DETECTING GESTURES INVOLVING INTENTIONAL MOVEMENT OF A COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20120154293A1
• Filed: 12/17/2010
• Published: 06/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Pahud, Michel, Shen, Wenqi
• Granted Patent: US 8,994,646 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04162 for exchanging data with external devices, e.g. smart pens, via the digitiser sensing hardware
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/724 User interfaces specially adapted for cordless or mobile telephones
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector

Abstract

A computing device is described herein which accommodates gestures that involve intentional movement of the computing device, either by establishing an orientation of the computing device and/or by dynamically moving the computing device, or both. The gestures may also be accompanied by contact with a display surface (or other part) of the computing device. For example, the user may establish contact with the display surface via a touch input mechanism and/or a pen input mechanism and then move the computing device in a prescribed manner.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

plural input mechanisms, including;

at least one contact-type input mechanism for providing at least one contact input event that indicates contact with the computing device; and

at least one movement-type input mechanism for providing at least one movement input event that indicate one or more of orientation and motion of the computing device; and

an interpretation and behavior selection module (IBSM) for receiving said at least one contact input event and said at least one movement input event, the IBSM being configured to use said at least one contact input event and said at least one movement input event to detect a gesture that involves intentional movement of the computing device in a prescribed manner,

the IBSM enabling behavior to be executed that is associated with the gesture, the behavior resulting at least in visual manipulation of content presented by the computing device.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the computing device is a handheld computing device.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein said at least one contact-type input mechanism comprises a touch input mechanism for sensing contact of a hand with a display surface of the computing device.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein said at least one movement-type input mechanism comprises one or more of an accelerometer and a gyro device.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the IBSM is configured to detect the gesture when the intentional movement of the computing device is performed in conjunction with contact with the content that is presented on a display surface of the computing device.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the intentional movement of the computing device in the prescribed manner involves rotation of the computing device.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein an angle of the rotation, with respect to an initial angle of the computing device, defines a manner in which the behavior is executed.

8. The computing device of claim 6, wherein a rate at which the rotation is performed defines a manner in which the behavior is executed.

9. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the behavior is a zooming operation performed on the content.

10. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the behavior is a scrolling action performed on the content.

11. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the rotation comprises a flipping action with respect to at least one axis, and wherein the behavior that is executed comprises moving the content on a display surface of the computing device, to reveal underlying content.

12. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the rotation comprises a flipping action with respect to at least one axis, and wherein the behavior that is executed comprises rotating the content on a display surface of the computing device.

13. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the rotation comprises a flipping action with respect to at least one axis, and wherein the content is at least one page, and wherein the behavior that is executed comprises flipping said at least one page.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein said at least one contact input event indicates placement of a finger at a bookmark location, and wherein said flipping of said at least one page is performed relative to the bookmark location.

15. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the intentional movement of the computing device in a prescribed manner involves establishing a degree of rotation between two device parts of the computing device.

16. A method for controlling a computing device in response to an intentional movement of the computing device, comprising:

receiving at least one contact input event from at least one touch input mechanism in response to establishing a contact point on a surface of the computing device in a prescribed manner;

receiving at least one movement input event from at least one movement-type input mechanism in response to rotation of the computing device in a prescribed manner; and

detecting a gesture associated with said at least one contact input event and the intentional movement, the gesture instructing the computing device to enable or disable rotation of content presented on the computing device during the rotation of the computing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the contact point is established on a display surface of the computing device.

18. A computer readable medium for storing computer readable instructions, the computer readable instructions providing an interpretation and behavior selection module (IBSM) when executed by one or more processing devices, the computer readable instructions comprising:

logic configured to receive at least one contact input event from one or more touch input mechanisms in response to contact with content presented on a display surface of the computing device in a prescribed manner;

logic configured to receive said at least one movement input event from one or more movement-type input mechanisms in response to an intentional rotation of the computing device about at least one axis;

logic configured to detect a gesture associated with the contact with the display surface and the intentional rotation; and

logic configured to execute a behavior associated with the gesture which modifies a zoom level of the content.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein a point of contact established by said at least one contact input event defines a location at which zooming occurs.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein an angle of the rotation, with respect to an initial angle of the computing device, defines a manner in which the behavior is executed.