Methods for managing overlapping windows and applying visual effects

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12511847-B2
Application number	US-202418988115-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2024
Priority date	Jun 4, 2023
Publication date	Dec 30, 2025
Grant date	Dec 30, 2025

Abstract

In some embodiments, a computer system changes a visual prominence of a respective virtual object in response to detecting a threshold amount of overlap between a first virtual object and a second virtual object. In some embodiments, a computer system changes a visual prominence of a respective virtual object based on a change in spatial location of a first virtual object with respect to a second virtual object. In some embodiments, a computer system applies visual effects to representations of physical objects, virtual environments, and/or physical environments. In some embodiments, a computer system changes a visual prominence of a virtual object relative to a three-dimensional environment based on display of overlapping objects of different types in the three-dimensional environment. In some embodiments, a computer system changes a level of opacity of a first virtual object overlapping a second virtual object in response to movement of the first virtual object.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A method comprising:
at a computer system in communication with one or more input devices and a display generation component:
displaying, via the display generation component, a plurality of virtual objects including a first virtual object and a second virtual object, with a first spatial relationship in a three-dimensional environment relative to a current viewpoint of a user of the computer system, wherein displaying the first virtual object and the second virtual object with the first spatial relationship includes displaying the first virtual object and the second virtual object without an overlapping portion relative to the current viewpoint of the user, and the first virtual object and the second virtual object are displayed with a first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment;
detecting, via the one or more input devices, a first input corresponding to a request to change a spatial relationship between the first virtual object and the second virtual object from the first spatial relationship to a second spatial relationship, different from the first spatial relationship, relative to the current viewpoint of the user;
in response to detecting the first input:
moving a respective virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects, in accordance with the first input, so that the first virtual object and the second virtual object have the second spatial relationship relative to the current viewpoint of the user, and the first virtual object overlaps the second virtual object from the current viewpoint of the user;
in accordance with a determination that the second spatial relationship between the first virtual object and the second virtual object meets respective criteria, wherein the respective criteria include a requirement that at least a portion of the first virtual object overlaps the second virtual object by more than a threshold amount from the current viewpoint of the user, displaying, via the display generation component, a respective portion of a respective virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects with a second visual prominence less than the first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment; and
in accordance with a determination that the second spatial relationship between the first virtual object and the second virtual object does not meet the respective criteria, displaying, via the display generation component, the respective portion of the respective virtual object with the first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein in accordance with a determination that the first input includes attention directed to the first virtual object, the respective virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects is the second virtual object, the method further comprising:
after detecting the first input, detecting a second input corresponding to attention directed to the second virtual object; and in response to detecting the second input, in accordance with a determination that at least a portion of the first virtual object overlaps the second virtual object by more than the threshold amount from the current viewpoint of the user:
displaying the respective portion of the second virtual object with the first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment; and
displaying a respective portion of the first virtual object with the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
after detecting the first input and while displaying the first virtual object with the first visual prominence, detecting a second input corresponding to attention directed to the second virtual object; and in response to detecting the second input, in accordance with a determination that at least a portion of the first virtual object overlaps the second virtual object by more than the threshold amount from the current viewpoint of the user:
displaying a respective portion of the second virtual object with the first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment; and
displaying a respective portion of the first virtual object with the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment.

4 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
after detecting the second input and while displaying the respective portion of the second virtual object with the first visual prominence, detecting a third input corresponding to attention directed to a third virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects in the three-dimensional environment; and in response to detecting the third input, in accordance with a determination that at least a portion of the third virtual object overlaps the second virtual object by more than the threshold amount from the current viewpoint of the user:
displaying the respective portion of the second virtual object with the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment; and
maintaining display of the respective portion of the first virtual object with the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising:
in response to detecting the third input, in accordance with a determination that the third virtual object does not overlap the second virtual object by more than the threshold amount from the current viewpoint of the user:
maintaining display of the respective portion of the second virtual object with the first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment; and
maintaining display of the respective portion of the first virtual object with the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment.

6 . The method of claim 3 , further comprising:
in response to detecting the second input, in accordance with a determination that at least a portion of the first virtual object overlaps the second virtual object by more than the threshold amount from the current viewpoint of the user and at least a portion of the second virtual object overlaps a third virtual object of the plurality of virtual objects in the three-dimensional environment by more than the threshold amount from the current viewpoint of the user:
displaying the respective portion of the second virtual object with the first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment;
displaying the respective portion of the first virtual object with the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment; and
displaying a respective portion of the third virtual object with the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
while displaying the plurality of virtual objects in the three-dimensional environment, displaying an input element in the three-dimensional environment associated with the respective virtual object; and in response to detecting the first input:
in accordance with the determination that the second spatial relationship between the first virtual object and the second virtual object meets the respective criteria, displaying the input element with a third visual prominence less than the first visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment; and
in accordance with the determination that the second spatial relationship between the first virtual object and the second virtual object does not meet the respective criteria, displaying the input element with a fourth visual prominence greater than the second visual prominence relative to the three-dimensional environment.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
after detecting the first input, d

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Sorrentino William A
• Hylak Benjamin
• Mckenzie Christopher D
• Lemay Stephen O
• Taylor Zoey C
• Estany Rodriguez Miquel
• Owen James J

Classifications

• G06T2219/2012

  Colour editing, changing, or manipulating; Use of colour codes · CPC title

• G06T2200/24

  involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] · CPC title

• G06T19/20

  Editing of three-dimensional [3D] images, e.g. changing shapes or colours, aligning objects or positioning parts · CPC title

• G06T15/40

  Hidden part removal · CPC title

• G06F3/04815 Primary

  Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional [3D], e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object · CPC title