Zoom-region indicator for zooming in an electronic interface

• US 10,031,656 B1
• Filed: 02/08/2016
• Issued: 07/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tseng, Erick, Yamasani, Amith, Cleron, Michael A., Dickinson, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bautista, Xiomar L
• Application Number:
  US15/017,885
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/005 with correlation of navigation data from several sources, e.g. map or contour matching G01C21/30 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1624 with sliding enclosures, e.g. sliding keyboard or display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/024 Guidance services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/026 using orientation information, e.g. compass
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

A computer-implemented user interface method includes displaying on a touch screen a portion of a large scale graphical space that is at least multiples larger than the device display, receiving from a user of the device an input to pan within the graphical space, automatically generating a pop up graphical panning control in response to receiving the user input, and receiving a user input to the panning control and providing panning in the graphical space, wherein movement of the panning control in a single selection is able to pan the display across a substantial portion of the large scale graphical space.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

displaying, within a viewing area on a screen of a computing device, an initial presentation of an electronic document,

wherein the initial presentation of the electronic document (i) fills an entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device and (ii) shows at least a first region of the electronic document and a second region of the electronic document,

wherein neither the first region of the electronic document nor the second region of the electronic document fill the entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device in the initial presentation of the electronic document;

wherein the first region of the electronic document and the second region of the electronic document are at least partially non-overlapping with respect to each other;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a first user input that is to activate a zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document;

in response to receiving the indication of the first user input that is to activate the zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document, activating the zooming control, including displaying the zooming control on the screen of the computing device at a first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document,

wherein the zooming control includes a border that surrounds the first region of the electronic document when the zooming control is located at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to indicate that the first region is targeted for zooming,

receiving, by the computing device and after the zooming control has been activated as a result of the first user input, an indication of a second user input that is to;

(i) select the zooming control while the zooming control is located at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, and

(ii) move, as a result of the second user input dragging across the screen of the computing device, the zooming control from the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to a second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document;

in response to receiving the indication of the second user input, moving the zooming control from the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, including showing the border of the zooming control moving over the initial presentation of the electronic document while the initial presentation of the electronic document remains in place,

wherein the border of the zooming control surrounds the second region of the electronic document when the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to indicate that the second region is targeted for zooming,

receiving, by the computing device, while the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, an indication of a third user input that is to zoom into the initial presentation of the electronic document; and

in response to receiving the indication of the third user input that is to zoom into the initial presentation of the electronic document while the zooming control is located at the second position over the presentation of the electronic document at which the border surrounds the second region to indicate that the second region is targeted for zooming, zooming into the second region of the electronic document by replacing the initial presentation of the electronic document with a zoomed-in presentation of the electronic document,

wherein the zoomed-in presentation of the electronic document fills the entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device and shows only the second region of the electronic document to exclusion of the first region of the electronic document.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying the zooming control at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document includes magnifying the first region of the electronic document while continuing to display at least another region of the electronic document without magnification.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein showing the border of the zooming control moving over the initial presentation of the electronic document comprises:

showing the border of the zooming control lagging behind motion of the second user input dragging across the screen of the computing device over the initial presentation of the electronic document; and

showing the border of the zooming control springing to the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document in response to identifying completion of the second user input dragging across the screen of the computing device over the initial presentation of the electronic document.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the screen of the computing device is a touchscreen;

and

receiving the indication of the first user input that is to activate the zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document comprises identifying that a particular action was performed on the touchscreen that is assigned to activating the zooming control.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the electronic document is a web page.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the border has a rectangular shape to indicate a rectangular region of the electronic document that is targeted for zooming.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, comprising in response to receiving the indication of the first user input that is to activate the zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document, initially displaying the zooming control at an enlarged size and subsequently shrinking the zooming control to a smaller size in which the zooming control includes the border that surrounds the first region of the initial presentation of the electronic document to indicate that the first region is targeted for zooming.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the screen of the computing device is a touchscreen;

and

receiving the indication of the first user input that is to activate the zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document comprises identifying that the first user input performed a double-tap gesture on the touchscreen within the viewing area and over the initial presentation of the electronic document.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein:

a size and a shape of the border of the zooming control are pre-defined before the first user input is identified as having performed the double-tap gesture on the touchscreen; and

