Multi-pane graphical user interface for mobile electronic device

• US 8,930,845 B2
• Filed: 09/04/2007
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ma, Jeffrey, Bull, William E., Wood, Policarpo
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, THANH T
• Application Number:
  US11/849,935
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,681 Days
• Field of Search: 715/864, 715/861, 715/825, 715/815, 715/716, 715/727, 715/779, 715/730, 715/788, 715/800, 715/802, 715/801, 715/810, 715/813, 715/792, 715/798
• US Class Current: 715/788
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/44 Browsing; Visualisation therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D

Abstract

Improved approaches to display information on a portable computing device having a display with limited display area are disclosed. The information displayed can, for example, assist a user in navigating a hierarchical menu system operable on the portable computing device to browse, search or play media items. In one embodiment, the information displayed can be presented in a multi-pane display screen (or graphical user interface). One pane can present a list of selectable items, such as a list of selectable media items. The list can represent one menu in the hierarchical menu system. Another pane can present other information that can be related to the list being displayed. For example, the other information can be data contextually related to the list. In one embodiment, the size of the panes of a multi-pane display screen can adapt dependent on user interaction and/or characteristics of the data being display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying, on a computing device, a window that includes a selection pane and a presentation pane, the selection pane including one or more selectable items;

receiving input corresponding to a selection of a selectable item;

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the selection of the selectable item, replacing the selection pane with a new selection pane, wherein replacing the selection pane with the new selection pane includes ceasing to display the selection pane and displaying the new selection pane in an area of the window that was previously occupied by the selection pane;

displaying in the new selection pane one or more new selectable items that are based upon the selection of the selectable item;

determining whether the new selection pane needs to be resized;

in accordance with a determination that the new selection pane needs to be resized, resizing the new selection pane;

determining whether content contextually related to the selectable item is available;

retrieving contextually related content related to the selectable item; and

dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content in the presentation pane.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein replacing the selection pane with the new selection pane includes an animation.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the animation includes sliding the selection pane out of the window while sliding the new selection pane into the window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the resizing is pre-determined.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining an amount of the window that is occupied by the selection pane; and

determining an amount of the window that is needed to display the one or more new selectable items, wherein when the amount of the window that is needed to display the one or more new selectable items is greater than the amount of the window that is occupied by the selection pane, the new selection pane is resized.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the new selection pane is large enough to display the one or more new selectable items; and

presenting an alternate display of the one or more new selectable items when the new selection pane is not large enough to display the one or more new selectable items.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that only a portion of the contextually related content is available; and

automatically updating the contextually related content when the contextually related content subsequently becomes available.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a threshold value corresponding to a size of the new selection pane; and

determining whether the size of the new selection pane exceeds the threshold value, wherein when the size of the new selection pane exceeds the threshold value, the new selection pane needs to be resized.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content includes determining whether the presentation pane needs to be modified and in accordance with a determination that the presentation pane needs to be modified, resizing the presentation pane concurrently with resizing the new selection pane.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the contextually related content is unavailable; and

presenting default content in the presentation pane.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content in the presentation pane includes resizing the presentation pane; and

resizing the new selection pane and resizing the presentation pane are performed in response to receiving the input corresponding to the selection of the selectable item.

13. A computer-implemented system, comprising:

one or more data processors; and

one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media containing instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including;

displaying a window that includes a selection pane and a presentation pane, the selection pane including one or more selectable items;

receiving input corresponding to a selection of a selectable item;

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the selection of the selectable item, replacing the selection pane with a new selection pane, wherein replacing the selection pane with the new selection pane includes ceasing to display the selection pane and displaying the new selection pane in an area of the window that was previously occupied by the selection pane;

displaying in the new selection pane one or more new selectable items that are based upon the selection of the selectable item;

determining whether the new selection pane needs to be resized;

in accordance with a determination that the new selection pane needs to be resized, resizing the new selection pane;

determining whether content contextually related to the selectable item is available;

retrieving contextually related content related to the selectable item; and

dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content in the presentation pane.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein replacing the selection pane with the new selection pane includes an animation.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the animation includes sliding the selection pane out of the window while sliding the new selection pane into the window.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the resizing is pre-determined.

