GESTURE-BASED MENU CONTROLS

• US 20120192108A1
• Filed: 09/30/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kolb, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/250,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20120192108A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In one example, a method includes receiving a first user input comprising a first motion gesture from a first location of the presence-sensitive screen to a second, different location of the presence-sensitive screen, wherein the first location is substantially at a boundary of a presence-sensing region and a non-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen. The method also includes, responsive to receiving the first user input, displaying a group of graphical menu elements positioned substantially radially outward from the second location. The method further includes receiving a second user input to select at least one graphical menu element based on a second motion gesture provided at a third location of the presence-sensing region. The method also includes, responsive to receiving the second user input, determining an input operation, wherein the input operation executes a operation associated with the selected at least one graphical menu element.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a presence-sensitive screen of a mobile computing device, a first user input comprising a first motion gesture from a first location of the presence-sensitive screen to a second, different location of the presence-sensitive screen, wherein the first motion gesture comprises a first motion of at least one input unit at or near a presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, wherein;

the first location is substantially at a boundary of the presence-sensing region and a non-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen,

the second location is in the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, and

the mobile computing device only detects input received at the presence-sensing region and substantially at the boundary;

responsive to receiving the first user input, displaying, at the presence-sensitive screen, a group of graphical menu elements positioned substantially radially outward from the second location, wherein the group of graphical menu elements are positioned within the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen;

in response to removal of the at least one input unit from the presence-sensitive screen such that the at least one input unit is no longer detectable at the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, removing from display, by the mobile computing device, the group of graphical menu elements;

receiving a second user input at the presence-sensitive screen to select at least one graphical menu element of the group of graphical menu elements, wherein the second user input comprises a second motion gesture provided at a third location of the presence-sensing region, wherein the third location is associated with the at least one graphical menu element;

responsive to receiving the second user input, determining, by the mobile computing device, an input operation associated with the second user input and

performing, by the mobile computing device, the determined input operation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first motion gesture comprises a swipe gesture,

the first location and the second location are substantially parallel, and

the first motion of the at least one input unit comprises a substantially parallel path from the first location to the second location.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the substantially parallel path comprises a horizontal or a vertical path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of graphical menu elements are associated with one or more operations of a web browser application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second motion gesture comprises a second motion of the at least one input unit at or near the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second motion gesture comprises a long-press or a double-tap gesture.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the group of graphical menu elements comprises a wedge or sector shape.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the group of graphical menu elements is not initiated responsive to a selection of one or more icons displayed by the presence-sensitive screen.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein no graphical menu elements of the group of graphical menu elements are displayed prior to receiving the first user input.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the boundary of the presence-sensing region and the non-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen comprises a perimeter area, wherein the perimeter area comprises an area that encloses the presence-sensing region.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the presence-sensitive screen comprises a touch-sensitive screen.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of menu elements is arranged in a substantially semi-circular shape.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, at the presence-sensitive screen and concentrically adjacent to the group of graphical menu elements, a second group of graphical menu elements positioned substantially radially outward from the second location,

wherein a first distance between a first graphical menu element of the group of graphical menu elements and the second location is less than a second distance between a second graphical menu element of the second group of graphical menu elements and the second location.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the group of graphical menu elements and the second group of graphical menu elements are each displayed responsive to the first user input.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

selecting, by the computing device, a statistic that indicates a number of occurrences that a first operation and a second operation are selected by a user;

determining, by the computing device, that the first operation is selected more frequently than the second operation based on the statistic; and

responsive to determining the first operation is selected more frequently than the second operation, associating, by the computing device, the first operation with the first graphical menu element and associating the second operation with the second graphical menu element.

2-3. -3. (canceled)

18. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a presence-sensitive screen of a mobile computing device, a first user input comprising a first motion gesture from a first location of the presence-sensitive screen to a second, different location of the presence-sensitive screen, wherein the first motion gesture comprises a first motion of at least one input unit at or near a presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, wherein;

the first location is substantially at a boundary of the presence-sensing region and a non-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen,

the second location is in the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, and

the mobile computing device only detects input received at the presence-sensing region and substantially at the boundary;

responsive to receiving the first user input, displaying, at the presence-sensitive screen, a group of graphical menu elements positioned substantially radially outward from the second location, wherein the group of graphical menu elements are positioned within the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen;

in response to removal of the at least one input unit from the presence-sensitive screen such that the at least one input unit is no longer detectable at the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, removing from display, by the mobile computing device, the group of graphical menu elements;

receiving a second user input at the presence-sensitive screen to select at least one graphical menu element of the group of graphical menu elements, wherein the second user input comprises a second motion gesture provided at a third location of the presence-sensing region, wherein the third location is associated with the at least one graphical menu element;

responsive to receiving the second user input, determining, by the mobile computing device, an input operation associated with the second user input and

performing, by the mobile computing device, the determined input operation.

19. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors;

an input device configured to receive a first user input comprising a first motion gesture from a first location of the presence-sensitive screen to a second, different location of the presence-sensitive screen, wherein the first motion gesture comprises a first motion of at least one input unit at or near a presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen;

an input module executable by the one or more processors and configured to determine the first location is substantially at a boundary of the presence-sensing region and a non-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, the second location is in the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, and the mobile computing device only detects input received at the presence-sensing region and substantially at the boundary;

a presence-sensitive screen configured to, responsive to receiving the first user input, display, at the presence-sensitive screen, a group of graphical menu elements positioned substantially radially outward from the second location, wherein the group of graphical menu elements is positioned within the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen,

wherein in response to removal of the at least one input unit from the presence-sensitive screen such that the at least one input unit is no longer detectable at the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen, the input module is configured to remove from display, by the mobile computing device, the group of graphical menu elements; and

wherein, the input device is further configured to receive a second user input at the presence-sensitive screen to select at least one graphical menu element of the group of graphical menu elements, wherein the second user input comprises a second motion gesture provided at a third location of the presence-sensing region, wherein the third location is associated with the at least one graphical menu element;

in response to a second user input being received at the presence-sensitive screen, the input module is configured to determine an input operation associated with the second user input; and

wherein the input module is configured to perform the determined input operation.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the first motion gesture from the first location of the presence-sensitive screen to the second location comprises a first motion of at least one input unit at or near the presence-sensing region of the presence-sensitive screen.