Gesture-equipped touch screen system, method, and computer program product for displaying multiple active applications

• US 10,592,039 B1
• Filed: 10/09/2018
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Smith Interface Technologies, LLC
• Original Assignee: P4tents1 LLC
• Inventors: Smith, Michael S
• Primary Examiner(s): Xavier, Antonio
• Application Number:
  US16/155,871
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 2203/04808 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 3/013 Eye tracking input arrangements G06F3/015 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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: G06F 9/4843 : by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

In some embodiments, an electronic device is provided for: displaying, on a display, a plurality of active applications; detecting, on a touch interface, a first-orientation gesture on at least one of the active applications; in response to the detection of the first-orientation gesture on the at least one of the active applications, performing a first operation including moving multiple of the active applications; detecting, on the touch interface, a second-orientation gesture on one or more of the active applications; in response to the detection of the second-orientation gesture on the one or more of the active applications, performing a second operation; detecting, on the touch interface, a particular gesture on a particular one of the active applications; after the detection of the particular gesture on the particular one of the active applications, performing different operations, that are different from the first and second operations, based on a duration of the particular gesture.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touch interface;

one or more processors;

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, an active application among a plurality of active applications that are displayed utilizing a plurality of different layers;

detecting, on the touch interface, a first-orientation gesture on the active application;

in response to the detection of the first-orientation gesture on the active application, performing a first operation including moving the active application, such that the active application increases in visibility during the movement;

detecting, on the touch interface, a second-orientation gesture on the active application;

in response to the detection of the second-orientation gesture on the active application, performing a second operation;

detecting, on the touch interface, a particular gesture in connection with the active application;

after the detection of the particular gesture in connection with the active application, performing one or more different operations, that is different from the first and second operations, based on a duration of the particular gesture.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that:

the first-orientation gesture includes a horizontal gesture, and the second-orientation gesture includes a vertical gesture;

the active application is displayed as at least one of;

an application icon, an application representation, an iconic representation, or an application page image; and

the second operation includes at least one of a delete operation or a close operation.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that a speed of the moving is a function of a speed of the first-orientation gesture on the active application.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the particular gesture includes at least one of a tap gesture or a press gesture.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the active applications are displayed in response to a detection of an activation gesture.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the activation gesture is detected to begin on an edge of the touch interface.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the activation gesture is detected to be at least one of a swipe gesture or a slide gesture.

8. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the activation gesture is required to have a predetermined duration and a predetermined length.

9. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electronic device is configured such that at least a portion of a home interface for choosing among a plurality of available applications is displayed in response to the detection of the activation gesture.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the at least portion of the home interface is displayed via one or more background layers and the active applications are displayed via foreground layers, in response to the detection of the activation gesture.

11. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the at least portion of the home interface is displayed via one or more background layers and the active applications are displayed via foreground layers, in response to the detection of the activation gesture while the home interface is not displayed.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that:

the first-orientation gesture includes a horizontal gesture, the second-orientation gesture includes a vertical gesture, and the particular gesture includes at least one of a tap gesture or a press gesture; and

the second operation includes at least one of a delete operation or a close operation.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the one or more different operations includes opening the active application.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the opening occurs in response to the particular gesture being detected as having ended.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the second operation includes moving the active application in addition to the at least one of the delete operation or the close operation.

16. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the opening occurs in response to the particular gesture being detected as having ended and the duration of the particular being detected to not exceed a predetermined duration.

17. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the opening does not occur in response to the particular gesture being detected as having ended and the duration of the particular being detected to exceed a predetermined duration.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the one or more different operations is performed based on the duration of the particular gesture, by being conditionally performed based on the duration of the particular gesture.

19. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that at least one aspect of at least one of the active applications fades in during the movement.

20. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the one or more different operations includes opening the active application.

21. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the one or more different operations includes enlarging a window displaying the active application to fit an entirety of the display.

22. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold, performing the one or more different operations including increasing a visibility of the active application, by moving at least one other of the active applications on which the particular gesture is not detected and which at least partially overlaps the active application.

23. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold, increasing a visibility of the active application, by moving only at least one other of the active applications on which the particular gesture is not detected and which at least partially overlaps the active application.

24. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold, performing the one or more different operations including increasing the visibility of the active application in a manner that is different from the first operation.

25. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold without detection of any movement of the particular gesture, performing the one or more different operations including increasing a visibility of the active application, by moving at least one of the active applications.

26. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture not surpassing a threshold and further in response to subsequent detection of a cessation of the particular gesture, performing the one or more different operations including opening the active application on which the particular gesture is detected;

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing the threshold, performing the one or more different operations including emphasizing the active application on which the particular gesture is detected, by fading or shading at least one other of the active applications on which the particular gesture is not detected; and

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing the threshold and further in response to subsequent detection of a movement component of the particular gesture, performing the one or more different operations including moving the active application with respect to at least one other of the active applications that is not moved.

27. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold, emphasizing the active application on which the particular gesture is detected, by fading or shading at least one other of the active applications on which the particular gesture is not detected; and

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing the threshold and subsequent detection of a movement component of the particular gesture, re-arranging an order of the active application with respect to at least one other of the active applications.

28. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the active applications include network applications that are displayed via a plurality of tabs of a network browser application such that the tabs are each displayed utilizing a corresponding one of the different layers.

29. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that the active applications include different client applications that are each displayed utilizing a corresponding one of the different layers, that are stored in the memory, and that are each for communicating over at least one network.

30. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured such that at least one of:

the display and the touch interface are integrated into a single touch screen;

the display and the touch interface are separate components of a touch screen;

the touch interface includes a hardware interface and a home interface that includes a software interface;

the touch interface includes a hardware interface and a home interface that includes a graphical user interface;

the first-orientation gesture includes at least one of a slide or a swipe;

the second-orientation gesture includes at least one of a slide or a swipe;

the different layers are of the active application;

the different layers are not of the active application;

only the active application is moved;

the detection of the first-orientation gesture on the active application, is on any portion of the active application;

the detection of the second-orientation gesture on the active application, is on any portion of the active application;

the first operation includes scrolling the active application;

the second operation includes at least one of a delete operation or a close operation;

the moving includes at least one of cycling or scrolling;

the moving includes changing a location of the active application from a first location to a second location;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with the active application, by being detected on the active application;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with the displayed active application;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with the active application displayed among the plurality of active applications;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with the active application displayed among the plurality of active applications;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with the displayed active application;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with a user interface element presented by the active application;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with a user interface element presented by the active application that is displayed;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with the active application, without being detected on the displayed active application;

the active application includes a single active application;

the active application includes one active application;

each of the different layers includes a different active application;

each of the different layers includes a different portion of the active application;

the active application is displayed utilizing a single one of the plurality of different layers;

the active application is displayed utilizing all of the plurality of different layers;

the active application is active by virtue of being launched prior;

the active application is active by virtue of having at least one process running;

the active application is active by virtue of having at least one process capable of running;

the active application is active by virtue of having at least one process running in at least one of a foreground or a background;

the active application includes a page communicated by a networked application;

the active application includes a web page communicated by a networked application;

the active application includes a user interface received from the active application over a network;

the active application is displayed by displaying a user interface received from the active application over a network;

the active application includes a networked application;

the active application includes a network application;

the active application includes a client application;

the particular gesture is detected on the active application while other of the active applications are displayed;

the particular gesture is detected on the active application while other of the active applications are not displayed;

only the active application moves, without movement of other of the active applications;

the one or more different operations include a single operation;

the one or more different operations include multiple operations;

the one or more different operations are performed based on the duration of the particular gesture, by being conditionally performed based on the duration of the particular gesture;

the one or more different operations are performed based on the duration of the particular gesture, by only being performed if the duration of the particular gesture does not exceed a threshold;

the first-orientation gesture is detected and the first operation is performed in a first use case scenario, the second-orientation gesture is detected and the second operation is performed in a second use case scenario, the particular gesture is detected and the one or more different operations are performed in a third use case scenario;

the first-orientation gesture is detected and the first operation is performed when a multitasking environment is accessed a first time, without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed;

the second-orientation gesture is detected and the second operation is performed when a multitasking environment a second time, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed; and

the particular gesture is detected and the one or more different operations are performed when a multitasking environment is accessed a third time, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed;

the first-orientation gesture is detected and the first operation is performed in a first use case scenario, without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed;

the second-orientation gesture is detected and the second operation is performed in a second use case scenario, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed; and

the particular gesture is detected and the one or more different operations are performed in a third use case scenario, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed;

or

the active application is displayed in a multi-tasking environment.

31. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a touch interface and a display;

displaying, on the display, an active application among a plurality of active applications that are displayed utilizing a plurality of different layers;

detecting, on the touch interface, a first-orientation gesture on the active application;

in response to the detection of the first-orientation gesture on the active application, performing a first operation including moving the active application;

such that the active application increases in visibility based on the movement;

detecting, on the touch interface, a second-orientation gesture on the active application;

in response to the detection of the second-orientation gesture on the active application, performing a second operation;

detecting, on the touch interface, a particular gesture;

based on the detection of the particular gesture, performing one or more different operations involving the active application, that is different from the first and second operations, based on a duration of the particular gesture.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein:

the first-orientation gesture includes one of a vertical gesture or a horizontal gesture, the second-orientation gesture includes another one of the vertical gesture or the horizontal gesture, and the particular gesture includes at least one of a tap gesture or a press gesture; and

the second operation includes at least one of a delete operation or a close operation.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more different operations includes opening the active application.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the opening occurs in response to the particular gesture being detected as having ended.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the second operation includes moving the active application in addition to the at least one of the delete operation or the close operation.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the opening occurs in response to the particular gesture being detected as having ended and the duration of the particular being detected to not exceed a predetermined duration.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the opening does not occur in response to the particular gesture being detected as having ended and the duration of the particular being detected to exceed a predetermined duration.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein at least one of:

the display and the touch interface are integrated into a single touch screen;

the display and the touch interface are separate components of a touch screen;

the touch interface includes a hardware interface and a home interface that includes a software interface;

the touch interface includes a hardware interface and a home interface that includes a graphical user interface;

the first-orientation gesture includes at least one of a slide or a swipe;

the second-orientation gesture includes at least one of a slide or a swipe;

the active application is active by virtue of being launched prior;

the active application is active by virtue of having at least one process running;

the active application is active by virtue of having at least one process capable of running;

the active application is active by virtue of having at least one process running in at least one of a foreground or a background;

the opening includes presenting exclusively;

the opening includes presenting for user manipulation;

the opening includes presenting in a foreground;

the first-orientation gesture is detected on only one of the different layers;

the first-orientation gesture is detected on the one or more of the different layers;

the first-orientation gesture is detected on any of the different layers;

the first-orientation gesture is not detected on any of the different layers;

the second-orientation gesture is detected on only one of the different layers;

the second-orientation gesture is detected on the one or more of the different layers;

the second-orientation gesture is detected on any of the different layers;

the second-orientation gesture is not detected on any of the different layers;

the opening includes presenting in a foreground layer;

the at least one of the plurality of different layers includes the one or more of the different layers;

the at least one of the plurality of different layers includes at least part of the one or more of the different layers;

the at least one of the plurality of different layers does not include the one or more of the different layers;

the at least one of the plurality of different layers is mutually exclusive of the one or more of the different layers;

only the active application is moved;

the detection of the first-orientation gesture on the active application, is on any portion of the active application;

the detection of the second-orientation gesture on the active application, is on any portion of the active application;

the one or more different operations involving the active application, involve the active application by utilizing the active application;

the one or more different operations involving the active application, involve the active application by utilizing the active application to display at least one user interface element;

the one or more different operations involving the active application, involve the active application by displaying the active application;

the one or more different operations involving the active application, involve the active application by opening the active application;

the first operation includes scrolling the active application;

the second operation includes at least one of a delete operation or a close operation;

the moving includes at least one of cycling or scrolling;

the moving includes changing a location of the active application from a first location to a second location;

the increase in visibility results from moving the active application more onto the display;

the increase in visibility results from moving the active application out from under at least one other of the active applications;

the increase in visibility results from moving the active application out of being obscured by at least one other of the active applications;

the increase in visibility results from displaying more of the active application;

the active application includes a single active application;

the active application includes one active application;

all of the different layers increase in the visibility during the movement;

only one of the different layers increases in the visibility during the movement;

only the one or more of the different layers increases in the visibility during the movement;

each of the different layers includes a different active application;

each of the different layers includes a different portion of the active application;

the active application is displayed utilizing a single one of the plurality of different layers;

the active application is displayed utilizing all of the plurality of different layers;

the active application includes a networked application;

the active application includes a network application;

the active application includes a client application;

the one or more different operations include a single operation;

the one or more different operations include multiple operations;

the one or more different operations are performed based on the duration of the particular gesture, by being conditionally performed based on the duration of the particular gesture;

the one or more different operations are performed based on the duration of the particular gesture, by only being performed if the duration of the particular gesture does not exceed a threshold;

the particular gesture is detected in connection with the active application;

each instance of the displaying, the detecting, and the performing include acts;

each instance of the displaying, the detecting, and the performing do not include steps,

the first-orientation gesture is detected and the first operation is performed in a first use case scenario, the second-orientation gesture is detected and the second operation is performed in a second use case scenario, the particular gesture is detected and the one or more different operations are performed in a third use case scenario;

