System and method for manipulating an image on a screen

• US 7,446,783 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2001
• Issued: 11/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Grossman, Peter Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Tung; Kee M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): AMINI, JAVID A
• Application Number:
  US09/834,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20020149605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,763 Days
• Field of Search: 345/660, 345/661, 345/472, 345/472.1, 345/472.2, 345/815, 345/619, 345/157, 345/173, 345/179, 345/419, 348/576
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for zooming into or out of an image on a screen, in which the image is displayed on a touch screen, and a user zooms into a portion of the image by placing a stylus at a desired image point on the screen. The system repeatedly enlarges the image about the image point indicated by the stylus until the user moves the stylus off of the screen, so that whilst the stylus is on the screen, the user sees a continuous enlargement about the point of the stylus. If the stylus is dragged across the screen during the zoom, then the center of the zoom changes to follow the stylus. A zoom-out action may occur in a similar manner to the zoom-in action.

Claims

1. A system for manipulating an image on a screen, said system comprising:

a touch-sensitive screen for displaying said image;

a stylus for indicating an image point of said image displayed on said screen by touching said screen; and

generating means for generating said image on said screen, said means for generating including a dynamic zoom means for carrying out a zoom action on said image on said screen;

wherein said zoom means detects the image point indicated by said stylus on said screen while the stylus is moved across said screen, and repeatedly performs a zoom action on said image on said screen using said detected image point as the center of said zoom action until said stylus is removed from said screen to thereby one of continuously enlarge and reduce the image as the stylus is moved across the screen with the center of the zoom action following the movement of the stylus.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said zoom action comprises an enlargement of said image on said screen about said image point.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said zoom action comprises a reduction of said image on said screen about said image point.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said image is the graphical form of a mathematical object wherein a mathematical object comprises at least one of a mathematical function or a mathematical relation having a symbolic formula, and wherein said means for generating includes means for generating said graphical form of said mathematical object.

5. A method of manipulating an image on a touch-sensitive screen using a stylus, said method comprising the steps of:

displaying said image on said screen;

detecting an instruction to perform a zoom action on said image;

detecting a point of contact of said stylus on said screen as said stylus is moved across said screen;

setting a center of said zoom action at said detected point of contact of said stylus as said stylus is moved across said screen; and

performing said zoom action on said image on said screen using said set center of zoom; and

repeating said step of performing said zoom action until it is detected that said stylus has been removed from contact with said screen thereby one of continuously enlarging and reducing the image as the stylus is moved across the screen with the center of the zoom action following the movement of the stylus.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said zoom action is an enlargement of said image on said screen.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein said zoom action is a reduction of said image on said screen.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein said image is the graphical form of a mathematical object wherein a mathematical object comprises at least one of a mathematical function or a mathematical relation having a symbolic formula, and wherein said step of displaying on image an said screen includes the step of generating said graphical form of said mathematical object.

9. A system for manipulating an image on a screen, said system comprising:

a touch-sensitive screen for displaying said image;

a stylus for indicating an image point on said screen by touching said screen; and

means for generating said image on said screen, said means for generating including a zoom means for carrying out a zoom action on said image on said screen;

wherein said zoom means detects the image point indicated by said stylus on said screen, and simultaneously and repeatedly performs a zoom action on said image on said screen using said detected image point as the center of said zoom action until said zoom means detects that said stylus has been removed from contact with said screen;

said zoom means continually monitors the position of said stylus on said screen; and

wherein on movement of said stylus across said screen, said zoom means alters the center of said zoom action so that the center of said zoom action follows the movement of said stylus to thereby one of continuously enlarge and reduce the image as the stylus is moved across the screen with the center of the zoom action following the movement of the stylus.

10. A method of manipulating an image on a touch-sensitive screen using a stylus, said mathod comprising to steps of:

displaying said image on said screen;

detecting an instruction to perform a zoom action on said image;

detecting a point of contact of said stylus on said screen;

setting a center of said zoom action at said detected point of contact of said stylus on said screen;

performing said zoom action on said image on said screen using said set center of zoom;

moving the stylus across said screen while maintaining contact between the stylus and the screen, thereby changing the position of the point of contact on the screen;

moving said center of said zoom action in accordance with the movement of said stylus across said screen thereby one of continuously enlarging and reducing the image as the stylus is moved across the screen with the center of the zoom action following the movement of the stylus.