HK1215092B - Device, method, and graphical user interface for adjusting the appearance of a control - Google Patents

Description

Device, method and graphical user interface for adjusting the appearance of a control

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to electronic devices having displays, including but not limited to electronic devices that display soft keyboards and other virtual controls on their displays.

Background Art

Electronic computing devices often display virtual controls on their displays. For example, when using an application on a portable electronic device (such as a smart phone, tablet computer, or laptop computer), keyboards, menus, dialog boxes, prompts, and other controls may appear and disappear.

The initial display of virtual controls can be distracting, causing the user to briefly lose their place in the application. Furthermore, virtual controls displayed on top of other elements in the application's user interface can obscure or obscure those elements, making it more difficult for the user to maintain context within the application. This is particularly true for portable devices with small displays, where virtual controls (e.g., a keyboard) can take up a significant portion of the display.

Summary of the Invention

Therefore, there is a need for electronic devices with less distracting virtual controls that help maintain context within applications. This creates a need for new methods and interfaces for adjusting the appearance of virtual controls. Such devices, methods, and interfaces reduce the cognitive burden on users and create more effective human-computer interfaces.

The above-mentioned defects and other problems associated with the user interface of the electronic device with display are reduced or eliminated by the disclosed device. In some embodiments, the device is a desktop computer. In some embodiments, the device is portable (e.g., a laptop, tablet computer or handheld device). In some embodiments, the device has a touch pad. In some embodiments, the device has a touch-sensitive display (also known as a "touch screen" or "touch screen display"). In some embodiments, the device has a graphical user interface (GUI), one or more processors, memory, and one or more modules, programs or instruction sets stored in the memory for performing multiple functions. In some embodiments, the user interacts with the GUI mainly through finger contacts and gestures on the touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, these functions optionally include image editing, drawing, presentation, word processing, website creation, disk editing, spreadsheet production, playing games, making and receiving calls, video conferencing, sending and receiving emails, instant messaging, fitness support, digital photography, digital video recording, web browsing, digital music playback, and/or digital video playback. The executable instructions for performing these functions are optionally included in a non-transient computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.

According to some embodiments, a method is performed at an electronic device having a display. The method includes: displaying a user interface on the display; determining a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; determining a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and displaying a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein an appearance of the control is determined based on the first content and the first set of control appearance values.

According to some embodiments, an electronic device includes a display unit configured to display a user interface and a processing unit coupled to the display unit. The processing unit is configured to: determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes corresponding to first content in a corresponding area of the display; determine a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and enable display of a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the first content and the first set of control appearance values.

According to some embodiments, an electronic device includes a display, an optional touch-sensitive surface, one or more sensors for detecting the intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface, one or more processors, memory, and one or more programs; the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, and the one or more programs include instructions for performing the operations of the above-described method. According to some embodiments, as described in the above-described method, a graphical user interface on the electronic device includes one or more elements displayed in the above-described method, the one or more elements being updated in response to input, the electronic device having a display, an optional touch-sensitive surface, one or more sensors for detecting the intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface, memory, and one or more processors for executing the one or more programs stored in the memory. According to some embodiments, a computer-readable storage medium has stored therein instructions that, when executed by an electronic device having a display, an optional touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors for detecting the intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface, cause the device to perform the operations of the above-described method. According to some embodiments, the electronic device includes: a display, an optional touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors for detecting the intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface; and means for performing the operations of the above-described method. According to some embodiments, an information processing apparatus for use in an electronic device having a display, optionally a touch-sensitive surface, and optionally one or more sensors for detecting intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface includes means for performing the operations of the above-described method.

Thus, providing electronic devices with displays with virtual controls that are less distracting while still easy for users to see and interact with improves the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction with such devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the various described embodiments, reference should be made to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout.

Figure 1A is a block diagram illustrating a portable multifunction device with a touch-sensitive display in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG1B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event processing according to some embodiments.

FIG2 illustrates a portable multifunction device with a touch screen in accordance with some embodiments.

3 is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunction device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 4A illustrates an exemplary user interface for a menu of applications on a portable multifunction device in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 4B shows an exemplary user interface for a multifunction device with a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display in accordance with some embodiments.

5A-5K illustrate exemplary hypothetical user interfaces for adjusting the appearance of a control, according to some embodiments.

FIG6 exemplarily illustrates a hypothetical exemplary set of content display property values determined for content in a region of a display control according to some embodiments.

7 is a diagram of a hypothetical predetermined set of content display values that have been assigned to a corresponding predetermined set of control appearance values that may be used to determine content appearance values via interpolation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG8 exemplarily illustrates a hypothetical exemplary set of control appearance parameter values for a control according to some embodiments.

9A-9G are flow diagrams illustrating a method of adjusting the appearance of a control according to some embodiments.

10 is a functional block diagram of an electronic device in accordance with some embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Electronic devices often display virtual controls that appear and disappear while using applications on the device.

As described above, the initial display of virtual controls can be distracting, causing the user to briefly lose their place in the application. Furthermore, virtual controls displayed on top of other elements in the application's user interface obscure or mask those elements, making it more difficult for the user to maintain context within the application. This is particularly true for portable devices with small displays, where virtual controls (e.g., a keyboard) can take up a significant portion of the display.

Disclosed herein are electronic devices having translucent virtual controls whose appearance automatically adjusts so that the controls are less distracting while still being easy for the user to see and interact with.

A given translucent control is displayed above the content in a specific area of the display. The device determines the values of various content display properties in the specific area (e.g., the hue, saturation, brightness, and/or contrast values of the content below the control). Then, the device determines a set of values for various control appearance parameters based on the determined content display property values (e.g., blur radius, saturation adjustment, opacity of white overlays, opacity of black overlays, opacity of user interface elements in the control, and/or the value of text color in the control). The appearance of the translucent control is then based on the content below the control and the determined control appearance parameter values. The content display property values, control appearance parameter values, and therefore the appearance of the control are automatically and dynamically updated as the content below the control changes.

These adjustments create a translucent control that is less distracting than an opaque control or a translucent control that simply obscures underlying content in a fixed manner. At the same time, these adjustments create a translucent control that is easy to see and interact with. Overall, these adjustments provide a translucent control that reduces the cognitive burden on the user and creates a more effective human-computer interface.

It should be noted that the adjustments to translucent controls described herein can also be applied to other types of translucent user interface elements (eg, taskbars, trays, and status bars).

Below, Figures 1A-1B, 2, and 3 provide a description of an exemplary device. Figures 4A-4B and 5A-5K illustrate exemplary user interfaces for adjusting the appearance of a control. Figures 9A-9G are flow charts illustrating a method for adjusting the appearance of a control. The user interfaces in Figures 5A-5K are used to illustrate the process in Figures 9A-9G.

Exemplary devices

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Numerous specific details are provided in the detailed description below to provide a full understanding of the various described embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that the various described embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known methods, processes, components, circuits, and networks have not been described in detail so as not to unnecessarily obscure various aspects of the embodiments.

It will also be understood that, although the terms "first", "second" etc. are used to describe various elements in some cases herein, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are simply used to distinguish one element from another. For example, the first contact can be named as the second contact, and similarly, the second contact can be named as the first contact, without departing from the scope of the various described embodiments. Both the first contact and the second contact are contacts, but they are not the same contact.

The terms used in the description of the various described embodiments herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to be limiting. As used in the description of the various described embodiments and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "and/or" used herein refer to and encompass any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will also be understood that the terms "includes", "including", "comprises" and/or "comprising" when used in this specification specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and/or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, parts and/or their groupings.

As used herein, the term "if" is optionally interpreted to mean "when" or "upon" or "in response to determining" or "in response to detecting," depending on the context. Similarly, the phrases "if it is determined that..." or "if [stated condition or event] is detected" are optionally interpreted to mean "when it is determined that..." or "in response to determining that..." or "when [stated condition or event] is detected" or "in response to detecting [stated condition or event]," depending on the context.

Embodiments of electronic devices, user interfaces for such devices, and associated processes for using such devices are described. In some embodiments, the device is a portable communication device such as a mobile phone that also includes other functions (such as a PDA and/or music player functions). Exemplary embodiments of portable multifunction devices include, but are not limited to, iPods and devices from Apple Inc (Cupertino, California). Other portable electronic devices such as laptops or tablets with touch-sensitive surfaces (e.g., touch screen displays and/or touch pads) are optionally used. It should also be understood that in some embodiments, the device is not a portable communication device, but rather a desktop computer with a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch screen displays and/or touch pads).

In the following discussion, an electronic device including a display and a touch-sensitive surface is described. However, it should be understood that the electronic device optionally includes one or more other physical user interface devices, such as a physical keyboard, mouse, and/or joystick.

The device typically supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a drawing application, a rendering application, a word processing application, a website creation application, a disk editing application, a spreadsheet application, a gaming application, a telephony application, a video conferencing application, an email application, an instant messaging application, a fitness support application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application.

Various applications executing on the device optionally use at least one common physical user interface device, such as a touch-sensitive surface. One or more functions of the touch-sensitive surface and corresponding information displayed on the device optionally adjust and/or change from one application to the next and/or within a respective application. In this way, the common physical architecture of the device (such as a touch-sensitive surface) optionally supports the various applications with a user interface that is intuitive and clear to the user.

Attention is now directed to embodiments of portable devices with touch-sensitive displays. Figure 1A is a block diagram illustrating a portable multifunction device 100 with a touch-sensitive display 112 in accordance with some embodiments. Touch-sensitive display 112 is sometimes referred to as a "touch screen" for convenience, and is sometimes referred to as or referred to as a touch-sensitive display system. Device 100 includes memory 102 (which optionally includes one or more computer-readable storage media), a memory controller 122, one or more processing units (CPUs) 120, a peripheral device interface 118, RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, a speaker 111, a microphone 113, an input/output (I/O) subsystem 106, other input or control devices 116, and external ports 124. Device 100 optionally includes one or more optical sensors 164. Device 100 optionally includes one or more intensity sensors 165 for detecting intensity of contact on device 100 (e.g., a touch-sensitive surface, such as touch-sensitive display system 112 of device 100). Device 100 optionally includes one or more tactile output generators 167 for generating tactile output on device 100 (e.g., generating tactile output on a touch-sensitive surface such as touch-sensitive display system 112 of device 100 or touch pad 355 of device 300). These components optionally communicate via one or more communication buses or signal lines 103.

As used in this specification and claims, the term "intensity" of a contact on a touch-sensitive surface refers to the force or pressure (force per unit area) of a contact (e.g., a finger contact) on the touch-sensitive surface, or to a surrogate (surrogate) for the force or pressure of a contact on the touch-sensitive surface. The intensity of a contact has a range of values that includes at least four different values and more typically includes hundreds of different values (e.g., at least 256). The intensity of a contact is optionally determined (or measured) using various methods and various sensors or sensor combinations. For example, one or more force sensors below or adjacent to the touch-sensitive surface are optionally used to measure the force at various points on the touch-sensitive surface. In some embodiments, the force measurements from multiple force sensors are combined (e.g., weighted averaged) to determine an estimated contact force. Similarly, the pressure-sensitive tip of the stylus is optionally used to determine the pressure of the stylus on the touch-sensitive surface. Alternatively, the size of the contact area detected on the touch-sensitive surface and/or its change, the capacitance of the touch-sensitive surface adjacent to the contact and/or its change, and/or the resistance of the touch-sensitive surface adjacent to the contact and/or its change are optionally used as a surrogate for the force or pressure of the contact on the touch-sensitive surface. In some implementations, the surrogate measurement of the force or pressure of the contact is used directly to determine whether an intensity threshold has been exceeded (e.g., the intensity threshold is described in units corresponding to the surrogate measurement). In some embodiments, the surrogate measurement of the force or pressure of the contact is converted into an estimated force or pressure, and the estimated force or pressure is used to determine whether the intensity threshold has been exceeded (e.g., the intensity threshold is a pressure threshold measured in units of pressure).

As used in this specification and claims, the term "tactile output" refers to a physical displacement of a device relative to a previous position of the device, a physical displacement of a component of a device (e.g., a touch-sensitive surface) relative to another component of the device (e.g., a housing), or a displacement of a component relative to the center of mass of the device that will be detected by a user using the user's sense of touch. For example, when a device or a component of the device is in contact with a surface that is touch-sensitive to a user (e.g., a finger, palm, or other part of the user's hand), the tactile output generated by the physical displacement will be interpreted by the user as a tactile sensation corresponding to a perceived change in a physical property of the device or component of the device. For example, movement of a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., a touch-sensitive display or trackpad) is optionally interpreted by the user as a "press click" or "release click" on a physical actuation button. In some cases, the user will feel a tactile sensation, such as a "press click" or "release click," even when the physical actuation button associated with the touch-sensitive surface that was physically pressed (e.g., displaced) by the user's movement does not move. As another example, movement of a touch-sensitive surface may be interpreted or sensed by a user as "roughness" of the touch-sensitive surface, even when there is no change in the smoothness of the touch-sensitive surface. While such a user's interpretation of touch will be limited by the user's individualized sensory perceptions, many sensory perceptions of touch are common to most users. Thus, when a tactile output is described as corresponding to a particular sensory perception of a user (e.g., "release click," "press click," "roughness"), unless otherwise stated, the generated tactile output corresponds to a physical displacement of the device or a component thereof that would generate the described sensory perception for a typical (or average) user.

