WO2010012097A1

WO2010012097A1 - An integrated media player/navigation control tool

Info

Publication number: WO2010012097A1
Application number: PCT/CA2009/001075
Authority: WO
Inventors: Daniel Scott Kajioka; Shafiq Shiraz Manji
Original assignee: Bce Inc.
Priority date: 2008-07-29
Filing date: 2009-07-29
Publication date: 2010-02-04

Abstract

A computer-implemented method and system for displaying on a display screen media content in the form of a three dimensional shape, the media content comprising a plurality of media elements. The method and system further comprise enabling a user to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional shape via a user input device and enabling a user to select a particular media element from the plurality of media elements by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional shape. Once selected the particular media element is accessed by an associated application for conveying content of the media element to a user.

Description

TITLE: AN INTEGRATED MEDIA PLAYER/NAVIGATION CONTROL TOOL

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of computer-implemented graphical user interfaces, and specifically to graphical user interfaces that comprise three- dimensional (3D) navigation components for enabling the display, management and navigation of media elements.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The presence of digital media in everyday life is increasing at a steady rate. Most individuals own or have access to devices such as digital cameras, audio/video recorders and cell phones that are able to quickly and easily generate digital pictures, digital videos and other digital files.

With this abundance of digital media, the purpose of many websites is to enable a user to view and navigate through various digital media files, such as images, audio files, photos and videos. In the case of commercial websites such as amazon.com and ebay.com, a user is presented with various images of items that can be purchased. Obviously, the easier and more enjoyable it is for a user to navigate through these product images to find what they are looking for, the greater the chance that a user will purchase something. In addition, in the case of social networking websites such as FaceBook™ and MySpace™, users are able to upload large quantities of digital media files, such as photos and/or videos, for sharing with visitors to their website. However, given the large amount of digital media files that are often contained on these social networking websites, it can be hard for a user (for example, a visitor to a site) to quickly and easily navigate through the digital media files.

Accordingly, in the context of the above, it is apparent that there is a need in the industry to provide a method and system for enabling a user to quickly and easily navigate through digital media that alleviates, at least in part, problems associated with the existing methods and systems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with a broad aspect, the present invention provides a computer- implemented method comprising displaying on a display screen media content in the form of a three dimensional shape, the media content comprising a plurality of media elements. The method further comprises enabling a user to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional shape via a user input device and enabling a user to select a particular media element from the plurality of media elements by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional shape. Once selected the particular media element is accessed by an associated application for conveying content of the media element to a user.

In accordance with a second broad aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium comprising a program element for execution by a processing entity, the processing entity when executing said program element being operative for displaying media content in the form of a three dimensional shape. The media content comprises a plurality of media elements. The program element being further operative for enabling a user to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional shape and enabling a user to select a particular media element from said plurality of media elements by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional shape. Once selected, the particular media element being accessed by an associated application for conveying content of the media element to the user.

In accordance with a further broad aspect, the present invention provides a system comprising a user input device and a computer-readable storage medium comprising a program element for execution by a processing entity. The program element comprising a first program element component for causing a computer to display media content in the form of a three dimensional shape. The media content comprising a plurality of media elements. The program element further comprising a second program element component responsive to input signals from the user input device to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional shape and a third program element component responsive to input signals from the user input device for selecting a particular media element from the plurality of media elements by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional shape. Once selected, the particular media element being accessed by an associated application for conveying content of the media element to a user.

In accordance with a further broad aspect, the present invention comprises a three dimensional graphical user interface for the organization, management, representation and display of digital content on a display device.

In accordance with yet a further broad aspect, the present invention comprises a computer-implemented method for organizing, representing and displaying digital content on a display device comprising: providing a three-dimensional navigation interface to a user that is configured to represent the digital content.

In accordance with yet a further broad aspect, the present invention comprises a computer-implemented method for viewing and selecting digital media content comprising: providing a three dimensional navigation tool that represents the digital media content.

Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to the persons skilled in the art upon review of the following description of embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention is provided herein below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a non-limiting screen-shot of a graphical user interface comprising a three dimensional navigation component in accordance with the present invention; Figure 2 shows a non-limiting flow diagram of a computer-implemented method for enabling the display and navigation of media content;

Figures 3A-B show alternative non-limiting examples of three dimensional shapes for the three dimensional navigation component of Figure 1 ;

Figures 4A-B show different non-limiting display orientations for

Figure 5 shows a non-limiting example of a screen-shot of a website incorporating the three-dimensional navigation component of Figure 1 ;

Figure 6 shows a non-limiting block diagram of a computing apparatus suitable for implementing the graphical user interface comprising the three-dimensional navigation component of Figure 1 ; and

Figure 7 shows a non-limiting block diagram of a client-server system suitable for implementing the graphical user interface comprising the three-dimensional navigation component of Figure 1.

In the drawings, the embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of examples. It is to be expressly understood that the description and drawings are only for the purpose of illustration and are an aid for understanding. They are not intended to be a definition of the limits of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

To facilitate the description, any reference numerals designating an element in one figure will designate the same element if used in any other figures. In describing the embodiments, specific terminology is resorted to for the sake of clarity but the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific terms used, and it is understood that each specific term comprises all equivalents.

