Target Region for Removing Icons from Dock

• US 20120185789A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Louch, John O.
• Granted Patent: US 9,501,217 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/769
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Providing a mechanism for removal of icons from a dock in response to user input is disclosed. A dock is generated for display in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented. An input is received for selecting an icon presented in the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface. A visual indicator of a particular distance to drag the icon before the icon will be removed from the dock is generated for display. A second input for releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface is received. The icon is removed from the dock if a distance between the second position and the original position is within a predefined range of the particular distance.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processes executing on a computer system, the method comprising:

generating for display a dock in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented;

receiving a first input for selecting an icon presented in the dock in order to drag the icon from the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface;

generating for display a visual indicator of a particular distance to drag the icon before the icon will be removed from the dock;

receiving a second input for releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface; and

removing the icon from the dock if a distance between the second position and the original position is within a predefined range of the particular distance.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising returning the icon to the dock if the distance between the second position and the original position is not within the predefined range of the particular distance.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the visual indicator for display includes generating for display a target region of the user interface in which to drop the icon in order to remove the icon from the dock.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the target region of the user interface is represented by a trash can icon.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the particular distance to drag the icon is defined by a virtual boundary, and wherein the icon is removed from the dock if the icon is dragged across the virtual boundary.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving the first input includes receiving an input for dragging the icon at an initial rate of movement.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising displaying movement of the icon at a rate of movement slower than the initial rate of movement within a predefined area surrounding the original location of the icon and displaying movement of the icon at the initial rate of movement if the icon is dragged outside the predefined area.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein dragging the icon is associated with displaying movement of the icon from the original position along a trajectory corresponding to a path traversed by a pointer in the user interface.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising altering a visual appearance of the icon while the icon is being dragged by the pointer.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising returning the visual appearance of the icon to an original appearance of the icon if the icon is returned to the original position.

11. A computer program product tangibly embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program product including instructions that, when executed, generate on a display device a graphical user interface for presenting graphical objects and perform the following operations:

generating for display a dock in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented;

receiving a first input for selecting an icon presented in the dock in order to drag the icon from the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface;

generating for display a visual indicator of a particular distance to drag the icon before the icon will be removed from the dock;

receiving a second input for releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface; and

removing the icon from the dock if a distance between the second position and the original position is within a predefined range of the particular distance.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the instructions further performing returning the icon to the dock if the distance between the second position and the original position is not within the predefined range of the particular distance.

13. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein generating the visual indicator for display includes generating for display a target region of the user interface in which to drop the icon in order to remove the icon from the dock.

14. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein the particular distance to drag the icon is defined by a virtual boundary, and wherein the icon is removed from the dock if the icon is dragged across the virtual boundary.

15. The computer program product of claim 11 wherein receiving the first input includes receiving an input for dragging the icon at an initial rate of movement.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, the instructions further performing displaying movement of the icon at a rate of movement slower than the initial rate of movement within a predefined area surrounding the original location of the icon and displaying movement of the icon at the initial rate of movement if the icon is dragged outside the predefined area.

17. A system comprising:

a display device;

a computing device in communication with the display device, wherein the computing device is configured to perform at least the following;

generate for display a dock in a user interface, the dock comprising a region of the user interface in which one or more icons are presented;

receive a first input for selecting an icon presented in the dock in order to drag the icon from the dock, the icon associated with an original position in the user interface;

generate for display a visual indicator of a particular distance to drag the icon before the icon will be removed from the dock;

receive a second input for releasing the icon at a second position in the user interface; and

remove the icon from the dock if a distance between the second position and the original position is within a predefined range of the particular distance.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein the computing device is further configured to return the icon to the dock if the distance between the second position and the original position is not within the predefined range of the particular distance.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein generating the visual indicator for display includes generating for display a target region of the user interface in which to drop the icon in order to remove the icon from the dock.

20. The system of claim 17 wherein the particular distance to drag the icon is defined by a virtual boundary, and wherein the icon is removed from the dock if the icon is dragged across the virtual boundary.