Approaches for highlighting active interface elements

• US 9,378,581 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2012
• Issued: 06/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gray, Timothy T., Privett, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): LONG, ANDREA NATAE
• Application Number:
  US13/418,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 715/767
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• 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 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 15/20 Perspective computation
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2215/16 Using real world measurements to influence rendering

Abstract

A graphical user interface can provide a three-dimensional appearance that is consistent for changes in a current location or point of view of a user. The user'"'"'s point of view can be determined by analyzing images showing a current relative location of the user with respect to the device, and motion sensors operable to provide information about changes in orientation or position of the device. In addition to point of view updates, the interface can render active elements such that the elements appear to be closer to an outer surface of the display element. Such rendering can enable the user to easily determine which elements are active, such as may be used to provide text input to the device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of rendering an interface, comprising:

capturing an image including a representation of a user using a camera of a computing device;

analyzing, using at least one processor of the computing device, the image to determine a first position of the user with respect to the computing device;

rendering a plurality of interface elements for display on a display screen of the computing device;

receiving a selected interface element of the plurality of interface elements;

determining, based at least in part on the first position of the user, that the user is not substantially perpendicular with respect to the display screen of the computing device;

adjusting a first appearance of the selected interface element to cause the selected interface element to appear, from the first position of the user, to be positioned closer to a surface of the display screen than unselected interface elements of the plurality of interface elements;

adjusting a second appearance of an unselected interface element of the unselected interface elements to cause the unselected interface element to appear, from the first position of the user, to be positioned further from the surface of the display screen than the selected interface element by reducing a second size associated with the second appearance of the unselected interface element to be smaller than a first size associated with the first appearance of the selected interface element;

displaying a shadow of the selected interface element at a first shadow display position with respect to the selected interface element based at least in part on the first position of the user;

displaying a side wall of the unselected interface element at a first sidewall display position with respect to the unselected interface element based at least in part on the first position of the user, a first depth of the side wall being related to the first position of the user;

determining a second position of the user relative to the computing device, the second position being different from the first position and not substantially perpendicular with respect to the display screen of the computing device;

displaying the shadow of the selected interface element at a second shadow display position with respect to the selected interface element based at least in part on the second position of the user;

displaying the side wall of the unselected interface element at a second side wall display position with respect to the unselected interface element based at least in part on the second position of the user, a second depth of the side wall being related to the second position of the user; and

updating appearances of the plurality of interface elements based at least in part on the second position of the user.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second position of the user is determined based at least in part upon analyzing additional images captured by the camera at subsequent points in time.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second position of the user is determined based at least in part upon a change in an orientation of the computing device as determined by at least one sensor.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the first appearance of the selected interface element includes adjusting at least one of a size, a shape, a color, a shading, or a blur of the selected interface element.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying an icon for the selected interface element indicating to the user that the computing device is configured to accept audio input associated with the selected interface element.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

analyzing the image to recognize a facial feature of the user in the captured image,

wherein the first position and the second position of the user with respect to the computing device are determined based at least in part upon a position of the facial feature.

21. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the second appearance of the unselected interface element includes reducing a second color intensity associated with the second appearance of the unselected interface element to be lighter than a first color intensity associated with the first appearance of the selected interface element.

6. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a display screen; and

memory including instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

render a graphical interface for display on the display screen, the graphical interface including a plurality of interface elements;

receive a selected interface element of the plurality of interface elements from a user of the computing device;

determine a first position of the user with respect to the computing device, the first position of the user indicating that the user is not substantially perpendicular with respect to the display screen;

adjust a first rendering of the selected interface element to appear as if the selected interface element is a distance closer to the user than at least one other displayed interface element based at least in part upon the first position of the user;

adjust a second rendering of an unselected interface element of the plurality of interface elements to appear as if the unselected interface element is a distance further from the user than the selected interface element by reducing a second size associated with the second rendering of the unselected interface element to be smaller than a first size associated with the first rendering of the selected interface element;

render a shadow of the selected interface element at a first shadow display position with respect to the selected interface element based at least in part on the first position of the user;