Shown in Figure 1 is a graphical user interface (GUI) 10 that comprises a three- dimensional navigation component 12 in accordance with a non-limiting example of implementation of the present invention. The three dimensional navigation component 12 is the component of the GUI 10 that enables a user to preview and navigate through media content 14. More specifically, the navigation component

12 is an integrated media player/navigation control tool that allows for the display, organization and navigation of digital media content comprising a plurality of media elements 16.

In the embodiment shown, the three dimensional navigation component 12 is in the form of a cube whose orientation can be manipulated by a user in order to view the media content 14 located at different graphical locations of the cube. As will be described in more detail herein, the media elements 16 that are positioned on the navigation component 12 can be selected by a user in order for the content of the selected media element 16 to be accessed by an associated application for conveying to the user.

By organizing and displaying media content in the form of a three-dimensional shape, the navigation component 12 provides a convenient and user-friendly way to manage, display and navigate through a relatively large number of media elements 16. It will be appreciated that the display "real-estate" occupied by the three-dimensional shape of the navigation component 12 is much less than would be required for a corresponding two dimensional representation of the same number of media elements 16. As will be described in more detail below, the navigation component 12 of the present invention is computer implemented, and can be implemented either by a stand-alone computing apparatus (such as a laptop, desk-top or hand-held computing device) or by a distributed computing system that includes a network server.

The use and functionality of the navigation component 12 will now be described with respect to the flow chart of Figure 2, and the illustration of the GUI 10 shown in Figure 1.

Firstly, at step 200, media content 14 in the form of a three-dimensional shape is displayed on a display screen 18 of a computing apparatus. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the three dimensional navigation component 12 is in the shape of a cube having six faces 22a-f (only faces 22a, 22b and 22c are shown). It should, however, be appreciated that the navigation component 12 can have any three dimensional shape, without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in other embodiments, a rectangular prism, pyramid or other polyhedron could be used as the shape of the navigation component 12 for displaying the media content 14. In yet another embodiment, the navigation component 12 may be in the form of a sphere.

Shown in Figures 3A-3B are some alternative non-limiting examples of shapes that could be used for the navigation component 12. Figure 3A shows a dodecahedron, Figure 3B shows a rhombic triacontahedron, and Figure 3C shows an octagonal prism.

The media content 14 that is displayed using the three-dimensional navigational component 12 comprises a plurality of individual media elements 16 that are displayed in the form of thumbnails, tiles or cells that are presented on one or more faces of the navigation component 12.

Each thumbnail, tile or cell represents a media element 16 of any desired type. The media elements 16 (which will hereafter be referred to as media element thumbnails 16) may represent any type of media content 14 such as, but not limited to, videos, photos, images, graphics, avatars, audio files, audiovisual files, pdf files, drawing files (such as CAD), word document files, spreadsheet files, etc... As such, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the media element thumbnails 16 on each face of the navigational component 12 may correspond to any type of media or digital content without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Each media element thumbnail 16 shows a relatively small visual representation of the contents represented by the media element thumbnail 16. For example, in the case where a media element is a picture, drawing or video, the media element thumbnail 16 may show a reduced-size version of a picture or drawing, or a reduced-size version of a still-shot of a video file. In the case where a media element represents an audio file, the media element thumbnail 16 may show a small picture of the audio artist, or the album cover of the artist. In the case where a media element represents a pdf file or a word file, the media element thumbnail 16 may display an icon indicative of the type of file, or may include text indicative of a file name. The media element thumbnail 16 that is displayed on the navigation component may contain any type of image and/or text that provides a viewer with an indication of the content represented by the media element associated with that thumbnail. The media element thumbnail 16 may show a solid or transparent image of the content represented by the media element. It will be appreciated that the use of the term thumbnail is not limited to the conventional term, and is intended to cover any visual representation of the content of a given media element.

The media element thumbnails 16 can be distributed over every face of the navigation component 12, or alternative the media element thumbnails 16 can be distributed over only some of the faces of the navigation component 12. For example, in the case of the cube shown in Figure 1 , media element thumbnails 16 are distributed over all faces of the cube. However, in the case of the octagonal prism shown in Figure 3C, it is possible that the media element thumbnail 16 may be distributed over only some of the faces of the navigation component 12, such as on the eight side faces 30 of the prism, such that there are no media element thumbnails 16 on the top face 32 and the bottom face 34 of the prism. The manner in which the navigation component 12 displays the media content 14 and distributes the media element thumbnails 16 over its different faces can vary. For example, the navigation component 12 can be configured in order to display any given number of media element thumbnails 16 on each face. Referring back to the non-limiting embodiment of Figure 1 , the navigation component 12 is a cube having six faces 22a-f, each of which is configured for displaying nine (9) media element thumbnails 16. Therefore, in this embodiment where each face 22a-f of the cube is comprised of nine media elements 16, the cube is capable of displaying up to fifty four (54) distinct media element thumbnails 16, each of which represents different media content. However, it will be appreciated, that each face 22a-f of the cube need not necessarily be divided into nine (9) media element thumbnails 16. For example, in an alternative embodiment, each face of the cube may be configured to comprise only a single media element thumbnail 16, in which case the cube will be comprised of a total of six (6) media element thumbnails 16 that may allow media element content to be displayed and viewed. In yet another embodiment, each face of the cube may be configured to display four (4) media element thumbnails 16 allowing for the display and viewing of up to 24 distinct media element thumbnails 16. As will be appreciated from the above examples, the number of media element thumbnails 16 displayed on each face of the navigation component 12 is configurable, and depends on the needs and desires of the specific application or user.

