Cursor control

• US 20100127972A1
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Yongjun, Koivisto, Antti, Yadavalli, Sriram
• Granted Patent: US 8,330,715 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

A method involving:

• (i) detecting one of a plurality of possible directional input commands for controlling the position of a cursor in a display;
• (ii) determining whether the detected directional input should be interpreted as an input under a free-roaming mode or under an attraction mode
• (iii) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the free-roaming mode then determining an end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input
• (iv) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the attraction mode then determining the end position as coincident with a selectable item;
• (v) moving the cursor from the current position to the determined end position in a series of steps; and
• (vi) setting the end position as the current position.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(i) detecting one of a plurality of possible directional input commands for controlling the position of a cursor in a display;

(ii) determining a virtual jump in the position of the cursor from a current position to an end position

wherein the end position is;

a) a first end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input or

b) a second end position coinciding with a selectable item;

(iii) moving the cursor from the current position to the end position in one or more steps; and

(iv) setting the end position as the current position.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising repeatedly performing steps (i), (ii)(a), (ii) and (iv) and then performing steps (i), (ii)(b) and (iii) to navigate the cursor to a selectable item.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a selectable item lies within an area extending on either side of a trajectory passing through the current position and the first end position, the end position is the second end position.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the end position is, by default, the first end position.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the end position is the second end position when as a consequence of the detected input command it is determined that the selectable item is a candidate destination for the cursor.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second end position is an unpredetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing influenced by the detected directional input command.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second end position is determined by searching a display area for one or more selectable items.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the search area comprises a plurality of sub-areas between the current position and the first end position.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the subs-areas are positioned randomly.

10. A method as claimed in claim 7 wherein the search area extends from the current position to beyond the first end position.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the predetermined magnitude is variable.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the predetermined magnitude is varied in response to detection of an oscillating movement of the cursor in response to consecutive user input commands.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein, after movement of the cursor, the content of the display is scrolled automatically.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end position in response to a directional input command that is repeated or continuous is a first end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the predetermined magnitude grows as the directional input command is repeated or continued.

16. A computer program product tangibly embodying program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

17. A computer program product tangibly embodying computer program instruction, which when loaded into a processor operable to:

determine whether a detected directional input should be interpreted as an input under a free-roaming mode or under an attraction mode

if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the free-roaming mode then determining an end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input

if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the attraction mode then determining the end position as coincident with a selectable item;

enabling movement of the cursor from the current position to the determined end position.

18. A device comprising:

a display for displaying a cursor and one or more items that are selectable using the cursor;

user input device for providing a plurality of possible directional input commands that control a position of the cursor in the display;

a processor operable;

to determine a virtual jump in the position of the cursor from a current position to a end position;

to determine whether a end position is;

a) a first end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the selected one of the directional inputs or

b) a second end position coinciding with a selectable item; and

to control movement of the cursor from the current position to the end position in a series of steps,

19. A device as claimed in claim 19, sized to be held in a human hand.

20. A method comprising:

(i) detecting one of a plurality of possible directional input commands for controlling the position of a cursor in a display;

(ii) determining whether the detected directional input should be interpreted as an input under a free-roaming mode or under an attraction mode

(iii) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the free-roaming mode then determining an end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input

(iv) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the attraction mode then determining the end position as coincident with a selectable item;

(v) moving the cursor from the current position to the determined end position in a series of steps; and

(vi) setting the end position as the current position.