Gestures for selecting text

• US 10,642,458 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2014
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tan, Weihua, Chen, Qiliang
• Primary Examiner(s): Flores, Roberto W
• Application Number:
  US14/551,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082246A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,989 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 715700-866
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for selecting text using a touchscreen display of a computing device. A computing device identifies physical contact between multiple fingers and the touchscreen display at a starting location, wherein the identifying is in distinction to identifying physical contact between a single finger and the touchscreen display. The computing device determines that the physical contact persists during movement of the physical contact from the starting location to an ending location. The computing device determines that the physical contact was interrupted at the ending location. The computing device identifies that text displayed between the starting location and the ending location is text that has been selected by a user of the computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, that a first physical contact contacted a touchscreen display at a first starting location;

determining, by the computing device in response to having identified that the first physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at the first starting location, a first intermediate location on the touchscreen display by determining a location that is a predetermined distance from the first starting location along a first line of multiple words of text, wherein the predetermined distance from the first starting location is at least multiple characters away from the first starting location along the first line of multiple words of text;

determining, by the computing device, that the first physical contact remained in contact with the touchscreen display without releasing from contact with the touchscreen display during;

movement of the first physical contact from the first starting location to a location past the first intermediate location which is at least multiple characters away from the first starting location, so that the first physical contact is no longer contacting the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the first intermediate location, and

movement of the first physical contact from the location past the first intermediate location back to a first ending location on the touchscreen display that is between the first starting location and the first intermediate location, so that the first physical contact is once again contacting the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the first intermediate location;

identifying, by the computing device responsive to having determined that the first physical contact has released from contact with the touchscreen display at the first ending location, after the first physical contact has moved passed the first intermediate location and then moved back to the first ending location, text displayed by the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the first ending location as text that has been selected by the first physical contact;

identifying, by the computing device, that a second physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at a second starting location;

identifying, by the computing device and in response to having identified that the second physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at the second starting location, a second intermediate location on the touchscreen display by identifying a location that is a predetermined distance from the second starting location along a second line of multiple words of text, wherein the predetermined distance from the second starting location is at least multiple characters away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words;

determining, by the computing device, that the second physical contact remained in contact with the touchscreen display without releasing from contact with the touchscreen display during;

movement of the second physical contact from the second starting location to a second ending location on the touchscreen display that is between the second starting location and the second intermediate location which is at least multiple characters away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words of text, so that the second physical contact is contacting the touchscreen display between the second starting location and the second intermediate location; and

cancelling, by the computing device responsive to having determined that the second physical contact has released from contact with the touchscreen display at the second ending location, text selection as a result of the computing device determining that the second physical contact did not reach the second intermediate location that is at least multiple characters away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words of text before releasing from contact with the touchscreen display.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to cancel text selection as a result of the computing device determining that the first physical contact moved a determined tangential distance from a route between the first starting location and the first intermediate location, before the first physical contact reached or passed the first intermediate location.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the computing device is configured to identify that at least portions of multiple lines of text displayed on the touchscreen display have been selected by the first physical contact as a result of the first physical contact passing the first intermediate location and then moving the determined tangential distance from the route.

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

displaying, by the touchscreen display during movement of the first physical contact from the first starting location to at least the first intermediate location, a graphical interface element that identifies a position of the first intermediate location, and that was not displayed before the computing device identified that the first physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the first starting location; and

displaying, by the touchscreen display during movement of the second physical contact from the second starting location to the second ending location, a graphical interface element that identifies a position of the second intermediate location, and that was not displayed before the computing device identified that the second physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the second starting location.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first physical contact includes one or more fingers contacting the touchscreen display.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first starting location and the first intermediate location are located in a same line of text and are separated by at least one complete word between the first starting location and the first intermediate location.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second ending location at which the second physical contact released from contact with the touchscreen display is multiple characters away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words of text.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the second ending location at which the second physical contact released from contact with the touchscreen display is at least one character away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words of text.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein displaying the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the present location of the first physical contact has been selected includes:

the computing device presenting the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the present location of the first physical contact has been selected after the first physical contact has reached or passed the first intermediate location, and