The media element thumbnails 16 that are displayed on each face 22a-22f of the navigation component 12 are also capable of being automatically resized to accommodate for the number of media element thumbnails 16 that are to be displayed. For example, in the case where the amount of media content 14 that the navigation component 12 must display is increased from four (4) media element thumbnails 16 per face, to nine (9) media element thumbnails 16 per face, then each of the nine (9) media element thumbnails 16 will be smaller in size than the four (4) media element thumbnails 16 that were previously displayed, such that the overall size of the navigation component 12 does not increase. In addition, it is possible that the media element thumbnails 16 that are displayed on the navigation component 12 are subject to minimum dimensions, such that if more media element thumbnails 16 are included for display on the three dimensional navigation component 12, then the overall size of the navigation component 12 will increase in order to accommodate all the media element thumbnails 16 that need to be displayed. It will be appreciated that this resizing of both the navigation component 12 and the media element thumbnails 16 may be carried out automatically by the processing logic implementing the navigation component 12, depending on the number of digital content or media files available and requiring display.

It is also possible for the different faces of the three-dimensional navigation component 12 to each display a different number of media element thumbnails 16. For example, in the case of the cube shown in Figure 1 , it is possible that faces 22a-d are configured to display nine (9) media element thumbnails 16 each, while faces 22e-f are configured to display four (4) media element thumbnails 16 each, such that in total the cube will display a total of 44 media element thumbnails 16. Any possible configuration and distribution of the media element thumbnails 16 over the three dimensional navigation component 12 is possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In addition, it is possible that the media element thumbnails 16 do not cover all of the surface area of the three dimensional navigation component 12. For example, in the case of the cube shown in Figure 1 , it is possible that each face 22a-f includes only three (3) thumbnails of media elements. In that case, it is possible that there is a blank space located in the quadrant where a fourth media element thumbnail 16 would normally fit. Alternatively, the three media element thumbnails 16 could be lined up in a row and staggered such that there is a small blank space above and beneath each of the three (3) media element thumbnails 16. The blank spaces that are formed where there are no media element thumbnails 16 can be transparent surfaces defined by border lines, or can be opaque surfaces that fill in the region of the three-dimensional navigation component 12 that does not display any media element thumbnails 16.

In a further alternative embodiment, the shapes of the media element thumbnails 16 can be adjusted and re-sized in order to fill in a face of the three dimensional navigation component 12. In keeping with the example of the cube shown in

Figure 1 , in the case where there are only three media element thumbnails 16 displayed on each face 22a-f, it is possible that the shape of the three media element thumbnails 16 is adjusted into three lengthwise strips, such that the three media element thumbnails 16 fill in the entire face of the cube.

At step 202, the graphical user interface 10 enables a user to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional navigation component 12 via a user input device. The movement of the three dimensional navigation component 12 can be done in a variety of ways, which for the purposes of this description will be described in the context of the cube of Figure 1.

An expanded view of the cube navigational component 12 is shown in Figure 4A with X, Y and Z directional indicators. In use, a user has the ability to rotate and manipulate the cube in any of the X, Y or Z axis directions in order to change its orientation and perspective so that all of the various faces of the cube can be viewed. In this manner, the movement and rotation of the cube navigation component 12 mimics the real-life rotation of a true 3D object. As will be described in more detail below, by rotating the three dimensional navigational component 12, the different media element thumbnails 16 on the different faces are exposed, thus enabling a user to preview, select and subsequently access the content represented by the media element thumbnails 16 in an associated application.

The cube may be manipulated by the user such that it rotates in any desired direction. As such, the user is able to position the cube in any possible orientation for exposing different ones of the media element thumbnails 16. Manipulation of the cube by the user may be effected via the use of a user input device. The user input device can be a pointing-and-selecting device that manipulates a curser 40 on the display screen 18 (see Figure 1 ), such as, but not limited to, a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, a trackpad, a joystick or a keyboard interface, among other possibilities. In other embodiments, the user input device may be a touch sensitive screen such that it is the user's finger that is the pointing and selecting device. In yet a further embodiment, the user input device may be a microphone that is linked to a voice recognition device such that the user can verbally convey how the three dimensional navigation component 12 should be rotated. For example, a user may utter the phrase "rotate 30 degrees along the x-axis" among other possibilities. Any other user input device for allowing a user to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional navigation component 12 can be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

While manipulating the orientation of the three dimensional navigation component 12, the user has the ability to completely or partially, "grab and drag" the navigation component 12 such that the navigation component 12 rotates in any desired direction. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the navigation component 12 may be viewed from any desired perspective by a user simply by grabbing and dragging the navigation component 12 to the desired perspective.

