Graduated visual and manipulative translucency for windows
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsThomas Bonura, Kim Silverman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems for providing graphical user interfaces are described. Overlaid, information-bearing windows whose contents remain unchanged for a predetermined period of time become translucent. The translucency can be graduated so that, over time, if the window's contents remain unchanged, the window becomes more translucent. In addition to visual translucency, windows also have a manipulative translucent quality. Upon reaching a certain level of visual translucency, user input in the region of the window is interpreted as an operation on the underlying objects rather than the contents of the overlaying window.
Claims33
A method for rendering a window in a graphical user interface, comprising:
- rendering the window at a first level of translucency;
- detecting passage of a predetermined length of time during which no user input directed toward the window was received;
- and
- rendering, in response to detecting the predetermined length of time during which no user input was received, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
A method for rendering a window in a graphical user interface, comprising:
- rendering the window at a first level of translucency, the window presenting information;
- detecting a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event comprises a passage of a predetermined length of time during which the presented information did not change;
- and
- rendering, in response to the detected event, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
- rendering the window at a first level of translucency;
- detecting passage of a predetermined length of time during which no user input directed at the window was received;
- and
- rendering, in response to the detecting the predetermined length of time during which no user input directed at the window was received, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
A computer system for rendering a window in a graphical user interface, the computer system comprising a processor configured to execute operations comprising:
- rendering the window at a first level of translucency;
- detecting passage of a predetermined length of time during which no user input directed at the window was received;
- and
- rendering, in response to the detecting the predetermined length of time during which no user input directed at the window was received, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:
- rendering the window at a first level of translucency, the window presenting information;
- detecting a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event comprises a passage of a predetermined length of time during which the presented information did not change;
- and
- rendering, in response to the detected event, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
A computer system for rendering a window in a graphical user interface, the computer system comprising a processor configured to execute operations comprising:
- rendering the window at a first level of translucency, the window presenting information;
- detecting a predetermined event, wherein the predetermined event comprises a passage of a predetermined length of time during which the presented information did not change;
- and
- rendering, in response to the detected event, the window at a second level of translucency, wherein the second level of translucency is more translucent than the first level of translucency.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.