Systems and Methods for Multitasking on an Electronic Device with a Touch-Sensitive Display

• US 20150365306A1
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran A., Khoe, May-Li, Zambetti, Nicholas, Yang, Lawrence Y.
• Granted Patent: US 9,648,062 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2203/04803 Split screen, i.e. subdividing the display area or the window area into separate subareas
• 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 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/04883 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/10 Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/24 including, apart from doping materials or other impurities, only semiconductor materials not provided for in groups H01L29/16, H01L29/18, H01L29/20, H01L29/22 including organic materials H10K99/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/42324 Gate electrodes for transistors with a floating gate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7827 Vertical transistors H01L29/7802, H01L29/78642 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78391 the gate comprising a layer which is used for its ferroelectric properties
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7889 Vertical transistors, i.e. transistors having source and drain not in the same horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/00 Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD] real-time bi-directional transmission of motion video data H04N7/14 ; broadcast or conference over packet switching networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47205 : for manipulating displayed content, e.g. interacting with MPEG-4 objects, editing locally
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring

Abstract

Systems and methods for multitasking using touch-sensitive devices are disclosed herein. In one aspect, a method includes: displaying, on a touch-sensitive display (“TSD”) of a device, first and second applications such that the first and second applications occupy substantially all of the TSD and are separated at a border between the first and second applications. The method further includes: detecting a swipe gesture at the second application, the swipe gesture moving in a direction that is substantially parallel to the border. In response to detecting the swipe gesture, the method includes: determining whether the swipe gesture satisfies a threshold. Upon determining that the swipe gesture satisfies the threshold, the method includes: replacing the second application with an application selector that includes a plurality of selectable affordances corresponding to applications available on the device, the application selector being displayed in an area of the TSD previously occupied by the second application.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the electronic device to:

display a first application in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display;

receive a first contact on the touch-sensitive display;

in response to receiving the first contact, display an application selector on the touch-sensitive display, wherein the displayed application selector overlays at least a portion of the displayed first application;

detect a second contact at an affordance displayed within the application selector;

in response to detecting the second contact at the affordance;

cease to display the application selector; and

display a second application corresponding to the selected affordance in an area of the touch-sensitive display previously occupied by the application selector.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the application selector on the touch-sensitive display comprises revealing a first portion of the application selector and revealing additional portions of the application selector in accordance with movement of the first contact on the touch-sensitive display.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

while displaying the application selector on the touch-sensitive display;

display a first set of affordances within the application selector;

detect a gesture substantially within the application selector; and

in response to detecting the gesture;

determine whether the application selector is associated with additional affordances not contained within the first set of affordances;

in accordance with a determination that the application selector is associated with additional affordances, display one or more of the additional affordances; and

in accordance with a determination that the application selector is not associated with additional affordances, continue to display the first set of affordances.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

before receiving the first contact;

detect a gesture on the touch-sensitive display; and

in response to detecting the gesture, display an affordance used to launch the application selector.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the first contact on the touch-sensitive display is at the displayed affordance used to launch the application selector.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the application selector includes populating the application selector with a plurality of default affordances.

7. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

monitor an application usage history associated with a user of the electronic device and replace the plurality of default affordances with affordances corresponding to applications selected in accordance with the application usage history.

8. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein detecting the second contact at the affordance displayed within the application selector comprises determining whether an intensity associated with the second contact satisfies an intensity threshold.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

display content within the first application or the second application;

detect a gesture on the touch-sensitive display, at a location of the displayed content, the gesture moving towards an edge of the touch-sensitive display;

in response to detecting the gesture, determine whether the gesture has moved to within a predetermined distance of an edge of the touch-sensitive display; and

upon determining that the gesture has moved to within the predetermined distance of the edge, temporarily display the application selector with a plurality of affordances.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

detect movement of the gesture towards a displayed affordance of the plurality of affordances within the application selector, wherein the displayed affordance corresponds to a third application;

detect a liftoff of the gesture from the touch-sensitive display; and

in response to detecting the liftoff, open the third application and display the content within the third application.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the plurality of affordances is filtered to display affordances corresponding only to applications capable of displaying the content.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

detect a third contact at an affordance displayed within the application selector, wherein the third contact lasts for an amount of time;

determine whether the amount of time satisfies a threshold amount of time;

upon determining that the amount of time satisfies the threshold amount of time, display a remove affordance within the application selector; and

detect a fourth contact at the remove affordance and, in response to detecting the fourth contact, remove the affordance from the application selector.

13. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display;

displaying a first application in a full-screen mode on the touch-sensitive display;

receiving a first contact on the touch-sensitive display;

in response to receiving the first contact, displaying an application selector on the touch-sensitive display, wherein the displayed application selector overlays at least a portion of the displayed first application;

detecting a second contact at an affordance displayed within the application selector;

in response to detecting the second contact at the affordance;

ceasing to display the application selector; and

displaying a second application corresponding to the selected affordance in an area of the touch-sensitive display previously occupied by the application selector.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed by an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display, cause the electronic device to:

display, on the touch-sensitive display, a first application and a second application such that the first and second applications occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display and are separated at a border between the first and second applications;

detect a swipe gesture at the second application, the swipe gesture moving in a direction that is substantially parallel to the border;

in response to detecting the swipe gesture, determine whether the swipe gesture satisfies a threshold; and

upon determining that the swipe gesture satisfies the threshold, replace the second application with an application selector that includes a plurality of selectable affordances corresponding to applications available on the electronic device, wherein the application selector is displayed in an area of the touch-sensitive display previously occupied by the second application.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein replacing the second application with the application selector includes scaling down content displayed within the second application to successively smaller sizes and revealing more of the application selector as the swipe gesture moves in the direction that is substantially parallel to the border.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the scaling down includes determining whether the content displayed within the second application has reached a predefined size and, upon determining that the content has reached the predefined size, ceasing to scale down the content.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the content having the predefined size is displayed within a particular selectable affordance, corresponding to the second application, of the plurality of selectable affordances within the application selector.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the particular selectable affordance further includes an icon corresponding to the second application that transparently overlays the content having the predefined size.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

detect selection of the particular selectable affordance corresponding to the second application;

upon detecting the selection of the particular selectable affordance, scale up the content having the predefined size until the content replaces the application selector and the second application is again displayed in the space originally-occupied by the second application prior to displaying the application selector.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the threshold is a threshold distance traveled, by the swipe gesture, on the touch-sensitive display.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the executable instructions further cause the electronic device to:

before detecting the swipe gesture at the second application, display an affordance on the touch-sensitive display that overlays the second application, wherein the affordance indicates that the application selector is accessible.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the border runs from a first edge of the touch-sensitive display to a second edge, opposite the first edge, of the touch-sensitive display.

23. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive display;

displaying, on the touch-sensitive display, a first application and a second application such that the first and second applications occupy substantially all of the touch-sensitive display and are separated at a border between the first and second applications;

detecting a swipe gesture at the second application, the swipe gesture moving in a direction that is substantially parallel to the border;

in response to detecting the swipe gesture, determining whether the swipe gesture satisfies a threshold; and

upon determining that the swipe gesture satisfies the threshold, replacing the second application with an application selector that includes a plurality of selectable affordances corresponding to applications available on the electronic device, wherein the application selector is displayed in an area of the touch-sensitive display previously occupied by the second application.