EXPLICIT TOUCH SELECTION AND CURSOR PLACEMENT

• US 20130080979A1
• Filed: 11/21/2012
• Published: 03/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Weir, Jeffrey J., Anderson, Jennifer L., Wolfe, Jennifer, Hofmeester, Gerrit H., Markiewicz, Jan-Kristian, Brauninger, Andrew R., Stuple, Stuart J., Washington, David Earl, Kotler, Matthew J., Demopoulos, Ryan, Patel, Amish
• Granted Patent: US 9,400,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/856
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041
• 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 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

A system and method for implementing an efficient and easy to user interface for a touch screen device. A cursor may be placed by a user using simple inputs. The device operates places the cursor coarsely and refines the cursor placement upon further input from the user. Text may be selected using a gripper associated with the cursor. The user interface allows text selection without occluding the text being selected with the user'"'"'s finger or the gripper. For selecting text in a multi-line block of text, a dynamic safety zone is implemented to simplify text selection for the user.

Claims

1. A method for placing a cursor on a display screen of a computing device displaying a string of characters, the method comprising:

receiving, from a user, a first input indicating a first input location on the display screen associated with the string of characters;

selecting, based on the first input location, a first cursor location from among a first plurality of placement locations, each of the first plurality of placement locations being adjacent to a character of the string of characters;

displaying a cursor on the display screen in the first cursor location and placing the computing device in a first state in which execution of a function is based at least in part on the first cursor location with respect to the string;

while the device is in the first state, receiving, from a user, a second input indicating a second input location on the display screen associated with the string of characters;

selecting, based on the second input location, a second cursor location from among a second plurality of placement locations, each of the second plurality of placement locations being adjacent to a character of the string of characters; and

displaying the cursor on the display screen in the second cursor location,

wherein;

the first plurality of placement locations comprises fewer locations within the string than the second plurality of placement locations.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first plurality of placement locations comprises a location after the string of characters and a location before the string of characters; and

each of the second plurality of placement locations comprises a location between two adjacent characters of the string of characters.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

when the first input location corresponds to a location within a first half of the string of characters, selecting the first cursor location to be the location before the string of characters; and

when the first input location corresponds to a location within a second half of the string of characters, selecting the first cursor location to be the location after the string of characters.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

when the first input location corresponds to a first predetermined number of characters at the beginning of the string of characters, selecting the first cursor location to be the location before the string of characters; and

when the first input location is in a second predetermined number of characters at the end of the string of characters, selecting the first cursor location to be the location after the string of characters.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the first plurality of placement locations further comprises intermediate placement locations adjacent to each character of the string of characters that is not in the first predetermined number of characters at the beginning of the string of characters and not in the second predetermined number of characters at the end of the string of characters; and

the method further comprises;

when the first input location corresponds to a particular intermediate placement location, selecting the first cursor location to be the particular intermediate placement location.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein:

when the second input location corresponds to a particular placement location adjacent to a particular character of the string of characters, selecting the second cursor location to be the particular placement location.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the display screen is a touch screen that receives the first input and second input from the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first input comprises a user tapping the touch screen.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the cursor on the display screen further comprises displaying a gripper below the cursor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein execution of the function comprises insertion of additional characters in the string at the first cursor location and/or deletion of characters of the string of characters that are adjacent to the first cursor location.

11. A computer system, comprising:

a display screen;

at least one sensor configured to receive a first drag input from a user, the first drag input comprising a starting location, a path, and a finishing location;

at least one processor configured to;

display a string of characters and a first gripper on the display screen, the gripper displayed at a first gripper location associated with a first character of the string of characters;

when the starting location corresponds to the first gripper location;

determine a second character of the string of characters corresponding to the finishing location;

highlight a portion of the string of characters between the first character and the second character; and

display a second gripper at a second gripper location associated with the second letter and display the first gripper at the first gripper location.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the at least one processor is further configured to, when the starting location corresponds to the first gripper location, discontinue displaying the first gripper on the display screen while the drag input is being received by the at least one sensor.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the at least one processor is further configured to, when the at least one sensor receives a tap input at a tap location corresponding to the first gripper location, the second gripper location or a location associated with the highlighted portion of text, display a context menu on the display screen.

14. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the first gripper is displayed before receiving the first drag input from the user, the first gripper location is below a cursor location, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to display a cursor on the display screen at the cursor location adjacent to the first letter of the text.

15. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the at least one processor is further configured to, when the first letter and the second letter are closer together than a width of the first gripper and the second gripper, configure the display to re-display the first gripper at an updated first gripper location, the second gripper location being a distance from the updated first gripper location such that the first gripper and the second gripper do not overlap.

16. At least one storage device having instructions recorded thereon which, when executed by a processor of a computing device comprising a display screen that displays text comprising a plurality of lines of text, each line of text extending in a first direction and the plurality of lines of text being offset from one another in a second direction, perform a method comprising:

displaying a portion of the plurality of lines of text as selected text, the selected portion having a beginning location and an ending location;

in response to user input indicating the ending location of the selected text, adjusting the portion of the plurality of lines of text displayed as selected text, by;

updating the ending location along a current line of the text containing a current ending location based on a position in the first direction indicated by the user input;

updating the line of the plurality of lines containing the ending location based on a position in the second direction indicated by the user input, updating the line comprising;

when the device is operating in a first mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is less than a first threshold distance away from the current line in the second direction;

maintaining the ending location in the current line;

when the device is operating in the first mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is greater than the first threshold distance away from the current line in the second direction;

changing the ending location from the current line to an adjacent line, the adjacent line being adjacent to the current line and offset in the second direction; and

entering a second mode;

when the device is operating in the second mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is less than a second threshold distance away from the current line in the second direction;

maintaining the ending location in a current line;

when the device is operating in the second mode and the user input indicates an updated ending location that is greater than a second threshold distance away from the current line in the second direction;

changing the ending location from the current line to an adjacent line, the adjacent line being adjacent to the current line and offset in the second direction.

17. The at least one storage device of claim 16, wherein the second threshold distance is less than the first threshold distance.

18. The at least one storage device of claim 16, wherein the display screen is a touch screen, and wherein the method further comprises:

displaying a first gripper at a first gripper location associated with the beginning location; and

displaying a second gripper at a second gripper location associated with the ending location.

19. The at least one storage device of claim 18, wherein:

displaying the first gripper and the second gripper comprises;

determining a width of the first gripper and second gripper based on display screen parameters such that a width of the first gripper and the second gripper are independent of a size of the display screen and a resolution of the display screen.

20. The at least one storage device of claim 18, wherein:

when the beginning location and the ending location are closer together than a predetermined distance associated with a width of the first gripper and the second gripper, the second gripper location is a distance from the first gripper location such that the first gripper and the second gripper do not overlap.