As the three dimensional navigation component 12 is rotated so as to change its orientation, the media element thumbnails 16 that are displayed on the navigation component 12 will change shape and positioning in "real time". In this manner, the media element thumbnails 16 that are positioned on each face of the navigation component 12, move, appear and disappear smoothly and dynamically as the navigation component 12 is completely or partially grabbed and dragged.

It will further be appreciated that the size and shape of each visible, or partially visible, media element thumbnail 16 on a given face of the navigation component 12 changes as the perspective and orientation of the navigation component 12 is changed. More specifically, the media element thumbnails 16 on the various faces of the navigation component 12 change size and shape in substantially real-time based on the perspective and orientation to which the navigation component 12 is rotated by the user. Similarly, as the angles of the navigation component 12 (such as the angles of the corners and side edges) change with the rotation of the navigation component 12, the angles of the thumbnails of the media element thumbnails 16 also change. In this way, it will be appreciated that the navigation component 12 is visually capable of true, life-like rotation in any desired direction. As such, it is possible that a particular face, or set of media element thumbnails 16 on the face of the navigational component 12 may appear inverted or upside down on the display screen to the user. In addition to manipulating the orientation of the three dimensional navigation component 12 via a "grabbing and dragging" technique, the orientation of the three dimensional navigation component 12 can be adjusted in other ways as well. For example, the graphical user interface 10 may provide a user with pre- defined orientations for the navigational component 12, such as a set of predefined 'standard orientations' for each face 22a-f of the navigation component 12. As such, by selecting one of the pre-defined 'standard orientations' for a given face, the navigation component 12 automatically moves or jumps to a perspective wherein the selected face occupies the front face position.

In the case of the cube navigation component 12 of Figure 1 , the pre-defined orientations may correspond to each face of the cube, and be identified by numbers (i.e. 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) that are located adjacent to or in close proximity to the cube to permit quick manipulation of the cube by a user. For example, a user may position the pointer/cursor over the number "3" and with the simple selection of this number via the user input device (e.g. by clicking of mouse select button, trackball, or joystick select button), may cause the cube to automatically rotate or otherwise acquire a position wherein the face of the cube arbitrarily assigned as the third face is displayed as the front face of the cube.

Alternatively, the pre-defined orientations may include any possible pre-defined orientation, such as a "default" orientation, a "left-side" orientation, a "right-side" orientation, a "bottom" orientation and a "top" orientation. Any of the pre-defined orientations may be pre-programmed into the GUI 10 by the GUI 10 designer, or may be user-programmed orientations. For example, in the case of a "default orientation", a user may program his/her preferred starting orientation and perspective as the "default orientation", wherein the preferred faces of the navigation component 12 will be visible and in the orientation and perspective desired by the user. These pre-defined 'standard orientations' may be listed on the graphical user interface 10 in proximity to the navigation component 12, such that if a user identifies one of the pre-defined orientations, such as by moving the curser over an icon or text indication of the pre-defined orientation, the navigation component 12 will automatically acquire that pre-defined orientation. In the case of a 'default' orientation, which could be a standard perspective view as shown in Figures 1 and 4A, it can be seen that the default perspective of the cube may comprise 3 visible faces: the front face 22a in the shape of a perfect square, a skewed (angled) top face 22b sharing an edge with the front face 22a and a skewed (angled) right face 22c sharing another edge with the front face 22a. As can be seen in the accompanying figures, the media element thumbnails 16 on the front face 22a of the cube all appear undistorted providing for easy viewing by the user. The media element thumbnails 16 on the skewed top face 22b and the skewed side face 22c, although all visible, appear skewed or angled in the default perspective. In order to properly ascertain the content represented by the media element thumbnails 16 on these skewed faces, the user may conveniently rotate the cube. For example, the cube could be rotated so that a skewed top face 22b occupies the front face position, such that the user can better see or preview the thumbnails that were previously skewed on the top face 22b. Referring to Figures 1 and 4A, the media element thumbnails 16 on the skewed right face of the cube are only slightly skewed in the default perspective allowing for the user to more easily ascertain their respective content as compared to the skewed top face 22b. Nonetheless, if desired, the user may still choose to rotate the cube (as described above) in order that the skewed right face 22c is moved to the front face position. Furthermore, the cube may be rotated to any desired perspective by the user such that visible faces are rotated in and out of view. Various possible orientations of the cube are shown in Figures 4B and 4C. In this way, faces of the cube not visible in any current perspective of the cube may be appropriately viewed by simple rotation of the cube by a user.

In addition to being able to change the orientation of the navigation component 12, the user can also adjust the size of the navigation component 12. For example, in the case of the cube shown in Figure 1 , by using a pointing device to grab and drag a corner or edge of the cube, the cube can be shrunk or expanded. As the cube is shrunk or expanded, the positioning and/or size of the media element thumbnails 16 on the cube can be seamlessly adjusted. For example, in the case where a user adjusts the shape of the cube into the shape of a rectangle by dragging one of the side edges outwards, it is possible that the nine (9) media element thumbnails 16 that were previously displayed on each of the six (6) faces 22a-f of the cube will be redistributed such that the four of the longer sides of the stretched cube now include twelve (12) media element thumbnails 16 and the two shorter sides of the stretched cube now include three (3) thumbnails. In addition, the three (3) media element thumbnails 16 on each of the shorter sides of the stretched cube may be of a larger size than the media element thumbnails 16 displayed on the longer side of the stretched cube. It will be appreciated that this resizing of both the cube and the thumbnails may be carried out automatically by the processing logic implementing the cube.

