Patent Application
20110320983
This application claims the priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 200910104985.1, filed with the Chinese Patent Office on Jan. 13, 2009 and entitled “A Method and System for Controlling Stereoscopic Menu Display and Mobile Communication Terminal”, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The present invention relates to a display technology, particularly to a method and system for controlling stereoscopic menu and a mobile communication terminal.
Currently, the menu interface of a mobile communication terminal mainly lists the basic functions offered by the terminal for users to browse, and provides users with access to a specific basic function. In the prior art, basic functions provided in the menu interface are mostly shown through simple grids or lists, both of which fall in the two-dimensional category, as no stereoscopic solutions are currently available for menu presentation.
The objective of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a method for controlling stereoscopic menu display, aiming at coping with problems due to the lack of solutions for displaying the menu interface in a stereoscopic manner based on the prior art. The embodiments of the invention provide a method for controlling stereoscopic menu display in steps, comprising:
Another objective of the embodiments of the invention is to provide a system for controlling stereoscopic menu display, comprising:
A further objective of the embodiments of the invention is to provide a mobile communication terminal, comprising a system and touch screen configured to control stereoscopic menu display, wherein the said system is the same as the foregoing.
In the embodiments of the invention, based on the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit, the unit is configured to determine rotation tangent planes and rotation direction of the icons in the stereoscopic menu. These icons in the stereoscopic menu are controlled to rotate in their corresponding rotation tangent planes along the determined rotation direction, thereby enabling a flexible, diversified and fun-packed interface display.
To clarify the objectives, technical schemes, and advantages of the present invention, the following sections detail the present invention based on the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It is understandable that the embodiments described herein are intended only to illustrate and not to limit this invention.
In the embodiments of the invention, based on the moving track inputted by the user on the interface, comprising the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit, which is configured to determine the rotation tangent planes and rotation direction of the icons in the stereoscopic menu. These icons in the stereoscopic menu are controlled to rotate in their corresponding rotation tangent planes and at the determined speed along the determined rotation direction.
In Step S101, a stereoscopic menu containing icons is generated and displayed. The icons herein can be images or words indicating specific functions; the stereoscopic menu that contains icons refers to some stereoscopic graphics that contain various menu icons indicating the basic functions provided by the primary interface, such as spheres and other regular stereoscopic graphics. In some embodiments, the stereoscopic menu can also comprise icons provided by a plurality of secondary or below interfaces.
In the embodiment of the invention, steps used to generate a stereoscopic menu that contains icons comprise:
For example, when the stereoscopic menu is shown as a sphere, its focus will be the centre of the sphere, and its boundary will be the circumference of the sphere's tangent circle that intersects with the centre of the sphere and runs parallel to the interface as displayed via the external display unit, and further, when the stereoscopic menu is shown as a cube, its focus will be the centre of the cube, and its boundary will be each of the cube's sides; recording and storing coordinates of the boundary and those of the distributed icons, wherein the focus of the stereoscopic menu herein is not limited to any point on the interface as displayed via the external display unit; in the present embodiment of the invention, the focus of the stereoscopic menu should be the centre of the interface as displayed via the external display unit. Moreover, the focus and the boundary are transparent to the user. Specifically, they do not show up on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu.
After the icons are distributed on or within the defined boundary, the embodiment of the invention also allows one more step in order to display the stereoscopic menu in a more visual manner: setting the attributes of the distributed icons comprising their sizes, colors, brightness and transparency, so that icons in different layers of the stereoscopic menu are differentiated. For example, icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu can be differentiated from those invisible by assigning distinct attributes to them. It is preferable to make icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu larger, brighter and less transparent than those invisible; furthermore, icons invisible to users in the stereoscopic menu can also be assigned more attributes in order to make them different from one another in different layers of the stereoscopic menu, thereby creating a more vivid stereoscopic graphic.
