Last week the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Samsung that reveals a possible 3D GUI for future smartphones. This idea has been around for some time now. As our cover graphic illustrates, Apple filed a patent application for this pertaining to an iPhone back in 2012. Apple's work on a 3D GUI for the desktop dates back earlier than 2009. In that same year an App showcasing this 3D effect emerged and you could see it in a video in our report below. The original design came from Jonny Chung Lee who first introduced this unique form of glasses-free 3D interface back in 2007.
Samsung's Patent Abstract
Samsung's invention generally relates to a "method of displaying a three-dimensional (3D) graphical user interface (GUI) on a mobile phone, including controlling, by a processor of the mobile phone, a display of the mobile device to display a first face of a 3D GUI, the first face comprising a GUI menu of the GUI, and a second face of the 3D GUI, the second face comprising image information of the GUI; detecting, by a sensor of the mobile phone, a physical slanting of the mobile phone; and displaying the image information of second face of the 3D GUI as being slanted to correspond to the physical slanting.
Samsung's patent FIG. 14 noted below is a flowchart illustrating the process of displaying a menu on a corresponding side of a two dimensional (2D) GUI environment, if a manipulation by slanting motion is inputted to the mobile phone; patent FIG. 15A illustrates the screen of a mobile phone on which the main menu #1500 is displayed; patent FIGS. 18A and 18B illustrate the process in which the mobile phone adjusts the direction in which the 3D GUI is displayed, according to the direction viewed by the user.
Samsung's patent FIG. 16A noted below illustrates a mobile phone displaying the currently-executed application on the specific face side 1600 of the 3D GUI.
Additionally, based on the order of application arrangement, the mobile phone displays the preceding application on the upward face #1610, and displays the following application on the downward face #1620. The mobile phone displays the list of the currently-executed applications on the leftward face at #1630.
Samsung's patent FIGS. 7A - 7C noted below illustrate the process of selecting a lower menu using the 3D GUI menu. The menu has a hierarchy structure which includes first, second and third level panels.
Samsung's patent FIGS. 13A to 13c illustrate the process of displaying icons on the specific face with respect to a direction viewed by the user.
In Samsung's patent FIG. 8C noted above we're able to see that a user has moved all of the icons from the back panel to the left side panel, leaving the camera icon in position on the back panel; In patent FIG. 9C, we see that as the user selects the music icon 905 on the left side colum, the mobile phone GUI displays a music list on the back panel.
So as the user runs down the list of Apps on the left column, it directly calls up related material on the back panel. So it's not just a 3D GUI in looks but also in function.
Samsung filed their patent application 4 months ago in December 2013 in the US. According to the records of this patent filing, it shows that Samsung has been working on similar inventions dating back to 2009 which collides with Apple's timing.
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