the computing device providing no indication that any text output by the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the present location of the first physical contact has been selected before the first physical contact has reached or passed the first intermediate location.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, by the computing device and during the movement of the first physical contact from the first starting location, past the first intermediate location, and back to the first ending location, an indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the first starting location and a present location of the first physical contact has been selected.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding, by the touchscreen display during movement of the first physical contact from the first starting location to at least the first intermediate location, a display of a first graphical interface element to the touchscreen display to indicate a position of the first intermediate location, wherein the computing device did not display the first graphical element before the computing device identified that the first physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the first starting location; and

adding, by the touchscreen display during movement of the second physical contact from the second starting location to at least the second intermediate location, a display of a second graphical interface element to the touchscreen display to indicate a position of the second intermediate location, wherein the computing device did not display the second graphical element before the computing device identified that the second physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the second starting location.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having instructions stored therein that, when executed by one or more programmable processors, cause the one or more programmable processors to perform operations including:

identifying, by a computing device, that a first physical contact contacted a touchscreen display at a first starting location;

determining, by the computing device in response to having identified that the first physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at the first starting location, a first intermediate location on the touchscreen display by determining a location that is a predetermined distance from the first starting location along a first line of multiple words of text, wherein the predetermined distance from the first starting location is at least multiple characters away from the first starting location along the first line of multiple words of text;

determining, by the computing device, that the first physical contact remained in contact with the touchscreen display without releasing from contact with the touchscreen display during;

movement of the first physical contact from the first starting location to a location past the first intermediate location which is at least multiple characters away from the first starting location, so that the first physical contact is no longer contacting the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the first intermediate location, and

movement of the first physical contact from the location past the first intermediate location back to a first ending location on the touchscreen display that is between the first starting location and the first intermediate location, so that the first physical contact is once again contacting the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the first intermediate location;

identifying, by the computing device responsive to having determined that the first physical contact has released from contact with the touchscreen display at the first ending location, after the first physical contact has moved passed the first intermediate location and then moved back to the first ending location, text displayed by the touchscreen display between the first starting location and the first ending location as text that has been selected by the first physical contact;

identifying, by the computing device, that a second physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at a second starting location;

identifying, by the computing device and in response to having identified that the second physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at the second starting location, a second intermediate location on the touchscreen display by identifying a location that is a predetermined distance from the second starting location along a second line of multiple words of text, wherein the predetermined distance from the second starting location is at least multiple characters away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words;

determining, by the computing device, that the second physical contact remained in contact with the touchscreen display without releasing from contact with the touchscreen display during;

movement of the second physical contact from the second starting location to a second ending location on the touchscreen display that is between the second starting location and the second intermediate location which is at least multiple characters away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words of text, so that the second physical contact is contacting the touchscreen display between the second starting location and the second intermediate location; and

cancelling, by the computing device responsive to having determined that the second physical contact has released from contact with the touchscreen display at the second ending location, text selection as a result of the computing device determining that the second physical contact did not reach the second intermediate location that is at least multiple characters away from the second starting location along the second line of multiple words of text before releasing from contact with the touchscreen display.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the computing device is configured to cancel text selection as a result of the computing device determining that the first physical contact moved a determined tangential distance from a route between the first starting location and the first intermediate location, before the first physical contact reached or passed the first intermediate location.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 13, wherein the computing device is configured to identify that at least portions of multiple lines of text displayed on the touchscreen display have been selected by the first physical contact as a result of the first physical contact passing the first intermediate location and then moving the determined tangential distance from the route.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, by the touchscreen display during movement of the first physical contact from the first starting location to at least the first intermediate location, a graphical interface element that identifies a position of the first intermediate location, and that was not displayed before the computing device identified that the first physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the first starting location; and

displaying, by the touchscreen display during movement of the second physical contact from the second starting location to the second ending location, a graphical interface element that identifies a position of the second intermediate location, and that was not displayed before the computing device identified that the second physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the second starting location.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 12, wherein the first physical contact includes one or more fingers contacting the touchscreen display.