render a side wall of the unselected interface element at a first side wall display position with respect to the unselected interface element based at least in part on the first position of the user, a first depth of the side wall being related to the first position of the user;

determine a second position of the user, the second position being different from the first position and not substantially perpendicular with respect to the display screen;

display the shadow of the selected interface element at a second shadow display position with respect to the selected interface element based at least in part on the second position of the user;

display the sidewall of the unselected interface element at a second sidewall display position with respect to the unselected interface element based at least in part on the second position of the user, a second depth of the side wall being related to the second position of the user; and

update a respective rendering of the plurality interface elements based at least in part on the second position of the user.

7. The computing device of claim 6, further comprising:

a camera positioned to capture images of at least a portion of the user, wherein the instructions that cause the computing device to determine the first position and the second position include causing the computing device to analyze the images using the processor of the computing device.

8. The computing device of claim 6, further comprising:

a sensor configured to detect changes in at least one of an orientation or a position of the computing device, wherein the instructions that cause the computing device to determine the first position and the second position include causing the computing device to analyze the changes using the processor of the computing device.

9. The computing device of claim 6, further comprising:

a microphone configured to accept audio input from the user, the selected interface element including a graphical element indicating that the audio input is able to be provided for the selected interface element.

10. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the display screen is touch sensitive and the selected interface element is received through contact with the display screen.

16. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

adjust at least one of a size, a shape, a color, a shading, or a blur of the selected interface element.

17. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

render an icon for the selected interface element indicating to the user that the computing device is configured to accept audio input associated with the selected interface element.

22. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the instructions upon being executed further cause the computing device to:

reduce a second color intensity associated with the second rendering of the unselected interface element to be lighter than a first color intensity associated with the first rendering of the selected interface element.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

render a graphical interface for display on a display screen of the computing device, the graphical interface including a plurality of interface elements;

receive a selected interface element of the plurality of interface elements from a user of the computing device;

determine a first position of the user with respect to the computing device, the first position of the user indicating that the user is not substantially perpendicular with respect to the display screen of the computing device;

adjust a first rendering of the selected-interface element to appear as if the selected interface element is a closer to a surface of the display screen than at least one non-selected interface element of the plurality of interface elements based at least in part upon the first position of the user;

adjust a second rendering of an unselected interface element of the plurality of interface elements to appear as if the unselected interface element is a distance further from the user than the selected interface element by reducing a second size associated with the second rendering of the unselected interface element to be smaller than a first size associated with the first rendering of the selected interface element;

render a shadow of the selected interface element at a first shadow display position with respect to the selected interface element based at least in part on the first position of the user;

render a side wall of the unselected interface element at a first side wall display position with respect to the unselected interface element based at least in part on the first position of the user, a first depth of the side wall being related to the first position of the user;

determine a second position of the user, the second position being different from the first position and not substantially perpendicular with respect to the display screen of the computing device;

display the shadow of the selected interface element at a second shadow display position with respect to the selected interface element based at least in part on the second position of the user;

display the sidewall of the unselected interface element at a second sidewall display position with respect to the unselected interface element based at least in part on the second position of the user, a second depth of the side wall being related to the second position of the user; and

update a respective rendering of the plurality interface elements based at least in part on the second position of the user.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

animate a change in at least one of a size, shape, coloring, or blur level of the selected interface element.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

adjust at least one of a size, a shape, a color, a shading, or a blur of the selected interface element.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

capture image information of the user using a camera of the computing device; and

analyze the image information to recognize a facial feature of the user in the image information,

wherein the first position and the second position of the user with respect to the computing device are determined based at least in part upon a position of the recognized facial feature.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second position of the user is determined based at least in part upon analyzing additional images captured by a camera of the computing device at subsequent points in time.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the second position of the user is determined based at least in part upon a change in an orientation of the computing device as determined by at least one sensor.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the instructions when executed further cause the computing device to:

render an icon for the selected interface element indicating to the user that the computing device is configured to accept audio input associated with the selected interface element.