AUTOMATICALLY HIDING CONTROLS

• US 20120304111A1
• Filed: 08/24/2011
• Published: 11/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: QUERU, JEAN BAPTISTE MAURICE
• Granted Patent: US 8,904,305 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• 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

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for automatically hiding controls. In one aspect, a method includes displaying at least a portion of a content region of a user interface and at least a portion of a control region of the user interface, wherein the control region is peripheral to the content region; and determining that the portion of the control region of the user interface has been displayed for a predetermined period of time, then automatically removing the portion of the control region from display.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a proximity-sensitive display of a mobile device, a user input corresponding to a scrolling command;

in response to the user input, scrolling to a top or a bottom of a content window, then exposing a toolbar adjacent to the top or the bottom of the content window on the proximity-sensitive display of the mobile device, wherein the toolbar includes one or more user-selectable controls, and wherein the toolbar does not overlap the content window; and

after the toolbar has been exposed for a predetermined period of time, automatically hiding the toolbar.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the user input comprises a flinging gesture.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises animating a toolbar to slide into view from one edge of the proximity-sensitive display.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises sliding the content window to allow the toolbar to be exposed without overlapping the content window.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the user input is received at an area of the proximity-sensitive display that is associated with the content window.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises snapping the toolbar into view adjacent to the top or the bottom of the content window.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the content window comprises a web browser window.

28. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, upon execution by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

receiving, at a proximity-sensitive display of a mobile device, a user input corresponding to a scrolling command;

in response to the user input, scrolling to a top or a bottom of a content window, then exposing a toolbar adjacent to the top or the bottom of the content window on the proximity-sensitive display of the mobile device, wherein the toolbar includes one or more user-selectable controls, and wherein the toolbar does not overlap the content window; and

after the toolbar has been exposed for a predetermined period of time, automatically hiding the toolbar.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the user input comprises a flinging gesture.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises animating a toolbar to slide into view from one edge of the proximity-sensitive display.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises sliding the content window to allow the toolbar to be exposed without overlapping the content window.

32. The method of claim 28, wherein the user input is received at an area of the proximity-sensitive display that is associated with the content window.

33. The method of claim 28, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises snapping the toolbar into view adjacent to the top or the bottom of the content window.

34. The method of claim 28, wherein the content window comprises a web browser window.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at a proximity-sensitive display of a mobile device, a user input corresponding to a scrolling command;

in response to the user input, scrolling to a top or a bottom of a content window, then exposing a toolbar adjacent to the top or the bottom of the content window on the proximity-sensitive display of the mobile device, wherein the toolbar includes one or more user-selectable controls, and wherein the toolbar does not overlap the content window; and

after the toolbar has been exposed for a predetermined period of time, automatically hiding the toolbar.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the user input comprises a flinging gesture.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises animating a toolbar to slide into view from one edge of the proximity-sensitive display.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises sliding the content window to allow the toolbar to be exposed without overlapping the content window.

39. The method of claim 35, wherein the user input is received at an area of the proximity-sensitive display that is associated with the content window.

40. The method of claim 35, wherein exposing the toolbar comprises snapping the toolbar into view adjacent to the top or the bottom of the content window.