3D user interface for application entities

• US 9,069,455 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2012
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Sripada, Nagaraj
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sugent, James F
• Application Number:
  US13/530,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346911A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,103 Days
• Field of Search: 715/757, 715/782, 715/836, 715/848, 715/850, 715/852, 345/653, 345/664, 345/679
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04802 3D-info-object: information is displayed on the internal or external surface of a three dimensional manipulable object, e.g. on the faces of a cube that can be rotated by the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04817 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 17/00 Three dimensional [3D] modelling, e.g. data description of 3D objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/003 Navigation within 3D models or images
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 19/20 Editing of 3D images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2219/2016 Rotation, translation, scaling

Abstract

Embodiments relate to three-dimensional user interfaces for managing and accessing applications. Applications are stored on storage of a device. A user interface is displayed on a display. The user interface includes interactively rotatable three-dimensional structures each comprised of regions, each region displaying a graphic representing a corresponding application, the applications activatable by interaction with the three-dimensional structures. Applications can be assigned to structures (volumes) manually or automatically. The three-dimensional structures may be rotated and otherwise manipulated by user input.

Claims

1. A three-dimensional user interface displayed on a display of a computing device, the user interface comprising:

a three-dimensional shape comprised of a plurality of faces, the three-dimensional shape rotating according to user input to alternatively display, as a current frontward face, various of the faces, the current frontward face comprising a face to which user input is able to be directed; and

the faces each having respective graphics corresponding to and representing respective elements of a same application, wherein a first face with a first element comprises a first media item playable by the application wherein a second face with a second element comprises a second media item playable by the application wherein both the first media item and the second media item are video clips and rotation of the three-dimensional shape by the user controls playback of the first and second media item by the application, the controlling comprising responding to a rotation of the three-dimensional shape by;

when the first face is the current frontward face and as a result of the rotation, the first face stops being the frontward facing face, responding by automatically pausing playback of the first media item and the second face becomes the frontward facing face, responding by automatically resuming playback of the second media item;

or,

when the second face is the current frontward face and as a result of the rotation, the second face stops being the frontward facing face, responding by automatically pausing playback of the second media item and the first face becomes the frontward facing face, responding by automatically resuming playback of the first media item.

2. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, wherein the elements of the application comprise items of content managed by the application, and wherein user interactions that rotate the three-dimensional shape concurrently control operation of the application such that execution of the application changes when the three-dimensional shape is rotated.

3. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, wherein which faces contain which of the graphics is interactively controlled by the user, whereby the user interactively determines which elements correspond to which of the faces.

4. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, wherein the faces of the three-dimensional shape comprise respective polygons, the three-dimensional shape comprises a polyhedron, and the three-dimensional user interface enables the user to interactively rotate the polyhedron.

5. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 4, wherein, automatically or by user input, the polyhedrons dynamically increase and decrease in number of sides, or the number of faces of the polyhedron dynamically increases and decreases.

6. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional user interface enables the user to interactively attach or detach arbitrary applications on the computing device or elements thereof to the three-dimensional shape and/or a face thereof.

7. A three-dimensional user interface according to claim 1, the process further comprising saving a state of the three-dimensional shape to a network resource from which it becomes available for use on another computing device.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media storing information to enable a computing device comprising a processor, a display, and storage, to perform a process, the process comprising:

storing a plurality of applications on the storage, each application having a corresponding graphic;

displaying a user interface on the display of the computing device, the user interface comprising a plurality of interactive shapes comprising three-dimensional volumes each comprised of a respective plurality of faces, each shape having at least one rotatably changeable frontward facing face, wherein the user interface enables a user of the computing device to interactively rotate one of the shapes thereby causing a graphic three-dimensional rotation of the interacted-with shape such that a new face of the rotated shape becomes the frontward facing face of the rotated shape, and wherein execution of the applications is controlled by interaction with the three-dimensional volumes, wherein the user interface responds to a single rotate command from the user by simultaneously rotating each of the interactive shapes, and wherein as the one of the shapes rotates from a first face to a second face, another shape with a third and fourth face simultaneously rotates the third face from facing frontward as the fourth face rotates to face frontward.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, the process further comprising responding to a search command inputted by the user to search data related to the applications by displaying the three-dimensional volumes simultaneously rotating.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 9, wherein shapes having applications that match search criteria inputted with the search command stop spinning as an application associated therewith is found.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, the process further comprising storing categories of the applications, and automatically assigning the applications to the shapes according to the categories.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, further comprising enabling the user to install new applications on the shapes, move applications between shapes, instantiate new shapes, and remove shapes.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, further comprising responding to a user selection of a given face of a given shape by newly displaying a three-dimensional application shape faces corresponding to elements of the application, the elements comprising user interfaces of the given application and/or graphical indicia of data associated with the application.

14. A method performed by a computing device, the method comprising:

executing a graphical user interface comprising a plurality of three-dimensional interactive user interface elements, each user interface element comprised of a plurality of faces for displaying information for one or more applications on the computing device, the graphical user interface having a reference direction;

displaying the user interface elements;

displaying the user interface elements rotating independently responsive to rotate commands inputted by a user; and

displaying the interface elements rotating in unison responsive to a single rotate command, wherein the graphical user interface responds to the single rotate command from the user by simultaneously displaying rotation of each of the user interface elements, the rotation in unison comprising, as one of the user interface elements with a first face and a second face rotates from the first face aligning with the reference direction to the second face aligning with the reference direction, another user interface element with a third and fourth face simultaneously rotates from the third face aligning with the reference direction to the fourth face aligning with the reference direction.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising receiving a user input designating a plurality of the user interface elements, and responsive to a second single rotate command, rotating the designated plurality of user interface elements in unison.

16. A method according to claim 14, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a container user interface element comprising a face, the face comprising the user interface elements, the method further comprising rotating the container user interface element responsive to user input.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the single user input comprises an input that rotates the container user interface element, and the user interface elements rotate in synchronization with rotation of the container user interface element.