HK1223699B - User interface object manipulations in a user interface - Google Patents

Description

User interface object operations in the user interface

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/873,356, filed on September 3, 2013, entitled “CROWN INPUT FOR A WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE”; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/873,359, filed on September 3, 2013, entitled “USER INTERFACE OBJECT MANIPULATIONS IN A USER INTERFACE”; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/959,851, filed on September 3, 2013, entitled “USER INTERFACE FOR MANIPULATING USER INTERFACE OBJECTS”; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 61/959,852, filed on September 3, 2013, entitled “USER INTERFACE FOR MANIPULATING USER INTERFACE OBJECTS WITH No. 61/873,360, filed on September 3, 2014, and entitled “USER INTERFACE FOR MANIPULATING USER INTERFACE OBJECTS WITH MAGNETIC PROPERTIES”; and benefiting from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 14/476,657, filed on September 3, 2014, and entitled “USER INTERFACE FOR MANIPULATING USER INTERFACE OBJECTS WITH MAGNETIC PROPERTIES.” The contents of these patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

This patent application is related to the following co-pending patent applications: U.S. non-provisional patent application entitled “CROWN INPUT FOR A WEARABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE,” filed concurrently on September 3, 2014, with inventors Nicholas Zambetti et al.; U.S. non-provisional patent application entitled “USER INTERFACE FOR MANIPULATING USER INTERFACE OBJECTS,” filed concurrently on September 3, 2014, with inventors Nicholas Zambetti et al.; U.S. non-provisional patent application serial number 14/476,657, filed on September 3, 2014, with inventors Nicholas Zambetti et al.; and U.S. provisional patent application serial number 61/747,278, filed on December 29, 2012, with inventors Nicholas Zambetti et al. The contents of these patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to user interfaces, and more particularly to user interfaces using a crown input mechanism.

Background Art

Advanced personal digital devices may have a small form factor. These personal digital devices include, but are not limited to, tablet computers and smartphones. Use of such personal electronic devices involves manipulation of user interface objects on a display screen that also has a small form factor to complement the design of the personal electronic device.

Example operations that a user may perform on a personal electronic device include navigating a hierarchy, selecting a user interface object, adjusting the position, size, and scale of a user interface object, or otherwise manipulating the user interface. Example user interface objects include digital images, videos, text, icons, maps, control elements (such as buttons), and other graphics. A user may perform such operations in image management software, video editing software, word processing software, software execution platforms (such as an operating system's desktop), web browsing software, and other environments.

Existing methods for manipulating user interface objects on a reduced-size touch-sensitive display may be inefficient. Furthermore, existing methods often provide unacceptably low accuracy.

Summary of the Invention

A system and method for operating a graphical user interface is disclosed. The method may include receiving user input via a crown to rotate a virtual object. The method may include selecting a surface of the object from a plurality of surfaces of the object in response to determining that the crown has been rotated beyond a rate threshold.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention may be better understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like parts may be designated by like numerals.

FIG1 illustrates an exemplary wearable electronic device according to various examples.

FIG2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wearable electronic device according to various examples.

3-12 illustrate exemplary graphical user interfaces for displaying selection of a surface of a dual-sided object in response to rotation of a crown.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary method for selecting a surface of a double-sided object in response to rotation of a crown.

14-23 illustrate exemplary graphical user interfaces for displaying selection of a surface of an object in response to rotation of a crown.

FIG. 24 illustrates an exemplary method for selecting a surface of an object in response to rotation of a crown.

FIG. 25 illustrates an exemplary multi-sided object in a graphical user interface.

26 illustrates an exemplary computing system for operating a user interface in response to rotation of a crown, according to various examples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description of the present disclosure and examples, reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, which show, by way of example, specific examples that can be implemented. It should be understood that other examples can be practiced and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Many personal electronic devices have graphical user interfaces (GUIs) with options that can be activated in response to user input. Typically, a user can select and activate a specific option from a plurality of options. For example, a user can select an option by placing a mouse cursor over a desired option using a pointing device. The user can activate the option by clicking a button on the pointing device when the option is selected. In another example, a user can select and activate an option displayed on a touch-sensitive display by touching the touch-sensitive display (also known as a touch screen) at the location of the displayed option. In view of the inefficiency of existing methods for selecting options on reduced-size touch-sensitive displays, there is a need for a method that enables a user to more efficiently and conveniently select a desired option in a graphical user interface environment.

The following examples describe improved techniques for using user input to select the surface of a user interface object in a graphical user interface. More specifically, these techniques use a physical crown as an input device to enable a user to select a desired option by selecting the surface of a user interface object. Thus, the examples described below allow a user to more efficiently and conveniently select a desired option.

FIG1 illustrates an exemplary personal electronic device 100. In the illustrated example, device 100 is a watch, which generally includes a body 102 and a strap 104 for attaching device 100 to a user's body. That is, device 100 is wearable. Body 102 may be designed to couple with strap 104. Device 100 may have a touch-sensitive display (hereinafter referred to as a touchscreen) 106 and a crown 108. Device 100 may also have buttons 110, 112, and 114.