the first-orientation gesture is detected and the first operation is performed when a multitasking environment is accessed a first time, without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed;

the second-orientation gesture is detected and the second operation is performed when a multitasking environment a second time, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed; and

the particular gesture is detected and the one or more different operations are performed when a multitasking environment is accessed a third time, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed;

the first-orientation gesture is detected and the first operation is performed in a first use case scenario, without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed;

the second-orientation gesture is detected and the second operation is performed in a second use case scenario, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the particular gesture being detected and without the one or more different operations being performed; and

the particular gesture is detected and the one or more different operations are performed in a third use case scenario, without the first-orientation gesture being detected and without the first operation being performed, and without the second-orientation gesture being detected and without the second operation being performed;

or

the active application is displayed in a multi-tasking environment.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein the active applications are displayed in response to a detection of an activation gesture.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the activation gesture is detected to begin on an edge of the touch interface, and the activation gesture is detected to be at least one of a swipe gesture or a slide gesture.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein the activation gesture is required to have a predetermined duration and a predetermined length.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein at least a portion of a home interface for choosing among a plurality of application icons is displayed in response to the detection of the activation gesture.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein the at least portion of the home interface is displayed via one or more background layers and the active applications are displayed via foreground layers, in response to the detection of the activation gesture.

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the at least portion of the home interface is displayed via one or more background layers and the active applications are displayed via foreground layers, in response to the detection of the activation gesture while the home interface is not displayed.

45. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more different operations is performed based on the duration of the particular gesture, by being conditionally performed based on the duration of the particular gesture.

46. The method of claim 32, wherein at least one aspect of at least one of the active applications fades-in based on the movement.

47. The method of claim 32, wherein the one or more different operations includes enlarging a window displaying the active application to fit an entirety of the display.

48. The method of claim 32, and further comprising:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold, increasing the visibility of the active application in a manner that is different from the first operation.

49. The method of claim 32, and further comprising:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold without detection of any movement of the particular gesture, increasing a visibility of the active application, by moving at least one of the active applications.

50. The method of claim 32, and further comprising:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture not surpassing a threshold and further in response to subsequent detection of a cessation of the particular gesture, opening the active application on which the particular gesture is detected;

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing the threshold, emphasizing the active application on which the particular gesture is detected, by fading or shading at least one other of the active applications on which the particular gesture is not detected; and

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing the threshold and further in response to subsequent detection of a movement component of the particular gesture, moving the active application with respect to the at least one other of the active applications that is not moved.

51. The method of claim 32, and further comprising:

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing a threshold, emphasizing the active application on which the particular gesture is detected, by fading or shading at least one other of the active applications on which the particular gesture is not detected; and

in response to the detection of the duration of the particular gesture surpassing the threshold and subsequent detection of a movement component of the particular gesture, re-arranging an order of the active application with respect to the at least one other of the active applications.

52. The method of claim 32, wherein the active applications include network applications that are displayed via a plurality of tabs of a network browser application such that the tabs are each displayed utilizing a corresponding one of the different layers.

53. The method of claim 32, wherein the active applications include different client applications that are each displayed utilizing a corresponding one of the different layers and that are each for communicating over at least one network.

54. The method of claim 32, wherein the particular gesture is detected on the active application while other of the active applications are displayed.

55. The method of claim 32, wherein the particular gesture is detected on a window of the active application that is accessible via the displayed active application.

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

display, on the display, an active application among a plurality of active applications that are displayed utilizing a plurality of different layers;

detect, on the touch interface, a first-orientation gesture on the active application;

in response to the detection of the first-orientation gesture on the active application, perform a first operation including moving the active application, such that the active application increases in visibility during the movement;

detect, on the touch interface, a second-orientation gesture on the active application;

in response to the detection of the second-orientation gesture on the active application, perform a second operation;

detect, on the touch interface, a particular gesture on the active application;

after the detection of the particular gesture on the active application, perform one or more different operations, that is different from the first and second operations, based on a duration of the particular gesture.

57. A system, comprising:

touch interface means for;

detecting a first-orientation gesture on an active application that is displayed among a plurality of active applications that are displayed utilizing a plurality of different layers,

detecting a second-orientation gesture on the active application, and

detecting a particular gesture in connection with the active application; and

display means for;

in response to the detection of the first-orientation gesture on the active application, performing a first operation including moving the active application, such that the active application increases in visibility during the movement;

in response to the detection of the second-orientation gesture on the active application, performing a second operation;

after the detection of the particular gesture in connection with the active application, performing one or more different operations, that is different from the first and second operations, based on a duration of the particular gesture.