User interface with screen spanning icon morphing

• US 9,727,205 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2014
• Issued: 08/08/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Multifold International Incorporated Pte. Ltd. (Transpacific IP Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Freedman, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, VIET DAVID
• Application Number:
  US14/476,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20140380203A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• 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 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for indicating a status of an application that is displayable on one or more displays of a handheld computing device. An icon may be provided that indicates the status and/or potential statuses of the application (e.g., whether the application is expandable and/or expanded). The icon may be changeable between a first state and a second state depending on the status of the application. The change in the icon from the first state to the second state may be animated along with an animated change of the application between display states. As such, a user may observe the icon to determine the status of the application with respect to the one or more displays (e.g., whether the application is expandable, expanded, or expanding).

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a handheld device with a first display and a second display, wherein the device is in an open state where both the first display and second display are viewable by a user;

displaying a first screen of an application in the first display;

displaying an icon associated with the application in the first display;

receiving an input to change a display of the application;

in response to the input, modifying the first screen to display over the first and second displays; and

in response to modifying the first screen, indicating modification of the first screen by changing a size of the icon displayed in the first screen.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the icon is changed in proportion to the first screen.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the change in the icon is proportional to a change in at least one aspect ratio.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein a first dimension and second dimension define a first aspect ratio when the first screen is displayed only in the first display.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first dimension and the second dimension are vertical dimensions.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the first dimension corresponds to a first height of the first screen when the first screen is displayed only in the first display.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the second dimension corresponds to a first height of the icon when the first screen is displayed only in the first display.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a third dimension and fourth define a second aspect ratio when the first screen is displayed across both the first and second displays.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the third dimension and the fourth dimension are vertical dimensions.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the third dimension corresponds to a second height of the first screen when the first screen is displayed across both the first and second displays.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the fourth dimension corresponds to a second height of the icon when the first screen is displayed across both the first and second displays.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first aspect ratio and the second aspect ratio are substantially same.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the fourth dimension is determined by dividing the third dimension by the first aspect ratio.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the size of the icon is changed by changing the second dimension of the icon to the fourth dimension.

15. A handheld computing device, comprising:

a first display;

a second display;

a processor in communication with the first display and the second display, wherein the processor is operable to;

execute an application that is displayable, as a first screen, on both the first display and the second display;

display an icon associated with the application in the first screen, wherein the icon has a first dimension when the first screen is displayed on both the first and second displays;

receive an input to display the first screen in only the first display;

in response to the input, modify the first screen to display only on the first display; and

in response to modifying the first screen, indicating modification of the first screen by changing one of a size and a shape of the icon displayed in the first screen.

16. A device as recited in claim 15, wherein the icon is indicative of whether the application is expandable, whether the application is expanded, or whether the application is expanding.

17. The device as recited in claim 16, wherein the first display and second display are positionable with respect to each other between an open and closed position, wherein when in the open position, the first display and the second display are visible from the vantage point of a user, and wherein when in the closed position, only one of the first display and the second display are visible from the vantage point of a user.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the icon indicates one of three states, the three states including an expandable state, an expanded state, and an expanding state, and wherein the icon morphs to indicate that the application is in one of two or more states, the morphing comprising changing the shape and size of the icon.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executable by a computer system, the instructions comprising:

instructions to display a first screen of an application in the first display;

instructions to display an icon associated with the application in the first display;

instructions to receive an input to change a display of the application;

in response to the input, instructions to modify the first screen to display over the first and second displays;

in response to modifying the first screen, instructions to indicate modification of the first screen by changing a size of the icon displayed in the first screen.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 19, wherein the icon indicates one of three states, the three states including an expandable state, an expanded state, and an expanding state, and wherein the icon morphs to indicate that the application is in one of two or more states, the morphing comprising changing the shape and size of the icon.