Typically, in the context of a watch, the term "crown" refers to the cap on top of the watch that is used to wind it. In the context of a personal electronic device, the crown may be a physical component of the electronic device, rather than a virtual crown on a touch-sensitive display. Crown 108 may be mechanical, meaning it may be connected to a sensor that converts the physical movement of the crown into an electrical signal. Crown 108 can rotate in two directions (e.g., forward and backward). Crown 108 can also be pushed toward the body of device 100 and/or pulled away from device 100. Crown 108 may be touch-sensitive, for example, using capacitive touch technology that can detect whether a user touches the crown. In addition, crown 108 can be shaken in one or more directions or translated along a track that follows the perimeter of body 102 or at least partially surrounds the perimeter of body 102. In some instances, more than one crown 108 may be used. The visual appearance of crown 108 may (but need not) resemble the crown of a conventional watch. If included, buttons 110, 112, and 114 may each be a physical button or a touch-sensitive button. That is, the buttons may be, for example, physical buttons or capacitive buttons. Additionally, body 102, which may include a frame that acts as a button, may have a predetermined area on the frame.

The display 106 may include a display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, etc., which may be positioned partially or fully behind or in front of a touch sensor panel implemented using any desired touch sensing technology, such as mutual capacitance touch sensing, self-capacitance touch sensing, resistive touch sensing, projected scanning touch sensing, etc. The display 106 may allow a user to perform various functions by touching the touch sensor panel using one or more fingers or other objects by hovering near the touch sensor panel.

In some examples, device 100 may also include one or more pressure sensors (not shown) for detecting force or pressure applied to the display. The force or pressure applied to display 106 may be used as input to device 100 to perform any desired operation, such as making a selection, entering or exiting a menu, causing additional options/actions to be displayed, and the like. In some examples, different operations may be performed based on the amount of force or pressure applied to display 106. One or more pressure sensors may also be used to determine the location at which the force is applied to display 106.

FIG2 illustrates a block diagram of some components of device 100. As shown, crown 108 may be coupled to encoder 204, which may be configured to monitor a physical state of crown 108 or a change in state of crown 108 (e.g., the position of the crown), convert the physical state of crown 108 or a change in state of crown 108 into an electrical signal (e.g., an analog or digital signal representing the position of crown 108 or a change in position), and provide the signal to processor 202. For example, in some examples, encoder 204 may be configured to sense the absolute rotational position of crown 108 (e.g., an angle between 0° and 360°) and output an analog or digital representation of the position to processor 202. Alternatively, in other examples, encoder 204 may be configured to sense a change in the rotational position of crown 108 (e.g., a change in the rotational angle) over some sampling period and output an analog or digital representation of the sensed change to processor 202. In these examples, the crown position information may also indicate the direction of rotation of the crown (e.g., a positive value may correspond to one direction and a negative value may correspond to another direction). In other examples, encoder 204 can be configured to detect rotation of crown 108 in any desired manner (e.g., velocity, acceleration, etc.) and can provide crown rotation information to processor 202. In alternative examples, this information can be provided to other components of device 100 rather than to processor 202. While the examples described herein refer to using the rotational position of crown 108 to control scrolling, zooming, or object position, it should be understood that any other physical state of crown 108 can be used.

In some examples, the physical state of the crown can control the physical properties of display 106. For example, if crown 108 is in a specific position (e.g., rotated forward), display 106 can have limited z-axis traversal capabilities. In other words, the physical state of the crown can represent the physical modality functionality of display 106. In some examples, the temporal properties of the physical state of crown 108 can be used as input to device 100. For example, a rapid change in physical state can be interpreted differently than a slow change in physical state.

The processor 202 may also be coupled to receive signals from buttons 110, 112, and 114, as well as touch signals from the touch-sensitive display 106. The buttons may be, for example, physical buttons or capacitive buttons. Additionally, the body 102, which may include a frame that acts as a button, may have predetermined areas on the frame. The processor 202 may be configured to interpret these input signals and output appropriate display signals to cause an image to be generated by the touch-sensitive display 106. While a single processor 202 is shown, it should be understood that any number of processors or other computing devices may be used to perform the general functionality described above.

Figures 3-12 show an exemplary user interface 300 displaying a two-sided user interface object 302. Object 302 has a first surface 304 and a second surface 306. Each surface of object 302 is a selectable surface associated with corresponding data. The data may be, for example, text, an image, an application icon, an instruction, a binary ON option or OFF option, and the like. The user can rotate object 302 using the physical crown of the wearable electronic device to align the desired selection surface so that the surface is parallel to and displayed on the display 106 of the device 100 to select a surface from a plurality of selectable surfaces of object 302. The system is designed to transition from one surface to another, rather than stopping between surfaces. Although the example is described with respect to an object surface (or plane) parallel to the display 106, the example can also be modified rather than described with respect to an object surface (or plane) facing an observer of the display 106. This modification can be particularly useful when the object surface or the display 106 is not a flat surface.

