Flick gesture

• US 7,761,814 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2004
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jarrett, Robert J., Pettiross, Jeffrey W., Keely, Leroy B., Lerner, Matthew Rubin, Duncan, Rick, Viji, Sriram, Rimas-Ribikauskas, Emily K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Campbell; Joshua D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alvesteffer; Stephen
• Application Number:
  US10/938,882
• Publication Number:
  US 20060055662A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,136 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A system and method for determining whether a flick gesture has occurred is described. A flick gesture is a simple gesture that may be easily detected and is characterized by minimal interference with other applications or gestures.

Claims

1. A process for recognizing a gesture created by a pointing device comprising:

determining from a stroke of the pointing device that a flick gesture has occurred, wherein the flick gesture is distinct from other gestures, wherein the flick gesture occurs in at least one of a plurality of flick regions, wherein each flick region is associated with an action to be fired, each flick region being a section of a circle, a center of the circle being a starting point of the flick gesture;

determining an action to be performed, wherein determination of the action is based on;

hardware of the system;

a first set of actions associated with a first pointing device and a second set of actions associated with a second pointing device, wherein the first set of actions and the second pointing device, wherein the first set of actions and the second set of actions each being customized to accommodate left handedness and right handedness and physical angle of the pointing device; and

a characterization of the stroke to determine one of the plurality of flick regions, the characterization of the stroke being based on a direction, a movement and a timing of the stroke;

determining that the velocity has decreased by a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time interval, wherein the predetermined time interval is greater than an interval, the interval being set so as to avoid false positives or miss-fired actions;

sending a message about the flick gesture to an operating system or a computing application; and

providing animated feedback indicating recognition of the flick gesture and a direction or flick regions associated with the flick gesture, wherein interpretation of the flick gesture is context-sensitive and customizable to perform a specified function, wherein the context-sensitivity includes a first operation being performed when the flick gesture is performed in a context of a first application, and wherein the context-sensitivity includes a second operation being performed when the flick gesture is performed in a context of a second application, wherein the first application and the second application are different applications, and wherein the first operation and the second operation are different operations.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the pointing device includes a mouse and the determining from a stroke of the pointing device includes determining whether movement of the pointing device has occurred after a contact, wherein the contact includes operation of a mouse button.

3. A process for recognizing a gesture created by a pointing device, comprising:

determining that a stroke of the pointing device occurs beyond a first threshold after contact with a computer-generated display;

determining that a velocity has decreased by a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time interval, wherein the predetermined time interval is greater than a brief interval, the brief interval being set so as to avoid false positives or miss-fired actions;

determining a characteristic of a stroke of the pointing device, the characteristic being at least one of a direction, a movement and a timing of the stroke;

calculating a derived value for determining a flick gesture, the derived value including velocity, acceleration, curvature, or lift, the derived value being calculated from the characteristic of the stroke;

determining an action to be performed, wherein determination of the action is based on;

a first set of actions associated with a first pointing device;

a second set of actions associated with a second pointing device, the first set of actions and the second set of actions being customizable for the first pointing device and the second pointing device, respectively, and the first set of actions and the second set of actions each being customizable to accommodate left handedness, right handedness, and physical angle;

at least one characteristic of the stroke; and

at the derived value; and

based on the determining acts, providing animated feedback, indicating recognition of the gesture, a direction of the flick gesture or a region associated with the gesture, wherein interpretation of the flick gesture is context-sensitive and customizable to perform a specified function, the context-sensitivity including a first operation performed when the flick gesture is performed in a context of a first application and the context-sensitivity including a second operation different from the first operation that is performed when the flick gesture is performed in a context of a second application different from the first application.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein the pointing device includes a mouse and the contact includes operation of a mouse button.

5. The process according to claim 3, wherein the pointing device includes a stylus and the contact includes contact on or immediately above a surface of the computer-generated display.

6. The process according to claim 3, wherein the pointing device includes a user'"'"'s finger and the contact includes contact on or immediately above a surface of the computer-generated display.

