TOUCH INTERPRETATION FOR DISPLAYED ELEMENTS

• US 20150242067A1
• Filed: 05/04/2012
• Published: 08/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ainslie, Alex, Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 9,235,324 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0418 for error correction or compensation, e.g. based on parallax, calibration or alignment
• 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 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A machine-implemented method for processing touch elements of an application of a device is provided. The method includes receiving application data associated with the application, the application data providing for the touch elements, each of the touch elements comprising an activation area configured to receive a user input and to trigger at least one function of the application upon receiving the user input. The method further includes determining, from the application data, that plural ones of the touch elements are for display in a group in the application; and classifying, in response to the determining, each of the touch elements of the group into two or more categories based on the application function of the touch element. The method further includes defining a size of the activation area for at least one of the touch elements based on the classification.

Claims

1. A machine-implemented method for processing touch elements of an application of a device, the method comprising:

receiving application data associated with the application, the application data providing for the touch elements, each of the touch elements comprising an activation area configured to receive a user input and to trigger at least one function of the application upon receiving the user input;

determining, from the application data, that plural ones of the touch elements are for display in a group of touch elements in the application;

classifying, before the application receives a touch input and in response to the determining, each of the touch elements of the group into one of a predetermined number of categories comprising a destructive category and a non-destructive category based on an application function of the touch element; and

reducing, before the application receives a touch input, a predetermined size of a respective activation area for at least one of the touch elements if the at least one of the touch elements is classified in the destructive category, and increasing the predetermined size of the respective activation area for the at least one of the touch elements if the at least one of the touch elements is classified in the non-destructive category, the respective activation area being changed to a size that is different than a displayed size of the at least one of the touch elements, the displayed size remaining unchanged.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application function of the destructive category comprises delete, close, or exit.

2. (canceled)

4-8. -8. (canceled)

9. A device, comprising:

a touch screen;

one or more processors; and

a machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by the processors, cause the processors to perform operations comprising;

determining, from application data associated with an application for the device, that a plurality of touch elements are for display in a group in the application, wherein each of the touch elements comprises an activation area configured to receive a user input and to trigger at least one function of the application upon receiving the user input;

classifying, before the application receives a touch input and in response to the determining, each of the touch elements of the group into one of a predetermined number of categories comprising a destructive category and a non-destructive category based on the application function of the touch element;

reducing, before the application receives a touch input, a predetermined size of a respective activation area for at least one of the touch elements if the at least one of the touch elements is classified in the destructive category, and increasing the predetermined size of the respective activation area for the at least one of the touch elements if the at least one of the touch elements is classified in the non-destructive category, the respective activation area being changed to a size that is different than a displayed size of the at least one of the touch elements, the displayed size of the at least one of the touch elements remaining unchanged; and

allocating a portion of the activation area of at least one of the touch elements to another touch element.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein each of the touch elements of the group are classified into the categories based on whether the touch elements are associated with a delete, close, or exit application function.

11. (canceled)

12. (canceled)

13. (canceled)

14. (canceled)

15. A machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a system, cause the system to perform operations comprising:

receiving application data associated with an application for a device, the application data providing for multiple touch elements, each of the touch elements comprising an activation area configured to receive a user input;

determining, from the application data, that plural ones of the touch elements are for display in a group of touch elements in the application;

classifying, before the application receives a touch input and in response to the determining, each of the touch elements of the group into one of predetermined number of categories comprising a destructive category and a non-destructive category;

reducing, before the application receives a touch input, a predetermined size of a respective activation area for at least one of the group of touch elements if the at least one of the touch elements is classified in the destructive category, and increasing the predetermined size of the respective activation area if the at least one of the group of touch elements is classified in the non-destructive category, the respective activation area being changed to a size that is different than a displayed size of the at least one of the group of touch elements, the displayed size remaining unchanged; and

allocating a portion of the activation area of the at least one touch element to an adjacent touch element based on the classification.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15, wherein each of the touch elements of the group are classified into the categories based on whether the touch elements are associated with a delete, close, or exit application function, wherein each of the touch elements triggers at least one function of the application upon receiving the user input.

17. (canceled)

18. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

20. (canceled)