LONG CLICK DISPLAY OF A CONTEXT MENU

• US 20150046876A1
• Filed: 09/20/2013
• Published: 02/12/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Palantir Technologies Incorporated
• Inventors: Goldenberg, Joshua
• Granted Patent: US 9,335,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/834
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03543 Mice or pucks G06F3/03541 takes precedence
• 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• 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

Abstract

In cases where the right mouse click operation to access a context menu is disabled, the techniques described in the disclosure may provide access to the context menu through a long click of the left mouse button. For example, the user may click and hold the left mouse button for at least a threshold period of time, and in response thereto, the user interface is updated to display the context menu. To indicate to the user how long it would take for the context menu to appear, an icon can be displayed next to the cursor, or as a part of the cursor. The icon can show the relative time left before the context menu is displayed (e.g., an elapsed and/or remaining portion of the threshold period of time, etc.).

Claims

1. A method of providing a context menu in a user interface, the method comprising:

providing a user interface on a display device using one or more computer processors;

determining, by a computing system having one or more computer processors, whether right click operation of a mouse to access a context menu is disabled,

wherein the mouse comprises at least a right button and a left button, the right click operation being associated with the right button and a context menu operation being associated with the left button; and

in response to determining that the right click operation of the mouse to access the context menu is disabled, performing by the computing system;

detecting activation of the left button;

displaying in the user interface indicia of a portion of a threshold time period that the left button has been activated; and

in response to determining that the left button has been activated for at least the threshold time period, displaying the context menu in the user interface.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the indicia depicts one or more of:

a clock that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, a cursor that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, or a circle that indicates the portion of the threshold time period.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the left button has been not been activated for at least the threshold time period, terminating display of the indicia.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said displaying in the user interface indicia of a portion of a threshold time period that the left button has been activated is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since a user activated the left button.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the right click operation is disabled by a website, an application, or an operating system executing on the computing system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the mouse comprises at least one other button different from the left button and the right button, and the at least one other button is located left of the left button.

8. A system for providing a context menu in a user interface, the system comprising:

computer hardware comprising one or more computer processors; and

a storage device storing instructions configured for execution by the one or more computer processors in order to;

provide a user interface on a display device, wherein a mouse in communication with the one or more computer processors comprises at least a right button and one other button, a right click operation being associated with the right button and a context menu operation being associated with the one other button;

detect activation of the one other button;

display in the user interface indicia indicating a portion of a threshold time period that the one other button has been activated; and

in response to determining that the one other button has been activated for at least the threshold time period, display the context menu in the user interface.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the indicia depicts one or more of:

a clock that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, a cursor that indicates the portion of the threshold time period, or a circle that indicates the portion of the threshold time period.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the instructions are further configured to:

in response to determining that the one other button has been not been activated for at least the threshold time period, terminate display of the indicia.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said displaying in the user interface indicia of a portion of a threshold time period that the one other button has been activated is performed only after a waiting period has lapsed since a user activated the one other button.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the right click operation is disabled by a website, an application, or an operating system executing on the one or more computer processors.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the one other button is a left button.

15. The system of claim 8, wherein the mouse comprises a left button, and the one other button is a button that is different from the left button and the right button.

16. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions for providing a context menu in a user interface that cause a computer processor to:

provide a user interface on a display device;

determine whether right click operation of a mouse to access a context menu is disabled,

wherein the mouse comprises at least a right button and one other button, the right click operation being associated with the right button and a context menu operation being associated with the one other button; and

in response to determining that the right click operation of the mouse to access the context menu is disabled;

detect activation of the one other button; and

in response to determining that the one other button has been activated for at least a threshold time period, display the context menu in the user interface.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the right click operation is disabled by a website, an application, or an operating system executing on the computer processor.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the context menu is a radial menu and comprises one or more menu items.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the one other button is a left button.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the mouse comprises a left button, and the one other button is a button that is different from the left button and the right button.