It should be understood that device 100 is only an example of a portable multifunction device, and that device 100 optionally has more or fewer components than shown, optionally combines two or more components, or optionally has a different configuration or arrangement of the components. The various components shown in FIG1A are implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software, including one or more signal processing circuits and/or application specific integrated circuits.

Memory 102 optionally includes high-speed random access memory and optionally includes non-volatile memory such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state memory devices. Access to memory 102 by other components of device 100 (such as CPU 120 and peripheral device interface 118) is optionally controlled by memory controller 122.

Peripherals interface 118 may be used to couple the device's input and output peripherals to CPU 120 and memory 102. The one or more processors 120 run or execute various software programs and/or instruction sets stored in memory 102 to perform various functions of device 100 and process data.

In some embodiments, peripherals interface 118, CPU 120, and memory controller 122 are optionally implemented on a single chip, such as chip 104. In some other embodiments, they are optionally implemented on separate chips.

RF (radio frequency) circuitry 108 receives and transmits RF signals, also known as electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry 108 converts electrical signals into/from electromagnetic signals and communicates with a communication network and other communication devices via the electromagnetic signals. RF circuitry 108 optionally includes well-known circuitry for performing these functions, including but not limited to an antenna system, an RF transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory, and the like. RF circuitry 108 optionally communicates with a network and other devices via wireless communications, such as the Internet (also known as the World Wide Web (WWW)), an intranet, and/or a wireless network (such as a cellular telephone network, a wireless local area network (LAN), and/or a metropolitan area network (MAN)). The wireless communication optionally uses any of a variety of communication standards, protocols and technologies, including, but not limited to, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolution, Data Only (EV-DO), HSPA, HSPA+, Dual Cell HSPA (DC-HSPDA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Near Field Communication (NFC), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) (e.g., IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g and/or IEEE 802.11b), 802.11n), Voice over Internet Protocol (VoiP), Wi-MAX, email protocols (e.g., Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) and/or Post Office Protocol (POP)), instant messaging (e.g., Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE), Instant Messaging and Presence Service (IMPS)), and/or Short Message Service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol, including communication protocols not yet developed on the date of filing of this document.

The audio circuit 110, the speaker 111, and the microphone 113 provide an audio interface between the user and the device 100. The audio circuit 110 receives audio data from the peripheral device interface 118, converts the audio data into electrical signals, and transmits the electrical signals to the speaker 111. The speaker 111 converts the electrical signals into sound waves that can be heard by a person. The audio circuit 110 also receives electrical signals converted from sound waves by the microphone 113. The audio circuit 110 converts the electrical signals into audio data and transmits the audio data to the peripheral device interface 118 for processing. The audio data is optionally retrieved from the memory 102 and/or the RF circuit 108 by the peripheral device interface 118 and/or is transmitted to the memory 102 and/or the RF circuit 108. In some embodiments, the audio circuit 110 also includes a headset interface (e.g., 212 in FIG. 2 ). The headset interface provides an interface between the audio circuitry 110 and a removable audio input/output peripheral, such as an output-only headset or a headset having both output (eg, a single or dual-ear headset) and input (eg, a microphone).

The I/O subsystem 106 couples input/output peripherals on the device 100, such as the touch screen 112 and other input control devices 116, to a peripherals interface 118. The I/O subsystem 106 optionally includes a display controller 156, an optical sensor controller 158, an intensity sensor controller 159, a tactile feedback controller 161, and one or more input controllers 160 for other input or control devices. The one or more input controllers 160 receive/send electrical signals from/to other input or control devices 116. Other input control devices 116 optionally include physical buttons (e.g., push buttons, rocker buttons, etc.), dials, slide switches, joysticks, click wheels, and the like. In some alternative embodiments, the one or more input controllers 160 are optionally coupled (or not coupled) to any of the following: a keyboard, an infrared port, a USB port, and a pointing device such as a mouse. The one or more buttons (e.g., 208 in FIG2 ) optionally include an up/down button for volume control of the speaker 111 and/or microphone 113. The one or more buttons optionally include a push button (e.g., 206 in FIG2 ).

The touch-sensitive display 112 provides an input interface and an output interface between the device and the user. The display controller 156 receives and/or sends electrical signals to the touch screen 112. The touch screen 112 displays visual output to the user. The visual output optionally includes graphics, text, icons, videos, and any combination thereof (collectively referred to as "graphics"). In some embodiments, some or all of the visual output corresponds to user interface objects.

The touch screen 112 has a touch-sensitive surface, sensor, or sensor group that accepts input from the user based on tactile and/or haptic contact. The touch screen 112 and display controller 156 (together with any associated modules and/or instruction sets in memory 102) detect contact on the touch screen 112 (and any movement or interruption of that contact) and convert the detected contact into interaction with a user interface object (e.g., one or more soft keys, icons, web pages, or images) displayed on the touch screen 112. In an exemplary embodiment, the point of contact between the touch screen 112 and the user corresponds to the user's finger.

The touch screen 112 optionally uses LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, LPD (light emitting polymer display) technology, or LED (light emitting diode) technology, although other display technologies are used in other embodiments. The touch screen 112 and display controller 156 optionally use any of a variety of touch sensing technologies now known or later developed, including but not limited to capacitive technology, resistive technology, infrared technology, and surface acoustic wave technology, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements for determining one or more points of contact with the touch screen 112 to detect contact and any movement or interruption thereof. In one exemplary embodiment, projected mutual capacitance sensing technology is used, such as that found in the iPod and the iPhone from Apple Inc. (Cupertino, California).

The touch screen 112 optionally has a video resolution exceeding 100 dpi. In some embodiments, the touch screen has a video resolution of approximately 160 dpi. The user optionally uses any suitable object or appendage, such as a stylus, finger, etc., to contact the touch screen 112. In some embodiments, the user interface is designed to work primarily with finger-based contacts and gestures, which may not be as precise as stylus-based input due to the larger contact area of a finger on the touch screen. In some embodiments, the device translates rough finger-based input into precise pointer/cursor positions or commands for performing the action desired by the user.

In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, device 100 optionally includes a touchpad (not shown) for activating or deactivating specific functions. In some embodiments, the touchpad is a touch-sensitive area of the device that, unlike the touch screen, does not display visual output. The touchpad is optionally a touch-sensitive surface separate from touch screen 112 or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch screen.

Device 100 also includes a power system 162 for powering the various components. Power system 162 optionally includes a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., batteries, alternating current (AC)), a recharging system, power fault detection circuitry, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED)), and any other components associated with the generation, management, and distribution of power in a portable device.

The device 100 also optionally includes one or more optical sensors 164. Figure 1A shows an optical sensor coupled to the optical sensor controller 158 in the I/O subsystem 106. The optical sensor 164 optionally includes a charge coupled device (CCD) or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) phototransistor. The optical sensor 164 receives light projected from the environment through one or more lenses and converts the light into data representing an image. In conjunction with the imaging module 143 (also called a camera module), the optical sensor 164 optionally captures still images or video. In some embodiments, the optical sensor is located at the rear of the device 100, facing away from the touch screen display 112 on the front of the device, so that the touch screen display can be used as a viewfinder for still images and/or video image acquisition. In some embodiments, another optical sensor is located at the front of the device so that the user's image is optionally obtained for video conferencing when the user views other video conference participants on the touch screen display.

Device 100 also optionally includes one or more contact force sensors 165. FIG1A shows a contact force sensor coupled to force sensor controller 159 in I/O subsystem 106. Contact force sensor 165 optionally includes one or more piezoresistive strain gauges, capacitive force sensors, electrical force sensors, piezoelectric force sensors, optical force sensors, capacitive touch-sensitive surfaces, or other force sensors (e.g., sensors for measuring the force (or pressure) of a contact on a touch-sensitive surface). Contact force sensor 165 receives contact force information (e.g., pressure information or a surrogate for pressure information) from the environment. In some embodiments, at least one contact force sensor is juxtaposed with or adjacent to a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch-sensitive display system 112). In some embodiments, at least one contact force sensor is located on the rear of device 100, opposite touch screen display 112 located on the front of device 100.

Device 100 also optionally includes one or more proximity sensors 166. FIG1A shows proximity sensor 166 coupled to peripherals interface 118. Alternatively, proximity sensor 166 is coupled to input controller 160 in I/O subsystem 106. In some embodiments, the proximity sensor turns off and disables touch screen 112 when the multifunction device is placed near a user's ear (e.g., when the user is on a phone call).

Device 100 also optionally includes one or more tactile output generators 167. FIG1A shows a tactile output generator coupled to a tactile feedback controller 161 in I/O subsystem 106. Tactile output generator 167 optionally includes one or more electroacoustic devices such as speakers or other audio components; and/or electromechanical devices that convert energy into linear motion, such as motors, solenoids, electroactive polymers, piezoelectric actuators, electrostatic actuators, or other tactile output generating components (e.g., components that convert electrical signals into tactile outputs on the device). Contact force sensor 165 receives tactile feedback generation instructions from tactile feedback module 133 and generates tactile outputs on device 100 that can be sensed by a user of device 100. In some embodiments, at least one tactile output generator is collocated with or adjacent to a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., touch-sensitive display system 112), and optionally generates tactile output by moving the touch-sensitive surface vertically (e.g., inward/outward of the surface of device 100) or laterally (e.g., forward and backward in the same plane as the surface of device 100). In some embodiments, at least one tactile output generator sensor is located on the rear of device 100, opposite touch screen display 112 located on the front of device 100.

The device 100 also optionally includes one or more accelerometers 168. FIG1A shows an accelerometer 168 coupled to the peripherals interface 118. Alternatively, the accelerometer 168 is optionally coupled to the input controller 160 in the I/O subsystem 106. In some embodiments, information is displayed on the touch screen display in a portrait view or a landscape view based on an analysis of data received from the one or more accelerometers. In addition to the one or more accelerometers 168, the device 100 optionally includes a magnetometer (not shown) and a GPS (or GLONASS or other global navigation system) receiver (not shown) for obtaining information about the position and orientation (e.g., portrait or landscape) of the device 100.

In some embodiments, the software components stored in memory 102 include an operating system 126, a communication module (or instruction set) 128, a contact/motion module (or instruction set) 130, a graphics module (or instruction set) 132, a text input module (or instruction set) 134, a global positioning system (GPS) module (or instruction set) 135, and applications (or instruction sets) 136. In addition, in some embodiments, memory 102 stores a device/global internal state 157, as shown in Figures 1A and 3. The device/global internal state 157 includes one or more of the following: an active application state, which indicates which applications (if any) are currently active; a display state, which indicates what applications, views, or other information occupy various areas of the touch screen display 112; a sensor state, which includes information obtained from various sensors and input control devices 116 of the device; and position information regarding the position and/or posture of the device.

The operating system 126 (e.g., Darwin, RTXC, LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or an embedded operating system such as VxWorks) includes various software components and/or drivers for controlling and managing general system tasks (e.g., memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitating communication between various hardware components and software components.

The communication module 128 facilitates communication with other devices via one or more external ports 124 and also includes various software components for processing data received by the RF circuitry 108 and/or the external ports 124. The external ports 124 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, etc.) are suitable for coupling directly to other devices or indirectly via a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless LAN, etc.). In some embodiments, the external port is a multi-pin (e.g., 30-pin) connector that is the same as, similar to, and/or compatible with the 30-pin connector used on iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) devices.

The contact/motion module 130 optionally detects contact with the touch screen 112 (in conjunction with the display controller 156) and other touch-sensitive devices (e.g., a touchpad or physical click wheel). The contact/motion module 130 includes various software components for performing various operations related to the detection of contact, such as determining whether contact has occurred (e.g., detecting a finger down event), determining the strength of the contact (e.g., the force or pressure of the contact, or a surrogate for the force or pressure of the contact), determining whether there has been movement of the contact and tracking that movement across the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., detecting one or more finger drag events), and determining whether the contact has ceased (e.g., detecting a finger up event or contact break). The contact/motion module 130 receives contact data from the touch-sensitive surface. Determining the movement of a contact point optionally includes determining the rate (magnitude), velocity (magnitude and direction), and/or acceleration (change in magnitude and/or direction) of the contact point, the movement of which is represented by a series of contact data. These operations are optionally applied to a single contact (e.g., a single finger contact) or to multiple simultaneous contacts (e.g., "multi-touch"/multiple finger contacts). In some embodiments, contact/motion module 130 and display controller 156 detect contact on a touchpad.

In some embodiments, the contact/motion module 130 uses a set of one or more intensity thresholds to determine whether a user has performed an action (e.g., to determine whether a user has "clicked" an icon). In some embodiments, at least a subset of the intensity thresholds are determined based on software parameters (e.g., the intensity thresholds are not determined by the activation threshold of a particular physical actuator and can be adjusted without changing the physical hardware of the device 100). For example, a mouse "click" threshold for a touchpad or touchscreen display can be set to any one of a large number of predefined thresholds without changing the touchpad or touchscreen display hardware. In addition, in some embodiments, a software setting is provided for the user of the device to adjust one or more intensity thresholds in the set of intensity thresholds (e.g., by adjusting individual intensity thresholds and/or by adjusting multiple intensity thresholds at once using a system-level click "intensity" parameter).

