Patent Publication Number: US-2012047464-A1

Title: Electronic device and method for managing user interface of the electronic device

Description:
BACKGROUND 
     1. Technical Field 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to user interface management, and in particular, to an electronic device and method for managing a user interface of the electronic device. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     People may have to click on many menus and submenu items of a user interface of an electronic device to navigate to a desired target program of the electronic device. Generally, a menu may include a plurality of submenus, and submenus may include a plurality of items. People need to click one menu to see its submenus. Therefore, people cannot conveniently know what submenus that the menu includes. If people do not know that the target program belongs to which menu or submenu, people may be confused which causes unneeded and unwanted clicking. Accordingly, time is wasted, and a touch screen of the electronic device may be worn out sooner. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic device including a management system. 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a plurality of three-dimensional menus and a display showing one three-dimensional menu. 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of one embodiment of the management system of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a predetermined reference orientation of an electronic device, such as, for example, that of  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 5A-B  are schematic diagrams of one embodiment of angle of changes between the electronic device and the reference orientation of  FIG. 4 . 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for managing a user interface of an electronic device, such as, for example, that of  FIG. 1 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one. 
     In general, the word “module,” as used herein, refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware, or to a collection of software instructions, written in a programming language, for example, Java, C, or assembly. One or more software instructions in the modules may be embedded in firmware, such as an EPROM. It will be appreciated that modules may comprised connected logic units, such as gates and flip-flops, and may comprise programmable units, such as programmable gate arrays or processors. The modules described herein may be implemented as either software and/or hardware modules and may be stored in any type of computer-readable medium or other computer storage system. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment of an electronic device  1  including a management system  40 . The electronic device  1  further includes a display  10 , an orientation sensor  20 , and a user interface  30 . The user interface  30  may be shown on the display  10 . The orientation sensor  20  may monitor an angle of change and a rotation direction of the electronic device  1 . In some embodiments, the orientation sensor  20  may be an accelerometer or a gyroscope, for example. The management system  40  may control the user interface  30  to move according to a movement speed and a movement direction corresponding to the angle of change and the rotation direction of the electronic device  1 . 
     Interface elements in the user interface  30  include a plurality of three-dimensional (3D) menus (or lists), and 3D submenus of each of the 3D menus. The 3D submenus may be cascaded under corresponding 3D menus. In some embodiments, the 3D menus may be displayed side by side. If the submenus include a plurality of items, the user interface  30  further includes 3D submenus displaying side by side, and the items of each 3D submenu may be 3D and cascaded under corresponding 3D submenus. The interface elements can further include other graphical user elements of the electronic device  1 . 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a plurality of 3D menus. In  FIG. 2  ( a ), the interface elements in the user interface  30  includes a 3D “media” menu, a 3D “music” menu and a 3D “call records” menu displayed side by side. 3D submenus of each 3D menu are cascaded under corresponding 3D menus. The word “cascaded” means one submenu over one submenu layer by layer. For example, a “photo” menu and a “video” menu are cascaded under the corresponding “media” menu. In  FIG. 2  ( b ), when the “music” menu is activated or chosen, a “play list  1 ” submenu and a “play list  2 ” submenu of the 3D “music” menu may be displayed side by side. Items “song  1 ” and “song  2 ” of the “play list  1 ” submenu may be cascaded under the “play list  1 ” submenu, and items “song  3 ” and “song  4 ” of “the play list  2 ” submenu may be cascaded under the “play list  2 ” submenu. In  FIG. 2  ( c ), when the user interface  30  shows on the display  10 , the display  10  may show one 3D menu entirely, and show only portions of other adjacent 3D menus. 
     The electronic device  1  further includes a storage system  50  and a processor  60 . The storage system  50  may be a memory system of the electronic device  1 , or may be an external storage card, such as a smart media (SM) card, or a secure digital (SD) card, for example. The processor  60  executes one or more computerized code of the electronic device  1  and other applications, to provide the functions of the electronic device  1 . 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of one embodiment of the management system of  FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, the management system  40  includes a showing module  400 , a setting module  402 , an acquisition module  404 , a confirmation module  406 , and a control module  408 . The modules  400 ,  402 ,  404 ,  406  and  408  may comprise computerized code in the form of one or more programs that are stored in the storage system  50 . The computerized code includes instructions that are executed by the at least one processor  60  to provide functions for modules  400 ,  402 ,  404 ,  406  and  408 . Details of these operations follow. 
     The showing module  400  shows the user interface  30  on the display  10 . The interface elements in the user interface  30  includes a plurality of 3D menus (or lists), and 3D submenus of each of the 3D menus. The 3D submenus may be cascaded under corresponding 3D menus. Navigation to any menu or submenu can be accomplished by rotating the electronic device  1  to bring a desired menu or submenu to a dominant position in the interface  30 . “Rotation” herein may include movements of the electronic device  1  away from a reference orientation and movements in return to approximate the reference orientation. 
     The setting module  402  can set a current orientation of the electronic device  1  to be a reference orientation, according to user preference. The setting module  402  may preset a hotkey of the electronic device  1  to set the current orientation. If the hotkey is triggered, the setting module  402  may set the current orientation of the electronic device  1  to be the reference orientation.  FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the reference orientation of the electronic device  1 . Directions of movement of the electronic device  1  are determined according to a 3D coordinate system OXYZ. The display  10  is in a XOZ plane. The reference orientation is defined by setting a point in the lower right corner of the display  10  as an origin, a horizontal direction of the display  10  as an x-axis, a vertical direction of the display  10  as a z-axis, and a direction perpendicular to the display  10  as a y-axis. 