The crown 108 of the device 100 is a user interface input that can be rotated by the user. The crown 108 can alternate in two different directions: clockwise and counterclockwise. Where applicable, Figures 3-12 include a rotation direction arrow that shows the direction of rotation of the crown and a movement direction arrow that shows the direction of rotation of the user interface object. The rotation direction arrow and the movement direction arrow are not typically part of the displayed user interface, but are provided to help explain the accompanying drawings. In this example, clockwise rotation of the crown 108 is shown by the rotation direction arrow pointing in the upward direction. Similarly, counterclockwise rotation of the crown 108 is shown by the rotation direction arrow pointing in the downward direction. The feature of the rotation direction arrow does not indicate the distance, rate, or acceleration at which the crown 108 is rotated by the user. Instead, the rotation direction arrow indicates the direction in which the crown 108 is rotated by the user.

In FIG3 , first surface 304 of object 302 is aligned parallel to display 106 and displayed, indicating selection of first surface 304. Selected first surface 304 can be activated, for example, by additional user input. In FIG4 , device 100 determines a change in the position of crown 108 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by rotation direction arrow 308. Device 100 determines a rotation rate and direction based on the determined change in the position of crown 108. In response to determining the change in the position of crown 108, the device rotates object 302, as indicated by movement direction arrow 310 and shown in FIG4 . The rotation of object 302 is based on the determined rotation rate and direction. The rotation rate can be expressed in a variety of ways. For example, the rotation rate can be expressed in hertz, rotations per unit time, rotations per frame, number of rotations per unit time, number of rotations per frame, angular change per unit time, etc. In one example, object 302 can be associated with a mass or can have a calculated rotational inertia.

5-7 , device 100 continues to determine a change in the position of crown 108 in a clockwise direction, as indicated by rotation direction arrow 308. Device 100 determines a rotation rate and direction based on the determined change in the position of crown 108. In response to determining the change in the position of crown 108, the device continues to rotate object 302, as indicated by movement direction arrow 310 and shown in FIG5-6 . The rotation of object 302 is based on the determined rotation rate and direction.

In one example, the angle of rotation of object 302 (measured from the object's position when parallel to device 106) is based on the determined rate. For easier visualization, object 302 can be considered to have some properties similar to an analog tachometer. As the determined rate increases, the angle of rotation of object 302 increases. In this example, if the rotation of crown 108 remains at a constant rate, object 302 will remain in a stationary rotational position that is not parallel to display 106. If the rate of rotation of crown 108 increases, the determined rate will increase and object 302 will rotate an additional amount.

In some examples, object 302 is configured to become perpendicular to display 106 in response to the determined velocity being at a velocity threshold. When the determined velocity exceeds the velocity threshold, a total rotation of object 302 exceeding 90 degrees causes first surface 304 of object 302 to no longer be displayed and instead causes second surface 306 of object 302 to be displayed. The transition between the display of first surface 304 and second surface 306 is shown as the transition between FIG7 and FIG8. Thus, when the determined velocity exceeds the velocity threshold, object 302 flips from one side to the other.

At Figures 9-12, device 100 determines that the position of crown 108 has not changed further. As a result of this determination, the rotation of object 302 is changed so that the surface of object 302 is parallel to display 106. This change may be animated, as shown in Figures 9-12. Device 100 rotates object 302 so that the surface of object 302 that was partially facing display 106 when device 100 determines that the position of crown 108 has not changed is the surface that will be displayed parallel to display 106. When the surface of object 302 is parallel to display 106 and no change in the position of crown 108 is detected, object 302 is in a stable state. An object is in a stable state when it is not translated, rotated, or scaled.

In some instances, when object 302 is in a stable state, the display surface of object 302 parallel to display 106 can be activated using an additional input. The display surface in a stable state parallel to display 106 is determined to be selected even before activation. For example, object 302 can be used as an ON/OFF switch or trigger. First surface 304 is associated with an ON instruction and second surface 306 is associated with an OFF instruction. The user can rotate crown 108 at a rate above a rate threshold so that object 302 flips and displays the desired surface to transition between the ON state and the OFF state. When the desired surface is displayed on display 106, parallel to display 106, and no change in the position of crown 108 is detected, the desired surface is determined to be selected.

While a surface is selected, the user can activate the selected surface through one of a number of techniques. For example, the user can press touch-sensitive display 106, press the touch-sensitive display with a force greater than a predetermined threshold, press button 112, or simply allow the surface to remain selected for a predetermined amount of time. In another example, when the displayed surface is parallel to display 106, the action can be interpreted as both a selection and activation of data associated with the displayed surface.

FIG13 illustrates an exemplary method for selecting the surface of a two-sided graphical user interface object in response to rotation of a crown. Method 1300 is performed at a wearable electronic device having a physical crown (e.g., device 100 in FIG1 ). In some examples, the electronic device also includes a touch-sensitive display. This method provides an efficient technique for selecting the surface of a two-sided two-dimensional object.

At block 1302, the device causes a two-sided object to be displayed on a touch-sensitive display of a wearable electronic device. In some instances, the object is two-dimensional. In other instances, the object is three-dimensional, but only two surfaces are selectable. Each selectable surface of the object is associated with a corresponding data value. The data may be, for example, text, an image, an application icon, an instruction, a binary ON or OFF option, and the like.

At block 1304, the device receives crown position information. The crown position information may be received as a series of pulse signals, real values, integer values, or the like.

