User interface for media playback

• US 8,281,244 B2
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Neuman, Michael, Bachman, William Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Rinehart, Mark
• Assistant Examiner(s): DRAGOESCU, CLAUDIA B
• Application Number:
  US12/482,994
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318928A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 715/716, 715/810, 715/817, 715/818, 715/834, 715/835, 715/839
• US Class Current: 715/716
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/64 Browsing; Visualisation therefor generation of a list or set of audio data G06F16/638
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A graphical user interface made up of icons representing individual files and collectively forming the shape of a spiral is described along with methods of using and creating the graphical user interface. The spiral interface is useful to display detailed information about many of the items in a list and facilitates manipulation of list order and selection of the active file in the list. The interface further permits the use of a representative icon associated with the list as a whole.

Claims

1. A method of playlist manipulation implemented on a machine that includes at least one processing device, the method comprising:

implementing at least one of the following via said at least one processor;

providing a graphical user interface in the form of a receding spiral made up of a collection of icons, each icon representing a media item in a playlist, wherein the collection of icons in the receding spiral update their position and size in the receding spiral when an active media item changes such that a first set of icons representing yet-to-be-played media items are unwound, a second set of icons representing previously-played media items are wound, and an icon representing the active media item remains in approximately a constant location of the receding spiral;

providing an icon in a center region of the receding spiral representing the playlist;

receiving an input representative of dragging a representation of a media item or playlist into the center region of the receding spiral;

generating a new playlist based on the received input; and

displaying a new receding spiral based on the new playlist.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the new receding spiral is generated based on a playlist created using similarity data related to the new media item in the center region of the receding spiral, the media items in the playlist are considered similar to the new media item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the icons representing the media items in the playlist are derived from album art.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the icon in the center region of the receding spiral is derived from album art when the playlist is generated based on a media item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon in the center region of the receding spiral is a generic icon representing a playlist.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon representing the active media item appears in the foreground and the icons representing other media items in the playlist recede to the background in accordance to the proximity of each media item to the active media item in the playlist.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein the icon representing the active media item separates the first set of icons and the second set of icons.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein another icon representing a previously-played media item becomes smaller as the active media item changes.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein another icon representing a to-be-played media item becomes larger as the active media item changes.

6. A machine implemented method a manipulating a playlist comprising:

implementing at least one of the following via said at least one processor;

providing a graphical user interface in the form of a receding spiral made up of a collection of icons, each icon representing a media item in a playlist, wherein the collection of icons in the receding spiral update their position and size in the receding spiral when an active media item changes such that a first set of icons representing yet-to-be-played media items are unwound, a second set of icons representing previously-played media items are wound, and an icon representing the active media item remains in approximately a constant location of the receding spiral;

providing an icon in a central region of the spiral representing the playlist;

receiving an input representative of a selection and movement, to a new position, of an icon representing a media item in the playlist; and

reproducing the playlist according to the new position of the icon and responsively updating the graphical user interface based on the rearranged playlist.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a media item is removed from the playlist by receiving inputs representative of a selection and movement of a media item out of the spiral.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a new playlist is represented by the spiral when an icon representing a media item or playlist is selected and relocated to the central region of the spiral.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

emphasizing a specific icon of the collection of icons in response to a cursor being positioned over the specific icon.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the specific icon is emphasized by bringing the icon into a foreground.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the specific icon is emphasized by enlarging the icon.

24. The method of claim 9, wherein the specific icon is emphasized by displaying information associated with the icon in a heads-up-display.

29. The machine implemented method of claim 6, wherein the icon representing the active media item appears in the foreground and the icons representing other media items in the playlist recede to the background in accordance to the proximity of each media item to the active media item in the playlist.

30. The machine implemented method of claim 6, wherein the icon representing the active media item separates the first set of icons and the second set of icons.

31. The method of claim 6, wherein another icon representing a previously-played media item becomes smaller as the active media changes.

32. The method of claim 6, wherein another icon representing a to-be-played media item becomes larger as the active media item changes.

12. A computer-readable medium comprising computer program code causing a device to perform a method comprising:

mapping graphical representations of at least some items in a playlist to locations on a virtual display wherein the collective graphical representations of the items comprises a receding spiral, wherein the graphical representation of the items in the receding spiral update their position and size in the receding spiral when an active media item changes such that a first set of icons representing yet-to-be-played media items are unwound, a second set of icons representing previously-played media items are wound, and an icon representing the active media item remains in approximately a constant location of the receding spiral;

displaying the contents of the virtual display on a display device;

detecting a selection action representative of selecting one of the graphical representations;

detecting a move action representative of relocating the position of the selected graphical representation;

displaying the graphical representation throughout the move action, whereby the potential new order of the playlist is displayed;

reordering the playlist based on the relocated position of the selected graphical representation;

providing an icon in a center region of the receding spiral representing the entire playlist;

receiving an input representative of a dragging a representation of a media item or playlist into the center region of the receding spiral;

generating a new playlist based on the received input; and

displaying a new receding spiral based on the new playlist.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the move action caused relocation of a graphical representation of a media item that is outside of the spiral into the spiral and the reordering comprises incorporating the media item into the playlist represented by the spiral.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the move action is representative of moving the media item from a directory folder.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the move action is representative of moving the media item from a media management graphical user interface.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the icon representing the active media item appears in the foreground and the icons representing other media items in the playlist recede to the background in accordance to the proximity of each media item to the active media item in the playlist.

34. The non-transitory computer readable of claim 12, wherein the icon representing the active media item separates the first set of icons and the second set of icons.

16. A method for managing a list in a graphical user interface comprising:

implementing at least one of the following via said at least one processor;

generating a relative ordering for a list of digital files;

displaying a graphical user interface comprising respective graphical icons for each digital file, the respective graphical icons positioned for maintaining the relative ordering, and collectively producing a spiral pattern;

graphically distinguishing, on the display, the icon for a currently selected digital file;

updating the spiral pattern based on changes of the currently selected digital file to maintain each then-currently selected digital file in approximately a constant location, while previously currently selected digital files are segregated from to-be-selected digital files by the icon for the currently selected digital file, wherein a first set of the graphical icons representing the previously currently selected digital files are wound and a second set of graphical icons representing the yet-to-be-selected digital files are unwound when the currently selected digital file changes to a next digital file in the ordered list;

accepting digital file sequence manipulation input from the graphical user interface;

based on the sequence manipulation input, generating a different ordering for the list of digital files;

providing an icon in a center region of the receding spiral representing the entire playlist;

receiving an input representative of a dragging a representation of a media item or playlist into the center region of the receding spiral;

generating a new playlist based on the received input; and

displaying a new receding spiral based on the new playlist.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of updating includes an animation sequence to illustrate the change in the currently selected digital file.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the animation illustrates the spiral rotating the new currently selected digital file into the approximately constant location designated for the currently selected file.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein a new digital file is inserted into the list by inserting a graphical representation of a new digital file into the spiral pattern.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the new digital file is inserted into the list in the same relative position as the position that the graphical representation of the new digital file was inserted into the spiral relative to the other files already in the list.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the new list is created based on similarity data associated with the new digital file.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the graphical representation of the new digital file is selected from outside of the spiral.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the graphical representation of the new digital file is selected from one of the items already within the spiral.

35. The method of claim 16, wherein the icon representing the currently selected digital file appears in the foreground and the icons representing other media items in the playlist recede to the background in accordance to the proximity of each media item to the active media item in the playlist.