BI-MODAL MULTISCREEN INTERACTIVITY

• US 20100182247A1
• Filed: 01/21/2009
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Petschnigg, Georg, Harris, Jonathan Reed, Hinds, Joshua J., Boler, Sabrina
• Granted Patent: US 8,330,733 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041661 using detection at multiple resolutions, e.g. coarse and fine scanning; using detection within a limited area, e.g. object tracking window
• 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 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A touch-sensitive electronic display device including one or more touch-sensitive display screens and interface software. The touch-sensitive display screen(s) and interface software are configured to be responsive to touch inputs and, in the case of a multi-screen workspace, the interface software is operable to allow inputs made in connection with a first screen to generate an inertial movement of a displayed object which results in the object moving to and coming to rest on another of the screens. The touch-sensitive screen and interface software may also be configured to receive hand touch inputs and pen touch inputs, with the interface software being operable to dynamically mask regions of the touch-sensitive display to discriminate between or selectively permit/reject different types of inputs.

Claims

1. A multi-screen electronic workspace, comprising:

a contiguous virtual workspace which, when represented graphically, spans at least a first screen and a second screen, where each of the first screen and the second screen includes at least one soft edge portion and at least one hard edge portion, where a hard edge portion corresponds to an edge of the virtual workspace, and where a soft edge portion of one of the first screen and the second screen corresponds to a contiguous continuity of the virtual workspace from such soft edge portion to a corresponding soft edge portion of the other of the first screen and the second screen; and

interface software configured to provide user interactivity with the virtual workspace and control display of data on the first screen and the second screen, where the interface software is configured to resolve, following and in response to a movement of a displayed object produced by a user input applied to one of the first screen and the second screen, a resting location for the displayed object, the resting location being resolved by the interface software such that the displayed object is displayed in its entirety on the first screen or in its entirety on the second screen, and is not displayed partially on either of the first screen and the second screen.

2. The electronic workspace of claim 1, where the movement of the displayed object is an inertial movement produced by a touch input applied to one of the first screen and the second screen, and where if the inertial movement has sufficient velocity, the interface software is configured to cause the inertial movement to cause the displayed object to travel fully between the first screen and the second screen.

3. The electronic workspace of claim 2, where the interface software is configured to avoid a partial display condition of the displayed object by modifying a parameter of the inertial movement.

4. The electronic workspace of claim 3, where the interface software is configured to avoid the partial display condition by modifying a speed of the inertial movement.

5. The electronic workspace of claim 3, where the interface software is configured to avoid the partial display condition by modifying a friction arising from the inertial movement.

6. The electronic workspace of claim 2, where if the inertial movement has insufficient velocity to cause the displayed object to travel fully between the first screen and the second screen, the interface software is configured to cause display of an inertial bumper interaction between the displayed object and an edge portion of one of the first screen and the second screen.

7. The electronic workspace of claim 1, where at least one of the first screen and the second screen is configured to receive both hand touch inputs and pen touch inputs.

8. The electronic workspace of claim 1, where at least one of the first screen and the second screen is a touch-sensitive display screen, and where the interface software is further configured to:

receive and process pen touch inputs based upon contact of a touchscreen pen manipulated by a user with the touch-sensitive display screen;

receive and process hand touch inputs based upon contact of a hand of the user with the touch-sensitive screen; and

provide and display a touch-operable marker menu configured to enable user selection of a type of marking operation to be carried out in response to pen touch inputs produced by the touchscreen pen.

9. The electronic workspace of claim 1, where at least one of the first screen and the second screen is a touch-sensitive display screen, and where the interface software is further configured to:

receive and process pen touch inputs based upon contact of a touchscreen pen manipulated by a user with the touch-sensitive display screen;

receive and process hand touch inputs based upon contact of a hand of the user with the touch-sensitive screen; and

dynamically and selectively mask different regions of the touch-sensitive display screen such that a masked region is non-responsive to one of the pen touch inputs and the hand touch inputs while being responsive to the other of the pen touch inputs and the hand touch inputs.

10. A touch-sensitive input and display system, comprising

a touch-sensitive display screen;

and

a logic subsystem operatively coupled with the touch-sensitive display screen; and

a data-holding subsystem holding interface instructions executable by the logic subsystem to;

receive and process pen touch inputs based upon contact of a touchscreen pen manipulated by a user with the touch-sensitive display screen;

receive and process hand touch inputs based upon contact of a hand of the user with the touch-sensitive screen; and

dynamically and selectively mask different regions of the touch-sensitive display screen such that a masked region is non-responsive to one of the pen touch inputs and the hand touch inputs while being responsive to the other of the pen touch inputs and the hand touch inputs.

11. The system of claim 10, where the interface instructions are further executable by the logic subsystem to dynamically mask a selected region of the touch-sensitive display screen against hand touch inputs, and where such dynamic masking is performed in response to detection of pen touch inputs, and where the selected region is variable and dependent upon a detected location of the pen touch inputs.

12. The system of claim 10, where the interface instructions are further executable by the logic subsystem to dynamically mask all of the touch-sensitive display screen against hand touch inputs upon detection of pen touch inputs.

13. The system of claim 10, where the interface instructions are further executable by the logic subsystem to provide a marker menu which is displayed on the touch-sensitive display screen and which is responsive to hand touch inputs, and where upon detection of pen touch inputs on the touch-sensitive display screen, the interface instructions are further executable by the logic subsystem to permit hand touch operation of the marker menu while dynamically masking a remainder of the touch-sensitive display screen against hand touch inputs.

14. The system of claim 13, where the interface instructions are further configured to enable a user to reposition the marker menu on the touch-sensitive display via touch inputs applied to the marker menu from a hand of the user.

15. A touch-sensitive input and display system, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display screen;

a logic subsystem operatively coupled with the touch-sensitive display screen; and

a data-holding subsystem holding instructions executable by the logic subsystem to;

provide a marker menu which is displayed on the touch-sensitive display screen; and

move the marker menu from a first location to a second location on the touch-sensitive display screen in response to touch inputs applied by a user to the touch-sensitive display screen.

16. The system of claim 15, where the marker menu is configured to enable selection of a selected marking operation to be carried out on the touch-sensitive display screen based upon user inputs, and where the marker menu includes a touch-sensitive actuator operable to cause dynamic modification of the marking operation.

17. The system of claim 16, where the marker menu is a radial touch-select menu.

18. The system of claim 15, where the touch-sensitive display screen is configured to be receptive to both pen touch inputs and hand touch inputs, and where the instructions are further executable by the logic subsystem to dynamically and selective mask regions of the touch-sensitive display screen such that a selected region is permitted to receive one of, while being prohibited from receiving the other of, the pen touch inputs and the hand touch inputs.

19. The system of claim 18, where the instructions are further executable by the logic subsystem to dynamically mask a selected region of the touch-sensitive display screen against hand touch inputs, and where such dynamic masking is performed in response to detection of pen touch inputs, and where the selected region is variable and dependent upon a detected location of the pen touch inputs.

20. The system of claim 18, where upon detection of hand touch inputs on the tough-sensitive display screen, the interface instructions are further executable by the logic subsystem to permit hand touch operation of the marker menu while dynamically masking a remainder of the touch-sensitive display screen against hand touch inputs.