Methods for combination tools that zoom, pan, rotate, draw, or manipulate during a drag

• US 8,274,534 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Roland Wescott Montague
• Original Assignee: Roland Wescott Montague
• Inventors: Montague, Roland Wescott
• Primary Examiner(s): Broome, Said
• Assistant Examiner(s): KAU, JANICE W
• Application Number:
  US12/041,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20080204476A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 345/661
• US Class Current: 345/661
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

After positioning the cursor and pressing-and-holding a mouse button to begin a drag, a user continues to drag the cursor out of and into plural popped up regions. While the cursor is within a region, an associated function effects the displayed graphical information in a particular way, such as continuously panning, drawing, zooming, or rotating. Upon rolling-out of a region without entering a contiguous region, the last function continues to execute and all popped up regions are removed such that the user may utilize the entire display without being switched to another function. In a simple form, after release of the mouse button, a tool may zoom out if the user held the mouse substantially stationary and zoom in on a rectangle if the mouse was dragged. Reducing the number of times a user clicks by eliminating the step of selecting a function should help avoid repetitive strain injuries.

Claims

1. A method of selecting and activating a tool, comprising:

a. providing an electronic screen display and a microprocessor for displaying a graphical content; and

b. providing an input device for performing a drag operation, said drag operation defines a new fixed reference point location and a new movable selection point location on said screen display, where said reference point location is the location said drag starts, and where said selection point location is the current location of said drag; and

c. responsive to starting said drag providing a new first region containing and spatially relative to said reference point location and further providing two or more new additional regions contiguous with at least one previously provided new regions,

wherein at least three of said regions are each assigned a substantially different corresponding function, activating at least one said function in response to said selection point location moving out of the corresponding function'"'"'s region without entering any of the other contiguous regions;

whereby a user may start a drag at an arbitrary location to display pop-up menu items then activate a desired item by continuing to drag the selection point out of the item'"'"'s corresponding region without entering a contiguous region, with results such as pop-up new menu items or activate a file save action.

2. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 1 wherein responsive to said selection point location moving out of at least one said region continuously modifying the displayed, graphical content based on both said reference point location and said selection point location;

whereby a user may start a drag display tool choices then drag out of the desired tool'"'"'s region to activate it and continue the same drag while the tool utilizes the reference point and selection point locations such as draw a circle or panning the graphical content displayed or drawing a rectangle of interest arid zooming in on the rectangle in response to completing the drag by releasing.

3. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 2 wherein responsive to said selection point location moving out at least one said region eliminates all said regions, thereby preventing selection and activation of a different action;

whereby a user may utilize all areas of the screen for the activated action such as panning.

4. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 3 wherein at least one moving out action is zooming and at least one moving out action is panning.

5. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 1 further comprising activating at least one said action in response to releasing while said selection point location is within the corresponding region;

whereby a user may press-release without dragging to activate the first region function'"'"'s corresponding action, such as zooming out, or the user may press-drag into the region of a function of interest and release to permanently activate it, similar to clicking on a standard toolbar icon, such as draw curve.

6. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 1 further comprising:

activating at least one said action in response to said selection point location pausing within the corresponding function'"'"'s region;

Whereby a user may press and pause without dragging for a duration of time to begin dynamically zooming out.

7. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 1 further comprising:

activating a predetermined selectable item in response to releasing said drag without pausing for a predetermined duration of time while said selection point location is within said first region, and said selection point location is overtop of said predetermined selectable item location;

whereby a user may press and release on a hyperlink to load in a new webpage, or the user may press mad pause without dragging to dynamically zoom out, or the user may press and drag and move out of a dynamic pan region to pan the display, or the user may press and drag and move out of a rectangle zoom-in region to draw tin area of interest to zoom in on following a release.

8. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 1 further comprising:

activating a predetermined selectable item in response to releasing said drag after pausing for a duration of time while said selection point location is within said first region, and said selection point location is overtop of said predetermined selectable item location;

whereby a user may press and release to zoom out a fixed amount, or the user may press and pause and release on a hyperlink to load in a new webpage, or the use, may press and drag and move out of a dynamic pan region to pan the display, or the user may press and drag and move out of a rectangle zoom-in region to draw an area of interest to zoom in on following a release.

9. The method of selecting and activating a tool according to claim 4 wherein at least one moving out action is a rotation tool.