Surfacing Off-Screen Visible Objects

• US 20120131519A1
• Filed: 11/18/2011
• Published: 05/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Application Number:
  US13/300,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20120131519A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computer-implemented user input process for a computing device includes receiving, on a touch pad surface over a graphical display, a user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface, identifying the dragging input motion as originating off an edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed first location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface, and displaying on the graphical display a sliding graphical element that is animated to move from the edge of the display into a body of the display, over a nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the dragging input motion.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented user input process for a computing device, the process comprising:

receiving, on a touch pad surface on a computing device, a user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface, the computing device having a graphical display;

identifying the dragging input motion as originating off an edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed first location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface; and

displaying on the graphical display a sliding graphical element that is animated to move from the edge of the display into a body of the display, over a nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the dragging input motion, wherein in the touch pad surface is separate from the graphical display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising mapping the user input motion received on the touch pad to corresponding points on the graphical display.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sliding graphical element moves in a direction corresponding to the user input motion.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that enters the touch pad surface from a right or left side of the touch pad surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that enters the touch pad surface from a top or bottom side of the touch pad surface.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising computing a vector for the dragging input motion.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance the sliding graphical element moves from the edge of the display into the body of the display corresponds to a length of the user input dragging motion.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the distance the sliding graphical element moves from the edge of the display into the body of the display corresponds to a velocity of the user input dragging motion.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the sliding graphical element displays a first content prior to moving from the edge of the display and a second content after moving into the body of the display.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first content is a sub-set of the second content.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, on the touch pad surface over the graphical display, a second user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface;

identifying the second dragging input motion as originating on the touchpad and terminating off the edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed last location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface; and

displaying on the graphical display a second sliding graphical element that is animated to move to the edge of the display from the body of the display, over a second nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the second dragging input motion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the first and second sliding graphical elements are the same.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first and second nonmoving elements are the same.

14. A computer-implemented user input process for a computing device, the process comprising:

receiving, on a touch pad surface over a graphical display, a user input motion dragging across the touch pad surface;

identifying the dragging input motion as originating on the touchpad and terminating off an edge of the touch pad by identifying a sensed last location for the input motion at a peripheral edge of the touch pad surface; and

displaying on the graphical display a sliding graphical element that is animated to move to the edge of the display from a body of the display, over a nonmoving element on the display, in response to identifying the dragging input motion.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that exits the touch pad surface at a right or left side of the touch pad surface.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving a user input motion comprises receiving an input motion that exits the touch pad surface at a top or bottom side of the touch pad surface.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the sliding graphical element moves in a direction corresponding to the user input motion.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the dragging input motion originates on the touch pad surface in a location on the touch pad surface corresponding to the location of the sliding graphical element on the graphical display.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the sliding graphical element is animated to further move from the edge of the display off the display.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising mapping the user input motion received on the touch pad to corresponding points on the graphical display.

21. A system comprising:

a graphical display on a computing device;

a nonmoving element on the graphical display; and

a sliding graphical element capable of moving from an edge of the graphical display to a body of the graphical display over the nonmoving element in response to an identified dragging input motion that originated off an edge of a touch pad.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein movement of the sliding graphical element is based on mapping user input received on a touchpad.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein movement of the sliding graphical element corresponds to a user input motion.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein movement of the sliding graphical element further corresponds to one of a length of the user input motion and a velocity of the user input motion.

25. The system of claim 21, further comprising a first content displayed by the sliding graphical element when the sliding graphical element is in a first position located near the edge of the display.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising a second content displayed by the sliding graphical element when the sliding graphical element is in a second position located in the body of the display.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein a size associated with the second content is greater than a size associated with the first content.