System for endless loop scrolling and display
View Patent ↗A system includes a display that is controlled by a processor. Software code may be executed by the processor to link a plurality of images of an image set into an endless loop in virtual space. The images of the image set may be scrolled along the endless loop for display. The endless loop may include one or more portions to which the images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display are linked, and one or more further portions to which the images of the image set that are currently visible on the display are linked.
1. A system comprising:
a processor;
a display controlled by the processor;
software code executable by the processor to link a plurality of images of an image set into an endless loop in virtual space, where the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop for display, where the endless loop includes a first lobe and a second lobe, the first lobe and second lobe meeting at a crossover region;
where images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display are linked to the first lobe and images of the image set that are currently visible on the display are linked to the second lobe;
where the crossover region defines where images of the image set transition between the first lobe and second lobe; and
where an image linked to the second lobe transitions to the first lobe when the image reaches an angle of 180°±θ safety with respect to a normal viewing angle of the display, where θ safety corresponds to a safety tolerance angle.
2. The system of claim 1 , where images appearing in a foreground of the display are displayed as solid objects that overlap images appearing in a background of the display.
3. The system of claim 1 , where the endless loop comprises a figure-eight shape.
4. The system of claim 1 , where images linked to the second lobe are scaled vertically as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.
5. The system of claim 1 , where images linked to the second lobe are scaled horizontally as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.
6. The system of claim 1 , where θ safety is about 10°.
7. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of human interface controls.
8. The system of claim 7 , where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the rate at which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.
9. The system of claim 7 , where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the direction in which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.
10. The system of claim 1 , where the images are thumbnail images and where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of a displayed thumbnail image to provide a corresponding full-sized image on the display.
11. The system of claim 1 , where the images are thumbnail images that correspond to software applications and where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of a displayed thumbnail image to launch the corresponding software application.
12. The system of claim 1 , where the images are thumbnail images that correspond to audio and/or video media and where the software code is executable to be responsive to actuation of a displayed thumbnail image to playback the corresponding audio and/or video media.
13. A method for providing a graphic user interface comprising:
generating an endless loop in virtual space;
linking a plurality of the images of an image set into the endless loop;
scrolling the images of the image set along the endless loop for provision to a display;
where the endless loop includes a first lobe and a second lobe, the first lobe and second lobe meeting at a crossover region;
linking images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display to the first lobe;
linking images of the image set that are currently visible on the display to the second lobe; and
transitioning an image linked to the second lobe to the first lobe when the image reaches an angle of 180°±θ safety with respect to a normal viewing angle of the display, where θ safety corresponds to a safety tolerance angle.
14. The method of claim 13 , further comprising displaying images appearing in a foreground of the display as solid objects that overlap images appearing in a background of the display.
15. The method of claim 13 , where the endless loop is generated as a figure-eight shape.
16. The method of claim 13 , where the crossover region defines where images of the image set transition between the first lobe and second lobe.
17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising vertically scaling images linked to the second lobe as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.
18. The method of claim 13 , further comprising horizontally scaling images linked to the second lobe as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.
19. The method of claim 13 , further providing a plurality of human interface controls.
20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising responding to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the rate at which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.
21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising responding to actuation of one or more of the human interface controls to control the direction in which the images of the image set are scrolled along the endless loop.
22. The method of claim 13 , further comprising displaying a full-sized image on the display in response to selection of a displayed image.
23. The method of claim 13 , where the images are thumbnail images and further comprising launching a software application corresponding to a thumbnail image when the thumbnail image is actuated.
24. The method of claim 13 , where the images are thumbnail images that correspond to audio and/or video media and further comprising playing back audio and/or video media corresponding to a thumbnail image when the thumbnail image is actuated.
25. The method of claim 13 , where θ safety is about 10°.
26. A system for providing a graphic user interface comprising:
means for generating an endless loop in virtual space;
means for linking a plurality of the images of an image set into the endless loop;
means for scrolling the images of the image set along the endless loop for provision to a display;
where the endless loop includes a first lobe and a second lobe, the first lobe and second lobe meeting at a crossover region;
means for linking images of the image set that are not currently visible on the display to the first lobe;
means for linking images of the image set that are currently visible on the display to the second lobe; and
means for transitioning an image linked to the second lobe to the first lobe when the image reaches an angle of 180°±θ safety with respect to a normal viewing angle of the display, where θ safety corresponds to a safety tolerance angle.
27. The system of claim 26 , further comprising means for displaying images appearing in a foreground of the display as solid objects that overlap images appearing in a background of the display.
28. The system of claim 26 , where the endless loop is generated as a figure-eight shape.
29. The system of claim 26 , where the crossover region defines where images of the image set transition between the first lobe and second lobe.
30. The system of claim 26 , further comprising means for vertically scaling images linked to the second lobe as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.
31. The system of claim 26 , further comprising means for horizontally scaling images linked to the second lobe as they rotate from a position opposite the crossover point to the crossover point.
32. The system of claim 26 , where θ safety is about 10°.