Distance-based accelerated scrolling

• US 7,173,637 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2002
• Issued: 02/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth Paul, Cutrell, Edward B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Brier; Jeffery A.
• Application Number:
  US10/112,775
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 345/684, 345/784, 345/785, 345/159, 715/784, 715/785
• US Class Current: 345/684
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0362 with detection of 1D translations or rotations of an operating part of the device, e.g. scroll wheels, sliders, knobs, rollers or belts
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning

Abstract

A method and system for performing distance-based accelerated scrolling are described. The system accelerates scrolling based on the distance that a user has already scrolled, and continues to scroll in a quick manner. Using a conventional wheelmouse, consecutive quick flicks of the wheel may be used as an approximation of the distance that the user has scrolled, based on the effort the user expends flicking the wheel. The system inhibits acceleration when the user slows down or reverses direction in order to return fine scrolling capabilities to the user to locate an exact position in a data file.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for accelerating scrolling, comprising the steps of:

(i) receiving multiple input cycles from a motion-sensing wheel input device as a result of a user actuating the motion-sensing wheel input device above a threshold speed in a first direction, wherein each input cycle comprises a plurality of input events and each input event is a rotational increment of the wheel and wherein each cycle is determined based on the user pausing to reacquire the motion-sensing wheel input device; and

(ii) for a plurality of cycles meeting predetermined criteria after the first cycle, incrementing a scrolling gain factor to cause a display device to scroll displayed content a greater predetermined distance per each of the plurality of input events than the input events of the immediately preceding cycle, wherein the predetermined criteria comprises each input cycle beginning within a predetermined amount of time after completion of the previous input cycle.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(iii) resetting the scrolling gain factor to a default value when input received from the motion-sensing wheel input device indicates the user is actuating the motion-sensing wheel input device in a direction substantially opposite to the first direction.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(iii) detecting that the user has stopped actuating the motion-sensing wheel input device above the threshold speed; and

(iv) in response to step (iii), resetting the scrolling gain factor to a default value.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

(iii) in response to receiving each input event, scrolling content a distance calculated as a function of the input event'"'"'s speed.

5. A system for scrolling content displayed on a display screen, comprising:

a motion-sensing user input device, the motion sensing input device comprising a wheel;

a computer readable medium storing computer readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause a computer connected to a display device to perform the steps of;

(i) receiving multiple input cycles from the motion-sensing input device as a result of a user actuating the motion-sensing input device above a threshold speed in a first direction, wherein each input cycle comprises a plurality of input events and each input event is a rotational increment of the wheel and wherein each cycle is determined based on the user pausing to reacquire the motion-sensing input device; and

(ii) for a plurality of cycles meeting predetermined criteria after the first cycle, incrementing a scrolling gain factor to cause the display device to scroll displayed content a greater predetermined distance per each of the plurality of input events than the input events of the immediately preceding cycle, wherein the predetermined criteria comprises each input cycle beginning within a predetermined amount of time after completion of the previous input cycle.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise the step of:

(iii) resetting the scrolling gain factor to a default value when input received from the motion-sensing input device indicates the user is actuating the motion-sensing input device in a direction substantially opposite to the first direction.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise the steps of:

(iii) detecting that the user has stopped actuating the motion-sensing input device above the threshold speed; and

(iv) in response to step (iii), resetting the scrolling gain factor to a default value.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the computer readable instructions further comprise the step of:

(iii) in response to receiving each input event, scrolling content a distance calculated as a function of the input event'"'"'s speed.

9. An input device comprising:

a motion sensing mechanism;

memory storing firmware embodying instructions for performing acceleration, comprising the steps;

(i) receiving multiple input cycles comprising multiple input events from the motion-sensing mechanism as a result of a user actuating the motion-sensing mechanism above a threshold speed in a first direction and wherein each cycle is determined based on the user pausing to reacquire the motion-sensing mechanism; and

(ii) for a plurality of cycles meeting predetermined criteria after the first cycle, incrementing a gain factor so that, responsive to each input event, the input device generates a larger predetermined scroll distance than each input event in an immediately preceding cycle, wherein the predetermined criteria comprises each input cycle beginning within a predetermined amount of time after completion of the previous input cycle.

10. The input device of claim 9, wherein the firmware further embodies the steps of:

(iii) detecting when the user stops actuating the motion-sensing mechanism above a threshold speed in a first direction; and

(iv) responsive to step (iii), resetting the gain factor to a default value.

11. A method for scrolling content displayed on a display screen of a computer system, said method comprising:

(i) receiving a first scrolling input cycle from a motion-sensing input device as a result of a user actuating the motion-sensing input device above a threshold speed in a first direction, wherein the input cycle comprises a plurality of discrete input events; and

(ii) for each discrete input event of the first input cycle, scrolling the content displayed on the display screen a default predetermined amount;

(iii) after a first brief pause, receiving a second scrolling input cycle from the motion-sensing input device as a result of the user actuating the motion-sensing input device above the threshold speed in the first direction without pausing for longer than a predetermined amount of time after the first scrolling input cycle;

(iv) for each discrete input event of the second cycle, scrolling the content displayed on the display screen a larger predetermined amount than the default predetermined amount scrolled per input event in the first cycle;

(v) after a second brief pause, receiving a third scrolling input cycle from the motion-sensing input device as a result of the user actuating the motion-sensing input device above the threshold speed in the first direction without pausing for longer than a predetermined amount of time after the second scrolling input cycle; and

(vi) for each discrete input event of the third cycle, scrolling the content displayed on the display screen a larger predetermined amount than the predetermined amount scrolled per input event in the second cycle.