Systems and methods for activating a multi-tasking mode using an application selector that is displayed in response to a swipe gesture on an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display

• US 10,402,007 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2017
• Issued: 09/03/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran A., Khoe, May-Li, Zambetti, Nicholas, Yang, Lawrence Y.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US15/589,894
• Publication Number:
  US 20170242538A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/24 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only semiconductor materials not provided for in groups H01L29/16, H01L29/18, H01L29/20, H01L29/22 including organic materials H10K99/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42324 Gate electrodes for transistors with a floating gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7827 Vertical transistors H01L29/7802, H01L29/78642 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78391 the gate comprising a layer which is used for its ferroelectric properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7889 Vertical transistors, i.e. transistors having source and drain not in the same horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 : for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring

Abstract

Systems and methods for multitasking using touch-sensitive displays are disclosed. An example method includes: displaying a first application on a touch-sensitive display (TSD) of an electronic device; detecting, via the TSD, a swipe gesture that moves over part of the first application; in response to detecting the swipe gesture, displaying an application selector with a set of affordances, and the application selector is (i) displayed in a predefined portion of the TSD and (ii) overlays at least a portion of the displayed first application; detecting an input at an affordance of the set of affordances; in response to detecting the input: (i) ceasing to display the application selector; (ii) displaying a second application corresponding to the selected affordance in the predefined portion that was previously used to display the application selector; and (iii) resizing the first application to occupy a remaining portion of the TSD adjacent to the predefined portion.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the electronic device to:

display a first application in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display;

detect, via the touch-sensitive display, a first swipe gesture that includes movement of a contact over at least part of the first application;

in response to detecting the first swipe gesture, display an application selector with a first plurality of affordances on the touch-sensitive display;

after detecting a lift-off of the contact from the touch-sensitive display;

maintain display of the application selector on the touch-sensitive display; and

while the application selector is displayed on the touch-sensitive display, detect an input at an affordance of the first plurality of affordances displayed within the application selector;

in response to detecting the input at the affordance;

cease to display the application selector; and

display a second application corresponding to the selected affordance;

detect, via the touch-sensitive display, a second swipe gesture that includes movement of a contact over at least part of the second application; and

in response to detecting the second swipe gesture and while continuing to display the second application, automatically and without human intervention, display an updated application selector with a second plurality of affordances on the touch-sensitive display, wherein the second plurality of affordances includes a new affordance that corresponds to an application previously displayed on the touch-sensitive display, where the new affordance is displayed in the updated application selector without displaying at least one affordance of the first plurality of affordances.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the first swipe gesture moves from an edge of the touch-sensitive display and then over the at least part of the first application.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein, the application selector is displayed in a predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display, and the application selector overlays at least a portion of the first application.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, further comprising:

while displaying the application selector, receiving a request to scroll the application selector and, in response to receiving the request, scrolling the application selector to reveal at least one additional affordance, distinct from affordances in the first plurality of affordances.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the at least one additional affordance is revealed after determining that the application selector is associated with at least one other affordance, distinct from affordances in the first plurality of affordances.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the application selector on the touch-sensitive display comprises revealing a first portion of the application selector and revealing additional portions of the application selector in accordance with movement of the first swipe gesture on the touch-sensitive display.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the application selector includes populating the application selector with a plurality of default affordances.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the

at least one new affordance that is displayed in the updated application selector without displaying the at least one affordance of the first plurality of affordances is selected in accordance with an application usage history associated with a user of the electronic device.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein detecting the input at the affordance displayed within the application selector comprises determining whether an intensity associated with the second input satisfies an intensity threshold.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to, after displaying the second application:

display content within the first application or the second application;

detect a gesture on the touch-sensitive display, at a location of the displayed content, the gesture moving towards an edge of the touch-sensitive display;

in response to detecting the gesture, determine whether the gesture has moved to within a predetermined distance of an edge of the touch-sensitive display; and

upon determining that the gesture has moved to within the predetermined distance of the edge, temporarily display the updated application selector with the second plurality of affordances.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

detect movement of the gesture towards a displayed affordance of the second plurality of affordances within the updated application selector, wherein the displayed affordance corresponds to a third application;

detect a liftoff of the gesture from the touch-sensitive display; and

in response to detecting the liftoff, open the third application and display the content within the third application.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second plurality of affordances is filtered to display affordances corresponding only to applications capable of displaying the content.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to, while displaying the application selector:

detect an additional input at an affordance displayed within the application selector, wherein the additional input lasts for an amount of time;

determine whether the amount of time satisfies a threshold amount of time;

upon determining that the amount of time satisfies the threshold amount of time, display a remove affordance within the application selector; and

detect a fourth input at the remove affordance and, in response to detecting the fourth contact, remove the affordance from the application selector.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage-medium of claim 1, wherein:

the displaying the application selector includes displaying the application selector in a predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display; and

the displaying the second application, in response to detecting the input at the affordance, includes displaying the second application in the predefined portion of the touch-sensitive display that was previously used to display the application selector.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage-medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

in response to detecting the input at the affordance;

cease to display the first application in the full screen mode.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage-medium of claim 15, wherein the displaying the second application includes:

resizing the first application such that it occupies a first portion of the touch-sensitive display; and

displaying the second application in a second portion of the touch-sensitive display that borders the first portion.

17. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display;

displaying a first application in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting, via the touch-sensitive display, a first swipe gesture that includes movement of a contact over at least part of the first application;

in response to detecting the first swipe gesture, displaying an application selector with a first plurality of affordances on the touch-sensitive display;

after detecting a lift-off of the contact from the touch-sensitive display;

maintaining display of the application selector on the touch-sensitive display; and

while the application selector is displayed on the touch-sensitive display, detecting an input at an affordance of the first plurality of affordances displayed within the application selector;

in response to detecting the input at the affordance;

ceasing to display the application selector; and

displaying a second application corresponding to the selected affordance; and

detecting, via the touch-sensitive display, a second swipe gesture that includes movement of a contact over at least part of the second application; and

in response to detecting the second swipe gesture and while continuing to display the second application, automatically and without human intervention, displaying an updated application selector with a second plurality of affordances on the touch-sensitive display, wherein the second plurality of affordances includes a new affordance that corresponds to an application previously displayed on the touch-sensitive display, where the new affordance is displayed in the updated application selector without displaying at least one affordance of the first plurality of affordances.

18. An electronic device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a touch-sensitive display;

memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the electronic device to;

display a first application in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display;

detect, via the touch-sensitive display, a first swipe gesture that includes movement of a contact over at least part of the first application;

in response to detecting the first swipe gesture, display an application selector with a first plurality of affordances on the touch-sensitive display;

after detecting a lift-off of the contact from the touch-sensitive display;

maintain display of the application selector on the touch-sensitive display; and

while the application selector is displayed on the touch-sensitive display, detect an input at an affordance of the first plurality of affordances displayed within the application selector;

in response to detecting the input at the affordance;

cease to display the application selector; and

display a second application corresponding to the selected affordance; and

detect, via the touch-sensitive display, a second swipe gesture that includes movement of a contact over at least part of the second application; and

in response to detecting the second swipe gesture and while continuing to display the second application, automatically and without human intervention, display an updated application selector with a second plurality of affordances on the touch-sensitive display, wherein the second plurality of affordances includes a new affordance that corresponds to an application previously displayed on the touch-sensitive display, where the new affordance is displayed in the updated application selector without displaying at least one affordance of the first plurality of affordances.