The contact/motion module 130 optionally detects gesture input from the user. Different gestures on the touch-sensitive surface have different contact patterns (e.g., different motions, timings, and/or intensities of the detected contacts). Therefore, gestures are optionally detected by detecting specific contact patterns. For example, detecting a single-finger tap gesture includes detecting a finger press event and then detecting a finger lift (lift-off) event at the same location (or substantially the same location) as the finger press event (e.g., at the location of an icon). For another example, detecting a finger swipe gesture on the touch-sensitive surface includes detecting a finger press event, then detecting one or more finger drag events, and then detecting a finger lift (lift-off) event.

The graphics module 132 includes various known software components for rendering and displaying graphics on the touch screen 112 or other display, including components for changing the visual effects (e.g., brightness, transparency, saturation, contrast, or other visual attributes) of the displayed graphics. As used herein, the term "graphics" includes any object that can be displayed to a user, including, but not limited to, text, web pages, icons (such as user interface objects including soft keys), digital images, videos, animations, and the like.

In some embodiments, the graphics module 132 stores data representing graphics to be used. Each graphic is optionally assigned a corresponding code. The graphics module 132 receives one or more codes specifying the graphics to be displayed from an application program, along with coordinate data and other graphic attribute data, if necessary, and then generates screen image data for output to the display controller 156.

Haptic feedback module 133 includes various software components for generating instructions used by one or more tactile output generators 167 to produce tactile output at one or more locations on device 100 in response to user interaction with device 100 .

Text input module 134, which is optionally a component of graphics module 132, provides a soft keyboard for entering text in various applications (e.g., contacts 137, email 140, IM 141, browser 147, and any other application requiring text input).

The GPS module 135 determines the location of the device and provides this information for use in various applications (e.g., to the phone 138 for use in location-based dialing, to the camera 143 as picture/video metadata, and to applications that provide location-based services, such as the weather widget, the local yellow pages widget, and the map/navigation widget).

Application 136 optionally includes the following modules (or instruction sets), or a subset or superset thereof:

Contacts module 137 (sometimes called address book or contact list);

Telephone module 138;

Video conferencing module 139;

Email client module 140;

Instant messaging (IM) module 141;

Fitness support module 142;

A camera module 143 for still and/or video images;

Image management module 144;

Browser module 147;

Calendar module 148;

Widget module 149, which optionally includes one or more of the following: weather widget 149-1, stock widget 149-2, calculator widget 149-3, alarm clock widget 149-4, dictionary widget 149-5, and other widgets acquired by the user and user-created widgets 149-6;

A widget creator module 150 for forming user-created widgets 149-6;

Search module 151;

Video and music player module 152, which optionally consists of a video player module and a music player module;

Notepad module 153;

Map module 154; and/or

Online video module 155.

Examples of other applications 136 that are optionally stored in memory 102 include other word processing applications, other image editing applications, drawing applications, rendering applications, JAVA-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, and voice reproduction.

In conjunction with the touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the contacts module 137 is optionally used to manage an address book or contact list (e.g., stored in the application internal state 192 of the contacts module 137 in memory 102 or memory 370), including: adding one or more names to the address book; deleting one or more names from the address book; associating one or more phone numbers, one or more email addresses, one or more physical addresses, or other information with a name; associating images with a name; categorizing and classifying names; providing phone numbers or email addresses to initiate and/or facilitate communication via telephone 138, video conferencing 139, email 140, or IM 141; and so on.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, phone module 138 is optionally used to enter a character sequence corresponding to a telephone number, access one or more telephone numbers in address book 137, modify an entered telephone number, dial the corresponding telephone number, conduct a conversation, and disconnect or hang up when the conversation is complete. As described above, wireless communication optionally uses any of a variety of communication standards, protocols, and technologies.

In combination with RF circuitry 108, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, microphone 113, touch screen 112, display controller 156, optical sensor 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, contact list 137, and phone module 138, video conferencing module 139 includes executable instructions for initiating, conducting, and terminating a video conference between a user and one or more other participants in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with RF circuitry 108, touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, email client module 140 includes executable instructions for creating, sending, receiving, and managing emails in response to user instructions. In conjunction with image management module 144, email client module 140 makes it very easy to create and send emails with still images or video images captured by camera module 143.

In conjunction with the RF circuitry 108, the touch screen 112, the display controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, and the text input module 134, the instant messaging module 141 includes executable instructions for entering a character sequence corresponding to an instant message, modifying previously entered characters, transmitting the corresponding instant message (e.g., using the Short Message Service (SMS) or Multimedia Message Service (MMS) protocol for phone-based instant messaging or using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS for Internet-based instant messaging), receiving instant messages, and viewing received instant messages. In some embodiments, the transmitted and/or received instant messages optionally include graphics, photos, audio files, video files, and/or other attachments supported in MMS and/or Enhanced Messaging Service (EMS). As used herein, "instant messaging" refers to both phone-based messages (e.g., messages sent using SMS or MMS) and Internet-based messages (e.g., messages sent using XMPP, SIMPLE, or IMPS).

In combination with the RF circuitry 108, the touch screen 112, the display controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, the text input module 134, the GPS module 135, the map module 154, and the music player module 146, the fitness support module 142 includes executable instructions for: creating a fitness (e.g., with a time, distance, and/or calorie burn goal); communicating with fitness sensors (sports equipment); receiving fitness sensor data; calibrating sensors for monitoring a fitness; selecting and playing music for a fitness; and displaying, storing, and transmitting fitness data.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, one or more optical sensors 164, optical sensor controller 158, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and image management module 144, camera module 143 includes executable instructions for capturing still images or videos (including video streams) and storing them in memory 102, modifying the characteristics of still images or videos, or deleting still images or videos from memory 102.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, text input module 134, and camera module 143, image management module 144 includes executable instructions for arranging, modifying (e.g., editing), or otherwise manipulating, labeling, deleting, presenting (e.g., in a digital slideshow or album), and storing still images and/or video images.

In combination with the RF circuit 108, the touch screen 112, the display system controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, and the text input module 134, the browser module 147 includes executable instructions for browsing the Internet (including searching for, linking to, receiving, and displaying web pages or portions thereof, as well as attachments and other files linked to web pages) in accordance with user instructions.

In combination with the RF circuit 108, the touch screen 112, the display system controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, the text input module 134, the email client module 140 and the browser module 147, the calendar module 148 includes executable instructions for creating, displaying, modifying and storing calendars and data associated with the calendar (e.g., calendar entries, to-do items, etc.) in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with the RF circuit 108, the touch screen 112, the display system controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, the text input module 134, and the browser module 147, the desktop widget module 149 is a mini-application that is optionally downloaded and used by the user (e.g., the weather desktop widget 149-1, the stock desktop widget 149-2, the calculator desktop widget 149-3, the alarm desktop widget 149-4, and the dictionary desktop widget 149-5) or a mini-application created by the user (e.g., the user-created desktop widget 149-6). In some embodiments, the desktop widget includes an HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) file, a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file, and a JavaScript file. In some embodiments, the desktop widget includes an XML (Extensible Markup Language) file and a JavaScript file (e.g., the Yahoo! desktop widget).

In combination with the RF circuit 108, the touch screen 112, the display system controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, the text input module 134 and the browser module 147, the desktop widget creator module 150 is optionally used by a user to create a desktop widget (e.g., to tune a user-specified portion of a web page into a desktop widget).

In combination with the touch screen 112, the display system controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, and the text input module 134, the search module 151 includes executable instructions for searching the memory 102 for text, music, sound, images, videos, and/or other files that match one or more search criteria (e.g., one or more user-specified search terms) in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuitry 110, speaker 111, RF circuitry 108, and browser module 147, video and music player module 152 includes executable instructions that allow a user to download and play back recorded music and other sound files stored in one or more file formats (such as MP3 or AAC files), as well as executable instructions for displaying, presenting, or otherwise playing back video (e.g., on touch screen 112 or on an external display connected via external port 124). In some embodiments, device 100 optionally includes the functionality of an MP3 player such as an iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.).

In conjunction with the touch screen 112, display controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, and text input module 134, the notepad module 153 includes executable instructions for creating and managing notes, to-do lists, etc. according to user instructions.

In combination with the RF circuitry 108, the touch screen 112, the display system controller 156, the contact module 130, the graphics module 132, the text input module 134, the GPS module 135, and the browser module 147, the map module 154 is optionally used to receive, display, modify, and store maps and data associated with the maps (e.g., driving directions; data about businesses and other points of interest at or near a particular location; and other location-based data) in accordance with user instructions.

In conjunction with touch screen 112, display system controller 156, contact module 130, graphics module 132, audio circuit 110, speaker 111, RF circuit 108, text input module 134, email client module 140, and browser module 147, online video module 155 includes instructions for allowing a user to access, browse, receive (e.g., by streaming and/or downloading), play back (e.g., on the touch screen or on an external display connected via external port 124), send emails with links to specific online videos, and otherwise manage online videos in one or more file formats (such as H.264). In some embodiments, instant messaging module 141 is used instead of email client module 140 to send links to specific online videos.

Each of the above-mentioned identified modules and applications corresponds to a set of executable instructions for performing one or more of the above-mentioned functions and the methods described in this patent application (e.g., computer-implemented methods and other information processing methods described herein). These modules (i.e., instruction sets) do not have to be implemented as separate software programs, processes, or modules, so various subsets of these modules are optionally combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 102 optionally stores subsets of the above-mentioned modules and data structures. In addition, memory 102 optionally stores other modules and data structures not described above.

In some embodiments, device 100 is a device in which operation of a predefined set of functions on the device is performed exclusively through a touch screen and/or a touchpad. By using a touch screen and/or a touchpad as the primary input control device for operation of device 100, the number of physical input control devices (such as push buttons, dials, etc.) on device 100 is optionally reduced.

A predefined set of functions that are uniquely performed via the touch screen and/or touchpad optionally includes navigating between user interfaces. In some embodiments, the touchpad, when touched by the user, navigates the device 100 from any user interface displayed on the device 100 to a main menu, home menu, or root menu. In such embodiments, the touchpad is used to implement a "menu button." In some other embodiments, the menu button is a physical push button or other physical input control device, rather than a touchpad.

FIG1B is a block diagram illustrating exemplary components for event processing according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, memory 102 (in FIG1A ) or memory 370 ( FIG3 ) includes an event classifier 170 (e.g., in operating system 126 ) and a corresponding application 136 - 1 (e.g., any of the aforementioned applications 137 - 13 , 155 , 380 - 390 ).

Event classifier 170 receives event information and determines an application 136-1 and an application view 191 of application 136-1 to which the event information is to be delivered. Event classifier 170 includes an event monitor 171 and an event dispatcher module 174. In some embodiments, application 136-1 includes an application internal state 192 that indicates one or more current application views displayed on touch-sensitive display 112 when the application is active or executing. In some embodiments, device/global internal state 157 is used by event classifier 170 to determine which application(s) is currently active, and application internal state 192 is used by event classifier 170 to determine an application view 191 to which the event information is to be delivered.

In some embodiments, the application internal state 192 includes additional information, such as one or more of the following: resumption information to be used when the application 136-1 resumes execution, user interface state information indicating information being displayed by the application 136-1 or information ready for display by the application 136-1, a state queue for enabling the user to return to a previous state or view of the application 136-1, and a redo/undo queue of previous actions taken by the user.

Event monitor 171 receives event information from peripherals interface 118. The event information includes information about sub-events (e.g., a user touch on touch-sensitive display 112 as part of a multi-touch gesture). Peripherals interface 118 transmits information it receives from I/O subsystem 106 or sensors (such as proximity sensor 166), one or more accelerometers 168, and/or microphone 113 (through audio circuit 110). The information that peripherals interface 118 receives from I/O subsystem 106 includes information from touch-sensitive display 112 or a touch-sensitive surface.

In some embodiments, event monitor 171 sends requests to peripherals interface 118 at predetermined intervals. In response, peripherals interface 118 transmits event information. In other embodiments, peripherals interface 118 transmits event information only when there is a significant event (e.g., receiving an input above a predetermined noise threshold and/or receiving an input for more than a predetermined duration).

In some embodiments, event classifier 170 also includes a hit view determination module 172 and/or an active event recognizer determination module 173 .

When the touch-sensitive display 112 displays more than one view, the hit view determination module 172 provides software procedures for determining where within one or more views a sub-event has occurred. A view consists of controls and other elements that a user can see on the display.

Another aspect of the user interface associated with an application is a set of views, sometimes also referred to herein as application views or user interface windows, in which information is displayed and touch-based gestures occur. The application views (of the respective application) in which a touch is detected optionally correspond to programmatic levels within the application's programmatic or view hierarchy. For example, the lowest-level view in which a touch is detected is optionally called a hit view, and the set of events recognized as correct input is optionally determined based at least in part on the hit view of the initial touch that initiated the touch-based gesture.

Hit view determination module 172 receives information related to sub-events of touch-based gestures. When an application has multiple views organized in a hierarchy, hit view determination module 172 identifies the hit view as the lowest view in the hierarchy that should handle the sub-event. In most cases, the hit view is the lowest-level view in which the initiating sub-event (i.e., the first sub-event in a sequence of sub-events that form an event or potential event) occurs. Once a hit view is identified by the hit view determination module, the hit view typically receives all sub-events related to the same touch or input source for which it was identified as the hit view.