At block 1306, the device determines whether the crown distance value has changed. The crown distance value is based on the angular displacement of a physical crown of the wearable electronic device. A change in the crown distance value indicates that the user has provided input to the wearable electronic device by, for example, rotating the physical crown. If the device determines that the crown distance value has not changed, the system returns to block 1304 and continues to receive crown position information. If the device determines that the crown distance value has changed, the system proceeds to block 1308, although the system may continue to receive crown position information.

At box 1308, the device determines a direction and a crown rate. The crown rate is based on the rate of rotation of a physical crown of the wearable electronic device. For example, the determined crown rate can be expressed in hertz, rotations per unit time, rotations per frame, number of rotations per unit time, number of rotations per frame, etc. The determined direction is based on the direction of rotation of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device. For example, an upward direction can be determined based on a clockwise rotation of the physical crown. Similarly, a downward direction is determined based on a counterclockwise rotation of the physical crown. In other examples, the downward direction can be determined based on a clockwise rotation of the physical crown and the upward direction can be determined based on a counterclockwise rotation of the physical crown.

At block 1310, in response to determining a change in the crown distance value, the device causes the two side objects to initially rotate on the display. The amount of rotation is based on the determined crown rate. The direction of rotation is based on the determined direction. The rotation may be displayed in an animated form.

At block 1312, the device determines that the determined crown velocity exceeds a velocity threshold. If the device determines that the determined crown velocity exceeds the velocity threshold, the device proceeds to block 1314. For example, the velocity threshold can be considered an escape velocity (or escape velocity). The escape velocity is the velocity at which the kinetic energy plus the gravitational potential energy of the object is zero. If the device determines that the determined crown velocity does not exceed the velocity threshold, the device transitions to block 1316.

In some examples, the minimum angular rate of crown rotation required to achieve escape velocity corresponds directly to the instantaneous angular velocity of crown 108 ( FIG. 1 ), meaning that the user interface of device 100 essentially responds when crown 108 reaches a sufficient angular velocity. In some embodiments, the minimum angular velocity of crown rotation required to achieve escape velocity is a calculated velocity based on, but not directly equal to, the instantaneous (“current”) angular velocity of crown 108. In these examples, device 100 may maintain a calculated crown (angular) velocity V at discrete moments in time T according to Equation 1:

_VT = V _(T-1) + _ΔVCROWN - _ΔVDRAG . (Formula 1)

In Equation 1, V _T represents the calculated crown velocity (rate and direction) at time T, V _(T-1) represents the previous velocity (rate and direction) at time T-1, ΔV _CROWN represents the change in velocity at time T caused by the force applied by rotation of the crown, and ΔV _DRAG represents the change in velocity caused by the drag force. The applied force, as reflected by ΔV _CROWN , may depend on the current rate of angular rotation of the crown. Therefore, ΔV _CROWN may also depend on the current angular velocity of the crown. In this way, device 100 can provide user interface interactions based not only on instantaneous crown velocity but also on user input in the form of crown movement over multiple time intervals, even if these intervals are finely segmented. Note that, generally, in the absence of user input in the form of ΔV _CROWN , V _T will approach (and become) zero based on ΔV _DRAG according to Equation 1, but in the absence of user input in the form of crown rotation (ΔV _CROWN ), V _T will not change sign.

Generally, the greater the speed of the crown's angular rotation, the greater the value of ΔV _CROWN will be. However, depending on the desired user interface effect, the actual mapping between the speed of the crown's angular rotation and ΔV _CROWN may vary. For example, various linear or nonlinear mappings between the speed of the crown's angular rotation and ΔV _CROWN may be used.

Additionally, ΔV _DRAG can take on various values. For example, ΔV _DRAG can depend on the speed of crown rotation, such that at higher speeds, a greater, inverse change in speed (ΔV _DRAG ) can occur. In another example, ΔV _DRAG can have a constant value. It will be appreciated that the aforementioned requirements for ΔV _CROWN and ΔV _DRAG can be varied to produce a desired user interface effect.

As can be seen from Equation 1, the maintained velocity ( _VT ) can continue to increase as long as _ΔVCROWN is greater than _ΔVDRAG . Additionally, _VT can have a non-zero value even without receiving a _ΔVCROWN input, meaning that user interface objects can continue to change without the user rotating the crown. When this occurs, the object can stop changing based on the _ΔVDRAG component and the maintained velocity at the time the user stops rotating the crown.

In some instances, when the crown is rotated in a direction corresponding to a rotation direction (which is opposite to the direction of the current user interface change), the V _(T-1) component can be set to a value of zero, thereby allowing the user to quickly change the direction of an object without having to provide sufficient force to offset V _T.

At block 1314, the device flips the object through the transition position between the last selected first and second surfaces. For example, the object has flipped through the transition position when, without receiving further user input, the object will not return so that the first surface is displayed parallel to the display. In the example of a two-sided object, the transition position may be the position where the surface is perpendicular to the display.

Once the object reaches a stable state, the displayed surface parallel to the display can be activated by a specified user input. The displayed surface parallel to the display in a stable state is determined to be selected even before activation. An object is in a stable state when it is not translated, rotated, or scaled. In the case of a cube-shaped object, this may result in the first surface of the object no longer being displayed.

