Multi-dimensional object rearrangement

• US 10,114,521 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kocienda, Kenneth, Karunamuni, Chanaka G., Butcher, Gary Ian, Chaudhri, Imran, Edwards, Dylan Ross, Guzman, Aurelio, Ive, Jonathan P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kawsar, Abdullah Al
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hsiao, Sean
• Application Number:
  US14/641,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20160062598A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method includes displaying, on a touch-sensitive display, a plurality of application icons in a first configuration at locations on a hexagonal grid in relation to an origin. The application icons have corresponding ranks based on their respective locations in relation to the origin. In response to detecting a movement of a user contact from a first position to a second position: the display of a first application icon at a first location is translated to a second position; a second configuration of the application icons is determined based on the first location and the second location; and the display of the application icons is transitioned from the first configuration to the second configuration. In the second configuration, no application icon except the first application icon is displaced by more than one location relative to the first configuration.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the device to:

display, on the display, a plurality of application icons in a user interface reconfiguration mode for reconfiguring the application icons on the display, the plurality of application icons occupying respective locations on a hexagonal grid;

detect a user contact on the touch-sensitive display at a first position corresponding to a first application icon at a first location on the hexagonal grid;

while continuing to detect the user contact, detect movement of the user contact from the first position to a second position without a break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display, the second position corresponding to a second location on the hexagonal grid, wherein the second location is unoccupied;

in response to detecting movement of the user contact from the first position to the second position, translate the display of the first application icon from the first location to the second position;

detect a break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display;

in response to the break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display, determine whether there are less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

in accordance with a determination that there are less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

determine a third location on the hexagonal grid having at least two adjacent locations that are occupied; and

move the display of the first application icon to the third location on the hexagonal grid; and

in accordance with a determination that there are not less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

display the first application icon at the second location on the hexagonal grid corresponding to the second position of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the third location is a location on the hexagonal grid nearest to the second location that is adjacent to at least two occupied locations.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1,

wherein translating the display of the first application icon from the first location results in an unoccupied location on the hexagonal grid at the first location, and

wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

determining whether the unoccupied location is adjacent to six application icons; and

in accordance with a determination that the unoccupied location is adjacent to six application icons;

determining a configuration of the plurality of application icons without an unoccupied location adjacent to six application icons; and

transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration, wherein transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration displaces no application icon except the first application icon by more than one location on the hexagonal grid.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

in accordance with a determination that the unoccupied location is not adjacent to six application icons, maintaining the display of the plurality of application icons.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 3,

wherein transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration reduces a sum of the distances of the application icons from an origin of the hexagonal grid, excluding the distance of the first application icon.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for;

detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive display; and

in response to detecting the first input, causing the electronic device to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the first input is a first contact detected at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of application icons.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

determining whether the duration of the first contact exceeds a predetermined threshold,

wherein the electronic device is caused to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode in response to detecting the first input and in accordance with a determination that the duration of the first contact exceeds the predetermined threshold.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

in response to detecting the first input and in accordance with a determination that the duration of the first contact does not exceed the predetermined threshold;

launching the application program corresponding to the application icon at the position of the contact.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the first input is the user contact.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1,

wherein the touch-sensitive display comprises one or more sensors to detect the intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive display, and

wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

detecting a first touch on the touch-sensitive display;

determining whether the touch has a characteristic intensity above a threshold intensity; and

in accordance with a determination that the characteristic intensity is above the threshold intensity, causing the electronic device to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode.

12. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display;

displaying, on the display, a plurality of application icons in a user interface reconfiguration mode for reconfiguring the application icons on the display, the plurality of application icons occupying respective locations on a hexagonal grid;

detecting a user contact on the touch-sensitive display at a first position corresponding to a first application icon at a first location on the hexagonal grid;

while continuing to detect the user contact, detecting movement of the user contact from the first position to a second position without a break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display, the second position corresponding to a second location on the hexagonal grid, wherein the second location is unoccupied;

in response to detecting movement of the user contact from the first position to the second position, translating the display of the first application icon from the first location to the second position;

detecting a break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display;

in response to the break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display, determining whether there are less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

in accordance with a determination that there are less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

determining a third location on the hexagonal grid having at least two adjacent locations that are occupied; and

moving the display of the first application icon to the third location on the hexagonal grid; and

in accordance with a determination that there are not less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

displaying the first application icon at the second location on the hexagonal grid corresponding to the second position of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the third location is a location on the hexagonal grid nearest to the second location that is adjacent to at least two occupied locations.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein translating the display of the first application icon from the first location results in an unoccupied location on the hexagonal grid at the first location, and wherein the method further comprises:

