Touch interpretation for displayed elements

• US 10,409,420 B1
• Filed: 01/11/2016
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ainslie, Alex Neely, Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Ahn, Sejoon
• Application Number:
  US14/992,998
• Time in Patent Office: 1,338 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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 3/04842 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
• 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: 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

Abstract

A machine-implemented method for processing touch elements of an application of a device is provided. The method includes receiving application data associated with the application, the application data providing for the touch elements, each of the touch elements comprising an activation area configured to receive a user input and to trigger at least one function of the application upon receiving the user input. The method further includes determining, from the application data, that plural ones of the touch elements are for display in a group in the application; and classifying, in response to the determining, each of the touch elements of the group into two or more categories based on the application function of the touch element. The method further includes defining a size of the activation area for at least one of the touch elements based on the classification.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method, comprising:

determining a plurality of activation input areas for receiving touch-related input at a touch screen, the plurality of activation input areas corresponding to a plurality of graphical input elements of a graphical user interface displayed by the touch screen;

classifying, in connection with the determining, each of the plurality of graphical input elements into one of a predetermined number of categories comprising a first category and a second category, a respective graphical input element being classified into the first category when an activation of the respective graphical input element is associated with a loss of data or termination of an application function, and classified into the second category if the activation is associated with a different application function; and

adjusting a size of one or more of the plurality of activation input areas based on the classifying, the one or more activation input areas being reduced in size when a corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements are classified in the first category and increased in size when the corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements are classified in the second category, wherein a respective shape of the one or more of the plurality of activation input areas is different after the one or more of the plurality of activation input areas is adjusted and has a different shape than the corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements.

2. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

reducing the size of a first of the one or more activation input areas while increasing the size of a second of the one or more activation input areas.

3. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

increasing the size of a first and second of the one or more activation input areas, the first activation input area being increased to a larger size than the increased size of the second activation input area.

4. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, comprising:

increasing the size of a first and second of the one or more activation input areas by the same amount.

5. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein after the size of the one or more activation input areas is adjusted, a first respective activation input area is a different shape than a second respective activation input area.

6. The machine-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first category is associated with a delete, close, or exit function, and the second category is associated with a maximize, minimize, navigation, refresh, or adding a favorite function.

7. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage device and comprising instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

determine a plurality of activation input areas for receiving touch-related input at a touch screen, the plurality of activation input areas corresponding to a plurality of graphical input elements of a graphical user interface displayed by the touch screen;

classify, in connection with the determining, each of the plurality of graphical input elements into one of a predetermined number of categories comprising a first category and a second category, a respective graphical input element being classified into the first category when an activation of the respective graphical input element is associated with a loss of data or termination of an application function, and classified into the second category if the activation is associated with a different application function; and

adjust a size of one or more of the plurality of activation input areas based on the classifying, the one or more activation input areas being reduced in size when a corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements are classified in the first category and increased in size when the corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements are classified in the second category, wherein a respective shape of the one or more activation input areas is different after the size of the one or more of the plurality of activation input areas is adjusted and has a different shape than the corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

reduce the size of a first of the one or more activation input areas while increasing the size of a second of the one or more activation input areas.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

increase the size of a first and second of the one or more activation input areas, the first activation input area being increased to a larger size than the increased size of the second activation input area.

10. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the instructions further cause the computing device to:

increase the size of a first and second of the one or more activation input areas by the same amount.

11. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein after the size of the one or more activation input areas is adjusted, a first respective activation input area is a different shape than a second respective activation input area.

12. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the first category is associated with a delete, close, or exit function, and the second category is associated with a maximize, minimize, navigation, refresh, or adding a favorite function.

13. A computing system, comprising:

one or more processors;

a touch screen; and

a memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform operations comprising;

determining a plurality of activation input areas for receiving touch-related input at a touch screen, the plurality of activation input areas corresponding to a plurality of graphical input elements of a graphical user interface displayed by the touch screen;

classifying, in connection with the determining, each of the plurality of graphical input elements into one of a predetermined number of categories comprising a first category and a second category, a respective graphical input element being classified into the first category when an activation of the respective graphical input element is associated with a loss of data or termination of an application function, and classified into the second category if the activation is associated with a different application function; and

adjusting a size of one or more of the plurality of activation input areas based on the classifying, the one or more activation input areas being reduced in size when a corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements is classified in the first category and increased in size when the corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements is classified in the second category, wherein a respective shape of the one or more activation input areas is different after the one or more of the plurality of activation input areas is adjusted and has a different shape than the corresponding one or more of the plurality of graphical input elements.

14. The computing system of claim 13, the operations further comprising:

increasing the size of a first and second of the one or more activation input areas, the first activation input area being increased to a larger size than the increased size of the second activation input area.

15. The computing system of claim 13 the operations further comprising:

increasing the size of a first and second of the one or more activation input areas by the same amount.

16. The computing system of claim 13, wherein after the one or more activation input areas is adjusted, a first activation input area is a different shape than a second activation input area.