Graphical user interface for computers having variable size icons
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsArnaud Gourdol, Donald J. Lindsay
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A computer user interface is provided which allows a user to adjust the size of icons based upon a user's preference or based upon a characteristic of the objects that the icons represent. When the icon sizing is performed according to a user preference, a relative sizing scheme or an arbitrary icon sizing scheme can be employed to variably size icons. Providing the ability to size icons in such a manner allows users to represent a user's categorization of object importance, for example.
Claims7
A method for varying the size of a plurality of icon images displayed in a display device based upon a user preference value, comprising:
- storing icon data representative of a plurality of icon images;
- selecting individual icons to perform variable icon sizing;
- designating a user preference value for each of the selected icons;
- generating icon images of different respective sizes, wherein the different sizes of the icon images are based upon said user preference values;
- and
- displaying said different sized icon images;
- wherein the generating step includes sorting icon images into an order based upon said designated preference values, and includes calculating a size gap between said ordered icon images using the following equation:
- (max−min)/(N−1),
- where N is the number of applications given a preference, min is a minimum icon size and max is a maximum icon size.
A computer readable medium containing program instructions to:
- store icon data representative of a plurality of icon images;
- detect the selection of individual icons;
- obtain user preference values for each of the selected icons;
- calculate a size gap between adjacent icon image sizes using the following equation:
- (max−min)/(N−1),
- where N is the number of applications given a preference, min is the minimum icon size and max is the maximum icon size;
- generate icon images of different respective sizes, wherein the different sizes of the icon images are based upon said user preference value;
- sort icon images into an order based upon said designated preference values;
- and
- display said different sized icon images.
An apparatus for varying a size of a plurality of icons images displayed in a window of a display device based upon a user preference value, said apparatus comprising:
- means for storing icon data representative of a plurality of icon images;
- means for selecting individual icons for variable icon sizing;
- means for designating user preference values for each of the selected icons;
- means for generating icon images of different respective sizes, wherein the different sizes of the icon images are based upon said user preference value;
- sorting means for sorting icon images into an order based upon said designated preference values;
- and
- display means for displaying said different sized icon images;
- wherein said generating means further comprises:
- calculating means for calculating a size gap between adjacent icon image sizes using the following equation:
- (max−min)/(N−1),
- where N is the number of applications given a preference, min is the minimum icon size and max is the maximum icon size.
A method for varying the size of a plurality of icons images displayed in a container of a display device based upon a user preference values designated for at least some of the plurality icon images, the method comprising:
- generating different sized icon images, wherein the different sizes of the icon images are based upon said user preference value and
- a size gap between said icon images is based on the following equation:
- (max−min)/(N−1),
- where N is the number of applications given a preference, min is the minimum icon size and max is the maximum icon size.
A method for varying the size of a plurality of icon images displayed in a display device based upon a user preference value, said method comprising:
- generating icon images of different respective sizes, wherein the different sizes of the icon images are based upon user preference values and a size gap between adjacent ones of the icon images is (max-min)/(N−1), where N is the number of icon images, min is a minimum icon size and max is a maximum icon size.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.