     The setting module  402  sets a movement speed of the interface elements in the user interface  30  of the electronic device  1  during navigation, the movement speeds respectively correspond to changes in angle of the electronic device  1  relative to the reference orientation of the electronic device  1 . The movement speed may be represented with pixels. For example, the movement speed of the interface elements in the user interface  30  can be 10 pixels per second. In some embodiments, the setting module  402  may set the movement speed to 0 pixels per second if the angle of change is within a range of [0 degrees, 10 degrees], that is, the interface elements in the user interface  30  may not move. The setting module  402  may set the movement speed to 10 pixels per second if the angle of change is within a range of [11 degrees, 45 degrees]. During navigation of menus and submenus, if a user tilts the electronic device  1  away from the reference orientation, navigational movement of the menus in the display  10  will occur and continue until the electronic device  1  returns to reference orientation, and the speed of navigational movement of the menus will accord with the degree of tilt. 
     The setting module  402  further sets a movement direction of the interface elements in the user interface  30  corresponding to each rotation direction of the electronic device  1 , according to the reference orientation of the electronic device  1 . In some embodiments, the movement directions may include up, down, left and right. If the electronic device  1  rotates from the reference orientation to a positive direction of the y-axis anticlockwise, the setting module  402  sets the movement direction of the interface elements in the user interface  30  to be a down direction. If the electronic device  1  rotates from the reference orientation to a negative direction of the y-axis clockwise, the setting module  402  sets the movement direction to be an up direction. If the electronic device  1  rotates from the reference orientation to a positive direction of the x-axis clockwise, the setting module  402  sets the movement direction to be a right direction. If the electronic device  1  rotates from the reference orientation to a negative direction of the y-axis anticlockwise, the setting module  402  sets the movement direction to be a left direction. 
     The acquisition module  406  acquires the angle of change and the rotation direction of the electronic device  1  from the orientation sensor  20 . The orientation sensor  20  monitors the angle of change and the rotation direction according to the reference orientation of the electronic device  1 . 
     The confirmation module  408  confirms the movement speed and the movement direction of the electronic device  1  according to the acquired angle of change and rotation direction.  FIG. 5A-B  are schematic diagrams of one embodiment of angle of changes between the electronic device and the reference orientation of  FIG. 4 . The electronic device  1  is in a vertical position, and the display  10  faces to the users.  FIG. 5A  is the schematic diagram of the angle of changes between the electronic device  1  and the y-axis of the reference orientation in a YOZ plane. If the electronic device  1  rotates towards the users, and the acquisition module  406  acquires the angle of change (“θ 2 ” as shown in  FIG. 5A ), the confirmation module  408  may confirm that the movement direction is down, and confirm the movement speed corresponding to the θ 2 . If the electronic device  1  rotates away from the users, and the acquisition module  406  acquires the angle of change (“θ 1 ” as shown in  FIG. 5A ), the confirmation module  408  may confirm that the movement direction is up, and confirm the movement speed corresponding to the θ 1 . 
       FIG. 5B  is the schematic diagram of the angle of changes between the electronic device  1  and the z-axis of the reference orientation in the XOZ plane. If the electronic device  1  rotates to right, and the acquisition module  406  acquires the angle of change (“θ 4 ” as shown in  FIG. 5B ), the confirmation module  408  may confirm that the movement direction is right, and confirm the movement speed corresponding to the θ 4 . If the electronic device  1  rotates to left, and the acquisition module  406  acquires the angle of change (“θ 3 ” as shown in  FIG. 5B ), the confirmation module  408  may confirm that the movement direction is left, and confirm the movement speed corresponding to the θ 3 . 
     In some embodiments, if the acquisition module  406  acquires a angle of change between the electronic device  1  and the y-axis, and a angle of change between the electronic device  1  and the z-axis, the confirmation module  408  may confirm the movement direction and the movement speed according to the bigger angle of change. For example, if the angle of change between the electronic device  1  and the y-axis is eighty degrees, and the angle of change between the electronic device  1  and the z-axis is five degrees, the confirmation module  408  may confirm the movement direction and the movement speed according to the 80 degrees. 
     The controlling module  410  controls the interface elements of the user interface  30  to according to the confirmed movement speed and towards the confirmed movement direction. 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart of one embodiment of a method for managing the user interface  30  in the electronic device  1 . Depending on the embodiment, additional blocks may be added, others removed, and the ordering of the blocks may be changed. 
     In block S 10 , the showing module  400  shows the user interface  30  on the display  10 . The user interface  30  includes a plurality of 3D menus (or lists), and 3D submenus of each of the 3D menus. The 3D submenus may be cascading under corresponding 3D menus. 
     In block S 11 , the setting module  402  sets the current orientation of the electronic device  1  to be the reference orientation, sets a movement speed of the interface elements in the user interface  30  corresponding to changes in an angle of the electronic device  1  relative to the reference orientation, and sets a movement direction of the interface elements in the user interface  30  corresponding to rotation direction of the electronic device  1  relative to the reference orientation. 
     In block S 12 , the acquisition module  406  acquires the angle of change and the rotation direction of the electronic device  1  from the orientation sensor  20 . The orientation sensor  20  monitors changes in angle and rotation direction relative to the reference orientation of the electronic device  1 . 
     In block S 13 , the confirmation module  408  confirms the movement speed and the movement direction according to the acquired angle of change and rotation direction. 
     In block S 14 , the controlling module  410  controls the interface elements in the user interface  30  to according to the confirmed movement speed and in the confirmed movement direction. 
     It should be emphasized that the described inventive embodiments are merely possible examples of implementations, and set forth for a clear understanding of the principles of the present disclosure. Many variations and modifications may be made to the-described inventive embodiments without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be comprised herein within the scope of this disclosure and the-described inventive embodiments, and the present disclosure is protected by the following claims.