SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SUMMONING USER INTERFACE OBJECTS

• US 20120240044A1
• Filed: 03/20/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Jason M. Johnson, William J. Johnson
• Original Assignee: Jason M. Johnson, William J. Johnson
• Inventors: JOHNSON, WILLIAM J., JOHNSON, JASON M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,479,110 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/716
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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

Abstract

Provided is a system and method for summoning user interface object(s) of a display to a gesture position of a user of that display. In a pressure sensitive display embodiment, a user maintains a convenient touch position to the display, performs a summon gesture, and user interface object(s) are automatically moved to the user'"'"'s touch position as requested. A summon gesture can be static or dynamic. Static gestures are predefined and each is recognized for performing a particular type of summon command. A dynamic gesture is determined at the time of gesture specification, for example a handwriting gesture specifying any of a variety of user interface object search criteria. When a summon gesture is recognized, a user interface object, or point or interest thereof, automatically transitions to a desired position where the gesture was recognized. Configurations, or the gesture itself, govern how the object(s) transition to the user'"'"'s position. An object'"'"'s display location and orientation prior to recognizing the summon gesture is referred to as an original position, and an object'"'"'s display location and orientation after being summoned is referred to as a summoned position. Objects can transition by disappearing from an original position and reappearing at the summoned position, visually moving across the user interface in a line at a configured speed from the original position to the summoned position, animating a trail from the original position to the summoned position, scaling the object size as it arrives to the summoned position, reorienting (e.g. panning) the object as it arrives to the summoned position, navigating the object to a point of interest (or preferred view) for arrival to the summoned position, or a variety of other methods. Optionally, summoning a plurality of objects can produce an informative list at the summoned position for being used in turn to summon objects individually. Also, a magnetic mode can be activated for virtually magnetizing objects of interest to a user'"'"'s position, for example as the user touches various places on a touch sensitive display. A user'"'"'s data processing system configurations can be stored into a cloud system for convenient access and use at a plurality of different data processing system user interfaces (e.g. in different geographic locations).

Claims

1. ) A method in a data processing system for a user to summon a user interface object of a display of said data processing system, said method comprising:

displaying a plurality of user interface objects to said display;

recognizing a user input position of said display and a user search request for a user interface object of said user interface objects; and

automatically moving said user interface object from a first position of said display to said input position of said display in response to said request.

2. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said user search request is specified with a written gesture.

3. ) The method of claim 2 wherein said written gesture includes a textual content search specification.

4. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said user search request is recognized at said user input position.

5. ) The method of claim 1 further including downloading said search request from a remote service wherein said user previously uploaded said search request to said remote service.

6. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said automatically moving said user interface object from a first position of said display to said input position of said display in response to said request comprises transitioning said object for visual or audio animation.

7. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said user search request specifies criteria used for a user interface object actively displayed to said display.

8. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said user search request specifies criteria used for searching data which was historically associated to a user interface object actively displayed to said display.

9. ) The method of claim 1 further including automatically moving said user interface object from said input position back to said first position upon recognition of a cancel request.

10. ) The method of claim 1 wherein said automatically moving said user interface object from a first position of said display to said input position of said display in response to said request includes automatically moving said user interface object after recognition of a confirm request, said confirm request being entered by said user after observing a proposed result.

11. ) A method in a user interface display including a data processing system, said method comprising:

displaying a plurality of user interface objects;

accepting at a user input position of said display a user search request for a user interface object;

removing said user interface object from a first position of said display; and

displaying information for said user interface object to said input position of said display in response to said request.

12. ) The method of claim 11 wherein said user search request is specified with a written gesture.

13. ) The method of claim 11 further including downloading said search request from a remote service to said data processing system wherein said user previously uploaded said search request to said remote service.

14. ) The method of claim 11 wherein said displaying information for said user interface object to said input position of said display in response to said request comprises first transitioning said object for visual or audio animation.

15. ) The method of claim 11 wherein said user search request specifies criteria used for a user interface object actively displayed to said display.

16. ) The method of claim 11 wherein said user search request specifies criteria used for searching data which was historically associated to a user interface object actively displayed to said display.

17. ) The method of claim 11 wherein said user search request specifies criteria used for searching a user interface object which is not actively displayed to said display, said object having information maintained to history accessible by said data processing system, and wherein said first position of said display is off said display.

18. ) The method of claim 11 further including automatically redisplaying said user interface object at said first position upon recognition of a cancel request.

19. ) The method of claim 11 wherein said information is a different graphic representation than said user interface object.

20. ) A data processing system comprising:

display means for displaying a plurality of user interface objects;

processing means for accepting at a user input location of said display a user search request for one or more user interface objects;

processing means for removing said one or more user interface objects from a first location of said display; and

processing means for redisplaying at said input location information for said one or more user interface objects in response to said request.