Gestures for Selecting Text

• US 20150082246A1
• Filed: 11/24/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Tan, Weihua, Chen, Qilang
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,458 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/823
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting

Abstract

In general, the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods, systems, and program products for selecting text using a touchscreen display of a computing device. A computing device identifies physical contact between multiple fingers and the touchscreen display at a starting location, wherein the identifying is in distinction to identifying physical contact between a single finger and the touchscreen display. The computing device determines that the physical contact persists during movement of the physical contact from the starting location to an ending location. The computing device determines that the physical contact was interrupted at the ending location. The computing device identifies that text displayed between the starting location and the ending location is text that has been selected by a user of the computing device.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, that physical contact contacted a touchscreen display at a starting location;

determining, by the computing device, that the physical contact remained in contact with the touchscreen display without releasing from contact with the touchscreen display during movement of the physical contact from the starting location to an ending location on the touchscreen display;

displaying, by the computing device and during the movement of the physical contact from the starting location to the ending location, an indication that text output by the touchscreen display between a present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected, wherein the computing device is configured such that;

(i) the computing device identifies that text has been selected responsive to release of the physical contact from contact with the touchscreen after the physical contact has reached or passed an intermediate location located a certain distance from the starting location; and

(ii) the computing device does not identify that text has been selected responsive to release of the physical contact from contact with the touchscreen before the physical contact has reached or passed the intermediate location; and

identifying, by the computing device responsive to having determined that the physical contact has released from contact with the touchscreen at the ending location, text displayed by the touchscreen between the starting location and the ending location as text that has been selected by the physical contact.

22. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein displaying the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected includes:

the computing device presenting the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected after the physical contact has reached or passed the intermediate location, and

the computing device not presenting the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected before the physical contact has reached or passed the intermediate location.

23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising determining, by the computing device responsive to the computing device identifying that the physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at the starting location, the intermediate location by identifying a location that located a predetermined distance from the starting location along a line of multiple words of text.

24. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein:

the ending location is located between the starting location and the intermediate location, and

the movement of the physical contact from the starting location to the ending location includes the physical contact (i) passing the intermediate location so that the physical contact is no longer contacting the touchscreen between the starting location and the intermediate location, and then (ii) returning to the ending location so that the physical contact is once again contacting the touchscreen between the starting location and the intermediate location.

25. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the computing device is configured to cancel text selection as a result of the computing device determining that the movement of the physical contact moved a determined tangential distance from a route between the starting location and the intermediate location, before the physical contact reached or passed the intermediate location.

26. The computer-implemented method of claim 25, wherein the computing device is configured to identify that at least portions of multiple lines of text displayed on the touchscreen display have been selected by the physical contact as a result of the physical contact moving the determined tangential distance from the route after the physical contact has passed the intermediate location.

27. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, further comprising:

displaying, by the touchscreen display during the movement of the physical contact, a graphical interface element that identifies a position of the intermediate location, and that was not displayed before the computing device identified that the physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the starting location.

28. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein the physical contact includes one or more fingers contacting the touchscreen.

29. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device having instructions stored therein that, when executed by one or more programmable processors, cause the one or more programmable processors to perform operations including:

identifying, by a computing device, that physical contact contacted a touchscreen display at a starting location;

determining, by the computing device, that the physical contact remained in contact with the touchscreen display without releasing from contact with the touchscreen display during movement of the physical contact from the starting location to an ending location on the touchscreen display;

displaying, by the computing device and during the movement of the physical contact from the starting location to the ending location, an indication that text output by the touchscreen display between a present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected, wherein the computing device is configured such that;

(i) the computing device identifies that text has been selected responsive to release of the physical contact from contact with the touchscreen after the physical contact has reached or passed an intermediate location located a certain distance from the starting location; and

(ii) the computing device does not identify that text has been selected responsive to release of the physical contact from contact with the touchscreen before the physical contact has reached or passed the intermediate location; and

identifying, by the computing device responsive to having determined that the physical contact has released from contact with the touchscreen at the ending location, text displayed by the touchscreen between the starting location and the ending location as text that has been selected by the physical contact.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 29, wherein displaying the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected includes:

the computing device presenting the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected after the physical contact has reached or passed the intermediate location, and

the computing device not presenting the indication that text output by the touchscreen display between the present location of the physical contact and the starting location has been selected before the physical contact has reached or passed the intermediate location.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise determining, by the computing device responsive to the computing device identifying that the physical contact contacted the touchscreen display at the starting location, the intermediate location by identifying a location that located a predetermined distance from the starting location along a line of multiple words of text.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 29, wherein:

the ending location is located between the starting location and the intermediate location, and

the movement of the physical contact from the starting location to the ending location includes the physical contact (i) passing the intermediate location so that the physical contact is no longer contacting the touchscreen between the starting location and the intermediate location, and then (ii) returning to the ending location so that the physical contact is once again contacting the touchscreen between the starting location and the intermediate location.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 29, wherein the computing device is configured to cancel text selection as a result of the computing device determining that the movement of the physical contact moved a determined tangential distance from a route between the starting location and the intermediate location, before the physical contact reached or passed the intermediate location.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 33, wherein the computing device is configured to identify that at least portions of multiple lines of text displayed on the touchscreen display have been selected by the physical contact as a result of the physical contact moving the determined tangential distance from the route after the physical contact has passed the intermediate location.

35. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 29, wherein the operations further comprise:

displaying, by the touchscreen display during the movement of the physical contact, a graphical interface element that identifies a position of the intermediate location, and that was not displayed before the computing device identified that the physical contact contacted the touchscreen at the starting location.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 29, wherein the physical contact includes one or more fingers contacting the touchscreen.