Devices and Methods for Navigating Between User Interfaces

• US 20160357305A1
• Filed: 09/27/2015
• Published: 12/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Gamble, Matthew H., Wells, Nicole M., Cato, Andrew B., Federighi, Craig M., Westerman, Wayne C.
• Granted Patent: US 10,346,030 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method is performed at an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts. The method includes displaying, on the display, a user interface for an application; detecting an edge input that includes detecting a change in a characteristic intensity of a contact proximate to an edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and, in response to detecting the edge input: in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets system-gesture criteria, performing an operation that is independent of the application, wherein: the system-gesture criteria include intensity criteria; the system-gesture criteria include a location criterion that is met when the intensity criteria for the contact are met while the contact is within a first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface; and the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is determined based on one or more characteristics of the contact.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface;

displaying, on the display, a user interface for an application;

detecting an edge input that includes detecting a change in a characteristic intensity of a contact proximate to an edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and

,

in response to detecting the edge input;

in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets system-gesture criteria, performing an operation that is independent of the application, wherein;

the system-gesture criteria include intensity criteria;

the system-gesture criteria include a location criterion that is met when the intensity criteria for the contact are met while the contact is within a first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface; and

the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is determined based on one or more characteristics of the contact.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the characteristic intensity of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is detected at a location that corresponds to a respective operation in the application.

3. The method of claim 2, including:

in response to detecting the edge input;

in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets application-gesture criteria and does not meet the system-gesture criteria, performing the respective operation in the application instead of performing the operation that is independent of the application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the intensity criteria is met when:

the characteristic intensity of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is above a first intensity threshold; and

the characteristic intensity of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is below a second intensity threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface has first boundaries when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has first spatial properties and second boundaries, different from the first boundaries when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has second spatial properties.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting the edge input includes:

detecting a first portion of the contact on the touch-sensitive surface proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and

extrapolating, based on the first portion of the contact, a second portion of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface that extends beyond the edge of the touch sensitive surface,

wherein the location of the contact, for the purposes of satisfying the location criteria, is determined based on at least in part on the extrapolated second portion of the contact.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has first spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is located entirely off of the touch-sensitive surface; and

in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has second spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface includes a first portion located on the touch-sensitive surface, proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, and a second portion located off of the touch-sensitive surface, extending away from the edge of the touch sensitive surface.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein:

in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has first spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is located entirely off of the touch-sensitive surface, extending away from a first boundary located at a fixed distance from the edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and

in accordance with a determination that the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface has second spatial properties, the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is located entirely off of the touch-sensitive surface, extending away from a second boundary located at a second fixed distance from the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the second fixed distance is shorter than the first fixed distance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein:

in accordance with a determination that a portion of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, the location of the contact is a location of the portion of the contact that extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface farthest from the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, based on a projection of the location of the portion of the contact that extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and

in accordance with a determination that no portion of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface extends beyond the edge of the touch-sensitive surface, the location of the contact is a location of the contact closest to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more characteristics, upon which the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is based, include a size of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the size of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is based on one or more of:

a measure of the capacitance of the contact, a shape of the contact, and an area of the contact.

12. The method of claim 5, wherein, a difference in the first boundaries of the first region and the second boundaries of the first region is greater near a central portion of the edge of the touch-sensitive surface and is smaller near a distal portion of the edge of the touch-sensitive surface.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface has a first or second size when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is moving at a speed above a first speed threshold and a third size when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface is moving at a speed below the first speed threshold.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the system-gesture criteria further include direction criteria specifying a predetermined direction of motion on the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the direction criteria is met when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface moves in the predetermined direction on the touch-sensitive surface.

15. The method of claim 14, including:

after initiating performance of the operation that is independent of the application;

detecting movement, on the touch-sensitive surface, of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the movement of the contact;

in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is in the predetermined direction, continuing performance of the operation that is independent of the application; and

in accordance with a determination that the movement of the contact is in a direction other than the predetermined direction, terminating performance of the operation that is independent of the application.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the system-gesture criteria further include a failure condition that prevents the system-gesture criteria from being met when the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface moves outside of a second region relative to the touch-sensitive surface before the system-gesture criteria are met.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the system-gesture criteria include a requirement that the characteristic intensity of the contact proximate to the edge of the touch-sensitive surface increases from an intensity below an intensity threshold to an intensity at or above the intensity threshold while the contact is within the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the intensity criteria vary based on time.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation that is independent of the application is an operation for navigation between applications of the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective operation in the application is a key press operation.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective operation in the application is a page switching operation.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective operation in the application is for navigation within a hierarchy associated with the application.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective operation in the application is a preview operation.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein the respective operation in the application is a menu display operation.

25. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touch-sensitive surface;

one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying, on the display, a user interface for an application;

detecting an edge input that includes detecting a change in a characteristic intensity of a contact proximate to an edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and

,

in response to detecting the edge input;

in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets system-gesture criteria, performing an operation that is independent of the application, wherein;

the system-gesture criteria include intensity criteria;

the system-gesture criteria include a location criterion that is met when the intensity criteria for the contact are met while the contact is within a first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface; and

the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is determined based on one or more characteristics of the contact.

26. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display, a touch-sensitive surface, and one or more sensors to detect intensity of contacts with the touch-sensitive surface cause the device to:

display, on the display, of a user interface for an application;

detect an edge input that includes detecting a change in a characteristic intensity of a contact proximate to an edge of the touch-sensitive surface; and

,

in response to detecting the edge input;

in accordance with a determination that the edge input meets system-gesture criteria, perform an operation that is independent of the application, wherein;

the system-gesture criteria include intensity criteria;

the system-gesture criteria include a location criterion that is met when the intensity criteria for the contact are met while the contact is within a first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface; and

the first region relative to the touch-sensitive surface is determined based on one or more characteristics of the contact.