Emulating Fundamental Forces of Physics on a Virtual, Touchable Object

• US 20110029927A1
• Filed: 07/30/2009
• Published: 02/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo PC International Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Stewart, Aaron Michael, Smith, Adam Miles, Locker, Howard, Lietzke, Matthew P., VanBlon, Russell Speight, Humphrey, Timothy, Skinner, Jeffrey E., Dudkowski, Eric Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,762,886 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

An approach is provided that receives a gesture from a user with the gesture being directed at a graphical user interface element. The gesture is received by the user at a touch-enabled display screen. Emulated physics properties are retrieved that correspond to the selected graphical user interface element. The system detects a speed and a direction from the received gesture and, based on this information, determines an initial trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element. The initial trajectory is adjusted based on the retrieved emulated physics properties with the movement of the element being rendered on the display screen based upon the adjusted trajectory.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a user, a gesture directed at a graphical user interface element selected from a plurality of graphical user interface elements, wherein the gesture is received at a touch-enabled display screen;

retrieving one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element;

detecting a speed and a direction from the received gesture;

determining an initial trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on the detected speed and direction;

adjusting the initial trajectory based on the retrieved emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element; and

rendering a movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received gesture is a flick gesture, and wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a second graphical user interface element based on the identified second graphical user interface element'"'"'s proximity to the movement of the selected graphical user interface element using the initial trajectory;

retrieving one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the identified second graphical user interface element;

calculating an adjusted trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on an interaction between the selected graphical user interface element'"'"'s emulated physics properties; and

rendering the movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

prior to receiving the gesture from the user;

assigning each of the plurality of graphical user interface elements into a plurality of categories, wherein each of the categories includes one or more emulated physics attributes that are inherited by each of the graphical user interface elements assigned to the category.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying a collision between the selected graphical user interface element and a second graphical user interface element;

adjusting the initial trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on the identified collision;

rendering the movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory so that it appears that the selected graphical user interface element bounces off of the second graphical user interface element; and

determining a second trajectory of the second graphical user interface element based on the initial trajectory at the time of the collision; and

rendering a second movement of the second graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen using the second trajectory so that it appears that it was hit in a general direction of the initial trajectory by the selected graphical user interface element.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

retrieving one or more emulated surface properties of the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element; and

calculating a collision interaction between the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element based upon one or more of the group consisting of the retrieved emulated surface properties of the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element;

wherein the adjustment of the initial trajectory and the determined second trajectory are based upon the calculated collision interaction.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

calculating that the initial trajectory has stopped moving the selected graphical user interface element after a period of time;

rendering the selected graphical user interface element so that it appears that the graphical user interface element is not moving after the period of time elapses;

receiving, from the user, a drag gesture directed at the graphical user interface element, wherein the drag gesture is received at the touch-enabled display screen;

retrieving an emulated friction property and an emulated mass from the one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element;

calculating a second movement of the selected graphical user interface element as it is being dragged by the user'"'"'s drag gesture based upon the emulated friction property and the emulated mass of the selected graphical user interface element; and

rendering the second movement of the selected graphical user interface element so that it appears that the selected graphical user interface element is being dragged on a surface with the emulated friction property and that the graphical user interface element is the emulated mass.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the emulated physics properties include an emulated friction property, an emulated mass, and an emulated magnetic attraction property.

8. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors;

a memory accessible by at least one of the processors;

a touch-enabled display screen accessible by one or more of the processors; and

a set of instructions stored in the memory and executed by at least one of the processors in order to perform actions of;

receiving, from a user, a gesture directed at a graphical user interface element selected from a plurality of graphical user interface elements, wherein the gesture is received at the touch-enabled display screen;

retrieving one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element;

detecting a speed and a direction from the received gesture;

determining an initial trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on the detected speed and direction;

adjusting the initial trajectory based on the retrieved emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element; and

rendering a movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory.

9. The information handling system of claim 8, wherein the received gesture is a flick gesture, and wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

identifying a second graphical user interface element based on the identified second graphical user interface element'"'"'s proximity to the movement of the selected graphical user interface element using the initial trajectory;

retrieving one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the identified second graphical user interface element;

calculating an adjusted trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on an interaction between the selected graphical user interface element'"'"'s emulated physics properties; and

rendering the movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory.

10. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

prior to receiving the gesture from the user;

assigning each of the plurality of graphical user interface elements into a plurality of categories, wherein each of the categories includes one or more emulated physics attributes that are inherited by each of the graphical user interface elements assigned to the category.

11. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

identifying a collision between the selected graphical user interface element and a second graphical user interface element;

adjusting the initial trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on the identified collision;

rendering the movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory so that it appears that the selected graphical user interface element bounces off of the second graphical user interface element; and

determining a second trajectory of the second graphical user interface element based on the initial trajectory at the time of the collision; and

rendering a second movement of the second graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen using the second trajectory so that it appears that it was hit in a general direction of the initial trajectory by the selected graphical user interface element.

12. The information handling system of claim 11 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

retrieving one or more emulated surface properties of the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element; and

calculating a collision interaction between the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element based upon one or more of the group consisting of the retrieved emulated surface properties of the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element;

wherein the adjustment of the initial trajectory and the determined second trajectory are based upon the calculated collision interaction.

13. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

calculating that the initial trajectory has stopped moving the selected graphical user interface element after a period of time;

rendering the selected graphical user interface element so that it appears that the graphical user interface element is not moving after the period of time elapses;

receiving, from the user, a drag gesture directed at the graphical user interface element, wherein the drag gesture is received at the touch-enabled display screen;

retrieving an emulated friction property and an emulated mass from the one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element;

calculating a second movement of the selected graphical user interface element as it is being dragged by the user'"'"'s drag gesture based upon the emulated friction property and the emulated mass of the selected graphical user interface element; and

rendering the second movement of the selected graphical user interface element so that it appears that the selected graphical user interface element is being dragged on a surface with the emulated friction property and that the graphical user interface element is the emulated mass.

14. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the emulated physics properties include an emulated friction property, an emulated mass, and an emulated magnetic attraction property.

15. A computer program product stored in a computer readable medium, comprising functional descriptive material that, when executed by an information handling system, causes the information handling system to perform actions comprising:

receiving, from a user, a gesture directed at a graphical user interface element selected from a plurality of graphical user interface elements, wherein the gesture is received at a touch-enabled display screen;

retrieving one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element;

detecting a speed and a direction from the received gesture;

determining an initial trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on the detected speed and direction;

adjusting the initial trajectory based on the retrieved emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element; and

rendering a movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the received gesture is a flick gesture, and wherein the actions further comprise:

identifying a second graphical user interface element based on the identified second graphical user interface element'"'"'s proximity to the movement of the selected graphical user interface element using the initial trajectory;

retrieving one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the identified second graphical user interface element;

calculating an adjusted trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on an interaction between the selected graphical user interface element'"'"'s emulated physics properties; and

rendering the movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the actions further comprise:

prior to receiving the gesture from the user;

assigning each of the plurality of graphical user interface elements into a plurality of categories, wherein each of the categories includes one or more emulated physics attributes that are inherited by each of the graphical user interface elements assigned to the category.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the actions further comprise:

identifying a collision between the selected graphical user interface element and a second graphical user interface element;

adjusting the initial trajectory of the selected graphical user interface element based on the identified collision;

rendering the movement of the selected graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen based upon the adjusted initial trajectory so that it appears that the selected graphical user interface element bounces off of the second graphical user interface element; and

determining a second trajectory of the second graphical user interface element based on the initial trajectory at the time of the collision; and

rendering a second movement of the second graphical user interface element on the touch-enabled display screen using the second trajectory so that it appears that it was hit in a general direction of the initial trajectory by the selected graphical user interface element.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein the actions further comprise:

retrieving one or more emulated surface properties of the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element; and

calculating a collision interaction between the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element based upon one or more of the group consisting of the retrieved emulated surface properties of the selected graphical user interface element and the second graphical user interface element;

wherein the adjustment of the initial trajectory and the determined second trajectory are based upon the calculated collision interaction.

20. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the actions further comprise:

calculating that the initial trajectory has stopped moving the selected graphical user interface element after a period of time;

rendering the selected graphical user interface element so that it appears that the graphical user interface element is not moving after the period of time elapses;

receiving, from the user, a drag gesture directed at the graphical user interface element, wherein the drag gesture is received at the touch-enabled display screen;

retrieving an emulated friction property and an emulated mass from the one or more emulated physics properties corresponding to the selected graphical user interface element;

calculating a second movement of the selected graphical user interface element as it is being dragged by the user'"'"'s drag gesture based upon the emulated friction property and the emulated mass of the selected graphical user interface element; and

rendering the second movement of the selected graphical user interface element so that it appears that the selected graphical user interface element is being dragged on a surface with the emulated friction property and that the graphical user interface element is the emulated mass.