Input Device User Interface Enhancements

• US 20120235912A1
• Filed: 03/18/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellitact LLC
• Original Assignee: Intellitact LLC
• Inventors: Laubach, Kevin
• Granted Patent: US 9,195,321 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/163
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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: G06F 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04897 Special input arrangements or commands for improving display capability
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/08 Cursor circuits

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a device, method, system, computer program product and user interface for pointer movement analysis with modal continuous controller conversion. Specifically, some embodiments adapt movements issued from a mouse input device, trackpad, or touchscreen to adjust a position of a UI element. Some embodiments analyze a first set of movements and adapt a subsequent second set of movements to adjust the position of the UI element within a range of UI element positions when the first set of movements satisfies a movement threshold. The movement threshold includes a spiral pattern. In some embodiments, adjusting the position of the UI element includes performing scrolling within a scroll area based on the second set of movements when the first set of movements satisfies the spiral pattern.

Claims

1. A method for adapting movements issued from an input device comprising at least one of a mouse, trackpad, and touchscreen to adjust a position of a UI element within a range of UI element positions, the method comprising:

analyzing a first set of movements that are output from the input device;

adjusting a position of the UI element within the range of UI element positions based on a second set of movements that are output from the input device after the first set of movements when the first set of movements satisfies a defined movement pattern; and

moving a pointer within a graphical user interface (GUI) according to the first set of movements when said first set of movements do not satisfy the defined movement pattern.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the defined movement pattern is a spiral pattern that is satisfied when the first set of movements produces a spiral pattern of movements.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising adjusting the position of the UI element within the range of UI element positions in a first direction when the spiral pattern of movements produced by the first set of movements is clockwise and adjusting the position of the UI element within the range of UI element positions in a second direction that is opposite to the first direction when the spiral pattern of movements produced by the first set of movements is counter-clockwise.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising computing a size of the spiral pattern of movements when the first set of movements satisfies the defined movement pattern.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising, based on the computed size of the spiral pattern, adjusting an amount with which each movement of the second set of movements adjusts the position of the UI element.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the UI element is a position indicator, the range of UI element positions defines a range of the position indicator, and the position of the UI element is a current position within the position indicator.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the UI element is a scrollbar, the range of UI element positions defines a scrollable range of the scroll bar, and the position of the UI element is a current position within the scroll bar.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the UI element is a graphical slider, the range of UI element positions defines a range of the graphical slider, and the position of the UI element is a current position within the graphical slider.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising ceasing the adjustment of the position of the UI element when a subset of movements from the second set of movements deviates from the defined movement pattern.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising moving the pointer within the GUI according to said second set of movements when said first set of movements do not satisfy the defined movement pattern.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising not moving the pointer within the GUI according to said second set of movements when said first set of movements satisfy the defined movement pattern.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising changing the pointer to a directional indicator to indicate a direction with which a position of the UI element is to be adjusted when the first set of movements satisfy the defined movement pattern.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the UI element is a UI element of a first application, wherein adjusting the position of the UI element based on the second set of movements comprises (i) adjusting the position of the UI element of the first application based on the second set of movements when the pointer is over the first application and (ii) adjusting a position of a UI element of a second application based on the second set of movements when the pointer is over the second application.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the UI element is a first UI element of a particular application that comprises the first UI element and a second UI element, wherein adjusting the position of the UI element based on the second set of movements comprises (i) adjusting the position of the first UI element of the particular application based on the second set of movements when the pointer is over the first UI element and (ii) adjusting a position of a second UI element of the particular application based on the second set of movements when the pointer is over the second UI element.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising adjusting the position of the UI element within the range of UI element positions in an opposite direction to adjustments based on the second set of movements when the third set of movements are issued after the second set of movements in an opposite direction to the second set of movements while continuing to satisfy the defined movement pattern.

16. A graphical user interface (GUI) comprising:

a user interface (UI) element comprising a range of positions and a position indicator for identifying and adjusting a position of the position indicator within the range of positions; and

a pointer for navigating the GUI using movements issued from an input device comprising at least one of a mouse, trackpad, and touchscreen, wherein said movements adjust the position of the position indicator within the range of positions when said movements satisfy a spiral pattern.

17. The GUI of claim 16, wherein the UI element is a scrollbar, the range of positions defines a scrollable range of the scroll bar, and the position of the position indicator is a current position within the scroll bar.

18. The GUI of claim 16, wherein the UI element is a graphical slider, the range of positions defines a range of the graphical slider, and the position of the position indicator is a current position within the graphical slider.

19. The GUI of claim 16, wherein said movements (i) adjust the position of the position indicator within the range of positions in a first direction when said movements satisfy a clockwise spiral pattern and adjust the position of the position indicator within the range of positions in a second direction when said movements satisfy a counter-clockwise spiral pattern.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a computer program for adapting movements issued from an input device comprising at least one of a mouse, trackpad, and touchscreen to adjust a position of a UI element within a range of UI element positions, wherein said computer program instructs a microprocessor to perform sets of instructions for:

analyzing a first set of movements that are output from the input device;

adjusting a position of the UI element within the range of UI element positions based on a second set of movements that are output from the input device after the first set of movements when the first set of movements satisfies a defined movement pattern; and

moving a pointer within a graphical user interface (GUI) according to the first set of movements when said first set of movements do not satisfy the defined movement pattern.