Brush, Carbon-Copy, and Fill Gestures

• US 20120236026A1
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Yatani, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,411,498 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/629
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves

Abstract

Techniques involving gestures and other functionality are described. In one or more implementations, the techniques describe gestures that are usable to provide inputs to a computing device. A variety of different gestures are contemplated, including bimodal gestures (e.g., using more than one type of input) and single modal gestures. Additionally, the gesture techniques may be configured to leverage these different input types to increase the amount of gestures that are made available to initiate operations of a computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

recognizing a first input as selecting an object displayed by a display device;

recognizing a second input as a frame drawn outside a boundary of the object, the frame recognized as being drawn while the object is selected; and

identifying a fill gesture from the recognized first and second inputs, the fill gesture effective to use the object for fill in the frame.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the first input is recognized as selecting two points of the object.

3. A method as described in claim 2, wherein the first input is recognized as touch inputs and the second input is recognized as a stylus input.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein:

the first input is one of a touch input or a stylus input; and

the second input is the other of the touch input or the stylus input.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the fill gesture is effective to stretch the object to fill an aspect ratio of the frame.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the fill gesture is effective to fill the frame with a copy of the object.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the fill gesture is effective to shrink the object for fill in the frame.

8. A computing device comprising:

one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising;

recognizing a first input as selecting an object displayed by a display device;

recognizing a second input as a frame drawn outside a boundary of the object, the frame recognized as being drawn while the object is selected; and

identifying a fill gesture from the recognized first and second inputs, the fill gesture effective to use the object for fill in the frame.

9. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the first input is recognized as selecting two points of the object.

10. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the first input is recognized as selecting two points of the object.

11. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the first input is recognized as touch inputs and the second input is recognized as a stylus input.

12. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein:

the first input is one of a touch input or a stylus input; and

the second input is the other of the touch input or the stylus input.

13. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the fill gesture is effective to stretch the object to fill an aspect ratio of the frame.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media implemented at least in part on hardware and comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method, the method comprising:

recognizing a first input as selecting an object displayed by the computing device;

recognizing a second input as a line drawn outside the bounds of the object, the line recognized as being drawn while the object is selected; and

identifying a brush gesture from the recognized first and second inputs by the computing device, the brush gesture effective to cause a display of the line as being drawn as a copy of a corresponding line of the selected object.

15. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the object is recognized as having an orientation in a user interface and the brush gesture is further effective to cause the object to be copied as having the orientation.

16. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the brush gesture is effective to use the object as fill.

17. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the first input is recognized as a touch input and the second input is recognized as a stylus input.

18. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the first input is recognized as selecting a point of the object, and the brush gesture is effective to cause a display of a plurality of lines as being drawn as a copy of a corresponding plurality of said lines of the selected object beginning at the point of the object.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 18, wherein the brush gesture is effective to cause a display of the plurality of lines as having a matching spatial relation to the plurality of lines of the object.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 14, wherein the executable instructions, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the method further comprising increasing an opacity of the line drawn by the second input as additional lines are drawn over a given area.