Cursor control

• US 8,330,715 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2009
• Issued: 12/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Yadavalli, Sriram, Zhang, Yongjun, Koivisto, Antti
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIMNHUNG T
• Application Number:
  US12/456,847
• Publication Number:
  US 20100127972A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-168, 715/856
• US Class Current: 345/157
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects

Abstract

A method involving:

• (i) detecting one of a plurality of possible directional input commands for controlling the position of a cursor in a display;
• (ii) determining whether the detected directional input should be interpreted as an input under a free-roaming mode or under an attraction mode
• (iii) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the free-roaming mode then determining an end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input
• (iv) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the attraction mode then determining the end position as coincident with a selectable item;
• (v) moving the cursor from the current position to the determined end position in a series of steps; and
• (vi) setting the end position as the current position.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

(i) detecting one of a plurality of possible directional input commands for controlling the position of a cursor in a display;

(ii) determining, by a processor, a virtual jump in the position of the cursor from a current position to an end position;

wherein the end position is;

a) a first end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input, wherein the end position is, by default, the first end position;

or

b) a second end position coinciding with a selectable item;

(iii) moving the cursor from the current position to the end position in one or more steps; and

(iv) setting the end position as the current position.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising repeatedly performing operations (i), (ii)(a), (ii) and (iv) and then performing operations (i), (ii)(b) and (iii) to navigate the cursor to a selectable item.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein when a selectable item lies within an area extending on either side of a trajectory passing through the current position and the first end position, the end position is the second end position.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end position is the second end position when as a consequence of the detected input command it is determined that the selectable item is a candidate destination for the cursor.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second end position is an unpredetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing influenced by the detected directional input command.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second end position is determined by searching a display area for one or more selectable items.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the search area comprises a plurality of sub-areas between the current position and the first end position.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sub-areas are positioned randomly.

9. A method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the search area extends from the current position to beyond the first end position.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the predetermined magnitude is variable.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the predetermined magnitude is varied in response to detection of an oscillating movement of the cursor in response to consecutive user input commands.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein, after movement of the cursor, the content of the display is scrolled automatically.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end position in response to a directional input command that is repeated or continuous is a first end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the predetermined magnitude grows as the directional input command is repeated or continued.

15. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying program instructions for causing a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

16. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly embodying computer program instructions, which when loaded into a processor, are configured to cause an apparatus to at least perform:

determining whether a detected directional input should be interpreted as an input under a free-roaming mode or under an attraction mode;

if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the free-roaming mode then determining an end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input;

if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the attraction mode then determining the end position as coincident with a selectable item; and

enabling movement of the cursor from the current position to the determined end position.

17. An apparatus comprising a processor and a memory storing computer program code, wherein the memory and stored computer program code are configured, with the processor, to cause the apparatus to at least:

cause display of a cursor and one or more items that are selectable using the cursor on a display;

detect one of a plurality of possible directional input commands that control a position of the cursor in the display;

determine a virtual jump in the position of the cursor from a current position to an end position;

determine whether the end position is;

a) a first end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the selected one of the directional inputs, wherein the end position is, by default, the first end position;

or

b) a second end position coinciding with a selectable item; and

control movement of the cursor from the current position to the end position.

18. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, sized to be held in a human hand.

20. An apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile computing device.

19. A method comprising:

(i) detecting one of a plurality of possible directional input commands for controlling the position of a cursor in a display;

(ii) determining, by a processor, whether the detected directional input should be interpreted as an input under a free-roaming mode or under an attraction mode;

(iii) if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the free-roaming mode then determining an end position at a predetermined magnitude from the current position on a bearing determined by the detected directional input;

(iv)if the detected directional input is interpreted as an input under the attraction mode then determining the end position as coincident with a selectable item;

(v) moving the cursor from the current position to the determined end position in a series of steps; and

(vi) setting the end position as the current position.