18. The system of claim 13, further comprising instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

determining an amount of the window that is occupied by the selection pane; and

determining an amount of the window that is needed to display the one or more new selectable items, wherein when the amount of the window that is needed to display the one or more new selectable items is greater than the amount of the window that is occupied by the selection pane, the new selection pane is resized.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

determining whether the new selection pane is large enough to display the one or more new selectable items; and

presenting an alternate display of the one or more new selectable items when the new selection pane is not large enough to display the one or more new selectable items.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

determining that only a portion of the contextually related content is available; and

automatically updating the contextually related content when the contextually related content subsequently becomes available.

21. The system of claim 13, further comprising instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

determining a threshold value corresponding to a size of the new selection pane; and

determining whether the size of the new selection pane exceeds the threshold value, wherein when the size of the new selection pane exceeds the threshold value, the new selection pane needs to be resized.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content includes determining whether the presentation pane needs to be modified and in accordance with a determination that the presentation pane needs to be modified, resizing the presentation pane concurrently with resizing the new selection pane.

23. The system of claim 13, further comprising instructions configured to cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:

determining that the contextually related content is unavailable; and

presenting default content in the presentation pane.

24. The system of claim 13, wherein:

dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content in the presentation pane includes resizing the presentation pane; and

resizing the new selection pane and resizing the presentation pane are performed in response to receiving the input corresponding to the selection of the selectable item.

25. A computer-program product, tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause a data processing apparatus to:

display a window that includes a selection pane and a presentation pane, the selection pane including one or more selectable items;

receive input corresponding to a selection of a selectable item;

in response to receiving the input corresponding to the selection of the selectable item, replace the selection pane with a new selection pane, wherein replacing the selection pane with the new selection pane includes ceasing to display the selection pane and displaying the new selection pane in an area of the window that was previously occupied by the selection pane;

display in the new selection pane one or more new selectable items that are based upon the selection of the selectable item;

determine whether the new selection pane needs to be resized;

in accordance with a determination that the new selection pane needs to be resized, resize the new selection pane;

determine whether content contextually related to the selectable item is available;

retrieve contextually related content related to the selectable item; and

dynamically present the retrieved contextually related content in the presentation pane.

26. The computer-program product of claim 25, wherein replacing the selection pane with the new selection pane includes an animation.

27. The computer-program product of claim 26, wherein the animation includes sliding the selection pane out of the window while sliding the new selection pane into the window.

28. The computer-program product of claim 25, wherein the computing device is a mobile device.

29. The computer-program product of claim 25, wherein the resizing is pre-determined.

30. The computer-program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine an amount of the window that is occupied by the selection pane; and

determine an amount of the window that is needed to display the one or more new selectable items, wherein when the amount of the window that is needed to display the one or more new selectable items is greater than the amount of the window that is occupied by the selection pane, the new selection pane is resized.

31. The computer-program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine whether the new selection pane is large enough to display the one or more new selectable items; and

present an alternate display of the one or more new selectable items when the new selection pane is not large enough to present the one or more new selectable items.

32. The computer-program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine that only a portion of the contextually related content is available; and

automatically update the contextually related content when the contextually related content subsequently becomes available.

33. The computer-program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine a threshold value corresponding to a size of the new selection pane; and

determine whether the size of the new selection pane exceeds the threshold value, wherein when the size of the new selection pane exceeds the threshold value, the new selection pane needs to be resized.

34. The computer-program product of claim 25, wherein dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content includes determining whether the presentation pane needs to be modified and in accordance with a determination that the presentation pane needs to be modified, resizing the presentation pane concurrently with resizing the new selection pane.

35. The computer-program product of claim 25, further comprising instructions configured to cause the data processing apparatus to:

determine that the contextually related content is unavailable; and

present default content in the presentation pane.

36. The computer-program product of claim 25, wherein:

dynamically presenting the retrieved contextually related content in the presentation pane includes resizing the presentation pane; and

resizing the new selection pane and resizing the presentation pane are performed in response to receiving the input corresponding to the selection of the selectable item.