At block 1316, because escape velocity has not been reached, the device causes the object to at least partially return to its initial position at the time of block 1302. For example, a portion of the initial rotation of the object induced at block 2410 may be undone. To achieve this, the device forces the object to rotate in a direction opposite to the initial rotation at block 1310.

Figures 14-23 show exemplary graphical user interfaces for displaying the selection of surfaces of a cube object in response to the rotation of a crown. Object 1402 is a cube with six surfaces. In this example, four of the six surfaces are selectable. These four selectable surfaces include surface 1404 of object 1402, which faces the viewer of display 106, the top surface of object 1402, the bottom surface of object 1402, and the back surface of object 1402. In this example, the left and right surfaces of object 1402 are not selectable. However, the left and right surfaces of object 1402 may be selectable in other examples. Although examples have been described with respect to an object surface (or plane) being parallel to display 106, these examples may also be modified to describe with respect to an object surface (plane) facing the viewer of display 106. This modification may be particularly useful when the object surface or display 106 is not a flat surface.

Each selectable surface of object 1402 is associated with corresponding data. The data may be, for example, text, an image, an application icon, an instruction, a quad-state setting (such as Off/Low/Medium/High), etc. The user may select a surface from the plurality of selectable surfaces of object 1402 by rotating object 1402 using the physical crown of the wearable electronic device to align the desired selection surface so that it is parallel to and displayed on display 106.

The crown 108 of the device 100 is a user interface input that can be rotated by the user. The crown 108 can alternate in two different directions: clockwise and counterclockwise. Where applicable, Figures 14-23 include a rotation direction arrow that shows the direction of rotation of the crown and a movement direction arrow that shows the direction of rotation of the user interface object. The rotation direction arrow and the movement direction arrow are not typically part of the displayed user interface, but are provided to help explain the accompanying drawings. In this example, clockwise rotation of the crown 108 is shown by the rotation direction arrow indicating an upward direction. Similarly, counterclockwise rotation of the crown 108 is shown by the rotation direction arrow indicating a downward direction. The feature of the rotation direction arrow does not indicate the distance, rate, or speed at which the crown 108 is rotated by the user. Instead, the rotation direction arrow indicates the direction in which the crown 108 is rotated by the user.

In FIG14 , the first surface 1404 of the object 1402 is aligned and displayed parallel to the display 106 , thereby indicating a selection of the first surface 1404 . In FIG15 , the device 100 determines a change in the position of the crown 108 in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by a rotation direction arrow 1502 . The device 100 determines a rotation rate and direction based on the determined change in the position of the crown 108 . In response to determining the change in the position of the crown 108 , the device rotates the object 1402 , as indicated by a movement direction arrow 1504 and shown in FIG15 . The rotation of the object 1402 is based on the determined rotation rate and direction. The rotation rate can be expressed in a variety of ways. For example, the rotation rate can be expressed in hertz, rotations per unit time, rotations per frame, number of rotations per unit time, number of rotations per frame, etc. In one example, the object 1402 can be associated with a mass or can have a calculated rotational inertia.

16 , device 100 continues to determine a change in the position of crown 108 in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by rotation direction arrow 1502. Device 100 determines a rotation rate and direction based on the determined position of crown 108. In response to determining the change in the position of crown 108, the device continues to rotate object 1402, as indicated by movement direction arrow 1504 and shown in FIG16 . The rotation of object 1402 is based on the determined rotation rate and direction.

In one example, the degree of rotation of object 1402 is based on the determined rate. As the determined rate increases, the degree of rotation of object 1402 increases. In this example, if the rotation of crown 108 is maintained at a constant rate, object 1402 will remain in a stationary rotational position in which no surface of object 1402 is parallel to display 106. If the rate of rotation of crown 108 increases, the determined rate will increase and object 1402 will rotate an additional amount.

In some examples, object 1402 is configured to rotate in response to the determined velocity being above a velocity threshold so that the surface is parallel to display 106. When the determined velocity exceeds the velocity threshold, object 1402 rotates more than 45 degrees, causing first surface 1404 of object 1402 to rotate away from the display so as to no longer be displayed and, conversely, causing second surface 1406 of object 1404 to rotate toward the display so as to be displayed. This transition between the display of first surface 1404 and second surface 1406 is illustrated as a transition between FIG16 and FIG17. Thus, as the determined velocity exceeds the velocity threshold, object 1402 flips from one surface to the other.

At Figures 17-18, the device 100 determines that the position of the crown 108 has not changed. As a result of this determination, the object 1402 is rotated so that the displayed surface of the object 1402 is parallel to the display 106. This rotation can have an animated effect, as shown in Figures 17-18. The device 100 rotates the object 1402 so that the displayed surface of the object 1402 with the smallest angle relative to the display is parallel to the display 106. In other words, the surface of the object that is directly facing the display 106 or closest to being parallel to the display 106 is made parallel to the display 106. When the surface of the object 1402 is parallel to the display 106 and no change in the position of the crown 108 is detected, the object 1402 is in a stable state. The object is in a stable state when it is not translated, rotated, or scaled.

