Virtual Drafting Tools

• US 20110175821A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: King, Nicholas V.
• Granted Patent: US 8,487,889 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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

Abstract

Techniques for using virtual tools are disclosed. In one aspect, a user interface is presented. A first touch input including touch inputs at two or more locations is received, and a virtual tool corresponding to the relative positions of the two or more locations is identified. A second touch input interacting with the virtual tool is received, and a graphical object corresponding to the identified virtual tool and the second touch input is presented. In another aspect, an input activating a drafting mode of a device is received, and a drafting user interface is presented. A second touch input including touch inputs at two or more locations is received, and a third touch input is received. A graphical object corresponding to the third touch input and a virtual drafting tool corresponding to the second touch input is generated and presented.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

presenting a user interface on a display of a device;

receiving first touch input including inputs at two or more locations;

identifying a virtual tool corresponding to relative positions of the two or more locations;

receiving second touch input interacting with the virtual tool; and

presenting a graphical object in the user interface, the graphical object corresponding to the identified virtual tool and the second touch input.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving third touch input corresponding to a modification of the first input; and

modifying the presented graphical object in response to the third touch input.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting a visual representation of the virtual tool.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising modifying the visual representation of the virtual tool in response to received touch input.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual tool is further identified based on a number of inputs included in the first input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying a virtual tool comprises comparing the relative positions of the two or more locations to stored data defining virtual tools, and identifying the virtual tool having the best-matching stored data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input is received while the first input is received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input is received after the first input is received.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input includes a gesture input.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second input includes a gesture input.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second touch input corresponds to an input received from one or more fingers of a user, the method further comprising determining a thickness of one or more lines for the graphical object according to a physical distance between the fingers of the user and the device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the second touch input corresponds to an input received from one or more fingers of a user, the method further comprising determining whether the graphical object is a draft graphical object or a final graphical object according to a physical distance between the fingers of the user and the device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified virtual drafting tool is one of a ruler, a t-square, a protractor, a compass, or a stencil.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical object is one of a line, a shape, or an object.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the first and second inputs are received through the user interface of the device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical object corresponds to a stored functionality for the identified virtual tool.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first input corresponds to one or more touch input events and the second input corresponds to one or more touch input events.

18. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving first touch input activating a drafting mode of a device;

presenting a drafting user interface in response to the first touch input;

receiving a second touch input including inputs at two or more locations, and receiving a third touch input;

generating a graphical object corresponding to the third touch input and a virtual drafting tool corresponding to a relationship between the two or more locations of the second touch input; and

presenting the graphical object in the drafting user interface.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising identifying the virtual drafting tool by comparing the relative positions to stored data defining virtual tools and identifying the virtual tool having the best-matching stored data.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the third touch input includes gesture input.

21. An apparatus comprising:

a display;

one or more processors; and

a computer storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

presenting a user interface on the display;

receiving first touch input including inputs at two or more locations;

identifying a virtual tool corresponding to relative positions of the two or more locations;

receiving second touch input interacting with the virtual tool; and

presenting a graphical object in the user interface, the graphical object corresponding to the identified virtual tool and the second touch input.

22. An apparatus comprising:

a display;

one or more processors; and

a computer storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving first input activating a drafting mode of the apparatus;

presenting a drafting user interface in response to the first input;

receiving a second touch input including inputs at two or more locations;

receiving a third touch input while the second input is being received;

identifying a virtual tool corresponding to a relationship between the two or more locations of the second touch input; and

generating a graphical object corresponding to the third touch input and a functionality of the identified virtual tool.

23. A computer storage medium storing instructions, that when executed by data processing apparatus, cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving first input activating a drafting mode of a device;

presenting a drafting user interface in response to the first touch input;

receiving a second touch input including inputs at two or more locations, and receiving a third touch input;

generating a graphical object corresponding to the third touch input and a virtual drafting tool corresponding to relative positions of the two or more locations of the second touch input; and

presenting the graphical object in the drafting user interface.