Graphical Interface Having Adjustable Borders

Abstract

Methods and systems involving navigation of a graphical interface are disclosed herein. An example system may be configured to: (a) cause a head-mounted display (HMD) to provide a graphical interface, the graphical interface comprising (i) a view port having a view-port orientation and (ii) at least one navigable area having at least one border, the at least one border having a first border orientation; (b) receive input data that indicates movement of the view port towards the at least one border; (c) determine that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation; and (d) based on at least the determination that the view-port orientation is within a predetermined threshold distance from the first border orientation, adjust the first border orientation from the first border orientation to a second border orientation.

1 . A system comprising:
 a non-transitory computer readable medium; and   program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:
 cause a graphic display device to display a graphical interface comprising (i) a graphical interface area, (ii) a navigable area that spans a first portion of the graphical interface area, wherein a non-navigable area spans a remaining portion of the graphical interface area and (iii) a view port that occupies a portion of the navigable area, wherein a span of the graphical interface area is greater than a span of the navigable area, and the view port has a span that is less than the span of the navigable area, and wherein, initially, the navigable area is fixed with respect to the graphical interface area and the view port is movable within the navigable area; 
 receive movement data and responsively causing the view port to move, relative to the navigable area, towards a border of the navigable; 
 determine that the movement speed exceeds a predetermined movement-speed threshold; and 
 determine that a speed of the view-port movement exceeds a predetermined movement-speed threshold and responsively move both the navigable area and the view port within the graphical interface area, such that the border of the navigable area maintains a predetermined spacing from the view port. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein (i) the graphical interface area is a recursive graphical interface area comprising a span of 360 degrees, (ii) the intermediate area comprises an intermediate span of 180 degrees, and (iii) the view port comprises a viewing span of less than 180 degrees. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:
 provide a continuous visual indication of movement of the intermediate area.   
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the system further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:
 determine that the speed of the view-port movement exceeds a second predetermined movement speed threshold that is greater than the first predetermined movement-speed threshold.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein the predetermined difference is a first predetermined difference, the system further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:
 based at least on the determination that the speed of the view-port movement exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold, move the intermediate area within the graphical interface such that the border is an additional second predetermined difference from the view port.   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:
 provide a continuous visual indication of the movement of the intermediate area.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein the second predetermined difference is greater than the first predetermined difference. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the intermediate area is a first intermediate area, the graphical interface further comprises a second intermediate area that occupies a portion of the graphical interface area that is different from the portion of the graphical interface area occupied by the first intermediate area. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the system further comprising program instructions stored on the non-transitory computer readable medium and executable by the at least one processor to:
 determine that (i) the speed of the view-port movement exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within a predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area; and   based on at least the determination that (i) the speed of the view-port movement exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within the predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area, cause the view port to enter the second intermediate area.   
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the graphical interface comprises a soft border that separates the first intermediate area and the second intermediate area. 
     
     
         11 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform functions comprising:
 causing a graphic display device to display a graphical interface comprising (i) a graphical interface area, (ii) a navigable area that spans a first portion of the graphical interface area, wherein a non-navigable area spans a remaining portion of the graphical interface area and (iii) a view port that occupies a portion of the navigable area,
 wherein a span of the graphical interface area is greater than a span of the navigable area, and the view port has a span that is less than the span of the navigable area, and 
 wherein, initially, the navigable area is fixed with respect to the graphical interface area and the view port is movable within the navigable area; 
   receiving movement data and responsively causing the view port to move, relative to the navigable area, towards a border of the navigable; and   determining that a speed of the view-port movement exceeds a predetermined movement-speed threshold and responsively moving both the navigable area and the view port within the graphical interface area, such that the border of the navigable area maintains a predetermined spacing from the view port.   
     
     
         12 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the functions further comprising:
 determining that the speed of the view-port movement exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold that is greater than the first predetermined movement-speed threshold.   
     
     
         13 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the predetermined difference is a first predetermined difference, the functions further comprising:
 based at least on the determination that the speed of the view-port movement exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold, moving the intermediate area within the graphical interface such that the border is an additional second predetermined difference from the view port.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 13 , wherein the second predetermined difference is greater than the first predetermined difference. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 11 , wherein (i) the graphical interface area is a recursive graphical interface area comprising a span of 360 degrees, (ii) the intermediate area comprises an intermediate span of 180 degrees, and (iii) the view port comprises a viewing span of less than 180 degrees. 
     
     
         16 . A method comprising:
 causing a graphic display device to display a graphical interface comprising (i) a graphical interface area, (ii) a navigable area that spans a first portion of the graphical interface area, wherein a non-navigable area spans a remaining portion of the graphical interface area and (iii) a view port that occupies a portion of the navigable area,
 wherein a span of the graphical interface area is greater than a span of the navigable area, and the view port has a span that is less than the span of the navigable area, and 
 wherein, initially, the navigable area is fixed with respect to the graphical interface area and the view port is movable within the navigable area; 
   receiving movement data and responsively causing the view port to move, relative to the navigable area, towards a border of the navigable; and   determining that a speed of the view-port movement exceeds a predetermined movement-speed threshold and responsively moving both the navigable area and the view port within the graphical interface area, such that the border of the navigable area maintains a predetermined spacing from the view port.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising:
 determining that the speed of the view-port movement exceeds a second predetermined movement-speed threshold that is greater than the first predetermined movement-speed threshold.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , further comprising:
 based at least on the determination that the speed of the view-port movement exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold, moving the intermediate area within the graphical interface such that the border is an additional second predetermined difference from the view port.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the intermediate area is a first intermediate area, the graphical interface further comprises a second intermediate area that occupies a portion of the graphical interface area that is different from the portion of the graphical interface area occupied by the first intermediate area. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein the predetermined movement-speed threshold is a first predetermined movement-speed threshold, the method further comprising:
 determining that (i) the speed of the view-port movement exceeds a second predetermined movement speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within a predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area; and   based on at least the determination that (i) the speed of the view-port movement exceeds the second predetermined movement-speed threshold and (ii) the view port is within the predetermined threshold distance from the border of the first intermediate area, causing the view port to enter the second intermediate area.