In some examples, when object 1402 is in a stable state, the surface of object 1402 that is parallel to display 106 and displayed on display 106 is determined to be selected. For example, object 1402 can be used as a four-phase selection switch. First surface 1404 is associated with a LOW setting instruction and second surface 1406 is associated with a MEDIUM instruction setting. The remaining two selectable surfaces are associated with a HIGH instruction setting and an OFF instruction setting. The user can switch between the four settings by rotating crown 108 at a rate greater than a rate threshold, causing object 1402 to flip and display the desired surface. When the displayed surface is parallel to display 106 and no change in the position of crown 108 is detected, the desired surface is determined to be selected.

When a surface is selected, the user can activate the selected surface through one or more of a variety of techniques. For example, the user can press the touch-sensitive display 106, the button 112, or simply allow the surface to remain selected for a predetermined amount of time. In another example, when the displayed surface is parallel to the display 106, the action can be interpreted as both a selection and activation of data associated with the displayed surface.

20-23 illustrate a second flipping of object 1402 to select third surface 2002 of object 1402. In FIG. 21-22 , device 100 determines a change in position of crown 108 in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by rotation direction arrow 1502. Device 100 determines a rotation rate and direction based on the determined change in position of crown 108. In response to determining the change in position of crown 108, the device rotates object 1402, as indicated by movement direction arrow 1504 and shown in FIG. 21-22 . The rotation of object 1402 is based on the determined rotation rate and direction.

In response to the rotation rate exceeding the threshold, object 1402 flips so that third surface 2002 is parallel to display 106 and displayed on display 106, as shown in Figure 23. When the object is not translated, rotated, or scaled, the object is in a stable state. When object 1402 is in a stable state, the surface of object 1402 that is parallel to display 106 and displayed on display 106 is determined to be selected. In this example, third surface 2002 is selected.

FIG24 illustrates an exemplary method for selecting the surface of a multi-sided graphical user interface object in response to rotation of a crown. Method 2400 is performed at a wearable electronic device having a physical crown (e.g., device 100 in FIG1 ). In some examples, the electronic device also includes a touch-sensitive display. The method provides an efficient technique for selecting the surface of a multi-sided three-dimensional object.

At block 2402, the device causes a multi-sided object to be displayed on a touch-sensitive display of a wearable electronic device. Each selectable surface of the object is associated with a corresponding data value. The data may be, for example, text, an image, an application icon, instructions, and the like.

At block 2404, the device receives crown position information. The crown position information may be received as a series of pulse signals, actual values, integer values, and the like.

At block 2406, the device determines whether the crown distance value has changed. The crown distance value is based on the angular displacement of a physical crown of the wearable electronic device. A change in the crown distance value indicates that the user has provided input to the wearable electronic device by, for example, rotating the physical crown. If the device determines that the crown distance value has not changed, the system returns to block 2404 and continues to receive crown position information. If the device determines that the crown distance value has changed, the system proceeds to block 2408, although the system may continue to receive crown position information.

At box 2408, the device determines a direction and a crown rate. The crown rate is based on the rate of rotation of a physical crown of the wearable electronic device. For example, the determined crown rate can be expressed in hertz, rotations per unit time, rotations per frame, number of rotations per unit time, number of rotations per frame, etc. The determined direction is based on the direction of rotation of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device. For example, an up arrow can be determined based on a clockwise rotation of the physical crown. Similarly, a down arrow can be determined based on a counterclockwise rotation of the physical crown. In other examples, a down arrow can be determined based on a clockwise rotation of the physical crown and an up arrow can be determined based on a counterclockwise rotation of the physical crown.

At block 2410, in response to determining a change in the crown distance value, the device causes the multi-sided object to initially rotate on the display. The amount of rotation is based on the determined crown rate. The direction of rotation is based on the determined direction. The rotation may be displayed in an animated form.

At block 2412, the device determines that the determined crown velocity exceeds a velocity threshold. If the device determines that the determined crown velocity exceeds the velocity threshold, the device proceeds to block 2414. For example, the velocity threshold can be considered an escape velocity (or escape rate). The escape velocity is the velocity at which the kinetic energy plus the gravitational potential energy of the object is zero. If the device determines that the determined velocity does not exceed the velocity threshold, the device proceeds to block 2416.

In some examples, the minimum angular rate of crown rotation required to achieve escape velocity corresponds directly to the instantaneous angular velocity of crown 108 ( FIG. 1 ), meaning that the user interface of device 100 essentially responds when crown 108 reaches a sufficient angular velocity. In some embodiments, the minimum angular velocity of crown rotation required to achieve escape velocity is a calculated velocity based on, but not directly equal to, the instantaneous (“current”) angular velocity of crown 108. In these examples, device 100 may maintain a calculated crown (angular) velocity V at discrete moments in time T according to Equation 1:

_VT = V _(T-1) + _ΔVCROWN - _ΔVDRAG . (Formula 1)

In Equation 1, V _T represents the calculated crown velocity (rate and direction) at time T, V _(T-1) represents the previous velocity (rate and direction) at time T-1, ΔV _CROWN represents the change in velocity at time T caused by the force applied by rotation of the crown, and ΔV _DRAG represents the change in velocity caused by the drag force. The applied force, as reflected by ΔV _CROWN , may depend on the current rate of angular rotation of the crown. Therefore, ΔV _CROWN may also depend on the current angular velocity of the crown. In this way, device 100 can provide user interface interactions based not only on instantaneous crown velocity but also on user input in the form of crown movement over multiple time intervals, even if these intervals are finely segmented. Note that, in general, in the absence of user input in the form of ΔV _CROWN , V _T will approach (and become) zero based on ΔV _DRAG according to Equation 1, but in the absence of user input in the form of crown rotation (ΔV _CROWN ), V _T will not change sign.

