GLYPH ENTRY ON COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20100262905A1
• Filed: 04/10/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Li, Yang
• Granted Patent: US 8,819,597 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computer-implemented user interface method is disclosed. The method includes displaying on a touchscreen of a computing device a first sub-portion of a list of items, receiving from a user of the device an drawn input on the touchscreen, correlating the drawn input to an alphanumeric character, and automatically displaying a second sub-portion of the list having one or more entries whose first character correlates to the alphanumeric character.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented user interface method, comprising:

displaying on a touchscreen of a computing device a first sub-portion of a list of items;

receiving from a user of the device an drawn input on the touchscreen;

correlating the drawn input to an alphanumeric character; and

automatically displaying a second sub-portion of the list having one or more entries whose first character correlates to the alphanumeric character.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising distinguishing a scrolling input for the list from an entry of an alphanumeric character.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein distinguishing the scrolling input from the entry of the alphanumeric character comprises identifying a bounding box for an entry of a portion of the alphanumeric character.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the drawn input on the touchscreen comprises receiving the drawn input on top of the sub-portion of the list of items.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the list of items comprises an alphabetical list of items, and displaying the second sub-portion of the list comprises displaying a first alphabetical entry starting with the first character at a top edge of a display area in which the list is displayed.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing to the user a visual or audible failure indicator if the drawn input is not recognized as an alphanumeric character.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the failure indicator comprises displaying the drawn input in a color that contrasts with a color in which the drawn input was previously displayed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the drawn input is defined by a pointer contact with the touchscreen followed by a pointer release from the touchscreen, and a pointer path traced on the touchscreen between the pointer contact and the pointer release.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, before displaying the first sub-portion of the list of items, receiving from the user a tracing of a glyph on the touchscreen, determining that the received glyph corresponds to the list of items, and displaying the first subportion of the list of items in response to receipt of the glyph.

10. A computer-implemented user interface method, comprising:

displaying on a touchscreen of a computing device content from an operating system or application operating on the device;

receiving from a user of the device an drawn input on the touchscreen over the content from the operating system or application, wherein the drawn input is not correlated to the content from the operating system or application;

identifying a user-defined glyph associated with the drawn input; and

automatically displaying on the touchscreen, in response to identifying the user-defined glyph, one or more user-defined interface elements that corresponds to the user-defined glyph.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein displaying the one or more user-defined interface elements comprises launching an application associated with the user-defined glyph.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising identifying a plurality of results corresponding to the user-defined glyph, and requesting the user to select one of the plurality of results, wherein the selected result generates the one or more user-defined interface elements.

13. An article comprising a computer-readable data storage medium storing program code operable to cause one or more machines to perform operations, the operations comprising:

displaying on a touchscreen of a computing device a first sub-portion of a list of items;

receiving from a user of the device an drawn input on the touchscreen;

correlating the drawn input to an alphanumeric character; and

automatically displaying a second sub-portion of the list having one or more entries whose first character correlates to the alphanumeric character.

14. The article of claim 13, further comprising program code to cause the one or more machines to per operations that further comprise distinguishing a scrolling input for the list from an entry of an alphanumeric character.

15. The article of claim 13, wherein the list of items comprises an alphabetical list of items, and displaying the second sub-portion of the list comprises displaying a first alphabetical entry starting with the first character at a top edge of a display area in which the list is displayed.

16. The article of claim 13, wherein the drawn input is defined by a pointer contact with the touchscreen followed by a pointer release from the touchscreen, and a pointer path traced on the touchscreen between the pointer contact and the pointer release.

17. The article of claim 13, further comprising program code to cause the one or more machines to per operations that further comprise, before displaying the first sub-portion of the list of items, receiving from the user a tracing of a glyph on the touchscreen, determining that the received glyph corresponds to the list of items, and displaying the first subportion of the list of items in response to receipt of the glyph.

18. A computer-implemented user interface system, comprising:

a graphical display to present portions of a graphical user interface showing objects designated by alphanumeric titles;

a glyph interpreter to receive user traces on the graphical display and to identify a glyph corresponding to a received user trace; and

a drawn user input controller programmed to display new content on the graphical display that has been previously identified as corresponding to the identified glyph.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the objects designated by alphanumeric titles are part of a sorted list of objects, and new content comprises one or more entries in the list that begin with a character that matches the identified glyph.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the drawn user input controller is programmed to distinguish a scrolling input from a user drawing input, and to identify a glyph only if the input is determined to be a user drawing input.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the drawn user input controller is further programmed to receive a drawn glyph from a user and to cause a correlation to be formed between the drawn glyph and an object identified by the user so that future user entry of the drawn glyph causes the object identified by the user to be addressed by the system.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein the drawn user input controller is programmed to identify drawn input that is received over an active application, without a visible input area, on the graphical display.

23. A computer-implemented user interface system, comprising:

a graphical display to present portions of a graphical user interface showing objects designated by alphanumeric titles;

a glyph interpreter to receive user traces on the graphical display and to identify a glyph corresponding to a received user trace; and

means for displaying one of the objects in response to reception of a glyph on the graphical display, wherein the displayed object is correlated with the identified glyph.