Active event recognizer determination module 173 determines which view or views within the view hierarchy should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In some embodiments, active event recognizer determination module 173 determines that only the hit view should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, active event recognizer determination module 173 determines that all views that include the physical location of the sub-event are actively participating views, and therefore determines that all actively participating views should receive a particular sequence of sub-events. In other embodiments, even if a touch sub-event is completely confined to an area associated with one particular view, views higher in the hierarchy will still remain actively participating views.

Event dispatcher module 174 dispatches event information to event recognizers (e.g., event recognizer 180). In embodiments that include active event recognizer determination module 173, event dispatcher module 174 delivers the event information to the event recognizer determined by active event recognizer determination module 173. In some embodiments, event dispatcher module 174 stores the event information in an event queue, which is retrieved by corresponding event receiver module 182.

In some embodiments, operating system 126 includes event classifier 170. Alternatively, application 136-1 includes event classifier 170. In another embodiment, event classifier 170 is a standalone module or part of another module stored in memory 102, such as contact/motion module 130.

In some embodiments, application 136-1 includes multiple event handlers 190 and one or more application views 191, each of which includes instructions for handling touch events that occur within a corresponding view of the application's user interface. Each application view 191 of application 136-1 includes one or more event recognizers 180. Typically, a corresponding application view 191 includes multiple event recognizers 180. In other embodiments, one or more application views in event recognizer 180 are part of a separate module, such as a user interface toolkit (not shown) or a higher-level object from which application 136-1 inherits methods and other properties. In some embodiments, a corresponding event handler 190 includes one or more of the following: a data updater 176, an object updater 177, a GUI updater 178, and/or event data 179 received from event classifier 170. Event handler 190 optionally utilizes or calls data updater 176, object updater 177, or GUI updater 178 to update application internal state 192. Alternatively, one or more of application views 191 include one or more corresponding event handlers 190. Additionally, in some embodiments, one or more of data updater 176, object updater 177, and GUI updater 178 are included in the corresponding application view 191.

A corresponding event identifier 180 receives event information (e.g., event data 179) from event classifier 170 and identifies an event from the event information. Event identifier 180 includes an event receiver 182 and an event comparator 184. In some embodiments, event identifier 180 also includes at least a subset of the following: metadata 183, and event delivery instructions 188 (which optionally include sub-event delivery instructions).

Event receiver 182 receives event information from event classifier 170. Event information includes information about sub-events, such as touches or touch movements. Depending on the sub-event, the event information also includes additional information, such as the location of the sub-event. When the sub-event involves the movement of a touch, the event information also optionally includes the rate and direction of the sub-event. In some embodiments, the event includes the device rotating from one orientation to another (e.g., from a portrait orientation to a landscape orientation, or vice versa), and the event information includes corresponding information about the current orientation of the device (also referred to as the device posture).

Event comparator 184 compares the event information with predefined event or sub-event definitions and determines the event or sub-event based on the comparison, or determines or updates the state of the event or sub-event. In some embodiments, event comparator 184 includes event definition 186. Event definition 186 includes the definition of the event (e.g., a predefined sequence of sub-events), such as event 1 (187-1), event 2 (187-2), and other events. In some embodiments, the sub-events in event 187 include, for example, touch start, touch end, touch move, touch cancel, and multi-touch. In one instance, event 1 (187-1) is defined as a double-click on a displayed object. For example, a double-click includes a first touch (touch start) of a predetermined duration on the displayed object, a first lift (touch end) of a predetermined duration, a second touch (touch start) of a predetermined duration on the displayed object, and a second lift (touch end) of a predetermined duration. In another instance, event 2 (187-2) is defined as a drag on a displayed object. For example, dragging includes a touch (or contact) of a predetermined duration on a displayed object, movement of the touch on the touch-sensitive display 112, and lifting of the touch (touch end). In some embodiments, the event also includes information for one or more associated event handlers 190.

In some embodiments, event definition 187 includes definitions of events for corresponding user interface objects. In some embodiments, event comparator 184 performs a hit test to determine which user interface object is associated with a sub-event. For example, in an application view in which three user interface objects are displayed on touch-sensitive display 112, when a touch is detected on touch-sensitive display 112, event comparator 184 performs a hit test to determine which of the three user interface objects is associated with the touch (sub-event). If each displayed object is associated with a corresponding event handler 190, the event comparator uses the result of the hit test to determine which event handler 190 should be activated. For example, event comparator 184 selects the event handler associated with the sub-event and the object that triggered the hit test.

In some embodiments, the definition of the corresponding event 187 also includes a delay action that delays the delivery of the event information until after it has been determined whether the sub-event sequence does or does not correspond to the event type of the event identifier.

When a corresponding event recognizer 180 determines that the sub-event string does not match any event in event definitions 186, the corresponding event recognizer 180 enters the event impossible, event failed, or event ended state, after which subsequent sub-events of the touch-based gesture are ignored. In this case, other event recognizers (if any) that remain active for the hit view continue to track and process sub-events of the ongoing touch-based gesture.

In some embodiments, corresponding event recognizers 180 include metadata 183 with configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how the event delivery system should perform sub-event delivery for actively participating event recognizers. In some embodiments, metadata 183 includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate how event recognizers interact or can interact with each other. In some embodiments, metadata 183 includes configurable properties, flags, and/or lists that indicate whether sub-events are delivered to varying levels in a view or programmatic hierarchy.

In some embodiments, when one or more specific sub-events of an event are recognized, the corresponding event recognizer 180 activates the event handler 190 associated with the event. In some embodiments, the corresponding event recognizer 180 delivers the event information associated with the event to the event handler 190. Activating the event handler 190 is different from sending (and deferred sending) the sub-events to the corresponding hit view. In some embodiments, the event recognizer 180 throws a flag associated with the recognized event, and the event handler 190 associated with the flag retrieves the flag and performs a predefined process.

In some embodiments, event delivery instructions 188 include sub-event delivery instructions that deliver event information about a sub-event without activating an event handler. Instead, the sub-event delivery instructions deliver the event information to an event handler associated with the sub-event string or to an actively participating view. The event handler associated with the sub-event string or the actively participating view receives the event information and performs a predetermined process.

In some embodiments, data updater 176 creates and updates data used in application 136-1. For example, data updater 176 updates phone numbers used in contact module 137 or stores video files used in video player module 145. In some embodiments, object updater 177 creates and updates objects used in application 136-1. For example, object updater 176 creates new user interface objects or updates the positions of user interface objects. GUI updater 178 updates the GUI. For example, GUI updater 178 prepares display information and sends it to graphics module 132 for display on a touch-sensitive display.

In some embodiments, one or more event handlers 190 include or have access to data updater 176, object updater 177, and GUI updater 178. In some embodiments, data updater 176, object updater 177, and GUI updater 178 are included in a single module of a corresponding application 136-1 or application view 191. In other embodiments, they are included in two or more software modules.

It should be understood that the above discussion of event handling for user touches on a touch-sensitive display also applies to other forms of user input for operating the multifunction device 100 using an input device, and not all user input is initiated on a touch screen. For example, mouse movement and mouse button presses, optionally in conjunction with single or multiple keyboard presses or holds; contact movement on a touchpad (such as clicking, dragging, scrolling, etc.); stylus input; movement of the device; spoken commands; detected eye movement; biometric input; and/or any combination thereof, are optionally used as input corresponding to a sub-event defining an event to be recognized.

FIG2 illustrates a portable multifunction device 100 with a touch screen 112, according to some embodiments. The touch screen optionally displays one or more graphics within a user interface (UI) 200. In this embodiment, as well as other embodiments described below, a user can select one or more of these graphics by, for example, gesturing on the graphics with one or more fingers 202 (not drawn to scale in the figures) or with one or more styluses 203 (not drawn to scale in the figures). In some embodiments, selection of the one or more graphics occurs when the user breaks contact with the one or more graphics. In some embodiments, the gesture optionally includes one or more taps, one or more swipes (from left to right, from right to left, upward, and/or downward), and/or a rolling motion of a finger that has made contact with the device 100 (from right to left, from left to right, upward, and/or downward). In some implementations or in some cases, inadvertent contact with a graphic does not select the graphic. For example, a swipe gesture sweeping over an application icon may not select the corresponding application when the gesture corresponding to selection is a tap.

The device 100 also optionally includes one or more physical buttons, such as a "home" button or menu button 204. As previously described, the menu button 204 is optionally used to navigate to any application 136 in a set of applications that are optionally executed on the device 100. Alternatively, in some embodiments, the menu button is implemented as a soft key in a GUI displayed on the touch screen 112.

In one embodiment, device 100 includes a touch screen 112, a menu button 204, a push button 206 for powering the device on and off and for locking the device, one or more volume adjustment buttons 208, a subscriber identity module (SIM) card slot 210, a headset jack 212, and a docking/charging external port 124. Push button 206 is optionally used to power the device on and off by pressing and holding the button for a predefined time interval; to lock the device by pressing and releasing the button before a predefined time interval has elapsed; and/or to unlock the device or initiate an unlocking process. In an alternative embodiment, device 100 also accepts voice input for activating or deactivating certain functions via microphone 113. Device 100 also optionally includes one or more contact force sensors 165 for detecting the intensity of contact on touch screen 112, and/or one or more tactile output generators 167 for generating tactile output for a user of device 100.

3 is a block diagram of an exemplary multifunctional device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface according to some embodiments. Device 300 need not be portable. In some embodiments, device 300 is a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a tablet computer, a multimedia player device, a navigation device, an educational device (such as a children's learning toy), a game system or a control device (e.g., a home or industrial controller). Device 300 typically includes one or more processing units (CPUs) 310, one or more networks or other communication interfaces 360, a memory 370, and one or more communication buses 320 for interconnecting these components. Communication bus 320 optionally includes a circuit (sometimes called a chipset) that interconnects system components and controls the communication between system components. Device 300 includes an input/output (I/O) interface 330 with a display 340, which is typically a touch screen display. I/O interface 330 also optionally includes a keyboard and/or mouse (or other pointing device) 350 and a touchpad 355, a tactile output generator 357 for generating tactile output on device 300 (e.g., similar to one or more tactile output generators 167 described above with reference to FIG. 1A ), and a sensor 359 (e.g., an optical sensor, an acceleration sensor, a proximity sensor, a touch-sensitive sensor, and/or a contact force sensor similar to one or more contact force sensors 165 described above with reference to FIG. 1A ). Memory 370 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. Memory 370 optionally includes one or more storage devices located remotely from one or more CPUs 310. In some embodiments, memory 370 stores programs, modules, and data structures similar to those stored in memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100 ( FIG. 1A ), or a subset thereof. In addition, memory 370 optionally stores additional programs, modules, and data structures not present in memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100. For example, memory 370 of device 300 optionally stores a drawing module 380, a presentation module 382, a word processing module 384, a website creation module 386, a disk editing module 388, and/or a spreadsheet module 390, while memory 102 of portable multifunction device 100 ( FIG. 1A ) optionally does not store these modules.

Each element in the above-mentioned identified element in Fig. 3 is optionally stored in one or more previously mentioned memory devices.Each module in the above-mentioned module corresponds to a group of instructions for performing the functions described above.Above-mentioned modules or programs (that is, instruction sets) need not be implemented as independent software programs, processes or modules, and therefore the various subgroups of these modules are optionally combined or otherwise rearranged in various embodiments.In certain embodiments, memory 370 optionally stores the subgroup of above-mentioned modules and data structures.In addition, memory 370 optionally stores other modules and data structures not described above.

Attention is now turned to an embodiment of a user interface (“UI”) that is optionally implemented on portable multifunction device 100 .

Figure 4A shows an exemplary user interface for a menu of applications on portable multifunction device 100, according to some embodiments. A similar user interface is optionally implemented on device 300. In some embodiments, user interface 400 includes the following elements, or a subset or superset thereof:

A status bar 401 with status icons such as:

o Signal strength indicators 402 for one or more wireless communications (such as cellular signals and Wi-Fi signals);

○ Time 404;

○ Bluetooth indicator 405;

o Battery status indicator 406;

A tray 408 with icons for commonly used applications, such as:

o An icon 416 for the phone module 138 labeled "Phone," optionally including an indicator 414 of the number of missed calls or voice messages;

o An icon 418 for the email client module 140 labeled "Mail," optionally including an indicator 410 of the number of unread emails;

o An icon 420 for the browser module 147 labeled "Browser"; and

o An icon 422 for the video and music player module 152 labeled “iPod” (also called an iPod (trademark of Apple Inc.) module 152); and

●Other application icons, such as:

o Icon 424 for the IM module 141 labeled "Messages";

o Icon 426 for the calendar module 148 labeled "Calendar";

o Icon 428 for the image management module 144 labeled "Photos";

o An icon 430 for the camera module 143 labeled “Camera”;

o Icon 432 for the online video module 155 labeled "Online Video";

o Icon 434 for the stock market widget 149-2 labeled "Stock Market";

o Icon 436 for the map module 154 labeled "Map";

o Icon 438 for the weather widget 149-1 labeled "Weather";

o Icon 440 for the alarm clock widget 149-4 labeled "Clock";

o An icon 442 for the fitness support module 142 labeled “Fitness Support”;

o An icon 444 for the Notes module 153 labeled "Notes"; and

o An icon 446 for a settings application or module that provides access to settings for the device 100 and its various applications 136 .

It should be noted that the icon labels shown in FIG4A are merely exemplary. For example, icon 422 of video and music player module 152 is labeled "Music" or "Music Player." Other labels are optionally used for various application icons. In some embodiments, the label of a respective application icon includes the name of the application corresponding to the respective application icon. In some embodiments, the label of a particular application icon is different from the name of the application corresponding to the particular application icon.

