Methods for combination tools that zoom, pan, rotate, draw, or manipulate during a drag

• US 20130019200A1
• Filed: 09/24/2012
• Published: 01/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roland Wescott Montague
• Original Assignee: Roland Wescott Montague
• Inventors: Montague, Roland Wescott
• Granted Patent: US 9,176,653 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/800
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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 3/04845 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

Abstract

After positioning the cursor and pressing-and-holding a mouse button to begin a drag, a user continues to drag the cursor out of and into plural popped up regions. While the cursor is within a region, an associated function effects the displayed graphical information in a particular way, such as continuously panning, drawing, zooming, or rotating. Upon rolling-out of a region without entering a contiguous region, the last function continues to execute and all popped up regions are removed such that the user may utilize the entire display without being switched to another function. In a simple form, after release of the mouse button, a tool may zoom out if the user held the mouse substantially stationary and zoom in on a rectangle if the mouse was dragged. Reducing the number of times a user clicks by eliminating the step of selecting a function should help avoid repetitive strain injuries.

Claims

1. A method of zooming in or out, comprising:

a. providing a microprocessor and an electronic screen display for displaying a graphical data to be zoomed; and

b. providing an input device for performing a drag operation comprising press-drag-release, where the drag length is the distance between the press location and the release location; and

c. determining the zoom direction based on said drag length, where zooming in said graphical data if said drag length is longer than a threshold length, and zooming out said graphical data if said drag length is shorter than said threshold length;

whereby a user may press and release for a drag length of zero to zoom out, or the user may press and drag farther than a five pixel threshold then release to zoom in, without the user having to exert extra effort and time to first select either a zoom in or a zoom out function by way of an additional user action such as moving a pointer to a toolbar or special location, use of a different mouse button, a key press, click of an icon, gesture, or marking menu stroke.

2. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 1 wherein said graphical data is zoomed in on a region of interest based on said press location and said release location.

3. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 2 wherein said region of interest having a rectangular shape with corners at said press location and said release location.

4. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 3 further comprising:

dynamically zooming out said graphical data in response to a time duration elapsing while the distance between said press location and the current input device location is shorter than said threshold length;

whereby a user may press and release to zoom out immediately by a step amount, or the user may press and hold for one second to cause dynamically zoom out until release, or the user may press and drag farther than five pixels to draw a rectangle of interest then release to zoom in, without the user having to first select either a zoom in or a zoom out or a dynamic zoom function by way of an additional user action such as a key press, click of an icon, gesture, or marking menu stroke.

5. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 1 further comprising:

dynamically zooming out said graphical data in response to a time duration elapsing while the distance between said press location and the current input device location is shorter than said threshold length;

whereby a user may press and release to zoom out immediately by a step amount, or the user may press and hold for one second to begin dynamically zooming, or the user may press and drag farther than five pixels then release to zoom in, without the user having to first select either a zoom in or a zoom out or a dynamic zoom function by way of an additional user action such as a key press, click of an icon, gesture, or marking menu stroke.

6. A method of zooming in or out, comprising:

a. providing a microprocessor and an electronic screen display for displaying a graphical data to be zoomed; and

b. providing an input device for performing a drag operation comprising press-drag-release, where the drag length is the distance between the press location and the release location; and

c. determining the zoom direction based on said drag length, where zooming in said graphical data if said drag length is longer than a threshold length, and dynamically zooming out said graphical data in response to a time duration elapsing while the distance between said press location and the current input device location is shorter than said threshold length;

whereby a user may press and hold for one second to begin dynamically zooming out until release, or the user may press and drag farther than a five pixel threshold then release to zoom in, without the user having to exert extra effort and time to first select either a zoom in or a zoom out function by way of an additional user action such as moving a pointer to a toolbar or special location, use of a different mouse button, a key press, click of an icon, gesture, or marking menu stroke.

7. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 6 wherein said graphical data is zoomed in on a region of interest based on said press location and said release location.

8. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 7 wherein said region of interest having a rectangular shape with corners at said press location and said release location.

9. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 6 further comprising:

activating a selectable item in response to releasing said drag overtop of said selectable item before said time duration elapses and while said drag length is shorter than said threshold length.

10. The method of zooming in or out according to claim 9 wherein said selectable item is a hyperlink within a website page;

whereby a user may press and release on a hyperlink to load in a new webpage, or the user may press and hold for one second to begin dynamically zooming out until release, or the user may press and drag farther than a five pixel threshold then release to zoom in, without the user having to exert extra effort and time to first select either a zoom in or a zoom out function by way of an additional user action such as moving a pointer to a toolbar or special location, use of a different mouse button, a key press, click of an icon, gesture, or marking menu stroke.