PANNING CONTENT UTILIZING A DRAG OPERATION

• US 20090292989A1
• Filed: 10/03/2008
• Published: 11/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Matthews, David A., Townsend, Reed L., Torset, Todd A., Keely, Leroy B., Tu, Xiao, De La Torre Baltierra, Pamela, Clow, Josh A., Markiewicz, Jan-Kristian
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,336 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• 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

Abstract

Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and computer systems for intuitively invoking a panning action (e.g., moving content within a content region of a display area) by applying a user-initiated input at the content region rendered at a touchscreen interface are provided. Initially, aspects of the user-initiated input include a location of actuation (e.g., touch point on the touchscreen interface) and a gesture. Upon ascertaining that the actuation location occurred within the content region and that the gesture is a drag operation, based on a distance of uninterrupted tactile contact with the touchscreen interface, a panning mode may be initiated. When in the panning mode, and if the application rendering the content at the display area supports scrolling functionality, the gesture will control movement of the content within the content region. In particular, the drag operation of the gesture will pan the content within the display area when surfaced at the touchscreen interface.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for panning content within a display area presented on a computing device, the method comprising:

detecting a user-initiated input applied the touchscreen interface;

receiving actuation information from the touchscreen interface, wherein the touchscreen information comprises touch locations;

ascertaining that the touch location occurred within a content region of the display area surfaced at the touchscreen interface, wherein the display area is rendered by an application in communication with an operating system of the computing device;

identifying the application as supporting scrolling functionality;

deriving a gesture from the touchscreen information that corresponds to the touch locations;

recognizing the gesture as a drag operation by disambiguating the drag operation from a tap-type or other operation based on a distance and a direction of an uninterrupted drag-movement from the actuation location of the user-initiated input at the touchscreen interface;

based on the scrolling functionality, panning the content within the content region of the display area according to the drag operation or generating normal mouse messages.

2. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises presenting an indication of the panning at the touchscreen interface.

3. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 2, wherein identifying the application as supporting scrolling functionality further comprises determining whether the display area rendered at the touchscreen interface includes a scrollbar control.

4. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein presenting an indication of the panning at the touchscreen interface comprises driving a slider of the scroll bar control in a direction based on a direction of the panning at the touchscreen interface.

5. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein the distance of an uninterrupted drag-movement is derived from comparing a Cartesianal coordinate representation of the actuation location of the user-initiated input at the touchscreen interface with a Cartesianal coordinate representation of a location of release of the drag-movement.

6. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 1, wherein recognizing the gesture as a drag operation by disambiguating the drag operation from a tap-type operation based on a distance of an uninterrupted drag-movement comprises determining whether a sweep of the touchscreen interface, which comprises the uninterrupted drag-movement, overcomes a predefined threshold distance.

7. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 3, wherein recognizing the gesture as a drag operation by disambiguating the drag operation from a tap-type operation based on a direction of an uninterrupted drag-movement comprises:

detecting the direction of the uninterrupted drag-movement;

identifying a scrollable direction of the content region, wherein the scrollable direction refers to a direction in which the content is allowed to pan within the content region as governed by the application; and

ascertaining that the direction of the uninterrupted drag-movement is substantially parallel to the scrollable direction of the content region.

8. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 7, wherein the scrollable direction of the content region is substantially aligned with an orientation of the scrollbar tool.

9. A computer system capable of providing touch-panning capability to a touch-naï

ve application, the computer system comprising a computer storage medium having a plurality of computer software components embodied thereon, the computer software components comprising;

an input device to receive a user-initiated input that includes a location of actuation applied to a display area presented at a touchscreen interface disposed on the input device, wherein the touchscreen interface accepts physical contact the user-initiated input;

the touch-naï

ve application component to render content within a content region of the display area, wherein the touch-naï

ve application is not initially constructed to receive panning inputs;

the operating system for acting as a gesture-interpreting interface between the input device and the touch-naï

ve application, thereby promoting control over scrolling functionality of the touch-naï

ve application via inputs at the touchscreen interface, wherein the operating system comprises;

(a) a scrollbar finder component for inspecting the touch-naï

ve application to detect whether the touch-naï

ve application provides scrolling functionality for at least one input device; and

(b) an application interface component for providing panning messages to the touch-naï

ve application upon receiving an indication that the touch-naï

ve application provides the scrolling functionality, otherwise providing mouse messages to the touch-naï

ve application; and

a presentation component to reveal an indication of the scrolling functionality to a user, wherein the presentation component is integrated with the input device.

