Methods for adjusting and/or controlling immersion associated with user interfaces

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12353672-B2
Application number	US-202418671936-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 22, 2024
Priority date	Sep 25, 2020
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

In some embodiments, an electronic device emphasizes and/or deemphasizes user interfaces based on the gaze of a user. In some embodiments, an electronic device defines levels of immersion for different user interfaces independently of one another. In some embodiments, an electronic device resumes display of a user interface at a previously-displayed level of immersion after (e.g., temporarily) reducing the level of immersion associated with the user interface. In some embodiments, an electronic device allows objects, people, and/or portions of an environment to be visible through a user interface displayed by the electronic device. In some embodiments, an electronic device reduces the level of immersion associated with a user interface based on characteristics of the electronic device and/or physical environment of the electronic device.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
at an electronic device in communication with a display generation component and one or more input devices:
displaying, via the display generation component, a user interface that includes a user interface element, wherein the user interface element at least partially obscures display, via the display generation component, of a respective person in a physical environment of the electronic device; and
while displaying the user interface:
in accordance with a determination that the respective person is further than a threshold distance from the electronic device in the physical environment and that an attention of the respective person is directed to a user of the electronic device, updating display of the user interface element to indicate a presence of the respective person in the physical environment at a location that corresponds to the user interface element; and
in accordance with a determination the respective person is further than the threshold distance from the electronic device in the physical environment and that the attention of the respective person is not directed to the user of the electronic device, forgoing updating the display of the user interface element.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
while displaying the user interface:
in accordance with a determination that the respective person is closer than the threshold distance from the electronic device in the physical environment, updating display of the user interface element to indicate the presence of the respective person in the physical environment at the location that corresponds to the user interface element.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the attention of the respective person is directed to the user of the electronic device is based on one or more gestures performed by the respective person detected by one or more sensors in communication with the electronic device.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the attention of the respective person is directed to the user of the electronic device is based on a gaze of the respective person detected by one or more sensors in communication with the electronic device.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the attention of the respective person is directed to the user of the electronic device is based on detected speech from the respective person detected by one or more sensors in communication with the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein determining that the attention of the respective person is directed to the user of the electronic device is based on a determination that the electronic device has detected that the speech from the respective person includes a name of the user of the electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the attention of the respective person is directed to the user of the electronic device is based on a movement of the respective person detected by one or more sensors in communication with the electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
while displaying the user interface, detecting that the user of the electronic device is engaged in an interaction with the respective person; and
in response to detecting that the user of the electronic device is engaged in the interaction with the respective person, updating display of the user interface element to indicate the presence of the respective person in the physical environment at the location that corresponds to the user interface element.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein updating display of the user interface element to indicate the presence of the respective person in the physical environment at the location that corresponds to the user interface element includes:
in accordance with a determination that one or more first criteria are satisfied, changing display of the user interface element by a first amount; and
in accordance with a determination that one or more second criteria, different from the first criteria, are satisfied, changing display of the user interface element by a second amount, different form the first amount.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the user interface includes a respective user interface element that at least partially obscures display, via the display generation component, of a respective object in the physical environment of the electronic device, the method further comprising:
while displaying the user interface:
in accordance with a determination that the respective object is further than a respective threshold distance from the electronic device in the physical environment, and that the respective object satisfies one or more first criteria, updating display of the respective user interface element to indicate the presence of the respective object in the physical environment at the location that corresponds to the respective user interface element;
in accordance with a determination that the respective object is further than the respective threshold distance from the electronic device in the physical environment, and that the respective object does not satisfy the one or more first criteria, forgoing updating the display of the respective user interface element; and
in accordance with a determination that the respective object is closer than the respective threshold distance to the electronic device in the physical environment, updating display of the respective user interface element to indicate the presence of the respective object in the physical environment at the location that corresponds to the respective user interface element.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
before updating display of the user interface element to indicate the presence of the respective person in the physical environment at the location that corresponds to the user interface element, a first respective portion of the user interface surrounding a second respective portion of the user interface corresponding to the location of the respective person in the physical environment is displayed with a visual characteristic having a first value, and
after updating display of the user interface element to indicate the presence of the respective person in the physical environment at the location that corresponds to the user interface element, the first respective portion of the user interface surrounding the second respective portion of the user interface corresponding to the location of the respective person in the physical environment is displayed with the visual characteristic having a second value, different from the first value.

12. 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:
displaying, via a display generation component, a user interface that includes a user interface element, wherein the user interface element at least partially obscures display, via the display generation component, of a respective person in a physical environment of the electronic device; and
while displaying the user interface:
in accordance with a determination that the respective person is further than a threshold distance from the electronic device in the physical environment and that an attention of the respective person is directed to a user of the electronic device, updating display of the user interface element to indicate a presence of the respective person in the physical environment at a location that corresponds to the user interface element; and
in accordance with a determination t

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Kawashima Ieyuki
• Lemay Stephen O
• Sorrentino Iii William A
• Faulkner Jeffrey M
• Pastrana Vicente Israel
• Butcher Gary Ian
• Bauerly Kristi E
• Chiu Shih-Sang
• Boesel Benjamin Hunter
• Huang David H
• Dargan Dorian D
• Dye Alan C

Classifications

• G06F3/0487

  using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser · CPC title

• G06F3/017

  Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883) · CPC title

• G06F3/0362

  with detection of one-dimensional [1D] translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts · CPC title

• G06F3/0481 Primary

  based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance · CPC title

• G06F3/0488

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title