Animated contextual menu

Abstract

An electronic book system provides interfaces particularly suited to students' use of textbooks. A finger press on a touch screen produces a contextual menu with user choices that relate to where the finger was pressed or what the user was recently doing with the book. A student provisionally navigates through a book by a specific gesture which, when it stops, returns the user to the previous position in the book. Annotations are displayed and hidden using specific gestures and through selective movement of the reader as sensed by its accelerometer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An device, comprising:
 a display; and   an input recognition subsystem, operably connected to the display, configured to:
 identify a point on the display based on a position of an object relative to the display as the object becomes proximate to the display; 
 initiate a menu-creation animation in response to the object becoming proximate to the display; and 
 provide a contextual menu in response to the object remaining at substantially the position until the menu-creation animation completes, the contextual menu including a plurality of options, creation of the contextual menu being cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at substantially the position before the menu-creation animation completes. 
   
     
     
         2 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of options included is responsive to events occurring prior to the point on the display being identified. 
     
     
         3 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of options included in the contextual menu is responsive to material displayed on the display proximate to the point. 
     
     
         4 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the menu-creation animation comprises at least a portion of a circle being gradually drawn around the point on the display. 
     
     
         5 . The device of  claim 1 , wherein the input recognition subsystem is further configured to:
 detect the object at a second position, proximate to a second point on the display; and   provide user selection of a contextual menu option responsive to detecting the object at the second position, the second point on the display corresponding to the contextual menu option.   
     
     
         6 . The device of  claim 5 , wherein the input recognition subsystem is further configured to initiate an option-selection animation in response to detecting the object at the second position, the contextual menu option being selected in response to the object remaining at substantially the second position until the option-selection animation completes, selection of the contextual menu option being cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at substantially the second position before the option-selection animation completes. 
     
     
         7 . A computer implemented method of providing a contextual menu, comprising:
 displaying content on a display;   identifying a point on the display based on a position of an object relative to the display as the object becomes proximate to the display;   initiating a menu-creation animation in response to the object becoming proximate to the display;   determining options to be presented in the contextual menu responsive to the point on the display; and   providing the contextual menu in response to the object remaining at substantially the position until the menu-creation animation completes, creation of the contextual menu being cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at substantially the position before the menu-creation animation completes.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the options to be presented are determined responsive to events occurring prior to the point on the display being identified. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the options to be presented are determined responsive to material displayed on the display proximate to the point. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the menu-creation animation comprises at least a portion of a circle being gradually drawn around the point on the display. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 7 , further comprising:
 detecting the object at a second position, proximate to a second point on the display; and   selecting a contextual menu option responsive to detecting the object at the second position, the second point on the display corresponding to contextual menu option.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising initiating an option-selection animation in response to detecting the object at the second position, the contextual menu option being selected in response to the object remaining at substantially the second position until the option-selection animation completes, selection of the contextual menu option being cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at substantially the second position before the option-selection animation completes. 
     
     
         13 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing computer executable instructions for providing a contextual menu, the instructions comprising:
 instructions to display content on a display;   instructions to a point on the display based on a position of an object relative to the display as the object becomes proximate to the display;   instructions to initiate a menu-creation animation in response to the object becoming proximate to the display;   instructions to determine options to be presented in the contextual menu responsive to the point on the display; and   instructions to provide providing the contextual menu in response to the object remaining at substantially the position until the menu-creation animation completes, creation of the contextual menu being cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at substantially the position before the menu-creation animation completes.   
     
     
         14 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the options to be presented are determined responsive to events occurring prior to the point on the display being identified. 
     
     
         15 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the options to be presented are determined responsive to material displayed on the display proximate to the point. 
     
     
         16 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the menu-creation animation comprises at least a portion of a circle being gradually drawn around the point on the display. 
     
     
         17 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 13 , wherein the instructions further comprise:
 instructions to detect the object at a second position, proximate to a second point on the display; and   instructions to select a contextual menu option responsive to detecting the object at the second position, the second point on the display corresponding to contextual menu option.   
     
     
         18 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 17 , wherein the instructions further comprise instructions to initiate an option-selection animation in response to detecting the object at the second position, the contextual menu option being selected in response to the object remaining at substantially the second position until the option-selection animation completes, selection of the contextual menu option being cancelled in response to the object ceasing to remain at substantially the second position before the option-selection animation completes.