4B shows an exemplary user interface on a device (e.g., device 300 in FIG 3 ) having a touch-sensitive surface 451 (e.g., tablet computer or touchpad 355 in FIG 3 ) that is separate from a display 450 (e.g., touch screen display 112 ). Device 300 optionally also includes one or more contact intensity sensors (e.g., one or more of sensors 357 ) for detecting intensity of contacts on touch-sensitive surface 451 and/or one or more tactile output generators 359 for generating tactile output for a user of device 300.

Although some of the examples that follow will be given with reference to input on touchscreen display 112 (where a touch-sensitive surface and display are combined), in some embodiments, the device detects input on a touch-sensitive surface that is separate from the display, as shown in FIG4B . In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., 451 in FIG4B ) has a primary axis (e.g., 452 in FIG4B ) that corresponds to a primary axis (e.g., 453 in FIG4B ) on the display (e.g., 450 ). According to these embodiments, the device detects contacts (e.g., 460 and 462 in FIG4B ) with touch-sensitive surface 451 at locations that correspond to corresponding locations on the display (e.g., 460 corresponds to 468 and 462 corresponds to 470 in FIG4B ). Thus, when the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., 451 in FIG4B ) is separated from the display (e.g., 450 in FIG4B ) of the multifunction device, user input detected by the device on the touch-sensitive surface (e.g., contacts 460 and 462 and their movement) is used by the device to manipulate a user interface on the display. It should be understood that similar methods are optionally used for other user interfaces described herein.

In addition, although the following examples are given primarily with reference to finger inputs (e.g., finger contacts, finger tap gestures, finger swipe gestures), it should be understood that in some embodiments, one or more of these finger inputs are replaced by input from another input device (e.g., mouse-based input or stylus input). For example, a swipe gesture is optionally replaced by a mouse click (e.g., instead of contact) followed by movement of the cursor along the path of the swipe (e.g., instead of movement of the contact). For another example, a tap gesture is optionally replaced by a mouse click when the cursor is over the location of the tap gesture (e.g., instead of detecting contact and then ceasing to detect contact). Similarly, when multiple user inputs are detected simultaneously, it should be understood that multiple computer mice are optionally used simultaneously, or one mouse and multiple finger contacts are optionally used simultaneously.

User interface and associated processes

Attention is now turned to embodiments of a user interface ("UI") and associated processes that may be implemented on an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, such as device 300 or portable multifunction device 100.

Figures 5A-5K illustrate hypothetical exemplary user interfaces for adjusting the appearance of a control, according to some embodiments. The user interfaces in these figures are used to illustrate the processes described below, including the processes in Figures 9A-9B.

5A illustrates an exemplary user interface 502 displayed on the touch screen 112. The user interface 502 includes content (eg, digital images and/or other graphics). A translucent keyboard 518 is displayed in a predefined area 504 of the display.

5B shows first content 506 corresponding to the predetermined area 504. The device determines a content display attribute of the first content 506.

6 illustrates a hypothetical exemplary set of content display property values determined for content in an area in which a control is displayed, according to some embodiments. For example, the device determines values for hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast of first content 506 corresponding to area 504.

The device determines a control appearance parameter value for keyboard 518 based on the determined content display property value of first content 506. For clarity, as used in this specification and the claims, "based on..." means "based at least in part on..." For example, the device determines a control appearance parameter value for a control based at least in part on the determined content display property value of the content in the display area above the control. In addition to the determined content display property value of the content in the display area above the control, the determined control appearance parameter value for the control is optionally based on additional factors.

7 is a diagram of a hypothetical predetermined set of content display values that have been assigned to a corresponding predetermined set of control appearance values that may be used to determine control appearance values via interpolation, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG8 exemplarily illustrates a hypothetical exemplary set of control appearance parameter values for a control according to some embodiments.

In some embodiments, the device uses a previous mapping of content display values (e.g., FIG. 7 ) to control appearance values to determine values for: a blur radius, a saturation adjustment, the opacity of a white overlay, the opacity of a black overlay, the opacity of user interface elements in keyboard 518, and/or the color of text in keyboard 518 (e.g., FIG. 8 ).

The appearance of keyboard 518 in Figure 5A is based on first content 506 and a determined first set of control appearance values for a blur radius, a saturation adjustment, opacity of a white overlay, opacity of a black overlay, opacity of user interface elements in keyboard 518, and/or the color of text in keyboard 518. For example, in Figure 5A, first content 506 in region 504 has been blurred according to the blur radius value (as seen by comparing Figures 5A and 5B), the text color is white, etc. In some embodiments, the blurring of first content 506 in region 504 is performed by a reentrant window manager, as described in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 13/366,181, entitled "Reentrant Window Manager," filed on February 3, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Figure 5A also shows two different gestures 510 and 512, each of which enables the digital image in Figure 5A to be translated so that a new portion of the digital image is displayed in user interface 502. Swipe gesture 510 translates the digital image to the portion of the digital image shown in Figure 5C. Swipe gesture 512 translates the digital image to the portion of the digital image shown in Figures 5D-5F.

In Figure 5C, the content corresponding to area 504 (where keyboard 518 is located) has changed from first content 506 to second content 508-1. The device detects this change in content and determines a second set of content display values for second content 508-1. The device then determines a second set of control appearance values and changes the appearance of keyboard 518 based on second content 508-1 and the second set of control appearance values. In this example, keyboard 518 still displays white text on the keyboard, but second content 508-1 is less blurry (compared to first content 506) because the blur radius value is smaller.

FIG5D shows that the content is optionally moved faster than the control appearance values. In FIG5D , the content corresponding to area 504 (where keyboard 518 is located) has just changed from first content 506 to second content 508-2. The appearance of keyboard 518 has changed because the content corresponding to area 504 has changed from first content 506 to second content 508-2. However, in this example, the device has not yet determined or applied the second set of control appearance values, so that instead the first set of control appearance values is applied.

Figures 5A, 5E, and 5F illustrate the change from a keyboard 518 with white keys (Figure 5A) to a keyboard 518 with black keys (Figure 5F), optionally performed via an intermediate keyboard 518 (Figure 5E) with white keys and an updated set of control appearance values based on the content display values of content 508-2. In Figure 5E, the content corresponding to area 504 (where keyboard 518 is located) has changed from first content 506 to second content 508-2. The device detects this change in content and determines a second set of content display values for second content 508-2. The device then determines a corresponding updated set of control appearance values and changes the appearance of keyboard 518 based on second content 508-1 and the updated set of control appearance values. In this example, keyboard 518 (before switching to displaying black text on the keys in Figure 5F) still displays the white text on the keys in Figure 5E, but the appearance of the keyboard in Figure 5E is different from the appearance of keyboard 518 in Figure 5D. The keyboard in Figure 5E uses an updated set of control appearance values (Figure 5E) based on the content display value of content 508-2, while the keyboard in Figure 5D uses the first set of control appearance values. Using this updated set of control appearance values makes the keyboard 518 in Figure 5E clearer than the keyboard in Figure 5D.

In Figure 5F, the content corresponding to area 504 (where keyboard 518 is located) has changed from first content 506 to second content 508-2. The device detects this change in content and determines a second set of content display values for second content 508-2. The device then determines a second set of control appearance values and changes the appearance of keyboard 518 based on second content 508-2 and the second set of control appearance values. In this example, keyboard 518 displays black text on the keys (e.g., due to the brighter content in 508-2), and other control appearance values have also changed from those of the keyboard in Figure 5A.

In embodiments where an intermediate keyboard with white keys is displayed based on a corresponding updated set of control appearance values before displaying a keyboard with black keys (e.g., when the keyboard in FIG. 5E is displayed before the keyboard in FIG. 5F ), the second set of control appearance values (for the keyboard with black text in FIG. 5F ) will typically include different control appearance values than the updated set of control appearance values (for the keyboard with white text in FIG. 5E ), rather than simply changing the letter color values from white to black. In other words, for the same set of content display values, the control appearance values for the keyboard with black text will typically be different from the control appearance values for the keyboard with white text because the amount of blur, saturation adjustment, opacity, etc. required to make a keyboard with black text easy to see and easy to use is typically different from the amount of blur, saturation adjustment, opacity, etc. required to make a keyboard with white text easy to see and easy to use. In some embodiments, the set of control appearance parameters adjusted for the keyboard with black text is different from the set of control appearance parameters adjusted for the keyboard with white text.

In some embodiments, the set of control appearance parameters adjusted for a dark control is different from the set of control appearance parameters adjusted for a light control.

In some embodiments, a dark control is generated by stacking (compositing) multiple layers (including a control element layer and a black layer) on top of the first content. The black layer obscures the first content and has a high opacity (e.g., RGBA = 10-40, 10-40, 10-40, 60-80). The first content is blurred (e.g., blur radius = 10 pts-30 pts) and its saturation is increased (e.g., increased by 20%-40%). In some embodiments, the control appearance value of the dark control is independent of the content display value of the first content.

In some embodiments, the bright control is generated by stacking (compositing) multiple layers (including a control element layer, a white layer, and a color layer) on top of the first content. The white layer optionally has a high white level (e.g., 90%-100%) and a low opacity (e.g., 20%-40%). The color layer optionally has a color based on the content display value of the first content. For example, the hue of the color layer is the average hue of the first content, as described more generally below with reference to operation 923A; the saturation of the color layer is a certain percentage of the average saturation of the content (e.g., 70%-90%), as described more generally below with reference to operation 923B; and the brightness is low (e.g., 20%-40%). The color layer has a very low opacity (e.g., 5%-15%). The first content is blurred (e.g., blur radius = 20 pts-40 pts) and its saturation is significantly increased (e.g., increased by 50%-90%).

In some embodiments, a particularly bright control is generated by stacking (compositing) multiple layers on top of the first content (including a control element layer and a white layer, but no colored layer). The white layer optionally has a high white level (e.g., 90%-100%) and an opacity that depends on the content display value of the first content. For example, the opacity has a default value (e.g., between 70% and 90%), but the opacity value is increased up to a maximum value (e.g., between 90% and 100%) when: (1) the average brightness of the first content increases above a threshold value (e.g., 1%-2% is added for each percentage that the average brightness of the first content is above 86%), as described more generally below with reference to operation 923C; (2) the average brightness of the first content decreases below a threshold value (e.g., 1%-2% is added for each percentage that the average brightness of the first content is below 20%), as described more generally below with reference to operation 923C; or (3) the average saturation of the first content increases above a threshold value (e.g., 1%-2% is added for each percentage that the average saturation of the first content is above 70%), as described more generally below with reference to operation 923D. The first content is blurred (e.g., blur radius = 10 pts-40 pts) and its saturation is significantly increased (e.g., by 50%-90%).

In some embodiments, a colored control is generated by stacking multiple layers (including a control element overlay, a white overlay, and a colored overlay) on top of the first content. The colored overlay can be any color and has a substantial opacity (e.g., 70%-90%). The white overlay has a high white level (e.g., 90%-100%) and an opacity that depends on the content display value of the first content. For example, 1%-2% opacity is added: (1) for each percentage where the average brightness of the first content is below a threshold (e.g., between 40%-60%), as described more generally below with reference to operation 923C; and (2) for each percentage where the average saturation of the first content is above a threshold (e.g., between 60%-80%), as described more generally below with reference to operation 923D. The first content is blurred (e.g., blur radius = 10pts-30pts) and its saturation is significantly increased (e.g., by 50%-100%).

FIG5F also illustrates a pinch gesture 514 that causes the device to zoom out of the digital image in FIG5F , causing a new portion of the digital image to be displayed in user interface 502 , as shown in FIG5G .

In Figure 5G, the content corresponding to area 504 (where keyboard 518 is located) has changed from second content 508-2 to content 516. The device detects this change in content and determines a new set of content display values for content 516. The device then determines a new set of control appearance values and changes the appearance of keyboard 518 based on content 516 and the new set of control appearance values. In this example, keyboard 518 changes from displaying black text to displaying white text (e.g., due to the darker content in 516), and other control appearance values also change.

In some embodiments, translucent controls and other types of translucent user interface elements are stacked on top of each other. For example, in Figure 5H, when button 208 is pressed, a translucent ringer volume adjustment indicator 520 appears on top of the translucent keyboard 518. In some embodiments, the control elements in the bottom translucent element are not displayed below the top translucent element, which reduces visual clutter and makes the top translucent element easier to view. For example, in Figure 5H, the keys in the portion of the keyboard 518 below the translucent ringer volume adjustment indicator 520 are not displayed. Instead, only the blurred content below the translucent ringer volume adjustment indicator 520 (which corresponds to the first content of the translucent ringer volume adjustment indicator 520) is displayed.

In some embodiments, a control is displayed over a "bottom" translucent element that includes a background and one or more high-contrast elements (e.g., text, sliders, buttons, or other control elements), and the high-contrast elements in the bottom translucent element are not displayed below the control (e.g., the appearance of the control is based on the first content below, and optionally also based on the background of the control element, while ignoring the high-contrast elements in the bottom translucent element). In some embodiments, when the control is displayed, a "top" translucent element is displayed over the control, and the high-contrast elements in the control are not displayed below the top translucent element. In some embodiments, displaying the control in a corresponding area of the display includes: determining whether the corresponding area of the display includes a corresponding translucent control over which the control is to be displayed, adjusting one or more control appearance values in a first set of control appearance values to reduce the visibility of the high-contrast elements of the corresponding translucent element through the control based on determining that the corresponding area of the display includes the corresponding translucent element over which the control is to be displayed; and not adjusting one or more control appearance values in the first set of control appearance values based on determining that the corresponding area of the display does not include the corresponding translucent element over which the control is to be displayed.

