Portable electronic device with multi-touch input

• US 7,812,826 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Issued: 10/12/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chaudhri, Imran, Christie, Greg, Ording, Bas, Lemay, Stephen O., Forstall, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala; Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury; Afroza Y
• Application Number:
  US11/618,633
• Publication Number:
  US 20070152984A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/156, 345/169
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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 portable communication device with multi-touch input detects one or more multi-touch contacts and motions and performs one or more operations on an object based on the one or more multi-touch contacts and/or motions. The object has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object, and the object has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting at least two first contacts on a display surface of a multi-touch-sensitive display device;

detecting a first motion associated with the at least two first contacts, wherein the first motion corresponds to a multi-touch gesture;

adjusting a parameter of a graphical object in accordance with the first motion;

detecting a breaking of the at least two first contacts;

after detecting the breaking of the at least two first contacts, detecting at least two second contacts on the display surface;

detecting a second motion associated with the at least two second contacts, wherein the second motion corresponds to the multi-touch gesture and the at least two second contacts are detected within a pre-determined time interval after the breaking of the at least two first contacts is detected; and

continuing to adjust the parameter of the graphical object in accordance with the second motion.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the parameter is a non-linear function of a displacement of the first contacts during the multi-touch gesture.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises a magnification of the graphical object.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises an orientation of the graphical object.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch gesture comprises rotation.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the multi-touch gesture comprises de-pinching, and wherein de-pinching includes displacing at least two contacts away from one another.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical object has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object, and the graphical object has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

8. A method, comprising:

detecting at least two contacts on a display surface of a multi-touch-sensitive display device;

displaying a graphical object proximate to a point of contact on the display surface;

detecting motion associated with the at least two contacts;

adjusting a parameter of the graphical object based on the motion associated with the at least two contacts;

detecting a loss of contact on the display surface;

responsive to detection of the lost contact, storing a current value of the parameter and starting a timer;

responsive to the timer exceeding a threshold before contact is reestablished, ceasing to display the graphical object on the display;

responsive to contact being reestablished before the timer exceeds the threshold, maintaining display of the graphical object on the display;

while maintaining display of the graphical object on the display, detecting additional motion of the at least two contacts; and

continuing to adjust the parameter based on the additional motion of the at least two contacts.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the graphical object is animated to simulate motion.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the parameter is volume control.

11. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processors in a portable electronic device, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of:

detecting at least two contacts on a display surface of a multi-touch-sensitive display;

displaying a graphical object proximate to a point of contact on the display surface;

detecting motion associated with the at least two contacts;

adjusting a parameter of the graphical object based on the motion associated with the at least two contacts;

detecting a loss of contact with the display surface;

responsive to detection of the lost contact, storing a current value of the parameter and starting a timer;

responsive to the timer exceeding a threshold before contact is reestablished, ceasing to display the graphical object on the display;

responsive to contact being reestablished before the timer exceeds the threshold, maintaining display of the graphical object on the display;

while maintaining display of the graphical object on the display, detecting additional motion of the at least two contacts; and

continuing to adjust the parameter based on the additional motion of the at least two contacts.

12. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a multi-touch-sensitive display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

detecting at least two contacts on a display surface of the multi-touch-sensitive display;

displaying a graphical object proximate to a point of contact on the display surface;

detecting motion associated with the at least two contacts;

adjusting a parameter of the graphical object based on the motion associated with the at least two contacts;

detecting a loss of contact on the display surface;

responsive to detection of the lost contact, storing a current value of the parameter and starting a timer;

responsive to the timer exceeding a threshold before contact is reestablished, ceasing to display the graphical object on the display;

responsive to contact being reestablished before the timer exceeds the threshold, maintaining display of the graphical object on the display;

while maintaining display of the graphical object on the display, detecting additional motion of the at least two contacts; and

continuing to adjust the parameter based on the additional motion of the at least two contacts.

13. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a multi-touch-sensitive display;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

detecting at least two first contacts on a display surface of the multi-touch-sensitive display;

detecting a first motion associated with the at least two first contacts, wherein the first motion corresponds to a multi-touch gesture;

adjusting a parameter of a graphical object in accordance with the first motion;

detecting a breaking of the at least two first contacts;

after detecting the breaking of the at least two first contacts, detecting at least two second contacts on the display surface;

detecting a second motion associated with the at least two second contacts, wherein the second motion corresponds to the multi-touch gesture and the at least two second contacts are detected within a pre-determined time interval after the breaking of the at least two first contacts is detected; and

continuing to adjust the parameter of the graphical object in accordance with the second motion.

14. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processors in a portable electronic device, cause the one or more processors to perform the operations of:

detecting at least two first contacts on a display surface of a multi-touch-sensitive display device;

detecting a first motion associated with the at least two first contacts, wherein the first motion corresponds to a multi-touch gesture;

adjusting a parameter of a graphical object in accordance with the first motion;

detecting a breaking of the at least two first contacts;

after detecting the breaking of the at least two first contacts, detecting at least two second contacts on the display surface;

detecting a second motion associated with the at least two second contacts, wherein the second motion corresponds to the multi-touch gesture and the at least two second contacts are detected within a pre-determined time interval after the breaking of the at least two first contacts is detected; and

continuing to adjust the parameter of the graphical object in accordance with the second motion.