Virtual object adjustment via physical object detection

• US 8,289,288 B2
• Filed: 01/15/2009
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Whytock, Chris, Pessoa, Carlos, Hoover, Paul Armistead
• Primary Examiner(s): Chow, Van
• Application Number:
  US12/354,166
• Publication Number:
  US 20100177931A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,370 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

Various embodiments related to the location and adjustment of a virtual object on a display in response to a detected physical object are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment provides a computing device comprising a multi-touch display, a processor and memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to display on the display a virtual object, to detect a change in relative location between the virtual object and a physical object that constrains a viewable area of the display, and to adjust a location of the virtual object on the display in response to detecting the change in relative location between the virtual object and the physical object.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a multi-touch display;

a processor; and

memory comprising instructions executable by the processor to;

display on the display a virtual object;

assign a first virtual charge value associated with the virtual object;

assign a second virtual charge value associated with a physical object, wherein the physical object constrains a viewable area of the display;

detect a change in relative location between the virtual object and the physical object;

determine an interaction force between the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value; and

adjust a location of the virtual object on the display based upon the interaction force in response to detecting the change in relative location between the virtual object and the physical object.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the physical object is located on the display.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the physical object comprises an edge of the display.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to assign the first virtual charge value at the location of the virtual object.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the physical object is a second physical object, wherein the virtual object is associated with a first physical object, and wherein the instructions are executable to assign the first virtual charge value at a location of the first physical object.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value are of equivalent magnitudes.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value are of different magnitudes.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value are of a same polarity.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value are of a different polarity.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to determine a virtual force vector between the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value and to adjust the location of the virtual object based on the virtual force vector.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are executable to determine the interaction force between the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value by treating the first virtual charge value and the second virtual charge value as electrostatic charge values.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further executable to assign the virtual object a default orientation vector configured to stabilize the location of the virtual object in a preselected direction based upon a magnitude of a distance between the virtual object and the physical object.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the default orientation vector comprises a magnitude that varies based upon a number of contextual menu items contained in a contextual menu.