In another embodiment of the invention, steps to generate a stereoscopic menu that contains icons comprise:
For example, when the stereoscopic menu is shown as a sphere, its focus will be the centre of the sphere, and its boundary will be the circumference of the sphere's tangent circle which intersects with the centre of the sphere and runs parallel to the interface as displayed via the external display unit, and on the other hand; when the stereoscopic menu is shown as a cube, its focus will be the centre of the cube, and its boundary will be each of the cube's sides. The focus of the stereoscopic menu herein is not limited to any point on the interface as displayed via the external display unit; in the present embodiment of the invention, the focus should be the centre of the interface as displayed via the external display unit. Moreover, the focus and the boundary are transparent to the user, i.e., they do not show up on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu.
Similarly, after the icons are distributed on or within the boundary or on a plurality of determined tracks, the embodiment of the invention also allows one more step in order to display the stereoscopic menu in a more visual manner: setting the attributes of the distributed icons comprising their sizes, colors, brightness and transparency, so that icons in different layers of the stereoscopic menu are differentiated. For example, icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu can be differentiated from those invisible by assigning distinct attributes to them. It is preferable to make icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu larger, brighter and less transparent than those invisible; furthermore, icons invisible to users in the stereoscopic menu can also be assigned more attributes in order to make them different from one another in different layers of the stereoscopic menu, thereby creating a more vivid stereoscopic graphics.
In Step S102, a moving track inputted by the user on the interface containing the stereoscopic menu and displayed by the external display unit is acquired.
In Step S103, based on coordinates of different acquired moving tack points, corresponding rotation tangent planes and rotation direction of the icons in the stereoscopic menu are determined. Based on different arithmetic methods, two or more points are allowed to be selected from the moving track. For example, when two points are selected, this step should rendered as: acquiring coordinates of any two points on the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit. The moving coordinates acquired herein can be any two adjacent points, comprising the initial point as the user starts inputting and any one of its adjacent points, or the end point as the user stops inputting and any one of its adjacent points, amongst others, on the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit. The present embodiment of the invention is intended to illustrate any different points on the moving track inputted by the user and not to limit the invention.
In the embodiment of the invention, this step should be rendered as:
In another embodiment of the invention, this step should be rendered as:
Besides, the embodiments of the invention also allows one more step before, in or after Step S103 in order for the icons to rotate at different speed in line with the user's varying input speeds: determining the rotation speed of the icons in the stereoscopic menu pursuant to coordinates of various points on the moving track. This step comprises: identifying the time and distance required to move from the initial point to the end point among coordinates of various points on the moving track; calculating the rotation speed of the icons in the stereoscopic menu based on the resulted time and distance.
In Step S104, the icons in the stereoscopic menu are controlled to rotate in their determined, corresponding rotation tangent planes along the determined rotation direction.
In the embodiments of the invention, this step should be rendered as: controlling the icons in the stereoscopic menu to rotate at a constant speed in their determined, corresponding rotation tangent planes and at the preset initial speed along the determined rotation direction.
Moreover, when the rotation speed of the icons in the stereoscopic menu is determined, in the embodiments of the invention, this step is rendered as: controlling the icons in the stereoscopic menu to rotate in their determined, corresponding rotation tangent planes and at the determined rotation speed along the determined rotation direction, in order for the icons to rotate at different speed in line with the user's varying input speeds, thereby enabling a more user-friendly interface.
More steps can be incorporated after Step S104 in order to continue the rotation of the icons when the user stops inputting, comprising:
The present embodiment of the invention can also comprise one more step after Step S104 as follows: detecting whether the rotation stopping signal inputted by the user is received, and if yes, controlling the rotating icons in the stereoscopic menu to stop rotating in line with this rotation stopping signal.
Another step that can be implemented after Step S104 is: detecting whether the recovery signal inputted by the user is received, and if yes, controlling the stereoscopic menu to recover its display in line with this icon recovery signal.
The Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 generates the stereoscopic menu that contains icons, and has it displayed via the External Display Unit 14. The icons herein can be images or words indicating specific functions; the stereoscopic menu that contains icons refers to some stereoscopic graphics that contains various menu icons indicating the basic functions provided by the primary interface, comprising spheres and other regular stereoscopic graphics. In the embodiments, the stereoscopic menu can also comprise icons provided by a plurality of secondary interfaces or lower level interfaces.
