METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INTUITIVE WRAPPING OF LISTS IN A USER INTERFACE

• US 20120272181A1
• Filed: 04/22/2011
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: ROGERS, Sean S., HORODEZKY, Samuel J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,182,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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

Abstract

The methods and devices of the various aspects provide a visual indication in a graphical user interface that a document boundary is or will soon be reached, and a mechanism for wrapping the list on the display so that it appears to snap to the other end of the list (i.e., from beginning to end if scrolling up, or end to beginning if scrolling down) when sufficient user input is applied. The displayed snap to the end or beginning of the list may also be implemented in response to a momentum list scroll initiated by a flick gesture when the momentum scroll would otherwise scroll the list a threshold distance beyond a list boundary.

Claims

1. A method for animating movement of content within a display window of a computing device in response to a user input, comprising:

receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device;

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

determining if the determined end location of the content move would extend a first threshold distance from an edge of the display;

snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content move would not extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display; and

snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content move would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the content movement end location would cause the boundary of the content to come within a second threshold distance of the edge of the display; and

modifying the animation of the content movement display to indicate the content boundary is about to be reached.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on a touch screen display, the method further comprising determining when the user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display, and wherein snapping the element of the content to the display occurs in response to the user ceasing the user input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on a touch screen display, and wherein snapping the element of the content on the opposite side of the content boundary to the display occurs when the determined end location of the content extends beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises receiving a flick gesture input on a touch screen display,

the method further comprising initiating a momentum scroll animation, and

wherein determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached when the momentum scroll is completed.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content boundary approaches the edge of the display prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display when the determined end location of the content move would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

7. A computing device, comprising:

a display;

a user interface; and

a processor coupled to the display and the user interface, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a content display movement user input from the user interface;

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

determining if the determined end location of the content movement would extend a first threshold distance from an edge of the display;

snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content movement would not extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display; and

snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether the content movement end location would cause the boundary of the content to come within a second threshold distance of the edge of the display; and

modifying the animation of the content movement display to indicate the content boundary is about to be reached.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the display and the user interface are a touch screen display, and wherein the processor is configured such that:

receiving a content display movement user input from the user interface comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on the touch screen display; and

snapping the element of the content to the display occurs in response to the user ceasing the user input,

wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising determining when the user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the display and the user interface are a touch screen display, and wherein the processor is configured such that:

receiving a content display movement user input from the user interface comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on the touch screen display; and

snapping the element of the content on the opposite side of the content boundary to the display occurs when the determined end location of the content extends beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the touch screen display.

11. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the display and the user interface are a touch screen display, and wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising initiating a momentum scroll animation, wherein:

receiving a content display movement user input from the user interface comprises receiving a flick gesture input on the touch screen display; and

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached when the momentum scroll is completed.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations further comprising accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content boundary approaches the edge of the touch screen display prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display when the determined end location of the content move would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the touch screen display.

13. A computing device, comprising:

a display;

means for receiving a content display movement user input;

means for determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

means for determining if the determined end location of the content movement would extend a first threshold distance from an edge of the display;

means for snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content movement would not extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display; and

means for snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

14. The computing device of claim 13, further comprising:

means for determining whether the content movement end location would cause the boundary of the content to come within a second threshold distance of the edge of the display; and

means for modifying the animation of the content movement display to indicate the content boundary is about to be reached.

15. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the display and means for receiving a content display movement user input comprise a touch screen display, the computing device further comprising means for determining when a user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display,

wherein:

means for receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises means for receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on the touch screen display; and

means for snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content boundary to the display and means for snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display comprise means for snapping the element of the content to the display in response to the user ceasing the user inputs.

16. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the display and means for receiving a content display movement user input comprise a touch screen display, the computing device further comprising means for receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on the touch screen display, wherein means for snapping the element of the content on the opposite side of the content boundary to the display comprises means for snapping the element of the content on the opposite side of the content boundary to the display when the determined end location of the content extends beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

17. The computing device of claim 13, further comprising means for initiating a momentum scroll animation, wherein:

means for receiving a content display movement user input in the computing device comprises means for receiving a flick gesture input on a touch screen display; and

means for determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises means for determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached when the momentum scroll is completed.

18. The computing device of claim 17, further comprising means for accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content boundary approaches the edge of the display prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display when the determined end location of the content move would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable instructions configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a content display movement user input;

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input;

determining if the determined end location of the content movement would extend a first threshold distance from an edge of a display;

snapping an element of the content on a current side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content movement would not extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display; and

snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display if the determined end location of the content movement would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the display.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations further comprising:

determining whether the content movement end location would cause the boundary of the content to come within a second threshold distance of the edge of the display; and

modifying the animation of the content movement display to indicate the content boundary is about to be reached.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations such that:

receiving a content display movement user input comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on a touch screen display; and

snapping the element of the content to the display occurs in response to the user ceasing the user input,

wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations further comprising determining when the user finger is no longer in contact with the touch screen display.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations such that:

receiving a content display movement user input comprises receiving an input in response to a user finger drag on a touch screen display; and

snapping the element of the content on the opposite side of the content boundary to the display occurs when the determined end location of the content extends beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the touch screen display.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations such that:

receiving a content display movement user input comprises receiving a flick gesture input on a touch screen display; and

determining an end location of a content movement based upon the user input comprises determining the end location of the content movement that will be reached when the momentum scroll is completed.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the stored processor-executable instructions are configured to cause a computer processor to perform operations further comprising:

accelerating the momentum scroll animation as the content boundary approaches the edge of the touch screen display prior to snapping an element of the content on an opposite side of the content boundary to the display when the determined end location of the content move would extend beyond the first threshold distance from the edge of the touch screen display.