ONE-TOUCH ROTATION OF VIRTUAL OBJECTS IN VIRTUAL WORKSPACE

• US 20090079700A1
• Filed: 09/24/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Abernathy, David N.
• Granted Patent: US 8,130,211 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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

Abstract

A method of rotating a virtual object within a virtual workspace. The method includes recognizing a selection perimeter of the virtual object and detecting a one-touch user input having a starting location within the selection perimeter of the virtual object. The method further includes tracking movement of the one-touch user input within the virtual workspace, and rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace responsive to tracked movement of the one-touch user input relative to the virtual object.

Claims

1. A method of moving and rotating a virtual object within a virtual workspace, comprising:

recognizing a selection perimeter of the virtual object;

detecting a one-touch user input having a starting location within the selection perimeter of the virtual object;

tracking movement of the one-touch user input within the virtual workspace; and

moving and rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace responsive to tracked movement of the one-touch user input relative to the virtual object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing a virtual anchor of the virtual object, where a direction of rotation of the virtual object within the virtual workspace tracks a direction of rotation of the one-touch user input about the virtual anchor.

3. The method of claim 2, where a magnitude of rotation of the virtual object within the virtual workspace tracks a magnitude of rotation of the one-touch user input about the virtual anchor.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing a virtual anchor of the virtual object, where a direction of movement of the virtual object within the virtual workspace tracks a direction of movement of the one-touch user input relative to the virtual anchor.

5. The method of claim 1, where the selection perimeter of the virtual object coincides with a display perimeter of the virtual object.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing a rotation-free perimeter of the virtual object interior the selection perimeter of the virtual object, where the virtual object moves without rotating responsive to tracked movement of the one-touch user input when the starting location of the one-touch user input is interior the rotation-free perimeter of the virtual object.

7. The method of claim 1, where two or more virtual objects are rotated within the virtual workspace responsive to different one-touch user inputs.

8. The method of claim 1, where each one-touch user input is a one-finger gesture.

9. A method of rotating a virtual object within a virtual workspace of a surface computing system, the surface computing system including a display presenting the virtual object within the virtual workspace, the surface computing system also including an input surface operatively aligned with the display and configured to translate one-finger gestures on the input surface into commands for rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace, the method comprising:

displaying, with the display of the surface computing system, the virtual object within the virtual workspace, the virtual object at least partially characterized by a selection perimeter and a virtual anchor;

detecting, with the input surface of the surface computing system, a one-finger gesture having a starting location within the selection perimeter of the virtual object;

tracking movement of the one-finger gesture within the virtual workspace; and

rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace responsive to tracked movement of the one-finger gesture relative to the virtual anchor such that a direction of rotation of the virtual object within the virtual workspace tracks a direction of rotation of the one-finger gesture about the virtual anchor.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising moving the virtual object within the virtual workspace responsive to tracked movement of the one-finger gesture within the virtual workspace such that a direction of movement of the virtual object within the virtual workspace tracks a direction of movement of the one-finger gesture relative to the virtual anchor.

11. The method of claim 9, where a magnitude of rotation of the virtual object within the virtual workspace tracks a magnitude of rotation of the one-finger gesture about the virtual anchor.

12. The method of claim 9, where the selection perimeter of the virtual object coincides with a display perimeter of the virtual object.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising recognizing a rotation-free perimeter of the virtual object interior the selection perimeter of the virtual object, where the virtual object moves without rotating responsive to tracked movement of the one-finger gesture when the starting location of the one-finger gesture is interior the rotation-free perimeter of the virtual object.

14. The method of claim 9, where two or more virtual objects are rotated within the virtual workspace responsive to different one-finger gestures.

15. A surface computing system, comprising:

a display presenting a virtual object within a virtual workspace; and

an input surface operatively aligned with the display and configured to translate a one-finger gesture into a command for rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace.

16. The surface computing system of claim 15, where the input surface translates the one-finger gesture into a command for rotating the virtual object within the virtual workspace such that a direction of rotation of the virtual object within the virtual workspace tracks a direction of rotation of the one-finger gesture about a virtual anchor of the virtual object.

17. The surface computing system of claim 15, where the input surface is further configured to translate the one-finger gesture into a command for moving the virtual object within the virtual workspace.

18. The surface computing system of claim 15, where two or more virtual objects are rotated within the virtual workspace responsive to different one-finger gestures.

19. The surface computing system of claim 15, where the input surface includes a hand orientation detector, where tracking movement of the one-finger gesture within the virtual workspace includes tracking an orientation of a hand performing the one-finger gesture, and where the virtual object is rotated responsive to rotation of the hand performing the one-finger gesture.

20. The surface computing system of claim 15, where the input surface translates a one-finger gesture moving toward an edge of the virtual workspace into a command to automatically rotate the virtual object into a predetermined orientation relative to the edge of the virtual workspace.