INDICATING POTENTIAL FOCUS IN A USER INTERFACE

• US 20130298059A1
• Filed: 07/10/2013
• Published: 11/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Raskin, Jef
• Granted Patent: US 9,529,505 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/767
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for an integrated user interface an interface that receives user input through the user interface. Output is provided through the user interface, and all user input received through the user interface is interpreted as explicitly being separated input into one of three classes, namely, pointing input, content input, and command input.

Claims

1. A method performed by an information appliance, the method comprising:

receiving a first text input from a user and displaying the received first text in a user interface of the information appliance, wherein the information appliance is operable to invoke a plurality of commands in response to receiving command input from the user, and wherein receiving the first text input is not associated with any of the plurality of commands;

receiving a second text input from the user and displaying the received second text in the user interface, wherein receiving the second text input is not associated with any of the plurality of commands;

receiving a user input selecting a portion of the displayed first text;

after receiving the user input selecting the portion of the displayed first text, receiving a command input from the user that designates the displayed second text input as being command text;

after receiving the command input, selecting a first command from the plurality of commands according to the command text; and

invoking the first command, wherein the first command uses the selected portion of the displayed first text as an operand.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after receiving the user input selecting the portion of the displayed first text and before receiving the command input, receiving an input from the user identifying the displayed second text.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the command input is a tap of a command key by the user, and wherein the command key is a designated control that, when tapped by a user, indicates that a current selection of displayed text is to be interpreted by the information appliance as command input.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an input from the user activating a command quasimode;

receiving the second text input from the user while the command quasimode is activated; and

selecting the first command after receiving an input from the user deactivating the command quasimode.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein a command quasimode is defined by the user activating and holding a control that indicates that other input submitted by the user while the control is held is to be interpreted by the information appliance as command input.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the user input activating the command quasimode is a press of a command key by the user and the user input deactivating the command quasimode is a release of the command key by the user.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

displaying the second text input in a transparent message box in the user interface while the command quasimode is activated.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deleting the displayed second text after invoking the first command.

9. An information appliance apparatus comprising:

one or more processors and one or more storage devices storing instructions that when executed by the one or more processors cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising;

receiving a first text input from a user and displaying the received first text in a user interface of the information appliance apparatus, wherein the information appliance apparatus is operable to invoke a plurality of commands in response to receiving command input from the user, and wherein receiving the first text input is not associated with any of the plurality of commands;

receiving a second text input from the user and displaying the received second text in the user interface, wherein receiving the second text input is not associated with any of the plurality of commands;

receiving a user input selecting a portion of the displayed first text;

after receiving the user input selecting the portion of the displayed first text, receiving a command input from the user that designates the displayed second text input as being command text;

after receiving the command input, selecting a first command from the plurality of commands according to the command text; and

invoking the first command, wherein the first command uses the selected portion of the displayed first text as an operand.

10. The information appliance apparatus of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

after receiving the user input selecting the portion of the displayed first text and before receiving the command input, receiving an input from the user identifying the displayed second text.

11. The information appliance apparatus of claim 10, wherein the command input is a tap of a command key by the user, and wherein the command key is a designated control that, when tapped by a user, indicates that a current selection of displayed text is to be interpreted by the information appliance as command input.

12. The information appliance apparatus of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

receiving an input from the user activating a command quasimode;

receiving the second text input from the user while the command quasimode is activated; and

selecting the first command after receiving an input from the user deactivating the command quasimode.

13. The information appliance apparatus of claim 12, wherein a command quasimode is defined by the user activating and holding a control that indicates that other input submitted by the user while the control is held is to be interpreted by the information appliance as command input.

14. The information appliance apparatus of claim 12, wherein the user input activating the command quasimode is a press of a command key by the user and the user input deactivating the command quasimode is a release of the command key by the user.

15. A computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by an information appliance cause the information appliance to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first text input from a user and displaying the received first text in a user interface of the information appliance, wherein the information appliance is operable to invoke a plurality of commands in response to receiving command input from the user, and wherein receiving the first text input is not associated with any of the plurality of commands;

receiving a second text input from the user and displaying the received second text in the user interface, wherein receiving the second text input is not associated with any of the plurality of commands;

receiving a user input selecting a portion of the displayed first text;

after receiving the user input selecting the portion of the displayed first text, receiving a command input from the user that designates the displayed second text input as being command text;

after receiving the command input, selecting a first command from the plurality of commands according to the command text; and

invoking the first command, wherein the first command uses the selected portion of the displayed first text as an operand.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

after receiving the user input selecting the portion of the displayed first text and before receiving the command input, receiving an input from the user identifying the displayed second text.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 16, wherein the command input is a tap of a command key by the user, and wherein the command key is a designated control that, when tapped by a user, indicates that a current selection of displayed text is to be interpreted by the information appliance as command input.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

receiving an input from the user activating a command quasimode;

receiving the second text input from the user while the command quasimode is activated; and

selecting the first command after receiving an input from the user deactivating the command quasimode.

19. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein a command quasimode is defined by the user activating and holding a control that indicates that other input submitted by the user while the control is held is to be interpreted by the information appliance as command input.

20. The computer storage medium of claim 18, wherein the user input activating the command quasimode is a press of a command key by the user and the user input deactivating the command quasimode is a release of the command key by the user.