displaying the zooming control comprises initially displaying an entirety of the border according to the pre-defined size and the pre-defined shape.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein showing the border of the zooming control moving over the initial presentation of the electronic document comprises increasing a size of a first portion of the initial presentation of the electronic document that is shown within the border of the zooming control relative to a size of the portion of a second portion of the initial presentation of the electronic document that is located outside the border of the zooming control.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause performance of operations comprising:

displaying, within a viewing area on a screen of the computing device, an initial presentation of an electronic document,

wherein the initial presentation of the electronic document (i) fills an entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device and (ii) shows at least a first region of the electronic document and a second region of the electronic document,

wherein neither the first region of the electronic document nor the second region of the electronic document fill the entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device in the initial presentation of the electronic document;

wherein the first region of the electronic document and the second region of the electronic document are at least partially non-overlapping with respect to each other;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a first user input that is to activate a zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document;

in response to receiving the indication of the first user input that is to activate the zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document, activating the zooming control, including displaying the zooming control on the screen of the computing device at a first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document,

wherein the zooming control includes a border that surrounds the first region of the electronic document when the zooming control is located at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to indicate that the first region is targeted for zooming,

receiving, by the computing device and after the zooming control has been activated as a result of the first user input, an indication of a second user input that is to;

(i) select the zooming control while the zooming control is located at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, and

(ii) move, as a result of the second user input dragging across the screen of the computing device, the zooming control from the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to a second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document;

in response to receiving the indication of the second user input, moving the zooming control from the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, including showing the border of the zooming control moving over the initial presentation of the electronic document while the initial presentation of the electronic document remains in place,

wherein the border of the zooming control surrounds the second region of the electronic document when the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to indicate that the second region is targeted for zooming,

receiving, by the computing device, while the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, an indication of a third user input that is to zoom into the initial presentation of the electronic document; and

in response to receiving the indication of the third user input that is to zoom into the initial presentation of the electronic document while the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document at which the border surrounds the second region to indicate that the second region is targeted for zooming, zooming into the second region of the electronic document by replacing the initial presentation of the electronic document with a zoomed-in presentation of the electronic document,

wherein the zoomed-in presentation of the electronic document fills the entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device and shows only the second region of the electronic document to exclusion of the first region of the electronic document.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 11,

wherein displaying the zooming control at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document includes magnifying the first region of the electronic document while continuing to display at least another region of the electronic document without magnification.

13. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

displaying, within a viewing area on a screen of the computing device, an initial presentation of an electronic document,

wherein the initial presentation of the electronic document (i) fills an entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device and (ii) shows at least a first region of the electronic document and a second region of the electronic document,

wherein neither the first region of the electronic document nor the second region of the electronic document fill the entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device in the initial presentation of the electronic document;

wherein the first region of the electronic document and the second region of the electronic document are at least partially non-overlapping with respect to each other;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a first user input that is to activate a zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document;

in response to receiving the indication of the first user input that is to activate the zooming control over the initial presentation of the electronic document, activating the zooming control, including displaying the zooming control on the screen of the computing device at a first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document,

wherein the zooming control includes a border that surrounds the first region of the electronic document when the zooming control is located at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to indicate that the first region is targeted for zooming,

receiving, by the computing device and after the zooming control has been activated as a result of the first user input, an indication of a second user input that is to;

(i) select the zooming control while the zooming control is located at the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, and

(ii) move, as a result of the second user input dragging across the screen of the computing device, the zooming control from the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to a second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document;

in response to receiving the indication of the second user input, moving the zooming control from the first position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, including showing the border of the zooming control moving over the initial presentation of the electronic document while the initial presentation of the electronic document remains in place,

wherein the border of the zooming control surrounds the second region of the electronic document when the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document to indicate that the second region is targeted for zooming,

receiving, by the computing device, while the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document, an indication of a third user input that is to zoom into the initial presentation of the electronic document; and

in response to receiving the indication of the third user input that is to zoom into the initial presentation of the electronic document while the zooming control is located at the second position over the initial presentation of the electronic document at which the border surrounds the second region to indicate that the second region is targeted for zooming, zooming into the second region of the electronic document by replacing the initial presentation of the electronic document with a zoomed-in presentation of the electronic document,

wherein the zoomed-in presentation of the electronic document fills the entirety of the viewing area on the screen of the computing device and shows only the second region of the electronic document to exclusion of the first region of the electronic document.