Referring back to the flow chart of Figure 2, at step 204 the graphical user interface 10 enables a user to select a particular media element for viewing by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional navigation component 12 via a user input device. As mentioned above, the user input device can be a pointing-and-selecting user device that manipulates a curser 40 on the display screen 18, such as, but not limited to, a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, a trackpad, a joystick or a keyboard interface, among other possibilities. In such a case, the user identifies the graphical location of a particular media element 16 by placing the curser 40 over the media element thumbnail 16 representing the desired media element. Movement of the display pointer or cursor 40 over any visible region of a particular media element thumbnail 16 causes that specific thumbnail to be highlighted, such that the user is aware of the particular media element that has been identified.

In another non-limiting embodiment, the user input device may be a touch sensitive screen such that the user identifies the graphical location of a particular media element by placing his/her finger at the location of the screen where the media element thumbnail 16 representing the particular media element is located. Touching the display screen over any visible region of a particular media element thumbnail 16 of the cube causes will cause that specific media element thumbnail 16 to be highlighted. In yet a further embodiment, the user input device may be a microphone that is linked to a voice recognition device such that the user can verbally convey the graphical location of the media element thumbnail 16 of the desired media element. For example, in the case where the media element thumbnails 16 are arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, the user may utter column 1 , row 3 in order to identify the graphical location of a given media element. Once the verbal identification of the graphical location of the particular thumbnail (i.e. media element) has been made, that specific thumbnail will be highlighted.

At step 206, the particular media element that has been selected by a user is displayed in an associated application. The associated application may take on many different forms, such as an expanded pop-up version 42 of the media element thumbnail 16 or a separate viewing window 50 for conveying the contents of the media element. Both of these embodiments will be described in more detail below.

In accordance with a first non-limiting example, by identifying any visible media element thumbnails 16 (such as by hovering a cursor over a visible region of a media element thumbnail 16, physically touching the visible region of a media element thumbnail 16 on a screen or verbally identifying a visible region of the media element thumbnail 16) an expanded pop-up version 42 of that particular media element thumbnail 16 is provided.

In the non-limiting example of Figure 1 , when a curser 40 is positioned over the central media element thumbnail 16 on the front face 22a of the cube, an expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail is caused to be displayed. The expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail is displayed in proximity to the graphical location of the selected thumbnail, such as over the graphical location of the media element thumbnail 16 or adjacent to the graphical location of the selected media element thumbnail 16.

The expanded pop-up version 42 of the media element thumbnail 16 is operative for accessing the media element associated with that thumbnail for providing a preview of the contents of the media element. More specifically, the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail provides an associated application that is suitable for conveying the contents of the selected media element 16 to a user. If the media element that has been selected represents an image, invoking the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail (as described above) results in a larger preview of the image of the media element 16. If the media element that has been selected represents an audio file, invoking the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail (as described above) results in the audio file being played. Similarly, if a given media element represents a video file, the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail will play at least a portion of the video file. As such, where a thumbnail represents a media element 16 that is a video file, identifying the graphical location of that thumbnail will result in the thumbnail being highlighted and an expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail appearing that may automatically start to play the video file. In other words, the video file will automatically activate (or launch) in the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail. Alternatively, identifying the graphical location of a thumbnail that represents a video file may simply result in the thumbnail being highlighted and an expanded pop-up version 42, such that an expanded still-shot of the video file appears in the expanded pop-up version 42.

In cases where the navigation component 12 is rotated to a perspective wherein a particular face and its displayed media element thumbnails 16 appear inverted or upside down, identifying the graphical location of a media element thumbnail 16 with a pointing device, among other possibilities, will result in an expanded pop-up version 42 of the media element thumbnail 16 that appears right side up. Furthermore, identifying any visible media element thumbnail 16 that is skewed or angled in orientation will invoke a non-skewed, expanded pop-up version 42. In this way, the user is always able to properly preview the content represented by a given media element thumbnail 16. It will be appreciated that, as long as any portion of a media element thumbnail 16 is visible to the user, a user may identify that media element thumbnail 16 by positioning a pointer or cursor over the visible portion of the thumbnail, physically touching the screen at the area where the thumbnail is located or verbally identifying the location of the partially visible thumbnail.

In an alternative embodiment, in addition to activating an expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail when the display pointer or cursor is hovered over any visible or partially visible region of a media element thumbnail 16, a pop-up text bubble (not shown) may also appear adjacent, or in close proximity to the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail. Such pop-up text bubbles may contain, for example, descriptive information about the content of the media element including, but not limited to, file size, name of file, type of file, creator or originator of file, date of file creation, etc...

In the non-limiting embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the GUI 10 may also comprise a separate viewing pane or window 50 that will appear in close proximity to the navigation component 12 for launching an additional associated application (which could be an image or drawing viewer, a video player, an audio player, etc.) for conveying the content of the selected media element 16 to a user. This separate viewing window 50 may be provided instead of, or in addition to, the expanded pop-up version 42 of the media element thumbnails 16. For the purposes of this description, the separate viewing window 50 will be described as being displayed in addition to the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnails.