The User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12 acquires the moving track inputted by the user inputted on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the External Display Unit 14. The Rotation Display Control Unit 13 determines the corresponding rotation tangent planes and rotation direction of the icons in the stereoscopic menu based on coordinates of various points on the moving track acquired by the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12, and controls the icons in the stereoscopic menu to rotate in their determined, corresponding rotation tangent planes along the determined rotation direction. Based on different arithmetic methods, two or more points are allowed to be selected from the moving track. For example, when two points are selected, the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12 acquires coordinates of any two points on the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the External Display Unit 14. The mobile coordinates acquired herein can be any two adjacent points, comprising the initial point as the user starts inputting and any of its adjacent points, coupled with the end point for the user to stop inputting and any of its adjacent points, amongst others, on the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit. The present embodiment of the invention is intended to illustrate any different point on the moving track inputted by the user and not to limit the invention.
Besides, the system for controlling menu display as provided in the present embodiment of the invention can also incorporate the Rotation Speed Acquiring Unit 15, the Timing Unit 16 and the Inertia Display Control Unit 17 in order to drive the icons into inertial rotation when the user stops inputting. The Rotation Speed Acquiring Unit 15 herein acquires the rotation speed of the icons as currently displayed via the External Display Unit 14 when the user stops inputting the moving track, and controls these icons to continue rotating at this rotation speed; the Timing Unit 16 records the rotation time of each icon once the user stops inputting the moving track; the Inertia Display Control Unit 17 controls the icons as displayed via the External Display Unit 14 to decrease the preset speed limit when the time recorded by the Timing Unit 16 reaches that limit, and drives them into inertial rotation at the decreased rotation speed.
The system for controlling stereoscopic menu display as provided in the present embodiment of the invention can also comprise the Stopping Signal Detection Unit and the Display Stopping Unit (not shown in the drawings). The Stopping Signal Detection Unit herein detects whether the rotation stopping signal that the user inputs through shortcut keys (comprising physical keys and touch keys) is received; the Display Stopping Unit controls the rotating icons in the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the External Display Unit 14 to stop rotating once the Stopping Signal Detection Unit detects and receives the rotation stopping signal inputted by the user.
Besides, the system for controlling menu display as provided in the present embodiment of the invention can also comprise the Recovery Signal Detection Unit and the Display Recovery Unit (not shown in the drawings). The Recovery Signal Detection Unit detects whether the icon recovery signal that the user inputs through shortcut keys (comprising physical keys and touch keys) is received; the Display Recovery Unit controls the icons as displayed via the External Display Unit 14 to recover their display once the Recovery Signal Detection Unit detects and receives the icon recovery signal inputted by the user.
The present embodiment of the invention also provides a mobile communication terminal, comprising a system and touch screen for controlling stereoscopic menu display, and the said system for controlling stereoscopic menu display is the same as the foregoing.
The First Focus Locating Module 101 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 locates the focus of the stereoscopic menu; the First Boundary Locating Module 102 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 specifies the boundary of the stereoscopic menu with the focus located by the First Focus Locating Module 101 being the centre, so that the First Record and Storage Module 103 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 records and stores the position of the boundary specified by the First Boundary Locating Module 102; the First Icon Distributing Module 104 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 distributes the icons on or within the boundary specified by the First Boundary Locating Module 102, so that the First Record and Storage Module 103 records and stores coordinates of the icons distributed by the First Icon Distributing Module 104. The External Display Unit 14 displays the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu after the icons are distributed by the First Icon Distributing Module 104. The focus of the stereoscopic menu herein is not limited to any point on the interface as displayed via the external display unit, whereas in this embodiment of the invention, the focus should be the centre of the interface as displayed via the external display unit. Moreover, the focus and the boundary are transparent to the user, namely, they do not show up on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu.
