INTERFACING WITH A COMPUTING APPLICATION USING A MULTI-DIGIT SENSOR

• US 20140337806A1
• Filed: 07/24/2014
• Published: 11/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Benko, Hrvoje, Wigdor, Daniel
• Granted Patent: US 10,013,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A technology is described for interfacing with a computing application using a multi-digit sensor. A method may include obtaining an initial stroke using a single digit of a user on the multi-digit sensor. A direction change point for the initial stroke can be identified. At the direction change point for the initial stroke, a number of additional digits can be presented by the user to the multi-digit sensor. Then a completion stroke can be identified as being made with the number of additional digits. A user interface signal to can be sent to the computing application based on the number of additional digits used in the completion touch stroke. In another configuration of the technology, the touch stroke or gesture may include a single stroke where user interface items can be selected when additional digits are presented at the end of a gesture.

Claims

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

receiving inputs from the input device, the inputs having been inputted by interactions of a user with the input device;

mapping the inputs to strokes, each stroke comprising a discrete unbroken line of input having any arbitrary shape in at least two-dimensions;

recognizing command gestures to be invoked by the strokes by analyzing features of the strokes to map the strokes to the command gestures, the recognizing including analyzing features of the strokes to identify, as target strokes from among the strokes, all and only those strokes that are not straight lines and that consist of two substantially straight segments connected at respective ends thereof, wherein each target stroke is mapped to a same target command gesture;

for each identified target stroke mapped to the target command gesture;

invoking a same function, the function having an input parameter that controls behavior of the function; and

determining a value for the parameter by determining whether an adjunct input from the input device was inputted in association with the target stroke.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein if it is determined that an adjunct input from the input device was inputted in association with the target stroke, then assigning a first value to the parameter of the target command gesture, and wherein if it is determined that an adjunct input from the input device was not inputted in association with the target stroke, then assigning a second value to the parameter of the target command gesture.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein when an adjunct input is associated with the target stroke, the adjunct input is not associated with any other gesture except the target command gesture corresponding to the target stroke associated with the adjunct input.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein when an adjunct input is associated with the target stroke, the adjunct input has been inputted by the user substantially after initiation of inputting of the target stroke and before initiation of inputting whichever stroke is the next stroke inputted after the target stroke.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein function comprises a set of selectable items and the function selects one of the selectable items according to the value of the parameter.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein when an adjunct input is associated with the target stroke, input of the adjunct input by the user was started substantially at a same time that input of the target stroke was completed by the user.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the two segments of the target stroke are substantially perpendicular.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the input device comprises a touch sensitive surface, the strokes correspond to finger strokes on the touch sensitive surface.

9. A computing device comprising:

a display;

an input device;

a processor and storage that, when the computing device is operational;

cooperate to recognize discrete gestures comprising respective input strokes inputted by a user tracing respective physical strokes sensed by the input device,

make a determination, each time a current one of the input strokes is being handled, whether control input was inputted in association with the current input stroke, wherein the determination is made by determining whether one or more distinct inputs (i) began being inputted by the user via the input device substantially after the current input stroke began being inputted and (ii) were completed at a substantially same time that the current input stroke finished being inputted by the user via the input device and before a next input stroke begins being inputted by the user, and

according to the determining, invoke operations responsive to the input strokes, wherein an operation invoked by the input stroke depends on whether.

10. A computing device according to claim 9, wherein whether a control input is determined to have been inputted in association with the current input stroke depends on whether a distinct input was initiated during physical tracing of the current input stroke by the user.

11. A computing device according to claim 9, wherein whether a control input is determined to have been inputted in association with the current input stroke depends at least in part on whether a distinct input was initiated substantially at a same time when physical tracing of the current input stroke ends.

12. A computing device according to claim 9, wherein the determination is made responsive to detecting completion of current input stroke.

13. A computing device according to claim 9, wherein whether a control input is determined to have been inputted in association with the current input stroke depends at least in part on whether a distinct input was initiated substantially at a same time when a predetermined feature of the current input stroke was being inputted.

14. A computing device according to claim 13, wherein the current input stroke comprises two consecutive straight segments not aligned, and the feature comprises a point where the segments meet.

15. One or more storage apparatuses storing information to enable a computing device, when operating, to perform a process, the process comprising:

receiving discrete strokes inputted by a user with an input device, the strokes having been inputted by corresponding respective physical paths physically traced by the user, each stroke comprising a line of two-dimensional data; and

each time any given one of the strokes is detected, determining a count of how many, if any, control inputs were initiated by the user with the input device substantially after the given stroke began being inputted and were completed substantially when the given stroke was completed, executing an action using the count of control inputs to control behavior of the action.

16. One or more storage apparatuses according to claim 15, wherein a control input comprises a tap input or an input point.

17. One or more storage apparatuses according to claim 15, wherein a control input comprises an adjunct stroke inputted at a point of the given stroke where the given stroke changed direction.

18. One or more storage apparatuses according to claim 15, wherein the action comprises selecting one of a plurality of options, wherein which option is chosen depends on the count of control inputs, if any.

19. One or more storage apparatuses according to claim 15, wherein the input device comprises a touch sensitive surface.

20. One or more storage apparatuses according to claim 15, wherein strokes having a first count value are handled by executing the action with a first option, and only second of the strokes having a second count value are handled by executing the action with a second action.