GESTURE-BASED NAVIGATION

• US 20100162180A1
• Filed: 12/22/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Data Services LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Dunnam, Daniel S., Stallings, Heath
• Granted Patent: US 8,443,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method includes detecting an area of a touch screen that is touched by an instrument and determining a gesture corresponding to the area touched. The method further includes performing a crossover operation when it is determined that the gesture corresponds to a crossover gesture and displaying on the touch screen a content that includes a first child content and a second child content that is associated with the crossover operation, where the crossover operation includes navigating between the first child content to the second child content in response to the crossover gesture. The first child content is accessible via a first parent content and the second child content is accessible via a second parent content, and when navigating between the first child content to the second child content, the first parent content and the second parent content is not displayed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a user device, an area of a touch screen that is touched by an instrument;

determining, by a user device, a gesture corresponding to the area touched;

performing, by the user device, a crossover operation when it is determined that the gesture corresponds to a crossover gesture; and

displaying on the touch screen, by the user device, a content that includes a first child content and a second child content, that is associated with the crossover operation, where the crossover operation includes navigating between the first child content to the second child content in response to the crossover gesture, where the first child content is accessible via a first parent content and the second child content is accessible via a second parent content, and when navigating between the first child content to the second child content, the first parent content and the second parent content is not displayed.

2. The method of claim 1, where the first parent content and the second parent content each corresponds to a communication-based user account and the first child content and the second child content each corresponds to a message.

3. The method of claim 2, where the communication-based user account corresponds to an e-mail account and the message corresponds to an e-mail.

4. The method of claim 1, where the instrument includes one or more fingers of a user.

5. The method of claim 1, where the first child content and the second child content each correspond to music content, video content, or multimedia content.

6. The method of claim 1, where the gesture corresponds to a single point gesture or a multipoint gesture.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the user device, another crossover operation when it is determined that the gesture corresponds to another crossover gesture; and

displaying on the touch screen, by the user device, another content that includes a third child content and a fourth child content, that is associated with the other crossover operation, where the other crossover operation includes navigating from the third child content to the fourth child content, where the third child content and the fourth child content are accessible via a same parent content.

8. The method of claim 1, where the detecting occurs when the third child content is displayed, and the same parent content corresponds to an e-mail account, and the third child content and the fourth child content each correspond to an opened e-mail message.

9. A user device comprising:

one or more components to;

detect an area of the touch display that is touched by an instrument,

determine a gesture corresponding to the area touched on the touch display,

perform a crossover operation when it is determined that the gesture corresponds to a crossover gesture, and

display on the touch display, a content that includes a first child content and a second child content associated with the crossover operation, where the crossover operation includes navigating between the first child content and a second child content, where the first child content is accessible via a first parent content and the second child content is accessible via a second parent content, and where the second child content is displayed without displaying the first parent content and the second parent content when navigating between the first child content and the second child content.

10. The user device of claim 9, where the first parent content and the second parent content each correspond to a communication-based user account and the first child content and the second child content each correspond to a communication associated with the corresponding communication-based user account.

11. The user device of claim 10, where the communication-based user account corresponds to an e-mail account or a visual voicemail account and the communication corresponds to an e-mail or a visual voicemail.

12. The user device of claim 9, where the user device includes a wireless telephone.

13. The user device of claim 9, where the first child content and the second child content each include music content, video content, or multimedia content.

14. The user device of claim 9, where the one or more components:

perform another crossover operation when it is determined that the gesture corresponds to another crossover gesture, and

display on the touch display, another content associated with the other crossover operation on the touch display, where the other crossover operation includes navigating between a third child content and a fourth child content, where the third child content and the fourth child content is accessible via a same parent content.

15. The user device of claim 14, where the same parent content includes a list and the third child content and the fourth child content each includes an item in the list.

16. The user device of claim 15, where the item includes an opened e-mail.

17. A computer-readable memory containing instructions executable by at least one processor, the computer-readable memory storing one or more instructions for:

determining a user gesture corresponding to an area touched on a touch screen;

determining whether a first crossover operation or a second crossover operation is to be performed;

performing the first crossover operation when it is determined that the user gesture corresponds to a first crossover gesture, where a content that includes a first child content and a second child content is displayed, such that the first crossover operation includes navigating between the first child content and a second child content, where the first child content is accessible via a first parent content and the second child content is accessible via a second parent content, and where the second child content is displayed without displaying the first parent content and the second parent content when navigating between the first child content and the second child content; and

performing the second crossover operation when it is determined that the user gesture corresponds to a second crossover gesture, where a content that includes a third child content and a fourth child content is displayed, such that the second crossover operation includes navigating between the third child content and the fourth child content, where the third child content and the fourth child content are accessible via a same parent content.

18. The computer-readable memory of claim 17, where the first crossover gesture and the second crossover gesture are the same user gesture, and where the determining whether the first crossover operation or the second crossover operation is to be performed is based on the first child content or the third child content.

19. The computer-readable memory of claim 17, where the first crossover gesture and the second crossover gesture are not the same user gesture, and where the determining whether the first crossover operation or the second crossover operation is to be performed is based on a mapping of the user gesture.

20. The computer-readable memory of claim 17, where the computer-readable memory resides in a user device.