The separate viewing window 50 may launch any appropriate application for conveying the content of a media element to a user. For example, the separate viewing window may be operative for displaying digital pictures, images or drawings, for playing video and/or audio files, or for displaying word, pdf or excel documents, among other possibilities.

The separate viewing window 50 may be a pop-up window that is launched when a user selects a particular media element thumbnail 16. As such, the user may be able to adjust the positioning of this pop-up window by grabbing and dragging it to any desired location on the display screen 18. Alternatively, the separate viewing window 50 may be a fixed window that is permanently located at a given position in relation to the three dimensional navigation component 12 within the GUI 10. In such a case, the viewing window 50 is generally blank, meaning that no media content is displayed or otherwise conveyed, until a user selects a media element thumbnail 16 such that the content of the media element associated with that media element thumbnail 16 is played (or otherwise conveyed) by the separate viewing window 50.

As described above, the separate viewing window 50 may be a video player that can be launched in order to play the content of video files, an image viewer that can be launched in order to display the content of picture, image or drawing files, an audio player that can be launched in order to play the contents of audio files, a text editor/viewer that can be launched in order to display the content of text documents, etc. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the separate viewing window 50 is a video player that is operative for displaying the content of video files. In the non-limiting example of implementation shown, the video player includes a play button 52, a pause button 54, a volume adjustment scale 56 and a position of the video scroll tab 58. It should be appreciated that any type of video player, such as Windows Media Player™, could be used without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The separate viewing window 50 can be launched when a user selects a particular media element thumbnail 16 by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element 16 on the three dimensional navigation component 12. The selection of the particular media element 16 may be done in a variety of different ways using a variety of different user input devices. For example, in the case where the user input device is a pointing-and-selecting user device that manipulates a pointer or curser 40 on the display screen 18, the separate viewing window 50 may convey the content of the selected media element 16 in response to: - the pointing-and-selecting user device hovering the curser over the thumbnail of the media element. In this manner, both the expanded pop-up version 42 of the media element thumbnail 16 and the separate viewing window 50 are launched simultaneously ; - the pointing-and-selecting user device "clicking" or "double clicking" on the thumbnail of the media element; the pointing-and-selecting user device right clicking over the thumbnail of the media element thumbnail 16 in order to provide a menu that includes a "display media content in separate window" item;

In the case where the user input device is a touch sensitive screen, the separate viewing window 50 may convey the contents of the selected media element 16 in response to a user double tapping the touch sensitive screen at the graphical location of the selected media element thumbnail 16. In such a case, it is possible that with the first tap of the screen, the thumbnail is highlighted and the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail appears, and then with the second tap of the screen, the contents of the media element associated with the media element thumbnail 16 are conveyed in the associated application of the separate viewing window 50.

In the case where the user input device is a microphone connected to a voice recognition device, the separate viewing window 50 may convey the contents of the selected media element 16 in response to a user uttering a phrase such as "play media element", or "open in separate window".

In accordance with a first non-limiting example, the navigation component 12 as described above can be a user's own personal navigation component 12 for displaying and viewing his/her media content on his/her personal computing device (such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer or a personal handheld computing device). For example, a user may use his/her own personal navigation component 12 for managing and displaying his/her media files such as photos, home videos, etc. In such cases, the user is able to upload his/her own media files to the navigation component 12. This may be done in any conventional manner, such as by providing a configuration screen, or pop-up box, that allows a user to browse and identify media files to be uploaded into the navigation component 12.

During the uploading of the media files, the user may also be able to specify certain features and characteristics of the navigation component 12 so as to customize the navigation component 12 according to the user's personal preferences. For example, the user may be able to specify the desired three dimensional shape of the navigation component 12 (such as cube, prism, sphere, etc.), the color of the navigation component, the level of transparency of any blank spaces and the manner in which the media files are distributed over the faces of the three dimensional navigation component 12. A user's personal navigation component 12 may be a personal tool that is used only locally on one or more of the user's computing apparatus, such as his/her personal computer (lap-top or desk-top) or handheld computing device, among other possibilities. For example, a user may use his/her personal navigation component 12 in order to display, manage and view his/her digital photos.

Alternatively, the three-dimensional navigation component 12 may also be used by a user on social networking sites including, but not limited to, Facebook™, MySpace™, Ophoto™, etc ., for sharing media content with guests to that social networking site. The three-dimensional navigation component 12 can be configured locally on a user's computer, and then uploaded to one of these social networking sites. Alternatively, media content can be uploaded directly to the social networking site such that the three-dimensional navigation component 12 can be configured on the social network site. In addition, the content of a user's three-dimensional navigation component 12 can also be configured to change automatically. For example, the user may specify certain media content 14 to be displayed in the morning, and different media content 14 to be displayed in the afternoon. Alternatively, the user may specify a greater amount of media content 14 than can be displayed on the navigation component 12 at any given time. As such, the navigation can randomly, or at set time intervals, shuffle or cycle through the media content that is to be displayed. In this manner, the navigation component 12 provides a dynamically changing display and navigation tool. In accordance with a non-limiting embodiment, the navigation component 12 is implemented using a web application framework, such as Microsoft Silverlight™ that integrates multimedia, graphics, animations and interactivity into a single runtime environment. This framework is compatible with multiple web browser products.

