Finger Touch Gesture for Joining and Unjoining Discrete Touch Objects

• US 20110029934A1
• 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, Skinner, Jeffrey E., Dudkowski, Eric Edward
• Granted Patent: US 8,656,314 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/38 for implementing user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An approach is provided to join graphical user interface objects into a group. A request is received at a touch-enabled display screen to join a first graphical user interface object with a second graphical user interface object. The request is from a user of the system. The first and second graphical user interface objects are then associated with each other. The first and second graphical user interface objects are displayed on the touch-enabled display screen adjacent to each other and a visual indicator is also displayed near the objects that indicates that the objects have been joined in a group.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method comprising:

receiving a request to join a first graphical user interface object with a second graphical user interface object, wherein request is received as a gesture that is received at a touch-enabled display screen from a user operating the machine;

associating the first and second graphical user interface objects with each other in response to receiving the request;

displaying, on the touch-enabled display screen, the first and second graphical user interface objects adjacent to each other; and

displaying a visual indicator proximate to the first and second graphical user interface objects that indicates that the first and second graphical user interface objects are in a group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving of the request further comprises:

detecting a single-finger gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object;

detecting a movement of the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface object; and

detecting a holding of the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface objects for a predetermined amount of time.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

displaying a graphical indicator proximate to the first and second graphical user interface objects that indicates that the objects are about to be joined; and

detecting that the user held the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface object for a second period of time after the displaying of the graphical indicator.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving of the request further comprises:

detecting a double-finger gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection and a dragging of the first graphical user interface object to a position adjacent to the second graphical user interface object with a first finger while simultaneously holding the second graphical user interface object with a second finger.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an unjoin request, the unjoin request being to unjoin the first graphical user interface object and the second graphical user interface object, wherein the unjoin request is received at the touch-enabled display screen from the user; and

removing the visual indicator that indicated that the first and second graphical user interface objects were in the group.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the receiving of the unjoin request further comprises:

detecting a single-finger unjoin gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object from within the group; and

detecting a holding of the first graphical user interface object for a predetermined amount of time;

displaying a visual graphical indicator that indicates that the first and second graphical user interface objects are about to be unjoined; and

detecting, after the display of the visual graphical indicator, that the user drags the first graphical user interface object away from the second graphical user interface object.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the receiving of the unjoin request further comprises:

detecting a double-finger unjoin gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object in the group with a first finger and selects the second graphical user interface object with a second finger, and simultaneously moves the first finger away from the second finger.

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 a request to join a first graphical user interface object with a second graphical user interface object, wherein request is received as a gesture that is received at the touch-enabled display screen from a user operating the information handling system;

associating the first and second graphical user interface objects with each other in response to receiving the request;

displaying, on the touch-enabled display screen, the first and second graphical user interface objects adjacent to each other; and

displaying a visual indicator proximate to the first and second graphical user interface objects that indicates that the first and second graphical user interface objects are in a group.

9. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the receiving of the request further includes further actions comprising:

detecting a single-finger gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object;

detecting a movement of the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface object; and

detecting a holding of the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface objects for a predetermined amount of time.

10. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

displaying a graphical indicator proximate to the first and second graphical user interface objects that indicates that the objects are about to be joined; and

detecting that the user held the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface object for a second period of time after the displaying of the graphical indicator.

11. The information handling system of claim 8 wherein the receiving of the request further includes further actions comprising:

detecting a double-finger gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection and a dragging of the first graphical user interface object to a position adjacent to the second graphical user interface object with a first finger while simultaneously holding the second graphical user interface object with a second finger.

12. The information handling system of claim 9 wherein the set of instructions perform further actions comprising:

receiving an unjoin request, the unjoin request being to unjoin the first graphical user interface object and the second graphical user interface object, wherein the unjoin request is received at the touch-enabled display screen from the user; and

removing the visual indicator that indicated that the first and second graphical user interface objects were in the group.

13. The information handling system of claim 12 wherein the receiving of the request further includes further actions comprising:

detecting a single-finger unjoin gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object from within the group; and

detecting a holding of the first graphical user interface object for a predetermined amount of time;

displaying a visual graphical indicator that indicates that the first and second graphical user interface objects are about to be unjoined; and

detecting, after the display of the visual graphical indicator, that the user drags the first graphical user interface object away from the second graphical user interface object.

14. The information handling system of claim 12 wherein the receiving of the request further includes further actions comprising:

detecting a double-finger unjoin gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object in the group with a first finger and selects the second graphical user interface object with a second finger, and simultaneously moves the first finger away from the second finger.

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 a request to join a first graphical user interface object with a second graphical user interface object, wherein request is received as a gesture that is received at a touch-enabled display screen from a user operating the machine;

associating the first and second graphical user interface objects with each other in response to receiving the request;

displaying, on the touch-enabled display screen, the first and second graphical user interface objects adjacent to each other; and

displaying a visual indicator proximate to the first and second graphical user interface objects that indicates that the first and second graphical user interface objects are in a group.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the receiving of the request further includes further actions comprising:

detecting a single-finger gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object;

detecting a movement of the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface object; and

detecting a holding of the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface objects for a predetermined amount of time.

17. The computer program product of claim 16 wherein the actions further comprise:

displaying a graphical indicator proximate to the first and second graphical user interface objects that indicates that the objects are about to be joined; and

detecting that the user held the first graphical user interface object adjacent to the second graphical user interface object for a second period of time after the displaying of the graphical indicator.

18. The computer program product of claim 15 wherein the receiving of the request further includes further actions comprising:

detecting a double-finger gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection and a dragging of the first graphical user interface object to a position adjacent to the second graphical user interface object with a first finger while simultaneously holding the second graphical user interface object with a second finger.

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

receiving an unjoin request, the unjoin request being to unjoin the first graphical user interface object and the second graphical user interface object, wherein the unjoin request is received at the touch-enabled display screen from the user; and

removing the visual indicator that indicated that the first and second graphical user interface objects were in the group.

20. The computer program product of claim 19 wherein the receiving of the request further includes further actions comprising:

detecting a single-finger unjoin gesture on the touch-enabled display screen, the detecting comprising;

detecting a selection of the first graphical user interface object from within the group; and

detecting a holding of the first graphical user interface object for a predetermined amount of time;

displaying a visual graphical indicator that indicates that the first and second graphical user interface objects are about to be unjoined; and

detecting, after the display of the visual graphical indicator, that the user drags the first graphical user interface object away from the second graphical user interface object.