Systems and methods for node tracking and notification in a control framework including a zoomable graphical user interface

• US 8,601,396 B2
• Filed: 01/30/2004
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DRNC Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hillcrest Laboratories Incorporated (CEVA Incorporated)
• Inventors: Hunleth, Frank A., Simpkins, Daniel S., Gritton, Charles W. K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): ORR, HENRY W
• Application Number:
  US10/768,460
• Publication Number:
  US 20040252120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,595 Days
• Field of Search: 715/853
• US Class Current: 715/853
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range

Abstract

Systems and methods according to the present invention provide a control framework for organizing, selecting and launching media items including graphical user interfaces coupled with an optional 3D control device for collection of the basic control primitives of point, click, scroll, hover and zoom which permit for easy and rapid selection of media items, e.g., movies, songs etc., from large or small collections. The remote control maps natural hand movements and gestures into relevant commands while the graphical display uses images, zooming for increased/decreased levels of detail and continuity of GUI objects to provide easy organization, selection and navigation among the media items by a user.

Claims

1. In control framework having a plurality of nodes, a subset of said plurality of nodes associated with a displayed portion of a graphical user interface (GUI), a method for tracking said plurality of nodes comprising the steps of:

maintaining a data structure which contains boundary information associated with each of said subset of nodes;

changing said displayed portion of said GUI, which is displayed on a television, from a first portion to a second portion;

evaluating said data structure based upon said changing step to determine whether a node has moved into or out of said displayed portion of said GUI; and

selectively notifying said node based on a result of said evaluating step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said each of said plurality of nodes is a user interface object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least some of said user interface objects are associated with software applications.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of maintaining a data structure further comprises the step of:

maintaining a linked list of transition blocks, each of said transition blocks being associated with a boundary of one of said nodes in said subset of nodes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of maintaining a data structure further comprises the step of:

maintaining a plurality of linked lists, each associated with one of a plurality of different dimensions.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of different dimensions include at least one of horizontal, vertical and depth dimensions.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of different dimensions include time.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said plurality of different dimensions include at least one of content type and content rating.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said boundary information includes locations of boundary shape edges.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said boundary shapes are rectangles.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of changing said displayed portion of said GUI further comprises the step of:

zooming into or out of said GUI.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of changing said displayed portion of said GUI further comprises the step of:

panning from said first portion to said second portion of said GUI.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of changing said displayed portion of said GUI further comprises the step of:

operating a filter to move from said first portion of said GUI to said second portion of said GUI.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of evaluating said data structure further comprises the step of:

changing a pointer to point at a portion of said data structure which is outside of said second portion of said GUI.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of evaluating said data structure further comprises the step of:

determining whether to notify one of said plurality of nodes based on at least one of;

a node side, a view side and a view move direction.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said step of evaluating said data structure further comprises the step of:

determining, for each block in said data structure passed by said pointer, whether to notify a corresponding one of said plurality of nodes based on at least one of;

a node side, a view side and a view move direction.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of selectively notifying further comprises the step of:

notifying said node when said node partially intersects with said second portion of said GUI.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of selectively notifying further comprises the step of:

notifying said node only when said node fully intersects with said second portion of said GUI.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of selectively notifying further comprises the step of:

notifying said node when said node intersects with said second portion of said GUI after evaluating a plurality of data structures associated with a plurality of dimensions.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

activating a function associated with said node if when said node has moved into or out of said displayed portion of said GUI.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said function is launching a software application when said node has moved into said displayed portion of said GUI.

22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing an executable program that performs the steps of:

maintaining a data structure which contains boundary information associated with each of a subset of nodes;

changing a displayed portion of a graphical user interface (GUI) from a first portion to a second portion;

evaluating said data structure based upon said changing step to determine whether a node has moved into or out of said displayed portion of said GUI; and

selectively notifying said node based on a result of said evaluating step.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said each of said plurality of nodes is a user interface object.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein at least some of said user interface objects are associated with software applications.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of maintaining a data structure further comprises the step of:

maintaining a linked list of transition blocks, each of said transition blocks being associated with a boundary of one of said nodes in said subset of nodes.

26. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of maintaining a data structure further comprises the step of:

maintaining a plurality of linked lists, each associated with one of a plurality of different dimensions.

27. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said plurality of different dimensions include at least one of horizontal, vertical and depth dimensions.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said plurality of different dimensions include time.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 26, wherein said plurality of different dimensions include at least one of content type and content rating.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said boundary information includes locations of boundary shape edges.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 30, wherein said boundary shapes are rectangles.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of changing said displayed portion of said GUI further comprises the step of:

zooming into or out of said GUI.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of changing said displayed portion of said GUI further comprises the step of:

panning from said first portion to said second portion of said GUI.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of changing said displayed portion of said GUI further comprises the step of:

operating a filter to move from said first portion of said GUI to said second portion of said GUI.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of evaluating said data structure further comprises the step of:

changing a pointer to point at a portion of said data structure which is outside of said second portion of said GUI.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of evaluating said data structure further comprises the step of:

determining whether to notify one of said plurality of nodes based on at least one of;

a node side, a view side and a view move direction.

37. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 36, wherein said step of evaluating said data structure further comprises the step of:

determining, for each block in said data structure passed by said pointer, whether to notify a corresponding one of said plurality of nodes based on at least one of;

a node side, a view side and a view move direction.

38. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of selectively notifying further comprises the step of:

notifying said node when said node partially intersects with said second portion of said GUI.

39. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of selectively notifying further comprises the step of:

notifying said node only when said node fully intersects with said second portion of said GUI.

40. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, wherein said step of selectively notifying further comprises the step of:

notifying said node when said node intersects with said second portion of said GUI after evaluating a plurality of data structures associated with a plurality of dimensions.

41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 22, further comprising the step of:

activating a function associated with said node when said node has moved into or out of said displayed portion of said GUI.

42. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 41, wherein said function is launching a software application when said node has moved into said displayed portion of said GUI.