In some embodiments, a blur animation is displayed when a control or other translucent user interface element is initially displayed. For example, in response to activating a personal digital assistant (e.g., by pressing button 204 in FIG. 5I ), an animation is displayed that causes the content in FIG. 5J to appear to recede into the display 112 (or shrink) and become blurred as the user interface elements for the personal digital assistant (e.g., the text “What can I do for you?”, a sound waveform, and a “?” icon in FIG. 5J ) are displayed, as shown in FIG. In some embodiments, this effect is similar to the content in FIG. 5J moving backward out of the focal plane of the lens (e.g., the content recedes in the display and gradually defocuses as it recedes). In some embodiments, if the content is not large enough to shrink so that the content appears to recede, the content extends at the edge by reflecting a predefined number of pixels (e.g., 5 pixels, 10 pixels, 15 pixels, or 20 pixels) from the edge of the content toward the edge of the display so that there is no gap between the edge of the content and the edge of the display. An exemplary personal digital assistant is Siri from Apple Inc. (Cupertino, California).

In some embodiments, portions of the first content within the control may be displayed without blurring. In some embodiments, the control includes a predefined control area and one or more elements; and displaying the control in a corresponding area of the display includes: indicating the extent of the predefined control area by applying a set of one or more transformations (e.g., blur, saturation change, color shift) to the first content in the control area according to a first set of control appearance values; and indicating the position of the corresponding element in the control by not applying a corresponding transformation from the set of one or more transformations at the position of the corresponding activatable element (and in the shape of the corresponding activatable element). For example, in Figure 5K, the device displays a slider control 522 in a predefined area that is blurred and desaturated, and there is a cutout sub-area 524 within the slider control that is not blurred, desaturated, or otherwise transformed. In Figure 5K, the cutout sub-area corresponds to a predefined path, and the thumb icon 526 is configured to move along the predefined path (e.g., in response to user input, such as a tap and drag gesture initiated on the thumb icon 526). Thus, for a corresponding translucent control (or other translucent element) that displays a transformed version of the control below the corresponding translucent control, one way to distinguish a corresponding area of the corresponding translucent control (e.g., an area including a button, a slider, a text input field, etc.) from other areas of the corresponding translucent control is to make the corresponding area of the corresponding translucent control transparent (e.g., by not applying a transformation applied in other areas of the control to generate a transformed version of the content displayed below the control) so that the corresponding area appears to pass through the control. Displaying a translucent control with transparent areas is particularly useful when a user is viewing content (e.g., a picture, video, text) because the transparent and translucent portions of the control still allow the user to see the content below the control, thereby enabling the user to operate the device faster and more efficiently.

Figures 9A-9G are flow diagrams illustrating a method 900 for adjusting the appearance of a control according to some embodiments. Method 900 is performed on an electronic device having a display and, optionally, a touch-sensitive surface (e.g., device 300 in Figure 3 or portable multifunction device 100 in Figure 1A). In some embodiments, the display is a touchscreen display and the touch-sensitive surface is on the display. In some embodiments, the display and the touch-sensitive surface are separate. Some operations in method 900 may optionally be combined, and/or the order of some operations may optionally be changed.

As described below, method 900 provides a translucent control that is less distracting than an opaque control or than a translucent control that simply obscures underlying content in a fixed manner. At the same time, method 900 provides a translucent control that is easy to see and interact with. Overall, method 900 provides a translucent control that reduces the cognitive burden on users and creates a more effective human-computer interface.

The device displays ( 902 ) a user interface (eg, user interface 502 in FIG. 5A ) on a display.

The device determines (904) (e.g., by retrieval or calculation) a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes (e.g., hue, saturation, brightness, contrast) of first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display. In some embodiments, the first content is a portion of a web page or image over which a keyboard or other controls are displayed (e.g., in a predetermined or predefined area of the display). For example, the device determines a first set of content display values (e.g., FIG. 6 ) for hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast of first content 506 corresponding to area 504 of display 112, as shown in FIG. 5B .

In some embodiments, the corresponding content display value of the content in the corresponding region corresponds to (906) a statistical measurement (e.g., an average or standard deviation) of the corresponding visual attribute of the corresponding region. For example, the device may determine an average value of the hue, saturation, brightness, and/or contrast of the first content 506 in the region 504. In some embodiments, to reduce overhead and improve computational efficiency, the statistical measurement includes sampling only a subset of the pixels in the corresponding region and determining the statistical measurement of the sampled pixels. For example, the device may sample pixels in the control 506. In some embodiments, the device passes over the content 506 twice, with the first pass sampling every 43rd pixel and the second pass sampling every 51st pixel.

In some embodiments, the content display attributes include (908) one or more of: color, hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast. In some embodiments, the contrast is based on a measure of the standard deviation of the brightness of a plurality of sampled pixels.

The device determines ( 910 ) (eg, by selecting or calculating) a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values, as schematically illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 .

In some embodiments, a change in the appearance value of the corresponding control corresponds to a change in the magnitude of a corresponding transform (912) that is applied to content below the control to generate the appearance of the control. For example, a change in the blur radius corresponds to a change in the magnitude of the blur transform applied to content 506 (FIG. 5B) to generate the appearance of keyboard 518 (FIG. 5A).

In some embodiments, the control appearance parameters include (914) one or more of the following: a blur radius (e.g., a radius of a blur operation applied to content in the corresponding area), a saturation adjustment (e.g., changing the saturation of content in the corresponding area), an opacity of a white overlay (e.g., an opacity of a white layer between content in the corresponding area and an optional portion of the control (such as a keycap of a key)), an opacity of a black overlay (e.g., an opacity of a black layer between content in the corresponding area and an optional portion of the control (such as a keycap of a key)), an opacity of one or more optional portions of the control (e.g., an opacity of a keycap of a virtual keyboard or a button in a notification), and a color of text in the control (e.g., a color of letters on a keyboard or words in a drop-down menu, such as black or white).

In some embodiments, determining a first set of control appearance values includes (916): storing a plurality of corresponding predefined sets of content display values corresponding to corresponding predefined sets of control appearance values; identifying one or more predefined sets of content display values that are close to the first set of content display values as neighboring sets of content display values (e.g., identifying the closest N sets of predefined control appearance values in an M-dimensional space, where M is the number of content display attributes represented by each set of content display values); and determining the first set of control appearance values based on the one or more predefined sets of control appearance values corresponding to the one or more neighboring sets of content display values. In some embodiments, the first set of control appearance values is one of the control appearance values in the predefined sets. In some embodiments, the first set of control appearance values is an interpolation between two or more predefined sets of control appearance values. In some embodiments, the predefined set of control appearance values is determined/selected by a human designer/artist based on sample content having the corresponding set of predefined content display values to maximize translucency while maintaining recognizability of the control displayed over the corresponding content.

In some embodiments, determining the first set of content display values includes (918) using the first set of content display values as input to an algorithm that generates control appearance values as output.

The device displays (920) a control in a corresponding area of the display (e.g., a semi-transparent keyboard, toolbar, prompt message, or menu such as a settings menu and a file menu is displayed in front of the first content because the control is above the first content in the z-axis order (from front to back order) of objects in the user interface), wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the first content and the first set of control appearance values. For example, in FIG5A , the device displays keyboard 518 in area 504 of display 112. The appearance of keyboard 518 in FIG5A is determined based on first content 506 and the first set of control appearance values (e.g., FIG8 ).

In some embodiments, the control includes (922) a semi-transparent portion, and displaying the control includes displaying a representation of a portion of first content 506 corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the first content transforms according to a first set of control appearance values (e.g., from an unobstructed rendering of the first content to a rendering of the first content obscured by the semi-transparent portion of the control). For example, in FIG5A , keyboard 518 includes a semi-transparent portion, and displaying keyboard 518 includes displaying a representation of a portion of first content 506 corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of keyboard 518 in the semi-transparent portion of keyboard 518. The representation of first content 506 transforms according to the first set of control appearance values from an unobstructed rendering of the first content ( FIG5B ) to a rendering of the first content 506 obscured by the semi-transparent portion of the control ( FIG5A ).

In some embodiments, the color of the control is adjusted based on the color of the underlying content. In some embodiments, a first set of content display values includes content color values of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display (e.g., an average color of the first content in the corresponding area); a first set of control appearance values includes control color values selected based on content color (hue) values of the first content; and displaying the control includes (923A): applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and overlaying a semi-transparent color layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the semi-transparent color layer has a color specified by the control color value (e.g., a hue value, a set of RGB values, a set of CMYK values, or another defined color); the first blurred content is visible through the semi-transparent color layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent color layer depends on the color of the semi-transparent color layer. In some embodiments, when the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display changes such that the average content color value of the content in the corresponding area becomes an updated average content color value, the device selects a different control color value for the semi-transparent color layer based on the updated average content color value.

In some embodiments, the saturation of the control is adjusted based on the saturation of the underlying content. In some embodiments, a first set of content display values includes a content saturation value for the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display (e.g., an average saturation of the first content in the corresponding area); a first set of control appearance values includes a control saturation value selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and displaying the control includes (923B): applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and overlaying a translucent color layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the translucent color layer has a saturation (e.g., a saturation level or degree of saturation) specified by the control saturation value; the first blurred content is visible through the translucent color layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the translucent color layer depends on the saturation of the translucent color layer. In some embodiments, when the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display changes such that the average content saturation value of the content in the corresponding area becomes an updated average content saturation value, the device selects a different control saturation value for the translucent color layer based on the updated average content saturation value.

In some embodiments, the opacity of the control is adjusted based on the brightness of the underlying content. In some embodiments, a first set of content display values includes a content brightness value for the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display (e.g., an average brightness of the first content in the corresponding area); a first set of control appearance values includes a control opacity value selected based on the content brightness value of the first content; and displaying the control includes (923C): applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and overlaying a semi-transparent layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the semi-transparent layer has an opacity (e.g., an opacity level or degree of opacity) specified by the control opacity value; the first blurred content is visible through the semi-transparent layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer. In some embodiments, when the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display changes such that the average content brightness value of the content in the corresponding area becomes an updated average content brightness value, the device selects a different control opacity value for the semi-transparent layer based on the updated average content brightness value.

In some embodiments, the opacity of the control is adjusted based on the saturation of the underlying content. In some embodiments, the first set of content display values includes content saturation values of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display (e.g., the average saturation of the first content in the corresponding area); the first set of control appearance values includes a control opacity value selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and displaying the control includes (923D): applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and overlaying a semi-transparent layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the semi-transparent layer has an opacity (e.g., an opacity level or degree of opacity) specified by the control color value; the first blurred content is visible through the semi-transparent layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer. In some embodiments, when the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display changes such that the average content saturation value of the content in the corresponding area becomes an updated average content saturation value, the device selects a different control opacity value for the semi-transparent layer based on the updated average content saturation value.

In some embodiments, when displaying a control (924) in a corresponding area of a display: the device detects a change in content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display from a first content to a second content that is different from the first content (e.g., scrolling a webpage or photo or loading new content in response to a gesture, causing the content in the corresponding area of the display behind the control to change); determines a second set of content display values for one or more content display attributes (e.g., hue, saturation, brightness, and/or contrast) of the second content that are different from the first set of content display values; determines a second set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the second set of content display values, wherein the second set of control appearance values are different from the first set of control appearance values; and in response to detecting the content change, changes the appearance of the control according to the second content and the second set of control appearance values. In some embodiments, the device checks for changes in the content behind the semi-transparent control at predetermined intervals (e.g., four times per second). In some embodiments, the device checks for changes in the content in response to detecting a gesture corresponding to content adjustment (e.g., a swipe gesture associated with panning or scrolling content, a pinch or spread gesture associated with resizing content, or a tap gesture associated with loading content). In some embodiments, the device checks for changes in content in response to receiving a report from an application that new content is being loaded (e.g., in response to receiving a report from a web browser that a new image has been loaded in a frame below the keyboard).

In some embodiments, changing the appearance of the control includes changing ( 926 ) the color of text in the control (eg, from black letters in FIG. 5F to white letters in FIG. 5G ).

In some embodiments, the control includes (928) a semi-transparent portion, and changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control appearance values includes displaying a representation of a portion of the second content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the second content transforms according to the second set of control appearance values (e.g., from an unobstructed rendering of the second content to a rendering of the second content obscured by the semi-transparent portion of the control). For example, in FIG5F , keyboard 518 includes a semi-transparent portion, and displaying keyboard 518 includes displaying a representation of a portion of the second content 508-2 corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the keyboard 518 in the semi-transparent portion of the keyboard 518. The representation of the second content 508-2 transforms from an unobstructed rendering of the second content 508-2 (not shown, but similar to the unobstructed rendering for the first content 506 in FIG5B ) to a rendering of the second content 508-2 obscured by the semi-transparent portion of the control ( FIG5F ).

