Navigating Applications Using Side-Mounted Touchpad

• US 20130093687A1
• Filed: 10/17/2011
• Published: 04/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Inventors: Papakipos, Matthew Nicholas, Cahill, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 8,711,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

In one embodiment, a user of a mobile device navigates between application user interface layers by using touch inputs to the mobile device'"'"'s side-mounted touchpad.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

in response to a touch event generated during execution of an application, the application comprising one or more user interface layers arranged in a navigation hierarchy;

determining an application layer corresponding to the touch event;

if the touch event is a forward lateral flick event;

navigating to a next layer identified in a navigation history, if the navigation history identifies the next layer; and

if the touch event is a backward lateral flick event;

navigating to a previous layer identified in a navigation history, if the navigation history identifies the previous layer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

if the touch event is a tap event;

navigating to a home layer if the determined application layer is not the home layer.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the application is a web browser.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the application is an operating system.

5. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory;

one or more processors;

a display;

a first side-mounted touchpad;

a second side-mounted input device;

a program comprising computer-readable instructions operative, when executed, to cause the one or more processors to;

in response to a touch event generated during execution of an application running on the apparatus, the application comprising one or more user interface layers arranged in a navigation hierarchy;

determine an application layer corresponding to the touch event;

if the touch event is a forward lateral flick event associated with the first side-mounted touchpad;

navigate to a next layer identified in a navigation history, if the navigation history identifies the next layer; and

if the touch event is a backward lateral flick event associated with the first die-mounted touchpad;

navigate to a previous layer identified in a navigation history, if the navigation history identifies the previous layer.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the program further comprises instructions operative to cause the one or more processors to:

if the touch event is a tap event associated with the second side-mounted input device;

navigate to a home layer if the determined application layer is not the home layer

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the display is a touch screen.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the first side-mounted touchpad comprises a concave surface.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the second side-mounted input device is a touchpad.

10. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the second side-mounted input device is a clickable button.

11. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the application is a web browser client application hosted by the apparatus.

12. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the application is an operating system of the apparatus.

13. One or more computer-readable tangible storage media embodying software operable when executed by a computing device to:

in response to a touch event generated during execution of an application running on the computing device, the application comprising one or more user interface layers arranged in a navigation hierarchy;

determine an application layer corresponding to the touch event;

if the touch event is a forward lateral flick event;

navigating to a next layer identified in a navigation history, if the navigation history identifies the next layer; and

if the touch event is a backward lateral flick event;

navigating to a previous layer identified in a navigation history, if the navigation history identifies the previous layer.

14. The media of claim 13, further comprising software operable when executed by one or more computing devices to:

if the touch event is a tap event;

navigate to a home layer if the determined application layer is not the home layer.

15. The media of claim 13, wherein the application is a web browser.

16. The media of claim 13, wherein the application is an operating system.