PRESSURE NAVIGATION ON A TOUCH SENSITIVE USER INTERFACE

• US 20140208271A1
• Filed: 01/21/2013
• Published: 07/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bell, Denise A., Jenkins, Jana H., Kusnitz, Jeffrey A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,141,259 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/836
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0487 using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A menu and application navigation system utilizing pressure includes a display device including a touch sensitive user interface, and a navigation engine coupled to the display device. The navigation engine is configured to generate a measurement of pressure applied by a user as a function of time at the touch sensitive user interface. The navigation engine is further configured to navigate through a three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure. An increase in the pressure navigates in a first direction through the three dimensional data set, and a decrease in the pressure navigates in a second direction through the three dimensional data set.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a computer useable storage medium including a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program includes instructions that, when executed by a processing device within a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

generating a measurement of pressure applied by a user as a function of time at a touch sensitive user interface; and

navigating through a three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure, wherein an increase in the pressure navigates in a first direction through the three dimensional data set, and a decrease in the pressure navigates in a second direction through the three dimensional data set.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise navigating through levels of the three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure.

3. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise simultaneously displaying a previously viewed level of the three dimensional data set while displaying a next level of the three dimensional data set upon selection of the next level by the user.

4. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise fanning out a level of the data set in response to an input by the user, wherein the fanning out displays the data set of the level in a fan configuration.

5. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

anchoring a first level of the three dimensional data set; and

navigating to the first level of the three dimensional data set in response to a termination of measurement of pressure.

6. The computer program product of claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

associating the levels of the three dimensional data set with corresponding ranges of pressure measurement, wherein each range of pressure measurement is exclusive of each other range of pressure measurement, and wherein each range of pressure measurement is associated with a single level of the three dimensional data set; and

navigating to a level of the three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure measuring within the range of pressure measurement corresponding to the level of the three dimensional data set.

7. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the navigating further comprises scrolling through a document, and wherein the increase in the pressure scrolls in the first direction, and the decrease in pressure scrolls in the second direction.

8. A method for utilizing pressure for menu and application navigation, the method comprising:

generating a measurement of pressure applied by a user as a function of time at a touch sensitive user interface; and

navigating through a three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure, wherein an increase in the pressure navigates in a first direction through the three dimensional data set, and a decrease in the pressure navigates in a second direction through the three dimensional data set.

9. The method for utilizing pressure for menu and application navigation of claim 8, the method further comprising navigation through levels of the three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure.

10. The method for utilizing pressure for menu and application navigation of claim 9, the method further comprising simultaneously displaying a previously viewed level of the three dimensional data set while displaying a next level of the three dimensional data set upon selection of the next level by the user.

11. The method for utilizing pressure for menu and application navigation of claim 9, the method further comprising fanning out a level of the data set in response to an input by the user, wherein the fanning out displays the data set of the level in a fan configuration.

12. The method for utilizing pressure for menu and application navigation of claim 9, the method further comprising:

anchoring a first level of the three dimensional data set; and

navigating to the first level of the three dimensional data set in response a termination of measurement of pressure.

13. The method for utilizing pressure for menu and application navigation of claim 9, the method further comprising:

associating the levels of the three dimensional data set with corresponding ranges of pressure measurement, wherein each range of pressure measurement is exclusive of each other range of pressure measurement, and wherein each range of pressure measurement is associated with a single level of the three dimensional data set; and

navigating to a level of the three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure measuring within the range of pressure measurement corresponding to the level of the three dimensional data set.

14. The method for utilizing pressure for menu and application navigation of claim 8, wherein the navigating further comprises scrolling through a document, and wherein the increase in the pressure scrolls in the first direction, and the decrease in pressure scrolls in the second direction.

15. A menu and application navigation system utilizing pressure, the system comprising:

a display device comprising a touch sensitive user interface, and

a navigation engine coupled to the display device, the navigation engine configured to;

generate a measurement of pressure applied by a user as a function of time at the touch sensitive user interface; and

navigate through a three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure, wherein an increase in the pressure navigates in a first direction through the three dimensional data set, and a decrease in the pressure navigates in a second direction through the three dimensional data set.

16. The menu and application navigation system utilizing pressure of claim 15, wherein the navigation engine is further configured to navigate through levels of the three dimensional data set in response to the measurement of pressure.

17. The menu and application navigation system utilizing pressure of claim 16, wherein the navigation engine is further configured to simultaneously display a previously viewed level of the three dimensional data set while displaying a next level of the three dimensional data set upon selection of the next level by the user.

18. The menu and application navigation system utilizing pressure of claim 16, wherein the navigation engine is further configured to:

anchor a first level of the three dimensional data set; and

navigate to the first level of the three dimensional data set in response a termination of measurement of pressure.

19. The menu and application navigation system utilizing pressure of claim 16, wherein the navigation engine is further configured to fan out a level of the data set in response to an input by the user, wherein the fan out displays the data set of the level in a fan configuration.

20. The menu and application navigation system utilizing pressure of claim 15, wherein the navigation engine is further configured to navigate by scrolling through a document, wherein an increase in the pressure scrolls in a first direction, and a decrease in pressure scrolls in a second direction.