To display the stereoscopic menu in a more visual manner, in the present embodiment of the invention, the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 also incorporates the First Icon Attribute Setting Module 105, which is configured to set the attributes of the icons distributed by the First Icon Distributing Module 104, comprising their sizes, colors, brightness or transparency, so that icons in different layers of the stereoscopic menu are differentiated, thereby. For example, icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu can be differentiated from those invisible by assigning distinct attributes to them. It is preferable to make icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu larger, brighter and less transparent than those invisible; furthermore, icons invisible to users in the stereoscopic menu can also be assigned more attributes in order to make them different from one another in different layers of the stereoscopic menu, thereby creating a more vivid stereoscopic graphics.
The User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12 acquires the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit, and transmits it to the First Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 106 and the First Rotation Direction Locating Module 107 in the Rotation Display Control Unit 13. The First Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 106 determines the line on which coordinates of various points on the moving track acquired by the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12 are located, and compares it with the coordinates of the boundary as stored in the First Record and Storage Module 103 to identify the tangent plane which incorporates this line and runs vertical to the interface as displayed via the external display unit, and then based on coordinates of the icons as stored by the First Record and Storage Module 103, determines a plurality of tangent planes which run parallel to the said tangent plane and incorporate each of the icons so as to set them as the rotation tangent planes of each icon. The First Rotation Direction Locating Module 107 determines the rotation direction by identifying directions of the initial and end points among the coordinates of various points on the moving track acquired by the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12.
The First Rotation Control Module 108 in the Rotation Display Control Unit 13 controls the icons in the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the External Display Unit 14 to rotate in their corresponding rotation tangent planes as determined by the First Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 106 along the rotation direction determined by the First Rotation Direction Locating Module 107. Specifically, the First Rotation Control Module 108 controls the icons in the stereoscopic menu to rotate at a constant speed in their corresponding rotation tangent planes as determined by the First Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 106 and at the preset initial speed along the rotation direction determined by the First Rotation Direction Locating Module 107.
Moreover, for the icons to rotate at different rates in line with the user's varying input speeds, the Rotation Display Control Unit 13 can also incorporate the First Rotation Speed Locating Module 109, which is configured to determine the rotation speed of the icons in the stereoscopic menu based on the coordinates of various points on the moving track as acquired by the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12. In this case, the First Rotation Control Module 108 is specifically configured to control the icons in the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit 14 to rotate in their corresponding rotation tangent planes as determined by the First Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 106 and at the rotation speed as identified by the First Rotation Speed Locating Module 109 along the rotation direction specified by the First Rotation Direction Locating Module 107 to endow the icons with the ability of rotating at different rates in line with the user's varying inputting speed, thereby enabling a more user-friendly interface.
The Second Focus Locating Module 201 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 locates the focus of the stereoscopic menu; the Second Boundary Locating Module 202 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 specifies the boundary of the stereoscopic menu with the focus located by the Second Focus Locating Module 201 being its centre, so that the Second Record and Storage Module 203 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 records and stores the position of the boundary as specified by the Second Boundary Locating Module 202; the Track Determining Module 204 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 determines a plurality of tracks, which may run parallel or vertical to or intersect with one another, within the boundary specified by the Second Focus Locating Module 201; the Second Icon Distributing Module 205 in the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 distributes the icons on the boundary as specified by the Second Boundary Locating Module 202 and/or on a plurality of tracks as determined by the Track Determining Module 204, so that the Second Record and Storage Module 203 records and stores the angles of each of the tracks as determined by the Track Determining Module 204 against the horizontal position of the interface as displayed via the external display unit, the coordinates of the boundary as determined by the Second Boundary Locating Module 202, and the coordinates of the icons as distributed by the Second Icon Distributing Module 205. The External Display Unit 14 displays the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu after the icons are distributed by the Second Icon Distributing Module 205. The focus of the stereoscopic menu herein is not limited to any point on the interface as displayed via the external display unit, whereas in this embodiment of the invention, the focus should be the centre of the interface as displayed via the external display unit. Moreover, the focus and the boundary are transparent to the user, i.e., they do not show up on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu.