7. The process according to claim 3, the process further comprising determining a straightness of a path of the gesture, wherein the gesture is determined to have occurred based on the straightness determination.

8. The process according to claim 3, the process further comprising determining if a beginning of the gesture occurs in an inkable region, wherein the gesture is determined to have occurred when the gesture did not occur in the inkable region.

9. A system for recognizing a gesture created by a pointing device, comprising:

means for determining if movement of the pointing device occurs beyond an initial movement threshold after contact with a computer-generated display;

means for determining an action to be performed based on;

hardware of the system; and

a first set of actions associated with a first pointing device and a second set of actions associated with a second pointing device, wherein the first set of actions and the second set of actions each being customizable for the first pointing device and the second pointing device, respectively, wherein the first set of actions and the second set of actions each being customized to accommodate left handedness and right handedness and physical angle of the pointing device;

means for determining if a velocity of the pointing device has not decreased;

means for, based on the determining performed by the movement determining means and the velocity determining means, determining that a flick gesture has occurred, the flick gesture being distinct from other gestures and occurring in at least one of a plurality of regions, each flick region being associated with an action to be fired and being a section of a circle, and a center of the circle being a starting point of the flick gesture;

means for providing animated feedback indicating recognition of the flick gesture, a direction of the flick gesture or a region associated with the flick gesture, wherein the velocity determining means includes means for determining that the velocity has decreased by a predetermined threshold over a predetermined time interval, wherein the predetermined time interval is greater than a brief interval, the brief interval being set so as to avoid false positives or miss-fired actions; and

means for interpreting the flick gesture, the interpreting being context-sensitive and customizable to perform a specified function, the context-sensitivity including a first operation performed when the flick gesture is performed in a context of a first application and the context-sensitivity including a second operation different from the first operation that is performed when the flick gesture is performed in a context of a second application different from the first application.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the pointing device includes a mouse and the contact includes operation of a mouse button.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the pointing device includes a stylus and the contact includes contact on or immediately above a surface of the computer-generated display.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the pointing device includes a user'"'"'s finger and the contact includes contact on or immediately above a surface of the computer-generated display.

13. The system according to claim 9, further comprising:

means for determining a straightness of a path of the gesture, wherein the gesture is determined to have occurred based on the straightness determination.

14. The system according to claim 9, the system further comprising:

means for determining if a beginning of the gesture occurs in an inkable region, wherein if the gesture did not occur in the inkable region then the gesture is determined to have occurred.

15. A computing system, comprising:

a storage;

a processor that recognizes flick gestures apart from other gestures, and determines whether a velocity of the gestures has not decreased by a predetermined threshold of an initial velocity over a predetermined time interval, wherein the predetermined time interval is greater than a brief interval, the brief interval being set so as to avoid false positives or miss-fired actions, and wherein the other gestures include;

a press and hold gesture;

a double actuation gesture; and

a hold and drag gesture;

wherein the processor is configured to provide animated feedback indicating a recognized gesture, and wherein the gesture is context-sensitive and user customizable, and wherein the processor executes a first function responsive to the gesture when the gesture is performed in the context of a first application, and

wherein the processor executes a second function responsive to the gesture when the gesture is performed in the context of a second application,

wherein the first application and the second application are distinct form one another,

wherein the first function and the second function are different functions, and

wherein the processor executes the user customizable functions based on;

hardware of the system;

a first set of actions associated with a first pointing device and a second set of actions associated with a second pointing device, wherein the first set of actions and the second set of actions each being customizable for the first pointing device and the second pointing device, respectively, wherein the first set of actions and the second set of actions each being customized to accommodate left handedness and right handedness and physical angle of input device; and

a characterization of the stroke to determine a flick region, the characterization of the stroke being based on at least one of a direction, a movement and a timing of the stroke.

16. The computing system according to claim 15, wherein the double actuation gesture is a double click of a mouse button.

17. The computing system according to claim 15, wherein the double actuation gesture is a double tap of a stylus.