determining whether the unoccupied location is adjacent to six application icons; and

in accordance with a determination that the unoccupied location is adjacent to six application icons;

determining a configuration of the plurality of application icons without an unoccupied location adjacent to six application icons; and

transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration, wherein transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration displaces no application icon except the first application icon by more than one location on the hexagonal grid.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

in accordance with a determination that the unoccupied location is not adjacent to six application icons, maintaining the display of the plurality of application icons.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration reduces a sum of the distances of the application icons from an origin of the hexagonal grid, excluding the distance of the first application icon.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive display; and

in response to detecting the first input, causing the electronic device to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first input is a first contact detected at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of application icons.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

determining whether the duration of the first contact exceeds a predetermined threshold,

wherein the electronic device is caused to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode in response to detecting the first input and in accordance with a determination that the duration of the first contact exceeds the predetermined threshold.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

in response to detecting the first input and in accordance with a determination that the duration of the first contact does not exceed the predetermined threshold;

launching the application program corresponding to the application icon at the position of the contact.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first input is the user contact.

23. The method of claim 12, wherein the touch-sensitive display comprises one or more sensors to detect the intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive display, and wherein the method further comprises:

detecting a first touch on the touch-sensitive display;

determining whether the touch has a characteristic intensity above a threshold intensity; and

in accordance with a determination that the characteristic intensity is above the threshold intensity, causing the electronic device to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

one or more processors;

a memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying, on the display, a plurality of application icons in a user interface reconfiguration mode for reconfiguring the application icons on the display, the plurality of application icons occupying respective locations on a hexagonal grid;

detecting a user contact on the touch-sensitive display at a first position corresponding to a first application icon at a first location on the hexagonal grid;

while continuing to detect the user contact, detecting movement of the user contact from the first position to a second position without a break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display, the second position corresponding to a second location on the hexagonal grid, wherein the second location is unoccupied;

in response to detecting movement of the user contact from the first position to the second position, translating the display of the first application icon from the first location to the second position;

detecting a break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display;

in response to the break in contact of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display, determining whether there are less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

in accordance with a determination that there are less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

determining a third location on the hexagonal grid having at least two adjacent locations that are occupied; and

moving the display of the first application icon to the third location on the hexagonal grid; and

in accordance with a determination that there are not less than two occupied locations adjacent to the second location;

displaying the first application icon at the second location on the hexagonal grid corresponding to the second position of the user contact on the touch-sensitive display.

24. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the third location is a location on the hexagonal grid nearest to the second location that is adjacent to at least two occupied locations.

25. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein translating the display of the first application icon from the first location results in an unoccupied location on the hexagonal grid at the first location, and wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

determining whether the unoccupied location is adjacent to six application icons; and

in accordance with a determination that the unoccupied location is adjacent to six application icons;

determining a configuration of the plurality of application icons without an unoccupied location adjacent to six application icons; and

transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration, wherein transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration displaces no application icon except the first application icon by more than one location on the hexagonal grid.

26. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

in accordance with a determination that the unoccupied location is not adjacent to six application icons, maintaining the display of the plurality of application icons.

27. The electronic device of claim 25, wherein transitioning the display of the plurality of application icons to the determined configuration reduces a sum of the distances of the application icons from an origin of the hexagonal grid, excluding the distance of the first application icon.

28. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

detecting a first input on the touch-sensitive display; and

in response to detecting the first input, causing the electronic device to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode.

29. The electronic device of claim 28, wherein the first input is a first contact detected at a position corresponding to one of the plurality of application icons.

30. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

determining whether the duration of the first contact exceeds a predetermined threshold,

wherein the electronic device is caused to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode in response to detecting the first input and in accordance with a determination that the duration of the first contact exceeds the predetermined threshold.

31. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

in response to detecting the first input and in accordance with a determination that the duration of the first contact does not exceed the predetermined threshold;

launching the application program corresponding to the application icon at the position of the contact.

32. The electronic device of claim 31, wherein the first input is the user contact.

33. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the touch-sensitive display comprises one or more sensors to detect the intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive display, and wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for:

detecting a first touch on the touch-sensitive display;

determining whether the touch has a characteristic intensity above a threshold intensity; and

in accordance with a determination that the characteristic intensity is above the threshold intensity, causing the electronic device to operate in the user interface reconfiguration mode.