To display the stereoscopic menu in a more visual manner, in the present embodiment of the invention, the Stereoscopic Menu Generating Unit 11 also incorporates the Second Icon Attribute Setting Module 206, which is configured to set the attributes of the icons distributed by the Second Icon Distributing Module 205, comprising their sizes, colors, brightness or transparency, so that icons in different layers of the stereoscopic menu are differentiated. For example, icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu can be differentiated from those invisible by assigning distinct attributes to them. It is preferable to make icons visible to users in the stereoscopic menu larger, brighter and less transparent than those invisible; furthermore, icons invisible to users in the stereoscopic menu can also be assigned more attributes in order to make them different from one another in different layers of the stereoscopic menu, thereby creating a more vivid stereoscopic graphics.
The User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12 acquires the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit, and transmits it to the Benchmark Track Locating Module 207, the Second Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 208 and the Second Rotation Direction Locating Module 209 in the Rotation Display Control Unit 13. The Benchmark Track Locating Module 207 determines the angle of the line, on which coordinates of various points on the moving track acquired by the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12 are located, against the horizontal position of the interface as displayed via the external display unit 14, and compares this angle with a plurality of angles of each of the determined tracks, which are stored by the Second Record and Storage Module 203, against the horizontal position of the interface as displayed via the external display unit 14 to obtain the track which is located the most adjacent both to the angle against the horizontal position of the interface as displayed via the External Display Unit 14 and to the angle against the said line, and set this track as the benchmark track on which the stereoscopic menu rotates; the Second Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 208 determines the tangent plane which incorporates the benchmark track and runs vertical to the interface as displayed via the external display in the stereoscopic menu by comparing coordinates of the boundary specified by the Second Record and Storage Module 203 with the benchmark track located by the Benchmark Track Locating Module 207, and based on coordinates of the icons stored in the Second Record and Storage Module 203, identifies a plurality of tangent planes which incorporate each of the icons and run parallel to the said tangent plane in order to set them as the rotation tangent planes of individual icons; the Second Rotation Direction Locating Module 209 determines the rotation direction by determining the directions of the initial and end points among various points on the moving track acquired by the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12.
The Second Rotation Control Module 210 in the Rotation Display Control Unit 13 controls the icons in the stereoscopic menu to rotate in their corresponding rotation tangent planes as determined by the Second Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 208 along the direction determined by the Second Rotation Direction Locating Module 209. Specifically, the Second Rotation Control Module 210 controls the icons in the stereoscopic menu to rotate at a constant speed in their corresponding rotation tangent planes as determined by the Second Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 208 and at the preset initial speed along the rotation direction determined by the Second Rotation Direction Locating Module 209.
Moreover, for the icons to rotate at different rates in line with the user's varying input speeds, the Rotation Display Control Unit 13 can also incorporate the Second Rotation Speed Locating Module 211, which is configured to determine the rotation speed of the icons in the stereoscopic menu based on coordinates of various points on the moving track as acquired by the User Gesture Acquiring Unit 12. In this case, the Second Rotation Control Module 210 is specifically configured to control icons in the stereoscopic menu to rotate in their corresponding rotation tangent planes as determined by the Second Rotation Tangent Plane Locating Module 208 and at the rotation speed as identified by the Second Rotation Speed Locating Module 211 along the rotation direction specified by the Second Rotation Direction Locating Module 209 for the icons to rotate at different rates in line with the user's varying input speeds, thereby enabling a more user-friendly interface.
In the present embodiment of the invention, based on the moving track inputted by the user on the interface that contains the stereoscopic menu as displayed via the external display unit, the rotation tangent planes and rotation direction of the icons in the stereoscopic menu are determined and the icons in the stereoscopic menu are controlled to rotate in their determined, corresponding rotation tangent planes along the determined rotation direction, thereby enabling a flexible, diversified and fun interface display; the stereoscopic menu can also present a more vivid tone by setting the attributes of the icons in it; and, the icons can be enabled to rotate according to the user's varying input speeds by determining the rotation speed, thereby offering a more user-friendly interface.
It is understandable to those skilled in the art that all or part of the steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed through hardware instructed by a program. The said program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium such as ROM/RAM, magnetic disk, and compact disk.
Described above are only exemplary embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any modification, replacement or improvement without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention shall all fall within the scope of protection covered by the present invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200910104985.1 | Jan 2009 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2009/076250 | 12/30/2009 | WO | 00 | 6/24/2011 |