In some embodiments, the first set of control appearance values are (930) values of a first set of control appearance parameters (e.g., white keyboard control appearance parameters), and the second set of control appearance values are values of the first set of control appearance parameters (e.g., white keyboard control appearance parameters). For example, the first set of control appearance values for the keyboard in FIG5A is for a first set of control appearance parameters (e.g., FIG8 ), and the second set of control appearance values for the keyboard in FIG5C is for the same first set of control appearance parameters (e.g., FIG8 ).

In some embodiments, the first set of control appearance values are (932) values of a first set of control appearance parameters (e.g., white keyboard control appearance parameters), and the second set of control appearance values are values of a second set of control appearance parameters (e.g., black keyboard control appearance parameters) that are different from the first set of control appearance parameters. For example, a light control (e.g., a translucent white keyboard) optionally has a different set of control appearance parameters than a dark control (e.g., a translucent black keyboard).

In some embodiments, after detecting a change in content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display from first content to second content and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control display values (934) (e.g., before displaying the black keyboard for the second content 508-2 in FIG. 5F ): the device determines a corresponding set of control appearance values for the first set of control appearance parameters that are different from the first set of control appearance values based on the second set of content display values, wherein the corresponding set of control appearance values are different from the first set of control appearance values and the second set of control appearance values; and changes the appearance of the control according to the second content and the corresponding set of control appearance values. For example, as described above, FIG. 5A , 5E , and 5F illustrate a change from a keyboard 518 with white keys ( FIG. 5A ) to a keyboard 518 with black keys ( FIG. 5F ), optionally via an intermediate keyboard 518 with white keys and an updated set of control appearance values based on the content display values of content 508-2 ( FIG. 5E ). In some embodiments, the device displays a predetermined animated transition between the keyboard 518 with white keys in FIG. 5E and the keyboard 518 with black keys in FIG. 5F .

In some embodiments, the control includes (936) a semi-transparent portion; a corresponding portion of the content (e.g., content in a corresponding area behind the control) corresponds to a location of the semi-transparent portion of the control; and displaying the control according to a corresponding set of control adjustment values includes displaying a representation of the corresponding portion of the content in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the corresponding portion of the content transforms according to the corresponding set of control appearance values (e.g., from an unobstructed rendering of the corresponding portion of the content to a rendering of the corresponding portion of the content obscured by the semi-transparent portion of the control). For example, in FIG5A , keyboard 518 includes a semi-transparent portion, and displaying keyboard 518 includes displaying a representation of a portion of first content 506 corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of keyboard 518 in the semi-transparent portion of keyboard 518. The representation of first content 506 transforms from an unobstructed rendering of the first content ( FIG5B ) to a rendering of the first content 506 obscured by the semi-transparent portion of the control ( FIG5A ) according to the first set of control appearance values.

In some embodiments, after detecting a change in content from a first content to a second content and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control appearance values (e.g., before determining the second set of control appearance values or before applying the second set of control appearance values), the device changes (938) the appearance of the control according to the second content and the first set of control appearance values. For example, as described above with reference to FIG5D , the control moves, optionally faster than the change in the control appearance values. In some embodiments, the content below the control is animated as it moves at a high frame rate (e.g., 60 fps), and the control appearance values are updated at a low frame rate (e.g., 4 fps). Updating the movement of the content below the control at a high frame rate makes the device feel responsive, while updating the control appearance values at a low frame rate reduces computational requirements without significantly reducing sensitivity.

It should be understood that the specific order in which the operations in Figures 9A-9G are described is merely exemplary and is not intended to indicate that the order is the only order in which these operations can be performed. A person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many ways to reorder the operations described herein.

According to some embodiments, Figure 10 shows a functional block diagram of an electronic device 1000 configured according to the principle of the various described embodiments. The functional block of this equipment is optionally realized by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software that performs the principle of the various described embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functional block described in Figure 10 is optionally combined or separated into sub-blocks to realize the principle of the various described embodiments. Therefore, the description herein optionally supports any possible combination or segmentation or further qualification of the functional block described herein.

10 , the electronic device 1000 includes a display unit 1002 configured to display a user interface and a processing unit 1006 coupled to the display unit 1002. In some embodiments, the processing unit 1006 includes a determining unit 1008, a display enabling unit 1010, a detecting unit 1012, and a changing unit 1014.

The processing unit 1006 is configured to: determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit 1002 (for example, using the determination unit 1008); determine a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values (for example, using the determination unit 1008); and enable display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit 1002 (for example, using the display enabling unit 1010), wherein the appearance of the controls is determined based on the first content and the first set of control appearance values.

In some embodiments, the respective content display value of the content in the respective region corresponds to a statistical measure of the respective visual attribute of the respective region.

In some embodiments, the content display properties include one or more of: color, hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast.

In some embodiments, a change in the value of the corresponding control appearance corresponds to a change in the magnitude of a corresponding transform that is applied to content beneath the control to generate the control appearance.

In some embodiments, the control appearance parameters include one or more of: a blur radius, a saturation adjustment, an opacity of a white overlay, an opacity of a black overlay, an opacity of one or more selectable portions of the control, and a color of text in the control.

In some embodiments, determining a first group of control appearance values includes: storing a plurality of corresponding predefined groups of content display values corresponding to the corresponding predefined groups of control appearance values; identifying one or more predefined groups of content display values close to the first group of content display values as content display values of adjacent groups; and determining the first group of control appearance values based on one or more predefined groups of control appearance values corresponding to the content display values of the one or more adjacent groups.

In some embodiments, determining the first set of content display values includes using the first set of content display values as input to an algorithm that generates the control appearance values as output.

In some embodiments, the control includes a semi-transparent portion, and enabling display of the control includes enabling display of a representation of a portion of first content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the first content is transformed according to a first set of control appearance values.

In some embodiments, the processing unit 1006 is further configured to, when enabling display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit 1002: detect a change in content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit from first content to second content different from the first content (e.g., using the detection unit 1012); determine a second set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the second content that are different from the first set of content display values (e.g., using the determination unit 1008); determine a second set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the second set of content display values (e.g., using the determination unit 1008), wherein the second set of control appearance values are different from the first set of control appearance values; and, in response to detecting the content transformation, change the appearance of the control according to the second content and the second set of control appearance values (e.g., using the change unit 1014).

In some embodiments, changing the appearance of the control includes changing the color of text in the control.

In some embodiments, the control includes a translucent portion, and the control appearance that changes according to a second set of control appearance values includes displaying a representation of a portion of second content corresponding to the translucent portion of the control in the translucent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the second content is transformed according to the second set of control appearance values.

In some embodiments, the first set of control appearance values are values of a first set of control appearance parameters, and the second set of control appearance values are values of the first set of control appearance parameters.

In some embodiments, the first set of control appearance values are values of a first set of control appearance parameters, and the second set of control appearance values are values of a second set of control appearance parameters different from the first set of control appearance parameters.

In some embodiments, the processing unit 1006 is further configured to: after detecting a change from first content to second content in the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit 1002 and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control display values: determine a corresponding set of control appearance values of the first set of control appearance parameters that are different from the first set of control appearance values based on the second set of content display values (for example, using the determination unit 1008), wherein the corresponding set of control appearance values is different from the first set of control appearance values and the second set of control appearance values; and change the appearance of the control according to the second content and the corresponding set of control appearance values (for example, using the change unit 1014).

In some embodiments, the control includes a semi-transparent portion; the corresponding portion of the content corresponds to the position of the semi-transparent portion of the control; and enabling display of the control according to a corresponding set of control adjustment values includes enabling display of a representation of the corresponding portion of the content in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the corresponding portion of the content is transformed according to a corresponding set of control appearance values.

In some embodiments, processing unit 1006 is further configured to change the appearance of the control based on the second content and the first set of control appearance values (e.g., using changing unit 1014) after detecting a change in content from the first content to the second content and before changing the appearance of the control based on the second set of control appearance values.

In some embodiments, the first set of content display values includes content color values of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; the first set of control appearance values includes control color values selected based on the content color values of the first content; and displaying the control includes: applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and overlaying a translucent color layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the translucent color layer has a color specified by the control color value; the first blurred content can be seen through the translucent color layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the translucent color layer depends on the color of the translucent color layer.

In some embodiments, the first set of content display values includes a content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; the first set of control appearance values includes a control saturation value selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and displaying the control includes: applying a blur operation to the first content to generate a first blurred content; and overlaying a translucent color layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the translucent color layer has a saturation specified by the control saturation value; the first blurred content is visible through the translucent color layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the translucent color layer depends on the saturation of the translucent color layer.

In some embodiments, the first set of content display values includes content brightness values of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; the first set of control appearance values includes control opacity values selected based on the content brightness values of the first content; and displaying the control includes: applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and overlaying a translucent layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the translucent layer has an opacity specified by the control opacity value; the first blurred content is visible through the translucent layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the translucent layer depends on the opacity of the translucent layer.

In some embodiments, the first set of content display values includes a content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; the first set of control appearance values includes a control opacity value selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and displaying the control includes: applying a blur operation to the first content to generate a first blurred content; and overlaying a translucent layer over the first blurred content, wherein: the translucent layer has an opacity specified by the control color value; the first blurred content is visible through the translucent layer; and the appearance of the first blurred content through the translucent layer depends on the opacity of the translucent layer.

The operations in the above information processing method are optionally implemented by running one or more functional modules in an information processing device, such as a general-purpose processor (e.g., as described above with respect to Figures 1A and 3) or an application-specific chip.

The operations described above with reference to Figures 9A-9G are optionally implemented by the components depicted in Figures 1A-1B or Figure 10. For example, detection operation 924 is optionally implemented by event classifier 170, event recognizer 180, and event handler 190. Event monitor 171 in event classifier 170 detects contact on touch-sensitive display 112, and event distributor module 174 delivers event information to application 136-1. The corresponding event recognizer 180 of application 136-1 compares the event information with the corresponding event definition 186 and determines whether the first contact at the first location on the touch-sensitive surface (or whether the rotation of the device) corresponds to a predefined event or sub-event, such as the selection of an object on the user interface or the rotation of the device from one orientation to another. When a corresponding predefined event or sub-event is detected, event recognizer 180 activates the event handler 190 associated with the detection of the event or sub-event. Event handler 190 optionally uses or calls data updater 176 or object updater 177 to update application internal state 192. In some embodiments, event handler 190 accesses corresponding GUI updater 178 to update the content displayed by the application. Similarly, those skilled in the art will clearly recognize how other processes can be implemented based on the components shown in Figures 1A-1B.

For the purpose of explanation, the foregoing description is described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the above exemplary discussion is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the disclosed precise forms. Based on the above teachings, many modifications and variations are possible. The embodiments are selected and described in order to fully illustrate the principles of the present invention and their practical application, so that other persons skilled in the art can fully utilize the present invention and the various described embodiments with various modifications suitable for the specific purposes contemplated.

Claims (57)

