MANIPULATION OF OBJECTS ON MULTI-TOUCH USER INTERFACE

• US 20100083111A1
• Filed: 10/01/2008
• Published: 04/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: de los Reyes, August
• Granted Patent: US 8,683,390 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

Embodiments related to the manipulation of objects on a multi-touch graphical user interface are disclosed. For example, in one disclosed embodiment, a method of operating a multi-touch graphical user interface on a computing device comprises displaying a group of objects on the graphical user interface in a group representation, receiving a first multi-touch input in which a first number of touches associated with the group representation are moved on the graphical user interface, and in response to the first multi-touch input, changing a scale of the objects in the group representation. The method further comprises receiving a second multi-touch input in which a second number of touches associated with the group representation are moved on the graphical user interface, and in response to the second multi-touch input, changing an organization of the objects in the group representation on the graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A method of operating a multi-touch graphical user interface on a computing device, comprising:

displaying a group of objects on the graphical user interface in a group representation, wherein the group of objects comprises one or more objects;

receiving a first multi-touch input in which a first number of touches associated with the group representation are moved on the graphical user interface;

in response to the first multi-touch input, changing a scale of the objects in the group representation;

receiving a second multi-touch input in which a second number of touches associated with the group representation are moved on the graphical user interface; and

in response to the second multi-touch input, changing an organization of the objects in the group representation on the graphical user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the group of objects on the graphical user interface in a group representation comprises receiving a touch input requesting a grouping of a plurality of objects displayed on the graphical user interface, and moving the objects into the group representation on the user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein moving the objects into a group representation on the user interface comprises displaying a border around the objects, reducing a brightness of the border if a user input is not received after a period of time, and releasing the objects from the group representation if no further user inputs are received during a period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a group of objects on the graphical user interface in a group representation comprises displaying the group of objects in an application window.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a touch input requesting a grouping of a plurality of objects comprises detecting a bracketing of the objects by sides of hands touched to the graphical user interface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a first multi-touch input comprises detecting a touch of a first number of fingers of each hand of a plurality of hands and a changing of a distance between fingers of the hands, and wherein receiving a second multi-touch input comprises detecting a touch of a second number of fingers of each hand and a changing of a distance between fingers of the hands.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving a third multi-touch input comprising a detected touch of a third number of fingers of each hand and a changing of a distance between each hand, and in response, displaying a contextual menu in a border around the objects.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a prompt for additional touches in response to receiving the first multi-touch input, wherein the prompt specifies a location at which an additional touch can be placed to accomplish the second multi-touch input.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each object comprise a graphical representation of a letter of an alphabet on an underlying object, and wherein the method further comprises receiving an input selecting a letter, and in response, displaying on the graphical user interface a movement of the letter and the underlying object into a text display field.

10. A computing device, comprising:

a display;

a multi-touch input mechanism configured to detect multiple temporally overlapping touches on the display;

a logic subsystem comprising a processor; and

memory comprising instructions stored thereon that are executable by the logic subsystem to operate a graphical user interface via the display and the multi-touch input mechanism by;

receiving via the multi-touch input mechanism a first multi-touch input comprising a touch of a first number of fingers of each of two hands and a changing of a distance between the fingers of the two hands;

in response to the first multi-touch input, performing a first operation on one or more objects displayed on the graphical user interface;

receiving via the multi-touch input mechanism a second multi-touch input comprising a touch of a second number of fingers of each of the two hands and a changing of a distance between the fingers of the two hands; and

in response to the second multi-touch input, performing a second operation on the one or more objects displayed on the display.

11. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the instructions are further executable to, after receiving the first multi-touch input, display on the display a prompt for one or more additional touches that correspond to the second multi-touch input, wherein the prompt comprises a container on the display that signifies a location at which an additional touch can be placed to accomplish the second multi-touch input.

12. The computing device of claim 10, wherein the first operation comprises a scaling of the one or more objects displayed on the graphical user interface, and wherein the second operation comprises a changing of a representation of a group of objects displayed on the graphical user interface.

13. The computing device of claim 10, further comprising receiving a third multi-touch input comprising a touch of a third number of finders of each of the two hands and a changing of a distance between the two hands, and, in response to the third multi-touch input, displaying a contextual menu on the display.

14. In a computing device comprising a multi-touch graphical user interface, a method of receiving and displaying text input, the method comprising:

presenting an arrangement of characters on the graphical user interface;

receiving a touch input selecting a selected character; and

displaying a movement of the selected character from a location of the touch input to a destination location on the user interface.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying each character of the plurality of characters as being located on a separate underlying object as other characters.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a multi-touch input, and in response to the multi-touch input, changing an organization of the characters on the graphical user interface.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein changing an organization of the characters on the graphical user interface comprises changing an order of characters on the graphical user interface.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein changing an organization of the characters on the graphical user interface comprises expanding or contracting a view of the characters on the graphical user interface.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein changing an organization of the characters on the graphical user interface comprises displaying a contextual menu containing one or more character display options, and receiving an input selecting a character display option from the contextual menu.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a touch input over the selected character at the destination location on the user interface, and in response, removing the selected character from the destination location.