Menu Gestures

• US 20130014053A1
• Filed: 07/07/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Garn, Jonathan D., Lee, Yee Shian, Cabrera-Cordon, Luis E., Gall, Ching Man Esther, De Bonte, Erik L.
• Application Number:
  US13/178,193
• Publication Number:
  US 20130014053A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/810
• 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 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Menu gesture techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a menu is displayed on a display device of a computing device. The menu has a plurality of selectable items along with a visual indication that is configured to follow a touch input across the display device and indicate that each of the plurality of selectable items is selectable via a drag gesture. One or more inputs are recognized by the computing device as movement of the touch input across the display device to identify the drag gesture to select at least one of the plurality of selectable items in the menu.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a menu, on a display device of a computing device, having a plurality of selectable items along with a visual indication that is configured to follow a touch input across the display device and indicate that each of the plurality of selectable items is selectable via a drag gesture; and

recognizing one or more inputs by the computing device as movement of the touch input across the display device to identify the drag gesture to select at least one of the plurality of selectable items in the menu.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein at least one of the selectable items is selectable to navigate to another level in a hierarchy of the menu.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the visual is displayed as at least partially transparent.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the visual indication is configured to be removed in response to a recognition in the one or more inputs that the touch input has moved across the display device and outside of a predefined area of the menu on the display device.

5. A method as described in claim 4, wherein the removal of the visual indication indicates that none of the plurality of items in the menu is currently selected using the touch input.

6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of selectable items is also configured for selection using a tap gesture.

7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the displaying is configured to be performed for a predetermined amount of time after the touch input is removed from the display device.

8. A method as described in claim 1, further comprising responsive to the selection of the at least one of the plurality of selectable items in the menu, displaying another plurality of selectable items from another hierarchical level of the menu that corresponds to the selected item.

9. A method as described in claim 8, wherein the display of the other plurality of selectable items is performed such that the other plurality of selectable items are not obscured by the touch input against the display device.

10. An apparatus comprising:

a display device; and

one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to generate a menu for display on the display device, the menu having a plurality of items that are selectable using both drag and tap gestures.

11. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the one or more modules are further configured to generate a visual indication that is configured to follow a touch input across the display device.

12. An apparatus as described in claim 11, wherein the visual indication is configured to be removed in response to recognition that the touch input has moved across the display device and outside of a predefined area of the menu on the display device.

13. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the one or more modules are further configured to recognize the drag gesture as movement of a touch input across the display device to select at least one of the plurality of items in the menu.

14. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the display is configured to be performed for a predetermined amount of time after a touch input is removed from the display device.

15. An apparatus as described in claim 10, wherein the one or more modules are further configured to recognize selection of at least one of the plurality of items in the menu and display a second plurality of items on the display device from another hierarchical level of the menu that corresponds to the selected item.

16. An apparatus as described in claim 15, wherein the display of the other plurality of selectable items is performed such that:

the second plurality of items are not obscured by the touch input against the display device;

the at least one of the plurality of items that was selected is displayed with the second plurality of items; and

one or more other ones of the plurality of items that is not selected is not displayed with the second plurality of items.

17. An apparatus as described in claim 16, wherein the at least one of the plurality of items that was selected and displayed with the other plurality of selectable items is selectable to return to a display of the plurality of items.

18. An apparatus as described in claim 17, wherein the return to the display of the plurality of items causes the second plurality of items to be removed from display.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, causes the computing device to generate a menu for display on a display device of the computing device along with a visual indication that is configured to follow a touch input across the display device and indicate that each of a plurality of items of the menu is selectable via a drag gesture, the plurality of items also selectable via a tap gesture.

20. One or more computer-readable storage media as described in claim 19, wherein the instructions are further executable to arrange the plurality of items so as not to be obscured by the touch input.