Constraining display motion in display navigation

• US 7,193,609 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2002
• Issued: 03/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: America Online Inc. (Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lira, Luigi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz; Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar; Srilakshmi K.
• Application Number:
  US10/307,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20030179189A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,569 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/157, 361/684, 700/298, 707/10, 715/764, 715/784, 715/800, 715/804, 715/838, 715/858, 719/329
• US Class Current: 345/157
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 1/00 Control arrangements or circuits, of interest only in connection with cathode-ray tube indicators; General aspects or details, e.g. selection emphasis on particular characters, dashed line or dotted line generation; Preprocessing of datacathode-ray oscilloscopes G01R13/20; radar display arrangements G01S7/04; display of digital non-picture data in television systems H04N7/0255

Abstract

Navigating on a display includes tracking motion of an input tool on a display, comparing a motion of the input tool to a threshold, and changing a position of the visible portion of a page of information on the display if the input tool motion exceeds the threshold. The position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display is constrained if the motion does not exceed the threshold.

Claims

1. A method of navigating on a display, the method comprising:

tracking motion of an input tool on a display;

comparing a motion of the input tool to a threshold;

changing a position of a visible portion of a page of information on the display; and

repositioning the position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display to an original position if the motion does not exceed the threshold.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the input tool is a stylus and tracking motion of the input tool includes tracking the stylus on a display surface.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the input tool is a finger and tracking motion of the finger includes tracking the finger on a display surface.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the display includes a touchscreen and tracking motion of the input tool includes tracking motion of the input tool on the touchscreen.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the touchscreen includes a resistive sensor and tracking includes tracking the input tool using the resistive sensor.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the touchscreen includes a capacitive sensor and tracking includes tracking the input tool using the capacitive sensor.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the display includes an acoustic wave sensor and tracking includes tracking the input tool using the acoustic wave sensor.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the touchscreen includes an infrared sensor and tracking includes tracking the input tool using the infrared sensor.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the touchscreen includes a sensor activated by touch and tracking motion includes tracking a touch activation force by the input tool on the display.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the input tool includes a stylus having a resistive property and the touchscreen includes a resistive sensor operable to detect the resistive property of the stylus such that tracking includes tracking the stylus with the resistive sensor.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising separating the motion into a horizontal component and a vertical component relative to the display, wherein comparing the user motion of the input tool to the threshold includes comparing the horizontal component to the threshold and repositioning the position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display to the original position includes repositioning a horizontal position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display to an original horizontal position if the horizontal component does not exceed the threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein repositioning includes not changing a vertical position of the visible portion of the page of information.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising separating the motion into a horizontal component and a vertical component relative to the display, wherein comparing the user motion of the input tool to the threshold includes comparing the vertical component to the threshold and repositioning the position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display to the original position includes repositioning a vertical position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display to an original vertical position if the vertical component does not exceed the threshold.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the user motion of the input tool to the threshold includes comparing the user motion of the input tool to a user-defined threshold.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein comparing the user motion of the input tool to the threshold includes comparing the user motion of the input tool to a system-defined threshold.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein the page of information includes at least one column of information and repositioning the position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display to the original position includes repositioning the position of the column of information on the display.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein repositioning the position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display includes repositioning a horizontal position of the column of information on the display to an original horizontal position.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

the column of information includes a logical column; and

repositioning the position of the visible portion of the page of information on the display to the original position includes repositioning the horizontal position of the logical column on the display to the original horizontal position.

19. A method of navigating on a display, the method comprising:

tracking motion of a stylus on a display;

changing a position of a page of information on the display;

comparing a component of motion of the stylus on the display in one direction to a threshold; and

repositioning the position of the page of information on the display to an original position if the motion in the one direction does not exceed the threshold.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the component of motion comprises horizontal motion, the one direction comprises a horizontal direction, and repositioning the position of the page to the original position comprises repositioning a horizontal position of the page to an original horizontal position.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the page of information includes at least one column of information such that repositioning the horizontal position of the page of information on the display includes repositioning the horizontal position of the column of information on the display to the original horizontal position.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the first column of information includes a logical column having a width not exceeding a width of the display such that repositioning the horizontal position includes repositioning the horizontal position of the logical column on the display to the original horizontal position.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein the component of motion comprises vertical motion, the one direction comprises a vertical direction, and repositioning the position of the page to the original position comprises repositioning a vertical position of the page an original vertical position.