Generally, the greater the speed of the crown's angular rotation, the greater the value of ΔV _CROWN will be. However, depending on the desired user interface effect, the actual mapping between the speed of the crown's angular rotation and ΔV _CROWN may vary. For example, various linear or nonlinear mappings between the speed of the crown's angular rotation and ΔV _CROWN may be used.

Additionally, ΔV _DRAG can assume various values. For example, ΔV _DRAG can depend on the speed of crown rotation, such that at higher speeds, a greater, inverse change in speed (ΔV _DRAG ) can occur. In another example, ΔV _DRAG can have a constant value. It will be appreciated that the aforementioned requirements for ΔV _CROWN and ΔV _DRAG can be varied to produce a desired user interface effect.

As can be seen from Equation 1, the maintained velocity ( _VT ) can continue to increase as long as _ΔVCROWN is greater than _ΔVDRAG . Additionally, _VT can have a non-zero value even without receiving a _ΔVCROWN input, meaning that user interface objects can continue to change without the user rotating the crown. When this occurs, the object can stop changing based on the _ΔVDRAG component and the maintained velocity at the time the user stops rotating the crown.

In some instances, when the crown is rotated in a direction corresponding to a rotation direction (which is opposite to the direction of the current user interface change), the V _(T-1) component can be set to a value of zero, thereby allowing the user to quickly change the direction of an object without having to provide sufficient force to offset V _T.

At block 2414, the device flips the object through a transition position between the last selected first surface and the new surface. For example, the object has flipped through the transition position when the object will not return so that the first surface is displayed parallel to the display without receiving user input.

Once the object reaches a stable state, the displayed surface parallel to the display can be activated via a specified user input. The displayed surface parallel to the display in a stable state is determined to be selected even before activation. An object is in a stable state when it is not translated, rotated, or scaled. In the case of a cube-shaped object, this may result in the first surface of the object no longer being displayed.

At block 2416, because escape velocity has not been reached, the device causes the object to at least partially return to its initial position at the time of block 2408. For example, a portion of the initial rotation of the object induced at block 2410 may be undone. To achieve this, the device forces the object to rotate in a direction opposite to the initial rotation at block 2410.

FIG25 shows a graphical user interface 2500 for displaying the selection of a crown 2506 for a multi-sided object in response to the rotation of the crown. Object 2502 is a 12-sided rotatable turntable shaped like a wheel. Object 2502 is rotatable around a fixed axis. In this example, all 12 surfaces of object 2502 are selectable. These 12 selectable surfaces include surface 2504, surface 2506, surface 2508, surface 2510, and surface 2512. In FIG25 , because surface 2508 is parallel to display 106 and is displayed on display 106, back side 2508 is selected. The selectable surfaces of object 2505 can be selected according to the method and the techniques described in other examples.

In some examples, device 100 can provide haptic feedback based on content displayed on display 106. When a user interface object is displayed on display 106, the device can modify the appearance of the object based on a change in a crown distance value received at device 100 based on rotation of crown 108. When this criterion is met, a haptic output is output at device 100.

In one example, the object is a rotatable multi-sided object, such as described above. The criterion is satisfied when a surface of the multi-sided object is selected. In another example, the criterion is satisfied each time a displayed surface of the multi-sided object crosses a plane parallel to the display.

One or more of the functions associated with the user interface may be performed by a system similar to or equivalent to the system 2600 shown in Figure 26. System 2600 may include instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium (such as memory 2604 or storage device 2602) and executed by processor 2606. The instructions may also be stored and/or transported in any non-transitory computer-readable storage medium for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus such as a computer-based system, a system containing a processor, or other systems that can obtain instructions from and execute instructions on an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. In the context of this document, a "non-transitory computer-readable storage medium" may be any medium that can contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, device, or apparatus. Computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatuses, or devices, portable computer diskettes (magnetic), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), portable optical disks (such as CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, or DVD-RW), or flash memory (such as compact flash cards, secure digital cards, USB memory devices, memory sticks), etc.

The instructions may also be transmitted over any transmission medium for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, a system containing a processor, or other system that can retrieve instructions from an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a "transmission medium" can be any medium that can send, propagate, or transport the program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. Transmission media may include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or infrared wired or wireless transmission media.