In addition to being able to upload the three-dimensional navigation component to a website, a user could also send his/her personal navigation component 12 to one or more other people via email. For example, a user may email his/her cube navigation component 12 containing digital pictures to all of his/her friends in order to provide a fun way for the friends to view the digital pictures. In a further, non-limiting example, the three dimensional navigation component 12 may be used by commercial entities on consumer websites in order to enable the website host to display and enable access to different media content. For example, shown in Figure 5 is a non-limiting example of a website for a company called "ABC Sports" that includes a three dimensional navigation component 12 in accordance with the present invention for displaying media content associated with ABC Sports' sporting equipment. As such, when a user accesses the ABC Sports website, the user can view ABC Sports' different wares and products by using the navigation component 12. By selecting certain media element thumbnails 16 the user is able to cause the media content associated with the certain media element thumbnail to be displayed in the separate viewing window 50 that is positioned to the left of the navigation component 12.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the three dimensional navigation component 12 can be used to organize and display multimedia content that is streamed over a network so as to allow real-time navigation of different streaming components. For example, the three dimensional navigation component 12 may be used on a public sharing site, such as YouTube™, in order to display media elements that are linked to videos that are stored on a network server. As such, when a user selects one of the media element thumbnails 16 from the navigation component 12, then the video content for that media element is streamed in a separate viewing window 50 for conveying the streamed video content to a user.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the selection of a given media element on a face of the navigation component 12 may provide the user with access to a separate nested navigation component that includes additional media content comprising other selectable media elements. More specifically, selecting a given media element on the navigation component 12 will cause the user to be presented with a second navigational component 12 that displays different media content than the first navigation component. As such, the navigational component 12, such as the cube shown in Figure 1 , is only one component of a nested navigational structure that enables a user to navigate from a first navigational component 12 through as many navigational components 12 as required to reach destination media content. Any desired nesting or tree structure may be implemented by the GUI 10 according to the present invention for organizing and displaying media content.

For the sake of example, assume that the media element thumbnails 16 that are displayed on the three dimensional navigation component 12 shown in Figure 1 are digital pictures. Each media element thumbnail 16 that is displayed may be a digital picture from a different one of the user's vacation destinations. By selecting a given one of the media elements 16, the user is able to access a second navigational component 12 that displays all of the digital pictures from that given vacation destination. In that way, the first navigation component 12 provides a type of index through which a user can access the different photo albums for different vacation destinations.

In the case where a given media element thumbnail 16 on the first navigation component 12 allows a user to access a subsequent navigation component 12, an indicator or cue will be provided to the user for indicating that a subsequent navigation component 12 can be accessed via that given media element thumbnail 16. The indicator or cue can be any sort of indicator such as text, a symbol, a color, a sound, etc. The indicator or cue may be present in the media element thumbnail 16 or the indicator may only appear when a user has caused the expanded pop-up version 42 of the media element thumbnail 16 to appear.

In accordance with a non-limiting example, when the user hovers the curser 40 over a given media element thumbnail 16 (or otherwise identifies the graphical location of a given media element), if there is a nested navigation component 12 that can be accessed from that media element 16, the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail may be highlighted in a different color than pop-up versions 42 of thumbnails that are not able to access nested navigation components. In accordance with alternative non-limiting examples, when the user identifies the graphical location of a media element from which a nested navigation component 12 can be accessed, the expanded pop-up version 42 of the thumbnail may include a symbol or text indication that the media element can enable the user to access a nested navigation component. When a given media element thumbnail 16 includes an indicator or cue informing the user that one or more nested navigation components 12 can be accessed from the given media element 16, the user can access the nested navigation component in a variety of ways. For example, the user may access the nested navigation component by clicking on an "open" icon that is located on the media element thumbnail 16 or the expanded pop-up version 42, by double clicking on the media element thumbnail 16 or the expanded pop-up version 42, by right clicking on the media element thumbnail16 or the expanded pop-up version 42 for obtaining a menu that includes an option to cause a nested navigation component to appear, or by providing a verbal command such as "access nested navigation component". It should be appreciated that in certain circumstances, such as in the case of double clicking, the action that causes the nested navigation component to appear may also cause the content of the given media element 16 to be accessed by an associated application in a separate viewing window 50.

As mentioned above, the GUI 10 in accordance with the present invention can be implemented by a stand-alone computing apparatus or by a distributed computing system. Shown in Figure 6 is a non-limiting block diagram of a computing apparatus 60 that can be used in order to implement the GUI 10 and the navigation component 12 of the present invention. As shown, the computing apparatus 60 includes a processing unit 62 and a memory unit 64 that are connected to each other by a communication bus 66. The memory unit 64 includes data 70, such as the media content to be displayed by the navigation component 12, as well as program instructions 68 for implementing the GUI 10 as described above. The processing unit is adapted to process the data 70 and the program instructions 68 in order to implement the functional blocks described in the specification and depicted in the drawings. In a non-limiting implementation, the program instructions 68 implement the method described above with respect to Figure 2. The computing apparatus 60 may also comprise a number of interfaces 72 and 74 for receiving or sending data elements to external devices. For example, interface 72 is used for receiving data streams indicative of data entered via a user input device. Interface 74 is for releasing display information to a display unit, such that the display unit conveys the graphical user interface 10 to a user.