24. A method of navigating on a display, the method comprising:

tracking motion of a stylus in contact with a display surface;

changing a visible portion of a page of information on the display;

comparing a component of motion of the stylus on the display surface in one direction to a threshold; and

repositioning the visible portion of the page of information on the display to an original position after the stylus is removed from the display surface if the component of motion in the one direction does not exceed the threshold.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the component of motion comprises horizontal motion, the one direction comprises a horizontal direction, and repositioning comprises repositioning the visible portion of the page of information on the display to an original horizontal position.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the page of information includes at least one column of information such that correcting the original horizontal position includes correcting the original horizontal position of the column of information on the display.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the column of information includes a logical column having a width not exceeding a width of the display such that repositioning includes repositioning the logical column on the display.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the page of information includes at least one column of information such that repositioning the visible portion of the page includes correcting the original horizontal position of the column of information on the display.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein the column of information includes a logical column having a width not exceeding a width of the display such that repositioning includes repositioning the logical column on the display.

30. The method of claim 24 wherein the component of motion comprises vertical motion, the one direction comprises a vertical direction, and repositioning comprises repositioning the visible portion of the page of information on the display to an original vertical position.

31. A computer-readable medium on which are stored executable instructions for causing a computer system to:

track motion of a stylus in contact with a display surface of a device, the device having a processor operable to change a visible portion of a page of information on the display from a first page position by moving the stylus;

change the visible portion of the page of information on the display from the first page position by moving the stylus;

compare a component of motion of the stylus on the display surface in a first direction to a threshold; and

reposition the visible portion of the page of information on the display to a position corresponding to the first page position after the stylus is removed from the display surface if the component of motion does not exceed the threshold.

32. The medium of claim 31 wherein the component of motion comprises horizontal motion, the one direction comprises a horizontal direction, and repositioning comprises repositioning the visible portion of the page of information on the display to a horizontal position corresponding to the first page position.

33. The medium of claim 32 wherein the image includes at least one column of information and the medium stores executable instructions for causing the computer system to correct the original horizontal position of the column of information on the display.

34. The medium of claim 33 wherein the column of information includes a logical column having a width not exceeding a width of the display and the medium stores executable instructions for causing the computer system to correct the original horizontal position of the logical column.

35. The medium of claim 31 wherein the component of motion comprises vertical motion, the one direction comprises a vertical direction, and repositioning comprises repositioning the visible portion of the page of information on the display to a vertical position corresponding to the first page position.

36. A system for navigating on a display, the system comprising:

a stylus; and

a device with a display surface having a touchscreen and a processor operable to compare a horizontal motion of the stylus on the display surface to a threshold, change a visible portion of a page of information on the display from a first page position by moving the stylus, and reposition the visible portion of the page of information on the display to an original horizontal position after the stylus is removed from the display surface if the horizontal motion does not exceed the threshold.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the page of information includes a column of information such that correcting the original horizontal position includes correcting the original position of the column of information on the display.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the column of information includes a logic column having a width not exceeding a width of the display such that correcting the original horizontal position includes correcting the original horizontal position of the logical column on the display.

39. The system of claim 36 wherein the device comprises a personal digital assistant having the display.

40. The system of claim 36 wherein the device comprises a web phone having the display.

41. The system of claim 36 wherein the device comprises a hand held computer having the display.

42. The system of claim 36 wherein the device comprises a monitor having the display.

43. The system of claim 36 wherein the device comprises an e-book having the display.

44. They system of claim 36 wherein the processor is operable not to reposition the visible portion of the page of information to the original horizontal position after the pen stylus is removed from the display surface if the horizontal motion exceeds the threshold.