1. A method for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Displaying the user interface on the screen of an electronic device; Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; and Displaying the control includes displaying a representation of the first content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control within the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the first content is varied according to the first set of control appearance values. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the corresponding content display value of the content in the corresponding region corresponds to a statistical measurement of the corresponding visual attribute of the corresponding region. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the content display attributes include one or more of the following: color, hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the change in the appearance value of the corresponding control corresponds to the change in the magnitude of the corresponding transformation, the corresponding transformation being applied to the content below the control to generate the appearance of the control. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the control appearance parameters include one or more of the following: blur radius, saturation adjustment, opacity of white overlay, opacity of black overlay, opacity of one or more optional portions of the control, and color of text in the control. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the appearance values of the first group of controls includes: Stores the content display values of multiple corresponding predefined groups that correspond to the control appearance values of the corresponding predefined groups; Identify content display values from one or more predefined groups that are close to the first group of content display values as content display values from neighboring groups; and The first group of control appearance values is determined based on the control appearance values of one or more predefined groups that correspond to the content display values of the one or more neighboring groups. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the first set of content display values includes using the first set of content display values as input to an algorithm, the algorithm generating control appearance values as output. 8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: when the control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display: A change in the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display from the first content to a second content different from the first content is detected; Determine a second set of content display values that are different from the first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the second content; A second set of control appearance values is determined based on the second set of content display values to identify one or more control appearance parameters, wherein the second set of control appearance values differs from the first set of control appearance values; and In response to detecting the change in the content, the appearance of the control is changed according to the following: The second content; and The appearance values of the second group of controls. 9. The method of claim 8, wherein changing the appearance of the control includes changing the color of the text in the control. 10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The appearance values of the first group of controls are the values of the appearance parameters of the first group of controls; and The appearance values of the second group of controls are the same as the appearance parameters of the first group of controls. 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The appearance values of the first group of controls are the values of the appearance parameters of the first group of controls; and The second set of control appearance values are the values of the second set of control appearance parameters that are different from those of the first set of control appearance parameters. 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising, after detecting a change from the first content to the second content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display, and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control display values: Based on the second set of content display values, determine a corresponding set of control appearance values that differ from the first set of control appearance values, wherein the corresponding set of control appearance values differs from both the first set of control appearance values and the second set of control appearance values; and Change the appearance of the control according to the following: The second content; and The corresponding set of control appearance values. 13. The method of claim 8, further comprising, after detecting a change in content from the first content to the second content and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control appearance values, changing the appearance of the control according to the following: The second content; and The appearance values of the first group of controls. 14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The first set of content display values includes the content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes the control opacity value selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A semi-transparent layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent layer has an opacity specified by the opacity value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer. 15. A method for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Displaying the user interface on the screen of an electronic device; Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The method includes displaying the control in the corresponding area of the display: A change in the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display from the first content to a second content different from the first content is detected; Determine a second set of content display values that are different from the first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the second content; A second set of control appearance values is determined based on the second set of content display values to identify one or more control appearance parameters, wherein the second set of control appearance values differs from the first set of control appearance values; and In response to detecting the change in the content, the appearance of the control is changed according to the following: The second content; and The second group of control appearance values The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; and Changing the appearance of a control according to the second set of control appearance values includes displaying a representation of the second content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the second content changes according to the second set of control appearance values. 16. A method for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Displaying the user interface on the screen of an electronic device; Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; The corresponding portion of the content corresponds to the position of the semi-transparent portion of the control; and The representation of the corresponding portion of the content displayed in the semi-transparent part of the control is displayed according to a corresponding set of control adjustment values, wherein the representation of the corresponding portion of the content changes according to the corresponding set of control appearance values. 17. A method for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Displaying the user interface on the screen of an electronic device; Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content color value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes control color values selected based on the content color values of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A semi-transparent colored layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent color layer has a color specified by the color value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent color layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent color layer depends on the color of the semi-transparent color layer. 18. A method for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Displaying the user interface on the screen of an electronic device; Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes control saturation values selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A semi-transparent colored layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent color layer has a saturation level specified by the control saturation value; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent color layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent color layer depends on the saturation of the semi-transparent color layer. 19. A method for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Displaying the user interface on the screen of an electronic device; Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content brightness value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes a control opacity value selected based on the content brightness value of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A semi-transparent layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent layer has an opacity specified by the opacity value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer. 20. An electronic device, comprising: Display units configured to display user interfaces; and A processing unit coupled to the display unit, the processing unit being configured to: Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and Enable the display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit, wherein the appearance of the controls is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; and Enabling the display of the control includes enabling the display of a representation of the first content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control within the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the first content is varied according to the first set of control appearance values. 21. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the corresponding content display value of the content in the corresponding area corresponds to a statistical measurement of the corresponding visual attribute of the corresponding area. 22. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the content display attributes include one or more of the following: color, hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast. 23. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein a change in the appearance value of a corresponding control corresponds to a change in the magnitude of a corresponding transformation, the corresponding transformation being applied to content below the control to generate the appearance of the control. 24. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein the appearance parameters of the control include one or more of the following: blur radius, saturation adjustment, opacity of white overlay, opacity of black overlay, opacity of one or more optional portions of the control, and color of text in the control. 25. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein determining the appearance values of the first group of controls includes: Stores the content display values of multiple corresponding predefined groups that correspond to the control appearance values of the corresponding predefined groups; Identify content display values from one or more predefined groups that are close to the first group of content display values as content display values from neighboring groups; and The first group of control appearance values is determined based on the control appearance values of one or more predefined groups that correspond to the content display values of the one or more neighboring groups. 26. The electronic device of claim 20, wherein determining the first set of content display values includes using the first set of content display values as input to an algorithm, the algorithm generating control appearance values as output. 27. The electronic device according to any one of claims 20 to 26, wherein the processing unit is further configured to, when enabling the display of the control in the corresponding area of the display unit: A change in the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit from the first content to a second content different from the first content is detected; Determine a second set of content display values that are different from the first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the second content; A second set of control appearance values is determined based on the second set of content display values to identify one or more control appearance parameters, wherein the second set of control appearance values differs from the first set of control appearance values; and In response to detecting the change in the content, the appearance of the control is changed according to the following: The second content; and The appearance values of the second group of controls. 28. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein changing the appearance of the control includes changing the color of the text in the control. 29. The electronic device according to claim 27, wherein: The appearance values of the first group of controls are the values of the appearance parameters of the first group of controls; and The appearance values of the second group of controls are the same as the appearance parameters of the first group of controls. 30. The electronic device according to claim 27, wherein: The appearance values of the first group of controls are the values of the appearance parameters of the first group of controls; and The second set of control appearance values are the values of the second set of control appearance parameters that are different from those of the first set of control appearance parameters. 31. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein the processing unit is further configured to, after detecting a change in content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit from the first content to the second content and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control display values: Based on the second set of content display values, determine a corresponding set of control appearance values that differ from the first set of control appearance values, wherein the corresponding set of control appearance values differs from both the first set of control appearance values and the second set of control appearance values; and Change the appearance of the control according to the following: The second content; and The corresponding set of control appearance values. 32. The electronic device of claim 27, wherein the processing unit is further configured to, after detecting a change in content from the first content to the second content and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control appearance values, change the appearance of the control according to the following: The second content; and The appearance values of the first group of controls. 33. The electronic device according to any one of claims 20 to 26, wherein: The first set of content display values includes the content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; The first set of control appearance values includes the control opacity value selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A semi-transparent layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent layer has an opacity specified by the opacity value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer. 34. An electronic device, comprising: Display units configured to display user interfaces; and A processing unit coupled to the display unit, the processing unit being configured to: Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and Enable the display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit, wherein the appearance of the controls is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The processing unit is further configured to, when enabling the display of the control in the corresponding area of the display unit: A change in the content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit from the first content to a second content different from the first content is detected; Determine a second set of content display values that are different from the first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the second content; A second set of control appearance values is determined based on the second set of content display values to identify one or more control appearance parameters, wherein the second set of control appearance values differs from the first set of control appearance values; and In response to detecting the change in the content, the appearance of the control is changed according to the following: The second content; and The second set of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; and Changing the appearance of a control according to the second set of control appearance values includes displaying a representation of the second content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the second content changes according to the second set of control appearance values. 35. An electronic device comprising: Display units configured to display user interfaces; and A processing unit coupled to the display unit, the processing unit being configured to: Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and Enable the display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit, wherein the appearance of the controls is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; The corresponding portion of the content corresponds to the position of the semi-transparent portion of the control; and Enabling the display of the control according to a corresponding set of control adjustment values includes enabling the display of a representation of the corresponding portion of the content in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the corresponding portion of the content changes according to the corresponding set of control appearance values. 36. An electronic device comprising: Display units configured to display user interfaces; and A processing unit coupled to the display unit, the processing unit being configured to: Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and Enable the display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit, wherein the appearance of the controls is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content color value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; The first set of control appearance values includes control color values selected based on the content color values of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate a first blurred content; as well as A semi-transparent colored layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent color layer has a color specified by the color value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent color layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent color layer depends on the color of the semi-transparent color layer. 37. An electronic device comprising: Display units configured to display user interfaces; and A processing unit coupled to the display unit, the processing unit being configured to: Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and Enable the display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit, wherein the appearance of the controls is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; The first set of control appearance values includes control saturation values selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate a first blurred content; as well as A semi-transparent colored layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent color layer has a saturation level specified by the control saturation value; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent color layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent color layer depends on the saturation of the semi-transparent color layer. 38. An electronic device comprising: Display units configured to display user interfaces; and A processing unit coupled to the display unit, the processing unit being configured to: Determine a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; A first set of control appearance values is used to determine one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and Enable the display of controls in the corresponding area of the display unit, wherein the appearance of the controls is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content brightness value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display unit; The first set of control appearance values includes a control opacity value selected based on the content brightness value of the first content; and The control is displayed as follows: Apply a blur operation to the first content to generate a first blurred content; as well as A semi-transparent layer is overlaid on top of the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent layer has an opacity specified by the opacity value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer. 39. A device for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Device for displaying a user interface on a display of an electronic device; A means for determining a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A means for displaying a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; and The means for displaying the control includes means for displaying a representation of a portion of the first content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the first content is varied according to the first set of control appearance values. 40. The device of claim 39, wherein the corresponding content display value of the content in the corresponding region corresponds to a statistical measurement of the corresponding visual attribute of the corresponding region. 41. The device of claim 39, wherein the content display attributes include one or more of the following: color, hue, saturation, brightness, and contrast. 42. The device of claim 39, wherein a change in the appearance value of a corresponding control corresponds to a change in the magnitude of a corresponding transformation, the corresponding transformation being applied to content below the control to generate the appearance of the control. 43. The device of claim 39, wherein the appearance parameters of the control include one or more of the following: blur radius, saturation adjustment, opacity of white overlay, opacity of black overlay, opacity of one or more optional portions of the control, and color of text in the control. 44. The device of claim 39, wherein the means for determining the appearance values of the first set of controls comprises: A device for storing the content display values of multiple corresponding predefined groups that correspond to the control appearance values of corresponding predefined groups; A means for identifying content display values of one or more predefined groups that are close to the first group of content display values as content display values of neighboring groups; and A means for determining the appearance value of the first group of controls based on the appearance value of one or more predefined groups corresponding to the content display value of the one or more neighboring groups. 45. The device of claim 39, wherein the means for determining the first set of content display values includes means for using the first set of content display values as input to an algorithm, the algorithm generating control appearance values as output. 46. The device according to any one of claims 39 to 45, further comprising: when the control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display: A means for detecting a change from the first content to a second content different from the first content in the corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a second set of content display values that are different from the first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the second content; Means for determining a second set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on a second set of content display values, wherein the second set of control appearance values differs from the first set of control appearance values; and A means for changing the appearance of the control according to the following in response to detecting the change in the content: The second content; and The appearance values of the second group of controls. 47. The device of claim 46, wherein the means for changing the appearance of the control includes means for changing the color of text in the control. 48. The device according to claim 46, wherein: The appearance values of the first group of controls are the values of the appearance parameters of the first group of controls; and The appearance values of the second group of controls are the same as the appearance parameters of the first group of controls. 49. The device according to claim 46, wherein: The appearance values of the first group of controls are the values of the appearance parameters of the first group of controls; and The second set of control appearance values are the values of the second set of control appearance parameters that are different from those of the first set of control appearance parameters. 50. The device of claim 49, further comprising, after detecting a change from the first content to the second content of content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display, and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control display values: Means for determining a corresponding set of control appearance values that differ from the first set of control appearance values based on the second set of content display values, wherein the corresponding set of control appearance values differs from both the first set of control appearance values and the second set of control appearance values; and A means for changing the appearance of the control according to the following: The second content; and The corresponding set of control appearance values. 51. The device of claim 46, further comprising means for changing the appearance of the control according to the following after detecting a change in content from the first content to the second content and before changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control appearance values: The second content; and The appearance values of the first group of controls. 52. The device according to any one of claims 39 to 45, wherein: The first set of content display values includes the content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes the control opacity value selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and The device for displaying the control includes: A means for applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A means for overlaying a semi-transparent layer over the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent layer has an opacity specified by the opacity value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer. 53. A device for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Device for displaying a user interface on a display of an electronic device; A means for determining a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A means for displaying a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The device includes the following features when the control is displayed in the corresponding area of the display: A means for detecting a change from the first content to a second content different from the first content in the corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a second set of content display values that are different from the first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of the second content; Means for determining a second set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on a second set of content display values, wherein the second set of control appearance values differs from the first set of control appearance values; and A means for changing the appearance of the control according to the following in response to detecting the change in the content: The second content; and The second set of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; and The means for changing the appearance of the control according to the second set of control appearance values includes means for displaying a representation of the second content corresponding to the semi-transparent portion of the control in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the second content changes according to the second set of control appearance values. 54. A device for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Device for displaying a user interface on a display of an electronic device; A means for determining a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A means for displaying a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The control described includes a semi-transparent portion; The corresponding portion of the content corresponds to the position of the semi-transparent portion of the control; and The means for displaying the control according to a corresponding set of control adjustment values includes means for displaying a representation of a corresponding portion of content in the semi-transparent portion of the control, wherein the representation of the corresponding portion of the content changes according to the corresponding set of control appearance values. 55. A device for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Device for displaying a user interface on a display of an electronic device; A means for determining a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A means for displaying a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content color value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes control color values selected based on the content color values of the first content; and The device for displaying the control includes: A means for applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A means for overlaying a semi-transparent colored layer over the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent color layer has a color specified by the color value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent color layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent color layer depends on the color of the semi-transparent color layer. 56. A device for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Device for displaying a user interface on a display of an electronic device; A means for determining a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A means for displaying a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content saturation value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes control saturation values selected based on the content saturation value of the first content; and The device for displaying the control includes: A means for applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A means for overlaying a semi-transparent colored layer over the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent color layer has a saturation level specified by the control saturation value; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent color layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent color layer depends on the saturation of the semi-transparent color layer. 57. A device for adjusting the appearance of a control, comprising: Device for displaying a user interface on a display of an electronic device; A means for determining a first set of content display values for one or more content display attributes of first content corresponding to a corresponding area of the display; A means for determining a first set of control appearance values for one or more control appearance parameters based on the first set of content display values; and A means for displaying a control in the corresponding area of the display, wherein the appearance of the control is determined based on the following: The first content; and The first group of control appearance values, The first set of content display values includes the content brightness value of the first content corresponding to the corresponding area of the display; The first set of control appearance values includes a control opacity value selected based on the content brightness value of the first content; and The device for displaying the control includes: A means for applying a blur operation to the first content to generate first blurred content; and A means for overlaying a semi-transparent layer over the first blurred content, wherein: The semi-transparent layer has an opacity specified by the opacity value of the control; The first blurred content can be seen through the semi-transparent layer; and The appearance of the first blurred content through the semi-transparent layer depends on the opacity of the semi-transparent layer.