Methods and Graphical User Interfaces for Editing on a Portable Multifunction Device

• US 20090228792A1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas, Lemay, Stephen O., Victor, B. Michael, Westerman, Wayne C., van Os, Marcel
• Granted Patent: US 8,201,109 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• 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 3/0482 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

Methods and graphical user interfaces for editing on a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display are disclosed. While displaying an application interface of an application, the device detects a multitouch edit initiation gesture on the touch screen display. In response to detection of the multitouch edit initiation gesture, the device displays a plurality of user-selectable edit option icons in an area of the touch screen display that is independent of a location of the multitouch edit initiation gesture. The device also displays a start point object and an end point object to select content displayed by the application in the application interface.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

on a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, while displaying an application interface of an application,

detecting a multitouch edit initiation gesture on the touch screen display;

in response to detection of the multitouch edit initiation gesture, displaying a plurality of user-selectable edit option icons in an area of the touch screen display that is independent of a location of the multitouch edit initiation gesture; and

displaying a start point object and an end point object to select content displayed by the application in the application interface.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the start point object and end point object each have a displayed handle for dragging the respective object within the application interface so as to select content in the application interface.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the start point object and end point object each have a displayed magnifier for showing a magnified image of a respective end point of selected content in the application interface.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including

detecting a multitouch content selection gesture;

and

in response to detection of the multitouch content selection gesture, displaying the start point object and the end point object at positions corresponding to first and second detected touch positions of the multitouch content selection gesture.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the area in which user-selectable edit option icons are displayed comprises a fixed position region of the application interface in which application context information is displayed at predefined times.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the area in which user-selectable edit option icons are displayed comprises a fixed position region of the application interface in which application context information is displayed when the user-selectable edit option icons are not displayed.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein displaying the user-selectable edit option icons in the area comprises replacing context information for the application with the plurality of user-selectable edit option icons.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein

the portable multifunction device includes a plurality of applications;

each application includes a plurality of application interfaces;

each application interface includes a predefined area with a title [??>

>

for the application interface]; and

displaying the plurality of user-selectable edit option icons in the area of the touch screen display that is independent of the location of the multitouch edit initiation gesture comprises replacing display of the predefined area with the title in the application interface with display of an area that includes the plurality of user-selectable edit option icons.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein

the area that includes the plurality of user-selectable edit option icons is displayed at the same location on the touch screen display in the plurality of applications.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including

after detecting the multitouch edit initiation gesture, detecting a content selection gesture;

and

in response to detection of the content selection gesture, displaying the start point object and the end point object at respective initial positions.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein, when the content selection gesture is a predefined number of taps on a displayed word, the respective initial positions comprise positions adjacent to the beginning and end of the displayed word.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein, when the content selection gesture is a predefined number of taps on displayed text in a sentence, the respective initial positions comprise positions adjacent to the beginning and end of the displayed sentence.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, wherein, when the content selection gesture is a predefined number of taps on displayed text in a paragraph, the respective initial positions comprise positions adjacent to the beginning and end of the displayed paragraph.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the edit option icons include an undo edit option icon;

the computer-implemented method including, in response to detecting user selection of the undo edit option icon, undoing a prior edit operation performed in the application.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the displayed edit option icons are independent of the application for which the application interface is being displayed.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including

detecting when a user gesture for moving the start point object or the end point object reaches an edge of the application interface;

and

in response to detecting when the user gesture for moving the start point object or end point object reaches the edge of the application interface, scrolling content in the application interface.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including

detecting when a user gesture for moving the start point object reaches an upper edge of the application interface;

and

in response to detecting when the user gesture for moving the start point object reaches the upper edge of the application interface, displaying a vertically flipped version of the start point object.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including

detecting a content move gesture having a start position between the start point object and the end point object;

and

in response to detecting the content move gesture having the start position between the start point object and the end point object, moving the selected content to a location corresponding to an end position of the content move gesture.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, including

detecting user selection of a copy icon;

in response to detecting user selection of the copy icon, copying text when the selected content includes only text, copying an image when the selected content includes only the image, and copying structured content when the selected content includes both text and one or more images.

20. The computer-implemented method of claim 19, including

detecting user selection of a paste icon;

in response to detecting user selection of the paste icon, pasting text when the copied content includes only text, pasting an image when the copied content includes only the image, and pasting the structured content when the copied content includes both text and the one or more images.

21. A portable multifunction device, comprising:

a touch screen display;

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 detecting a multitouch edit initiation gesture on the touch screen display while displaying an application interface of an application;

instructions for displaying a plurality of user-selectable edit option icons in an area of the touch screen display that is independent of a location of the multitouch edit initiation gesture in response to detection of the multitouch edit initiation gesture; and

instructions for displaying a start point object and an end point object to select content displayed by the application in the application interface.

22. A computer readable storage medium having stored therein instructions, which when executed by a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, cause the device to:

detect a multitouch edit initiation gesture on the touch screen display while an application interface of an application is displayed;

in response to detection of the multitouch edit initiation gesture, display a plurality of user-selectable edit option icons in an area of the touch screen display that is independent of a location of the multitouch edit initiation gesture; and

display a start point object and an end point object to select content displayed by the application in the application interface.

23. A graphical user interface on a portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, comprising:

an application interface of an application;

a plurality of user-selectable edit option icons;

a start point object; and

an end point object;

wherein;

a multitouch edit initiation gesture on the touch screen display is detected while the application interface of the application is displayed; and

in response to detecting the multitouch edit initiation gesture, the plurality of user-selectable edit option icons is displayed in an area of the touch screen display that is independent of a location of the multitouch edit initiation gesture; and

the start point object and the end point object are displayed to select content displayed by the application in the application interface.

24. A portable multifunction device with a touch screen display, comprising:

means for detecting a multitouch edit initiation gesture on the touch screen display while displaying an application interface of an application;

means for displaying a plurality of user-selectable edit option icons in an area of the touch screen display that is independent of a location of the multitouch edit initiation gesture in response to detection of the multitouch edit initiation gesture; and

means for displaying a start point object and an end point object to select content displayed by the application in the application interface.