Drag and drop for touchscreen devices

• US 10,444,976 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2017
• Issued: 10/15/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nilo, Bruce D., Rahardja, David, Turner, Michael T., Revis, Kurt A., Thomas, Christopher K., Breen, Stephen R., Fox, Tyler M., Rudel, Emanuele, Boehnke, Robert D., Adriaenssen, Tom, Montgomerie, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mrabi, Hassan
• Application Number:
  US15/721,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20180335912A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 715769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• 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 2221/2137 Time limited access, e.g. to a computer or data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The subject technology provides for detecting a drag gesture selecting an item in a first application. The subject technology detects a touch release at an end of the drag gesture for dropping the item in a second application. The subject technology sends in response to the detected touch release, a message to the second application, the message including information for a plurality of representations of the item. The subject technology receives, from the second application, a request for a representation of the item from among the plurality of representations. The subject technology sends, to the first application, the request for the representation of the item. Further, the subject technology initiates a data transfer of the representation of the item from the first application to the second application.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting a drag gesture selecting an item in a first application executing on an electronic device;

detecting a touch release at an end of the drag gesture for dropping the item in a second application executing on the electronic device;

sending by a manager application executing on the electronic device, in response to the detected touch release, a message to the second application executing on the electronic device, the message including information for a plurality of versions of the item, wherein the plurality of versions of the item correspond to different degrees of fidelity of the item;

receiving, from the second application, a request for a version of the item from among the plurality of versions;

sending, to the first application, the request for the version of the item; and

initiating a data transfer of the version of the item from the first application to the second application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the manager application comprises a user interface process with system-level privileges executing on the electronic device, each version from the plurality of versions is associated with a uniform type identifier (UTI).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request for the version of the item indicates a particular version with a highest degree of fidelity among the plurality of versions.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the data transfer of the version of the item from the first application to the second application comprises:

providing, to the second application, a connection to the first application for performing the data transfer of the version of the item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the data transfer of the version of the item from the first application to the second application further comprises:

determining that the second application is not currently executing;

launching the second application; and

providing, to the second application, a connection to the first application for completing the data transfer.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining, using a data access policy, whether the second application has access to data corresponding to the item being dropped, wherein the data access policy is based at least in part on whether the first application and second application are both managed applications; and

denying completion of a drag and drop event in response to determining that the second application does not have access to the data corresponding to the item being dropped.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining, using the data access policy, whether the second application has access to data corresponding to the item being dropped is further based on determining whether the item being dropped is associated with a same type of account that is associated with the second application, or whether the item being dropped was dragged from a view associated with the same type of account that is associated with the second application.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

allowing completion of the drag and drop event in response to determining that the second application has access to the data corresponding to the item being dropped.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the manager application, that the second application corresponds to an expected destination application for the touch release based at least in part on a process identifier (ID) of the second application.

10. A device comprising;

at least one memory; and

at least one processor configured to;

detect a drag gesture selecting an item in a first application executing on the device;

detect a touch release at an end of the drag gesture for dropping the item in a second application executing on the device;

send, by a manager application executing on the device and in response to the detected touch release, a message to the second application executing on the device, the message including information for a plurality of different versions of the item;

receive, from the second application, a request for a version of the item from among the plurality of versions;

send, to the first application, the request for the version of the item; and

initiate a data transfer of the version of the item from the first application to the second application.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein each version from the plurality of versions is associated with a uniform type identifier (UTI).

12. The device of claim 10, wherein the request for the version of the item indicates a particular version with a highest degree of fidelity among the plurality of versions.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

provide, to the second application, a connection to the first application for performing the data transfer of the version of the item.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine that the second application is not currently executing;

launch the second application; and

provide, to the second application, a connection to the first application for completing the data transfer.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

determine, using a data access policy, whether the second application has access to data corresponding to the item being dropped, wherein the data access policy is based on whether the first application and second application are both managed applications; and

deny completion of a drag and drop event in response to determining that the second application does not have access to the data corresponding to the item being dropped.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein to determine, using the data access policy, whether the second application has access to data corresponding to the item being dropped is further based on determining whether the item being dropped is associated with a same type of account that is associated with the second application, or whether the item being dropped was dragged from a view associated with the same type of account as is associated with the second application.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

allow completion of the drag and drop event in response to determining that the second application has access to the data corresponding to the item being dropped.

18. A computer program product comprising code stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, the code comprising:

code to detect a drag gesture selecting an item in a first application executing on an electronic device;

code to detect a touch release at an end of the drag gesture for dropping the item in a second application executing on the electronic device;

code to send by a manager application executing on the electronic device, in response to the detected touch release, a message to the second application executing on the electronic device, the message including information for a plurality of versions of the item;

code to receive, from the second application, a request for a version of the item from among the plurality of versions;

code to send, to the first application, the request for the version of the item; and

code to initiate a data transfer of the version of the item from the first application

to the second application.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the code further comprises:

code to determine, using a data access policy, whether the second application has access to data corresponding to the dropped item; and

code to deny completion of a drag and drop event in response to determining that the second application does not have access to the data corresponding to the dropped item.

20. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the code further comprises:

code to determine, using a data access policy, whether the second application has access to data corresponding to the item being dropped, wherein the data access policy is based at least in part on whether the first application and second application are both managed applications;

code to deny completion of a drag and drop event in response to determining that the second application does not have access to the data corresponding to the item being dropped; and

code to allow completion of the drag and drop event in response to determining that the second application has access to the data corresponding to the item being dropped.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the code to determine, using the data access policy, whether the second application has access to data corresponding to the item being dropped is further based on determining whether the item being dropped is associated with a same type of account that is associated with the second application, or whether the item being dropped was dragged from a view associated with the same type of account that is associated with the second application.