Multi-Finger Gestures

• US 20110209088A1
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Yatani, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,965,165 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Bezel gestures for touch displays are described. In at least some embodiments, the bezel of a device is used to extend functionality that is accessible through the use of so-called bezel gestures. In at least some embodiments, off-screen motion can be used, by virtue of the bezel, to create screen input through a bezel gesture. Bezel gestures can include single-finger bezel gestures, multiple-finger/same-hand bezel gestures, and/or multiple-finger, different-hand bezel gestures.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a multiple-finger, bezel gesture input;

ascertaining a functionality associated with the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input; and

accessing the ascertained functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein different numbers of fingers of the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input are mapped to different respective functionalities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein different respective spacings between multiple fingers of the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input are associated with different functionalities.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertained functionality is associated with an exposable drawer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertained functionality is associated with an exposable drawer, and wherein the receiving is performed relative to a computing device having a display device with multiple edges, wherein at least two of the edges have exposable drawers that are exposable via the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertained functionality is associated with an exposable drawer, wherein different numbers of fingers of the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input can be utilized to access different respective drawers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed relative to a visual affordance associated with an exposable bezel menu.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed relative to a visual affordance associated with an exposable bezel menu that can be extended into a drawer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed relative to a visual affordance associated with an exposable bezel menu that can be extended into a drawer, and wherein the bezel menu is configured to be customized using contents from the drawer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed relative to a visual affordance associated with an exposable bezel menu that can be extended into a drawer, and wherein the bezel menu is configured to be customized using contents from the drawer, and wherein customization of the bezel menu can be performed via drag and drop operations in which contents from the drawer can be dragged and dropped onto slots of the bezel menu.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertained functionality is associated with a page manipulation operation.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input is received relative to different edges of the bezel.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input is received relative to a common edge of the bezel.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the multiple-finger, bezel gesture input utilizes at least one finger on each hand of a user.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed by a computing device having multiple screens.

16. One or more computer readable storage media embodying computer readable instructions which, when executed, implement a method comprising:

receiving a bezel gesture input;

ascertaining a functionality associated with the bezel gesture input; and

responsive to ascertaining the functionality, exposing one or more drawers for a user.

17. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the receiving is performed relative to a computing device having a display device with multiple edges, wherein at least two of the edges have exposable drawers that are exposable via the bezel gesture input.

18. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the receiving is performed relative to a visual affordance associated with an exposable bezel menu.

19. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the receiving is performed relative to a visual affordance associated with an exposable bezel menu that can be extended into at least one of the one or more drawers.

20. The one or more computer readable storage media of claim 16, wherein the receiving is performed by a computing device having multiple screens.