In some examples, system 2600 can be included within device 100. In these examples, processor 2606 can be the same as or a different processor than processor 202. Processor 2606 can be configured to receive outputs from encoder 204, buttons 110, 112, and 114, and touch-sensitive display 106. Processor 2606 can process these inputs as described above with respect to the described and illustrated methods. It should be understood that the system is not limited to the components and configurations of FIG. 26, but can include other components or additional components in multiple configurations according to various examples.

Although the present disclosure and examples have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It should be understood that such changes and modifications are considered to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and examples defined by the appended claims.

Claims (14)

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising: A first surface of a plurality of selectable surfaces of a virtual object is displayed on a touch-sensitive display of a wearable electronic device, the first surface being associated with first data; Detect the rotation of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device; Determine the rate, wherein the rate is based on the angular velocity of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device during the detected rotation; and In response to detecting rotation of the physical crown, an animation is displayed on the display showing the virtual object rotating about an axis parallel to the display in a first direction; and After rotating the virtual object in the first direction about an axis parallel to the display: In response to the rate being determined to exceed a rate threshold, an animation of the virtual object rotating in the first direction about an axis parallel to the display is displayed on the display, so as to display a second surface of the plurality of selectable surfaces of the virtual object on the display, the second surface being displayed parallel to the display in a stable state; and In response to the rate being determined to be below the rate threshold, an animation of the virtual object rotating about an axis parallel to the display in a second direction opposite to the first direction is displayed on the display so that the first surface of the plurality of selectable surfaces of the virtual object is displayed parallel to the display on the display, and the first surface is displayed parallel to the display when in a steady state. 2. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further includes: The selection of the second surface is determined in response to the display of the display being parallel to the second surface in a steady state. 3. The computer-implemented method according to claim 2 further includes: In response to determining the selection of the second surface, a tactile output is generated at the wearable electronic device. 4. The computer-implemented method according to claim 1 further includes: The selection of the first surface is determined in response to the display of the display being parallel to the first surface in a steady state. 5. The computer-implemented method according to claim 4, further comprising: In response to determining the selection of the first surface, a tactile output is generated at the wearable electronic device. 6. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the virtual object is a cube. 7. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the virtual object is a multi-sided rotatable turntable. 8. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1-5, further comprising: The second surface is associated with second data, wherein the first data and the second data are different. 9. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein determining the selection of the second surface in response to the display of the display being parallel to the second surface when in the steady state comprises any one of: detecting a tapping gesture on the second surface, detecting a touch with a force greater than a predetermined threshold on the touch-sensitive display, detecting a touch on the physical crown, detecting a press on the physical crown, and detecting a touch on the touch-sensitive surface of the wearable electronic device. 10. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1-5, wherein the rate is the rotation rate of the virtual object. 11. A computer-implemented method, comprising: A first surface of a plurality of selectable surfaces of a virtual object is displayed on a touch-sensitive display of a wearable electronic device, the first surface being associated with first data; Detect the rotation of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device; Determine the rate, wherein the rate is based on the angular velocity of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device during the detected rotation; and In response to detecting rotation of the physical crown, an animation is displayed on the display showing the virtual object rotating about an axis parallel to the display in a first direction; and After rotating the virtual object in the first direction about an axis parallel to the display: In response to determining that the angular velocity exceeds a predetermined threshold, rotation continues to rotate the virtual object in the first direction about an axis parallel to the display, so as to display a second surface of the plurality of selectable surfaces of the virtual object on the display, wherein the second surface is displayed parallel to the display in a stable state. In response to the rate being determined to be below the predetermined threshold, an animation of the virtual object rotating about an axis parallel to the display in a second direction opposite to the first direction is displayed on the display so that the first surface of the plurality of selectable surfaces of the virtual object is displayed parallel to the display on the display, and the first surface is displayed parallel to the display when in a steady state. 12. The computer-implemented method according to claim 11, further comprising: In response to determining that the angular velocity is below the predetermined threshold: The animation shows the first surface initially moving parallel to the display, then moving at an angle to the display, and finally returning to a stable state parallel to the display. 13. The computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 11-12, wherein the physical crown is a mechanical crown. 14. An electronic device, comprising: One or more processors; A physical crown operably coupled to one or more processors; and A touch-sensitive display operatively coupled to the one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to: A first surface of a plurality of selectable surfaces of a virtual object is displayed on a touch-sensitive display of a wearable electronic device, the first surface being associated with first data; Detect the rotation of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device; Determine the rate, wherein the rate is based on the angular velocity of the physical crown of the wearable electronic device during the detected rotation; and In response to detecting rotation of the physical crown, an animation is displayed on the display showing the virtual object rotating about an axis parallel to the display in a first direction; and After rotating the virtual object in the first direction about an axis parallel to the display: In response to the rate being determined to exceed a rate threshold, rotation continues to rotate the virtual object in the first direction about an axis parallel to the display, so as to display a second surface of the plurality of selectable surfaces of the virtual object on the display, wherein the second surface is displayed parallel to the display in a stable state; and In response to the rate being determined to be below the rate threshold, an animation of the virtual object rotating about an axis parallel to the display in a second direction opposite to the first direction is displayed on the display so that the first surface of the plurality of selectable surfaces of the virtual object is displayed parallel to the display on the display, and the first surface is displayed parallel to the display when in a steady state.