It will be appreciated that the above method may also be implemented by a distributed computing system where the data is collected at one location and transmitted over a network to a server unit for implementing the GUI and method, as described above. The server unit may then transmit a signal for causing a display unit to convey the GUI to the user. The display unit may be located in the same location as the processing that is taking place, in the same location as the server unit or in yet another location. Figure 7 illustrates a network-based client- server system 80 for providing the GUI 10 to a user. The client-server system 80 includes a plurality of client systems 82, 84, 86 connected to a server system 90 through network 88. The communication links between the client systems 82, 84, 86 and the server system 90 can be metallic conductors, optical fibres or wireless, without departing from the spirit of the invention. The network 88 may be any suitable network including but not limited to a global public network such as the Internet, a private network and a wireless network. The server 90 may be adapted to process and issue signals concurrently using suitable methods known in the computer related arts.

The media player/navigation control interface of the present invention provides for an interactive and immersive user experience in the management and display of digital content or media files. Furthermore, utilization of the navigation component for content display and management allows for the provision of a uniform user experience across various platforms.

Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof, variations and refinements are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be limited only by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: a. displaying on a display screen media content in the form of a three dimensional shape, said media content comprising a plurality of media elements; b. enabling a user to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional shape via a user input device; c. enabling the user to select a particular media element from said plurality of media elements by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional shape, once selected the particular media element being accessed by an associated application for conveying content of the media element to the user.

2. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein once selected, the particular media element is accessed by a pop-up application positioned over the three dimensional shape.

3. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein once selected, the particular media element is accessed in a separate viewing window for conveying the content of the media element to the user.

4. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 3, wherein the separate viewing window is a pop-up window.

5. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein said associated application is selected from the group comprising a video playing application, a photo displaying application, an image displaying application, a pdf viewing application, an audio playing application and an audiovisual playing application.

6. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein identifying a graphical location of a particular media element comprises hovering a curser over the graphical location of the particular media element.

7. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein identifying a graphical location of a particular media element comprises verbally identifying the graphical location of the particular media element.

8. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein identifying a graphical location of a particular media element comprises pointing to the graphical location of the particular media element.

9. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the user input device is selected from the set of user input devices comprising a mouse, a trackball, a touchpad, a trackpad, a joystick, a keyboard, a microphone and a touch-sensitive screen.

10. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the three dimensional shape is selected from the group comprising a cube, a pyramid, a prism and a sphere.

11. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the three dimensional shape is any form of polyhedron.

12. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of media elements are distributed among different faces of the three dimensional shape.

13. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein the plurality of media elements comprise at least one of a video file, an image file, a drawing file, an avatar, a text document and a pdf document.

14. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the plurality of media elements comprises a link to media content stored on a server.

15. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 14, wherein the associated application is operative for accessing media content stored on a server and conveying streamed media content.

16. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising enabling the user to resize the three dimensional shape via the user input device.

17.A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising enabling the user to position the three dimensional shape in a pre-defined orientation.

18.A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 17, wherein the predefined orientation is a default orientation.

19. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 18, further comprising enabling the user to pre-establish the default orientation.

20. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising enabling the user to uploaded the media content for display in the form of the three dimensional shape.

21. A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 1 , further comprising enabling the user to select a given media element from said plurality of media elements for accessing second media content in the form of a second three dimensional shape.

22.A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 21 , wherein said given media element for accessing second media content is identified to the user via a graphical indicator.

23.A computer-implemented method as defined in claim 22, wherein said graphical indicator comprises one of a color, an icon, a symbol and text.

24.A computer-readable storage medium comprising a program element for execution by a processing entity, the processing entity when executing said program element being operative for: a. displaying media content in the form of a three dimensional shape, said media content comprising a plurality of media elements; b. enabling a user to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional shape; c. enabling a user to select a particular media element from said plurality of media elements by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional shape, once selected the particular media element being accessed by an associated application for conveying content of the media element to the user.

25.A system comprising: a. a user input device; b. a computer-readable storage medium comprising a program element for execution by a processing entity, said program element comprising: i. a first program element component for causing a computer to display media content in the form of a three dimensional shape, said media content comprising a plurality of media elements; ii. a second program element component responsive to input signals from said user input device to manipulate the orientation of the three dimensional shape; iii. a third program element component responsive to input signals from said user input device for selecting a particular media element from said plurality of media elements by identifying a graphical location of the particular media element on the three dimensional shape, once selected the particular media element being accessed by an associated application for conveying content of the media element to a user.

26.A three dimensional graphical user interface for the organization, management, representation and display of digital content on a display device.

27.A computer-implemented method for organizing, representing and displaying digital content on a display device comprising: providing a three-dimensional navigation interface to a user that is configured to represent the digital content.

28.A computer-implemented method for viewing and selecting digital media content comprising: providing a three dimensional navigation tool that represents the digital media content.