to the display and the pen type input transducer and providing a pan-zoom tracking menu on the display and allowing a user to select and perform pan and zoom operations using the transducer input when the pen type input transducer is in a down state and moving the menu when an outer edge of the menu is encountered when the pen type input transducer is in a tracking state, and displaying the menu as always visible when one of the operations is not activated and always not visible when one of the operations is activated when the pen type input transducer is in the down state.

30. A computer readable storage controlling a computer via a pan-zoom tracking menu having the appearance of a center and a surrounding ring and interpreting transducer input events as pan and zoom selection and control events and interpreting transducer motion as a menu move event when an outer edge of the menu is encountered when in a transducer tracking state, and the menu is always visible when one of the control events indicates pan or zoom is not activated and always not visible when one of the control events indicates pan or zoom is activated when in a transducer down state.

31. A computer readable storage controlling a computer by producing a graphical user interface on a display that has an appearance of a center and a surrounding ring graphic, moving the graphic on the display as a tracking menu responsive to movement of a pen when an outer edge of the surrounding ring graphic is encountered and the pen is in a tracking state, interpreting input events initiated by the pen as pan and zoom selection and control events, and the graphical user interface is always visible when one of the control events indicates pan or zoom is not activated and always not visible when one of the control events indicates pan or zoom is activated and when the pen is in a down state.

32. A graphical user interface display, comprising:

a pan-zoom tracking menu having a zoom control in a center and a pan control surrounding the zoom control and with the tracking menu moving when an area immediately outside the menu is about to be reached when in a tracking state and the menu is always visible when one of the controls is not activated and always not visible when one of the controls is activated when in a down state.

33. A graphical user interface display displaying an interface, comprising:

a first region control initiating a first function when activated;

a second region control associated with the first region control having an outer edge and initiating a second function;

a tracking menu boundary surrounding the first and second region controls and coincident with the outer edge; and

a tracking symbol tracking a position of a position transducer moved by a user, movable within the first and second region controls when the position transducer is in a tracking state, initiating movement of the interface to track the tracking symbol when the boundary is encountered by the tracking symbol during movement of the tracking symbol and the position transducer is in the tracking state and indicating event focus for activating and performing the first and second functions when the position transducer is in a down state.