CROSS SLIDE GESTURE

• US 20140137029A1
• Filed: 11/12/2012
• Published: 05/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Stephenson, Alan, Wu, Joyce, De la Torre Baltierra, Pamela, Townsend, Reed, Batricevic, Uros, Wheeler, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 9,335,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/784
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Techniques relating to scrolling, object selection, and object moving are discussed. Strokes are inputted by a user, for instance using a touch sensitive surface. Strokes are directed to a scrollable surface with objects therein. Strokes that end before meeting a condition select the objects, and strokes then end after meeting the condition move the objects or representations thereof. The condition may be a distance. Selection may only occur when strokes meet a threshold condition such as having a particular direction (e.g., perpendicular to a direction for scrolling the surface) or moving a minimal distance. Strokes in a scrolling direction (e.g., horizontal) may scroll the surface in that direction and strokes in another direction (e.g., vertical) may both select and move the objects. Objects selected may slide on rails before moving.

Claims

1. A method of displaying a pannable surface, the method performed by a computing device comprising an input device and a display, the method comprising:

displaying the surface on the display in a view area in which portions of the surface are displayed and panned, where the surface pans according to user input to cause the portions of the surface to be displayed and panned in the view area, the surface including a plurality of graphical items, where the user is able to select and rearrange the graphical items within the surface;

receiving a stroke input inputted by the user from the input device, the stroke input associated with one of the graphical items;

determining that the stroke input has satisfied a first threshold condition and in response causing the graphical item to be selected; and

after the stroke input has satisfied the first threshold condition, determining that the stroke input has satisfied a second threshold condition and in response enabling the same stroke input to move the graphical item or a graphic representation thereof.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the surface is pannable only in one dimension relative to the view area and the method further comprises allowing the stroke input to cause the graphical item to be selected only if the stroke is not substantially in the one dimension.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the surface is pannable only in one dimension relative to the view area and the method further comprises allowing the stroke to cause the graphical item to be selected only if the stroke is substantially perpendicular to the one dimension.

4. A method according to claim 1, further comprising displaying the graphical item or the representation thereof as being moved in accordance with the stroke input responsive to determining that the first threshold has been reached.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein the surface is only allowed to be panned in one dimension relative to the view area, and the method further comprises constraining movement of the graphical item to a dimension perpendicular to the one dimension while the graphical item or the representation thereof is moved by the stroke input prior to the stroke input satisfies the second threshold condition.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the graphical object is allowed to be moved by the stroke input in arbitrary directions relative to the other graphical items after the stroke input satisfies the second threshold condition, wherein the graphical object may be so moved either by the stroke input or by another stroke input that is concurrent with the stroke input and that pans the surface relative to the view area while the graphical item is positioned in the view area according to the first stroke input.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a device that allows the user to provide two-dimensional input points, the stroke input corresponds to a sequence of two-dimensional input points inputted by the input device, and the method further comprises monitoring the two-dimensional input points to determine whether the first threshold condition has been satisfied and to determine whether the second threshold condition has been satisfied.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media not comprising a signal and storing information to enable a computing device to perform a process, the process comprising:

displaying a scrollable area on a display of the computing device, wherein during a given time period the scrollable area is allowed to be scrolled in only one dimension relative to the display, wherein the scrollable area comprises graphical objects that are selectable and repositionable by a user of the computing device, wherein the scrollable area comprises a plurality of slots that are fixed relative to the scrollable area, and wherein when the user finishes repositioning a graphical object the graphical object is automatically positioned in one of the slots;

monitoring input strokes as they are being inputted by the user using the computing device, the input strokes substantially perpendicular to the one dimension, the monitoring such that;

first of the input strokes that end before a first condition is satisfied select corresponding of the graphical objects without causing the graphical objects to change slots; and

second of the input strokes that end after the first condition is satisfied cause corresponding of the graphical objects to reposition by changing slots according to the second of the input strokes.

9. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, wherein the first condition comprises a first distance and the first condition is satisfied by an input stroke when the input stroke reaches the first distance.

10. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, wherein the monitoring is performed such that input strokes that end before a second condition is satisfied do not select any of the graphical objects and do not reposition any of the graphical objects.

11. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 10, wherein the first condition comprises a first distance and the second condition comprises a second distance that is smaller than the first distance.

12. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, wherein whether any given one of the input strokes does or does not reposition a target one of the graphical objects depends on a distance of the given one of the input strokes.

13. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 8, further comprising allowing the graphical objects to be moved by the input strokes only in the direction substantially perpendicular to the one direction until the input strokes are determined to satisfy the first condition, after which the input strokes control movement of the graphical objects in arbitrary directions.

14. One or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 13, wherein the input strokes are inputted using an input device that allows inputting two-dimensional data.

15. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

a display;

an input device;

storage storing a user-scrollable surface comprised of user-selectable and user-moveable objects, the surface, when executed by the processor, allows a user of the computing device to scroll the surface with the input device in a first direction such that the display shows the objects scrolling on the display; and

the processor monitoring strokes as they are being inputted with the input device, the strokes targeting the objects, wherein the monitoring maps a stroke targeting an object to a multi-stage gesture such that a first part of the stroke maps to a selection gesture that selects the object and a second stage of the stroke maps to a move gesture.

16. A computing device according to claim 15, wherein the first part of the stroke moves the object or a graphic representation thereof on a constrained path and the second part of the stroke moves the object or the graphic representation thereof without constraint.

17. A computing device according to claim 16 wherein the first and second parts of the stroke comprise respective non-linear paths and the first part of the stroke slides the object or the graphic representation linearly in the direction.

18. A computing device according to claim 17, wherein during the second part of the stroke the object or graphic representation thereof either (i) moves relative to the display in direct correspondence with movement of the stroke or (ii) moves relative to the surface as another concurrent stroke pans the surface.

19. A computing device according to claim 15, wherein the processor monitoring includes determining whether strokes, including the stroke, satisfy a condition, wherein when a first stroke targeting a first object is determined by the processor to end before satisfying the condition the first stroke selects the first object, and the first object has a same position on the surface both prior to the first stroke and after the first stroke.

20. A computing device according to claim 19, wherein a second stroke targets a second object, the processor determines that the second stroke satisfies the condition before the second stroke ends, and the second object is repositioned on the surface according to an ending location of the second stroke.