10. The computer system capable of claim 9, wherein the operating system further comprises an input component to receive input information from a screen driver at the input device, wherein the input information comprises the touch locations associated with timestamps.

11. The computer system capable of claim 10, wherein the operating system further comprises a gesture engine for deriving gestures and an actuation location from the touch locations assembled by the timestamps, for ascertaining whether the actuation location occurred within the content region, and for ascertaining whether the gesture is a drag operation based on a direction and a distance of a substantially uninterrupted drag-movement originating from the actuation location, wherein the application interface component is configured for providing panning messages to the touch-naï

ve application upon receiving an indication that the gesture is a drag operation and that the actuation location originates within the content region.

12. The computer system capable of claim 11, wherein providing panning messages to the touch-naï

ve application comprises;

interpreting the input information from a screen driver;

mapping the interpreted input information to the scrolling functionality of the touch-naï

ve application; and

conveying the touch-naï

ve application the panning messages that reflect the mapped scrolling functionality.

13. A computerized method for implementing scrolling functionality of an application upon receiving a gesture at a touchscreen interface, the method comprising:

detecting a user-initiated gesture applied the touchscreen interface, wherein the gesture includes a location of actuation with the touchscreen interface and a drag operation associated therewith;

ascertaining whether the touch location occurred within a content region of a display area surfaced at the touchscreen interface, wherein the display area is rendered by the application;

ascertaining whether the drag operation satisfies predefined system metrics;

when the touch location occurs within the content region and the drag operation satisfies predefined system metrics, causing the application to enter a panning mode that supports scrolling functionality of content within the content region of the display area;

otherwise retaining the application in a default mode, thereby allowing raw inputs associated with the gesture to flow from the touchscreen interface to the application; and

at least temporarily storing the application consistent with either the panning mode or the default mode.

14. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein allowing raw inputs associated with the gesture to flow from the touchscreen interface to the application comprises conveying the user-initiated gesture to the application as mouse messages that are recognizable by touch-naï

ve applications, wherein the touch-naï

ve applications are applications that are unaware they are cooperating with a touchscreen interface or do not support scrolling functionality upon receiving inputs at the touchscreen interface.

15. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein ascertaining whether the drag operation satisfies predefined system metrics comprises recognizing the drag operation includes a substantially uninterrupted drag-movement originating from the actuation location that persists for a distance greater than a predefined threshold distance, wherein the uninterrupted drag-movement is generated by a physical object in substantial contact with the touchscreen interface.

16. The computerized method of claim 15, wherein ascertaining whether the drag operation satisfies predefined system metrics comprises:

utilizing a timer to determine an amount of time that the drag operation consumes when completing the substantially uninterrupted drag-movement; and

based on the amount of time consumed, and the distance of the drag operation, distinguishing the drag operation from a tap-type operation.

17. The computerized method of claim 16, wherein ascertaining whether the drag operation satisfies predefined system metrics comprises:

identifying a principle axis of the drag operation based on an average direction of the substantially uninterrupted drag-movement;

comparing the principle axis against one or more directions of scrolling enabled by the scrolling functionality of the content region of the display area; and

determining that the principle axis is comparable, within a predefined tolerance, to one or more of the enabled directions of scrolling.

18. The computerized method of claim 13, wherein causing the application to enter a panning mode that supports scrolling functionality of content within the content region of the display area comprises providing panning messages to the application to initiate scrolling the content within the content region of the display area, wherein scrolling the content comprises translating the content in correspondence with a location of contact between a physical object and the touchscreen interface.

19. The computerized method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving an indication that, while performing the drag operation, the substantially uninterrupted drag-movement being generated by the physical object is overrunning one or more boundaries that enclose the content region; and

invoking an over-panning action that provides an operator with visual feedback indicating that a limit on scrollable content is reached, wherein the visual feedback comprises translating the display area on the touchscreen interface in a general direction of the substantially uninterrupted drag-movement.

20. The computerized method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving an indication that, while performing the drag operation, the substantially uninterrupted drag-movement is applied to the touchscreen interface by a dramatic sweep of the physical object;

automatically continuing scrolling the content in a direction of the substantially uninterrupted drag-movement, upon releasing the drag operation, as if the content was moving with inertia; and

invoking the over-panning action upon reaching the end of the content in the direction of the substantially uninterrupted drag-movement.