Assistive move handle for object interaction

• US 10,324,599 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2016
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Young, Kerry, Livingston, Elise L., Mignone, Thomas R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Song, Daeho D
• Application Number:
  US15/085,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20170285913A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,175 Days
• Field of Search: 715799
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour

Abstract

User selection of a displayed object is detected. The size of the selected object is identified and compared with a move target size threshold. If the size of the selected object does not meet the move target size threshold, then a user actuatable move handle is displayed in a location displaced from the selected object, on the user interface, but visually connected to the selected object. User actuation of the move handle correspondingly moves the object on the user interface.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, configure the computing system to;

run an application that displays an object on a user interface display;

detect user selection of the displayed object, as a selected object, wherein the user interface display includes a re-size user interface control having an active area that is actuatable to re-size the selected object;

generate a target size threshold based on a size of the active area of the re-size user interface control;

determine that the selected object has a size that is below the target size threshold;

based on the determination, modify the user interface display to add a move handle display element that is associated with, and displaced from, the selected object on the user interface display and visually connected to the selected object with a visual connection element; and

based on user actuation of the move handle display element, correspondingly move the selected object, having the size that is below the target size threshold, on the user interface display.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the re-size user interface control comprises a re-size handle, the active area comprises:

a display element that visually represents the re-size handle, and a buffer area disposed about a visual periphery of the display element, and the instructions configure the computing system to generate the target size threshold based on a size of the display element and a size of the buffer area.

3. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the application displays a set of re-size handles for the selected object, the re-size handles each having an active area that includes a buffer area disposed about a visual periphery of the re-size handles, and the instructions configure the computing system to generate the target size threshold based on a size of the re-size handles and a size of the buffer area.

4. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the selected object comprises a selected group of objects, and the instructions configure the computing system to detect user selection of the group of objects;

and calculate the size of the selected object as a size of a bounding box of the selected group of objects.

5. The computing system of claim 4 wherein the instructions configure the computing system to detect user selection of an individual object in the group of objects.

6. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the instructions configure the computing system to detect user selection of a plurality of individual objects on the user interface display;

and calculate a size of each of the selected, individual objects.

7. The computing system of claim 6 wherein the instructions configure the computing system to:

compare the size of each of the selected, individual objects to the move target size threshold; and

generate a representation of the move handle display element for each of the selected, individual objects for which the size of the selected, individual object fails to meet the target size threshold.

8. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the instructions configure the computing system to detect a re-processing trigger and, in response, recalculate the size of the selected object.

9. The computing system of claim 8 wherein the instructions configure the computing system to detect, as a re-processing trigger, a zoom user input to zoom the user interface display in or out relative to the selected object.

10. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the instructions configure the computing system to:

display a user interface display mechanism on one of;

a touch sensitive display on which the user selects the selected object with a touch gesture, or

a display screen on which the user selects the selected object with a point and click device.

11. A computer implemented method, comprising:

running an application that displays an object on a user interface display;

detecting user selection of the displayed object, as a selected object;

displaying, on the user interface display, a re-size user interface control having an active area that is actuatable to re-size the selected object;

generating a target size threshold based on a size of the active area of the re-size user interface control;

determining that the selected object has a size that is below the target size threshold;

based on the determination, modifying the user interface display to add a move handle display element, which is associated with and displaced from the selected object, on the user interface display, wherein the move handle display element is visually connected to the selected object with a visual connection element; and

based on user actuation of the move handle display element, correspondingly moving the selected object, having the size that is below the target size threshold, on the user interface display.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein the re-size user interface control comprises a re-size handle, the active area comprises:

a display element that visually represents the re-size handle, and

a buffer area disposed about a visual periphery of the display element, and

the target size threshold is based on a size of the display element and a size of the buffer area.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 11 wherein the application displays a set of re-size handles for the selected object, the re-size handles each having an active area that includes a buffer area disposed about a visual periphery of the re-size handles, and further comprising:

generating the target size threshold based on a size of the re-size handles and a size of the buffer area.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 12 wherein detecting user selection of the displayed object comprises:

detecting user selection of a selected group of objects, and wherein calculating the size of the selected object comprises calculating a size of a bounding box of the selected group of objects.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 12 wherein detecting user selection of the displayed object comprises:

detecting user selection of a plurality of individual objects on the user interface display, and wherein calculating the size of the selected object comprises calculating a size of each of the selected, individual objects.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 15 wherein comparing the size of the selected object to the move target size threshold comprises:

comparing the size of each of the selected, individual objects to the move target size threshold, and wherein the generating a representation of the move handle display element comprises generating a representation of the move handle display element for each of the selected, individual objects for which the size of the selected, individual object fails to meet the target size threshold.

17. A computing system, comprising:

at least one processor; and

memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor, wherein the instructions, when executed, configure the computing system to;

run an application that displays an object on a user interface display;

detect user selection of the displayed object, as a selected object, wherein the user interface display includes a re-size user interface control having an active area that is actuatable to re-size the selected object;

generate a move target size threshold based on a minimum touch target size and a size of an active area of the re-size user interface control;

calculate a size of a move target area for the selected object;

compare the size of the move target area for the selected object to the move target size threshold; and

based on the comparison, determine that the size of the move target area for the selected object is below the move target size threshold;

based on the determination, generate a representation of the move handle display element that is associated with, and displaced from, the selected object; and

based on user actuation of the move handle display element, correspondingly move the selected object, having the size that is below the move target size threshold, on the user interface display.