IP Library › Granted Patent US 12663907

Granted Patent B2

US 12663907 · App. 17/202,034 · Granted Jun 23, 2026

Devices, methods, and graphical user interfaces for gaze-based navigation

Inventors: Pol Pla I Conesa (San Francisco, CA); Bas Ording (San Francisco, CA); Stephen O. Lemay (Palo Alto, CA); Evgenii Krivoruchko (San Francisco, CA); Peter D. Anton (Portola Valley, CA)

Assignee: Apple Inc.

G06F3/0481 G06F3/012 G06F3/013

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12663907
App. No.: 17/202,034
Filed: Mar 15, 2021
Granted: Jun 23, 2026
Kind: B2
Examiner: BASOM, BLAINE T
Art Unit: 2141
USPC: 715/765

External Links

USPTO Patent Center↗ Full Patent PDF↗

Abstract

In some embodiments, an electronic device expands an item of content in accordance with detection of a user's gaze. In some embodiments, an electronic device scrolls text of a content item in accordance with a determination that the user is reading the content item. In some embodiments, an electronic device navigates between user interfaces in accordance with detection of movement of the user's head and detection of the user's gaze. In some embodiments, an electronic device displays augmented content related to a portion of content in accordance with detection of movement of the user's head and detection of the user's gaze in accordance with some embodiments.

Claims (74)

1 . A method, comprising:

at an electronic device in communication with a display generation component and a gaze tracking device:

while displaying, via the display generation component, a first user interface on a display, detecting a request to navigate from the first user interface to a second user interface;

in response to the request to navigate from the first user interface to the second user interface, displaying, via the display generation component, the second user interface, wherein the second user interface is a user interface element that is separate from the first user interface;

while displaying, via the display generation component, at a first time, the second user interface separately from the first user interface, detecting a first respective user input that includes movement of a head of a user that does not meet first criteria while a gaze of the user is directed to a respective location other than the second user interface; and

in response to detecting the first respective user input:

forgoing navigating from the second user interface back to the first user interface and displaying a first portion of an animated transition between the second user interface and the first user interface;

while displaying, via the display generation component, at a second time, the second user interface separately from the first user interface, detecting a second respective user input that includes movement of the head that meets the first criteria while the gaze of the user is directed to a respective location other than the second user interface; and

in response to detecting the second respective user input:

navigating from the second user interface back to the first user interface, including ceasing to display the second user interface as a user interface element that is separate from the first user interface, and displaying the animated transition between the second user interface and the first user interface while navigating from the second user interface back to the first user interface.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the second user interface is displayed while at least a portion of the first user interface is displayed, the method further comprising:

while displaying the second user interface and the at least the portion of the first user interface, wherein the first user interface is visually deemphasized relative to the second user interface, determining, via the gaze tracking device, that the gaze of the user has moved from the second user interface to the first user interface; and

in response to determining that the gaze of the user has moved from the second user interface to the first user interface, reducing an amount of visual deemphasis of the first user interface relative to the second user interface.

3 . The method of claim 2 , further comprising:

while the gaze of the user is directed to the first user interface and while displaying the first user interface and the second user interface with the reduced amount of visual deemphasis of the first user interface relative to the second user interface, determining, via the gaze tracking device, that the gaze of the user has moved from the first user interface to the second user interface; and

in response to determining that the gaze of the user has moved from the first user interface to the second user interface:

displaying the first user interface and the second user interface with the first user interface being visually deemphasized relative to the second user interface.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a magnitude of the first portion of the animated transition depends on an amount of movement of the head.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first portion of the animated transition progresses at a rate and/or direction determined based on a rate and/or direction of movement of the head.

6 . The method of claim 1 , including in response to detecting an end of the head movement without the head movement meeting the first criteria, display an animated transition from the first user interface being visually emphasized relative to the second user interface to the first user interface being visually deemphasized relative to the second user interface.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first criteria include a criterion that requires a tilting movement of the head of the user to a side.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first criteria include a criterion that requires a forward movement of the user.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein navigating from the first user interface to the second user interface includes displaying the second user interface overlaid on the first user interface.

10 . The method of claim 1 , wherein navigating from the first user interface to the second user interface includes deemphasizing the first user interface and, in accordance with a determination that a gaze of the user is directed to the second user interface, emphasizing the second user interface.

11 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

while displaying the second user interface, while a characteristic of the gaze of the user does not meet second criteria or while the head movement of the user does not meet the first criteria, continuing to display the second user interface while changing an appearance of the second user interface based on the gaze of the user or the head movement of the user; and

in accordance with a determination that the characteristic of the gaze of the user meets the second criteria and the head movement of the user meets the first criteria, navigating from the second user interface back to the first user interface.

12 . The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

while displaying the second user interface with the changed appearance of the second user interface, determining, via the gaze tracking device, that the gaze of the user is directed to the second user interface; and

in response to determining that the gaze of the user is directed to the second user interface, reverting the appearance of the second user interface to an initial appearance.

13 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

displaying, in the second user interface, text content;

while displaying the text content, detecting a request to cease displaying the text content; and

in response to detecting the request to cease displaying the text content:

in accordance with a determination that the text content does not satisfy one or more criteria, ceasing to display the text content; and

in accordance with a determination that the text content satisfies the one or more criteria:

in accordance with a determination that the user has read the text content, ceasing to display the text content; and

in accordance with a determination that the user has not read the text content, maintaining display of the text content.

14 . The method of claim 1 , the method further comprising:

displaying, in the second user interface, a notification associated with a respective application;

while displaying the notification associated with the respective application, determining, via the gaze tracking device, that the user has read the notification; and

in response to determining that the user has read the notification, displaying, via the display generation component, a user interface of the respective application.

15 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

while determining, via the gaze tracking device, that the gaze of the user is directed toward the second user interface:

in accordance with a determination that the head of the user is in a first position, displaying text content of the second user interface with a first text style; and

in accordance with a determination that the head of the user is in a second position, different from the first position, displaying the text content of the second user interface with a second text style, different from the first text style.

16 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises:

in response to detecting the respective user input:

in accordance with a determination that the respective user input includes the gaze of the user being directed to the first user interface without including corresponding head movement:

forgoing navigating from the second user interface back to the first user interface, and

altering a visual characteristic other than a location of the first user interface and a visual characteristic other than a location of the second user interface without displaying movement of either the first user interface or second user interface.

17 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the first criteria include a criterion that is satisfied when the movement of the head of the user includes movement of the head toward the first user interface.

18 . The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the first portion of the animated transition between the second user interface and the first user interface includes altering a visual characteristic other than a location of the first user interface and a visual characteristic other than a location of the second user interface.

19 . An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for:

while displaying, via a display generation component, a first user interface on a display, detecting a request to navigate from the first user interface to a second user interface;

in response to detecting the first respective user input:

in response to detecting the second respective user input:

20 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to:

while displaying, via a display generation component, a first user interface on a display, detecting a request to navigate from the first user interface to a second user interface;

in response to detecting the first respective user input:

in response to detecting the second respective user input: