Facilitating Selection of Attribute Values for Graphical Elements

• US 20170083174A1
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Published: 03/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tobens, III, Joseph Bernard, Avilla, Gyancarlo Garc?a, Glass, Andrew Stuart, Loman, Corey Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 10,203,843 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0237 using prediction or retrieval techniques
• 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 3/04842 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 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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 computer-implemented technique is described herein for facilitating a user'"'"'s interaction with graphical elements, such as emoji characters. The technique entails: presenting a collection of graphical elements on a display surface of a user interface mechanism; presenting a selector mechanism on the display surface that provides a plurality of attribute value options (such as skin tone options); receiving a selection by the user of one of the attribute value options, to provide a selected attribute value; globally modifying at least a subset of the graphical elements in the collection based on the selected attribute value, and displaying those modified graphical elements. In one approach, the technique presents the collection of graphical elements in an array that is capable of being panned along at least a first axis of movement. The technique reveals the selector mechanism when the user pans the array along a second axis of movement.

Claims

1. A computing device for interacting with graphical elements, comprising:

a user interface mechanism for presenting a user interface presentation on a display surface of the user interface mechanism, and for receiving input from a user when the user touches a touch-sensitive surface of the user interface mechanism; and

a graphical element interaction component including;

a graphical element presentation component configured to present a collection of graphical elements on the display surface, the collection being capable of being panned along a first axis of movement to reveal different parts of the collection of graphical elements;

a selector presentation component configured to;

detect that the user has engaged the touch-sensitive surface of the user interface mechanism to pan the collection of graphical elements along a second axis of movement; and

in response to detecting engagement by the user with the touch-sensitive surface, present a selector mechanism on the display surface, the selector mechanism providing a plurality of attribute value options, and the selector mechanism appearing as spatially proximate to the collection of graphical elements on the display surface; and

an attribute value selection processing component configured to receive a selection by the user of one of the attribute value options, to provide a selected attribute value, in response to engagement by the user with the selector mechanism via the touch-sensitive surface,

the graphical element presentation component having a global setting component that is configured to modify at least a subset of the graphical elements in the collection based on the selected attribute value, and to display graphical elements that have been modified on the display surface.

2. The computing device of claim 1,

wherein the collection of graphical elements corresponds to a collection of emoji characters,

wherein the selector mechanism corresponds to a skin tone selector mechanism (STSM) that allows a user to select a skin tone from among a plurality of skin tone options, to provide a selected skin tone, and

wherein the global setting component is configured to modify a subset of emoji characters that have a variable skin tone attribute so that the emoji characters in the subset are displayed in the selected skin tone.

3. The computing device of claim 2, further including an emoji prediction component that is configured to:

receive message information that the user has input to a message-generating component;

determine at least one predicted emoji character that is related to the message information; and

present said at least one predicted emoji character on the display surface such that said at least one predicted emoji character has the selected skin tone.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first axis of movement is a horizontal axis of movement, and the second axis of movement is a vertical axis of movement.

5. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the selector mechanism appears beneath the collection of graphical elements.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first axis of movement is a vertical axis of movement, and the second axis of movement is a horizontal axis of movement.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the selector mechanism appears to the left or the right of the collection of graphical elements.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the selector presentation component is configured to present a same selector mechanism when the user pans along the second axis of movement, regardless of a current position along the first axis of movement.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the selector presentation component is configured to present the selector mechanism for only a span of the collection of graphical elements that includes graphical elements that are modifiable via the selector mechanism.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the graphical element presentation component and the selector presentation component are configured to provide an animated guide presentation on the display surface which reveals a location of the selector mechanism in relation to the collection of graphical elements.

11. A computer-readable storage medium for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by one or more processing devices, performing a method that comprises:

presenting a collection of emoji characters on a display surface provided by a user interface mechanism, the collection being capable of being panned along a first axis of movement to reveal different parts of the collection of graphical elements;

detecting that the user has engaged a touch-sensitive surface of the user interface mechanism to pan the collection of emoji characters along a second axis of movement;

in response to said detecting, presenting a skin tone selector mechanism (STSM) on the display surface, the STSM providing a plurality of skin tone options, and the STSM appearing as spatially proximate to the collection of emoji characters on the display surface;

receiving a selection by the user of one of the skin tone options, to provide a selected skin tone, in response to engagement by the user with the STSM, via the touch-sensitive surface; and

globally modifying emoji characters that have a variable skin tone attribute, by setting the variable skin tone of each emoji character to the selected skin tone.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first axis of movement is a horizontal axis of movement, and wherein the second axis of movement is a vertical axis of movement, and wherein the STSM appears beneath the collection of emoji characters.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein said presenting of the STSM comprises presenting a same STSM when the user pans along the second axis of movement, regardless of a current position along the first axis of movement.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving message information that the user has provided to a message-generating component;

determining at least one predicted emoji character that is related to the message information; and

presenting said at least one predicted emoji character to the user such that said at least one predicted emoji character has the selected skin tone.

15. A method, implemented by one or more computing devices, for interacting with graphical elements, comprising:

presenting a collection of graphical elements on a display surface provided by a user interface mechanism, the collection being capable of being panned along a first axis of movement to reveal different parts of the collection of graphical elements;

detecting that the user has engaged a touch-sensitive surface of the user interface mechanism to pan the collection of graphical elements along a second axis of movement;

in response to said detecting, presenting a selector mechanism on the display surface, the selector mechanism providing a plurality of attribute value options, and the selector mechanism appearing as spatially proximate to the collection of graphical elements on the display surface;

receiving a selection by the user of one of the attribute value options, to provide a selected attribute value, in response to engagement by the user with the selector mechanism, via the touch-sensitive surface;

globally modifying at least a subset of the graphical elements in the collection based on the selected attribute value; and

presenting the subset of graphical elements that have been modified on the display surface.

16. The method of claim 15,

wherein the collection of graphical elements corresponds to a collection of emoji characters,

wherein the selector mechanism corresponds to a skin tone selector mechanism (STSM) that allows a user to select a skin tone from among a plurality of skin tone options, to provide a selected skin tone, and

wherein said globally modifying comprises globally modifying a subset of emoji characters that have a variable skin tone attribute so that the emoji characters in the subset are displayed in the selected skin tone.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving message information that the user has provided to a message-generating component;

determining at least one predicted emoji character that is related to the message information; and

presenting said at least one predicted emoji character on the display surface, such that said at least one predicted emoji character has the selected skin tone.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the first axis of movement is a horizontal axis of movement, and wherein the second axis of movement is a vertical axis of movement, and wherein the selector mechanism appears beneath the collection of graphical control elements.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising presenting a same selector mechanism when the user pans along the second axis of movement, regardless of a current position along the first axis of movement.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising providing an animated guide presentation on the display surface which reveals a location of the selector mechanism in relation to the collection of graphical elements.