Drag and Drop User Interface for Portable Electronic Devices with Touch Sensitive Screens

• US 20090187842A1
• Filed: 11/06/2008
• Published: 07/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: 3DLabs Incorporated Limited (Creative Technology Ltd.)
• Inventors: Murphy, Nicholas J.N., Collins, Peter Daniel
• Application Number:
  US12/266,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20090187842A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop

Abstract

A system and methods for a novel user interface of a touch sensitive screen for pocket device. The user interface contains display items and action tabs. Display items are configured to be draggable if being dragged at substantially horizontal direction; display items are configured to be scrollable if being dragged at substantially vertical direction. Dragging and releasing a draggable item to an action tab causes a specified action or a sequence of actions being applied to the item.

Claims

1. A system interface comprising:

a screen on which a cursor is user-controlled;

a plurality of objects on the screen, which are selectable and draggable by said cursor; and

a plurality of action tabs on said screen;

wherein, when the cursor drags one of said objects in a first direction, the plurality of objects, including unselected ones of said objects, shifts accordingly; and

wherein, when the cursor drags one of said objects in a second direction to one of said action tabs, an action corresponding to said one action tab is executed;

whereby users can select any one of multiple actions with a single cursor motion.

2. A pocket device having a user interface on a touch sensitive screen, comprising:

at least one selectable and draggable object displayed on the user interface; and

at least one action tab displayed on the user interface;

wherein said action tab is associated with an action;

wherein dragging said draggable object to said action tab triggers the action specified by said tab to be applied to said object and the result be displayed.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said item is draggable when said screen is contacted in first direction;

and said item is scrollable when said screen is contacted in second direction.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein said touch sensitive screen is sensitive to a touch of human fingers.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein said touch sensitive screen is sensitive to a touch of a pointing device.

6. A device of claim 2, wherein said device further comprising:

a plurality of buttons for scrolling the screen and for selecting said item.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein said tab is further configured to be draggable;

and an action can be triggered by dragging said tab to said item.

8. The device of claim 2, wherein said tab is further configured to be draggable;

and an action can be triggered by dragging said tab to said item;

wherein dragging towards said tab triggers an action that is different than the one triggered by dragging away from said tab.

9. The device of claim 2, wherein said item is an image.

10. The device of claim 2, wherein said item is a hyperlink from a web browser.

11. The device of claim 2, wherein said dragging is configured to be highlighting or placing a marker;

and

an action can be triggered by said highlighting or said placing a marker on one of said tab.

12. The device of claim 2, wherein said dragging is configured to be acoustic.

12-18. -18. (canceled)

13. The device of claim 2, wherein said action is configured to be acoustic.

14. The device of claim 2, wherein said action is configured to be a clipboard.

19. A method of configuring a user interface on a pocket device comprising the steps of:

configuring a touch sensitive screen which can display at least one item and at least one tab;

displaying said tab to represent any of actable choices for said item;

displaying said item to be draggable; and

triggering a corresponding action as indicated by said tab when said item is dragged to said tab.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprises the steps of:

configuring said tab to be draggable; and

triggering a corresponding action as indicated by said tab when said tab is dragged to said item.

26. A computer readable medium of claim 23 further comprises program instructions that configures a user interface on a touch sensitive screen as described in claim 23.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprises the steps of:

configuring said tab to be highlightable and/or markable;

triggering a corresponding action as indicated by said tab when said tab is highlighted or marked by an action induced from said item.

25. A computer readable medium containing program instructions that configures a user interface on a touch sensitive screen as described in claim 22.

27-28. -28. (canceled)