Swipe gesture classification

• US 8,411,060 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2012
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Scholler, Jerome F., Ozuysal, Yusuf
• Primary Examiner(s): JOSEPH, DENNIS P
• Application Number:
  US13/410,046
• Time in Patent Office: 397 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 715863-866
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Systems and methods for processing a swipe gesture are provided. A method includes receiving an indication of the swipe gesture via a touch screen. The indication of the swipe gesture includes a first event position on the touch screen associated with a first event time and a second event position associated with a second event time. The method also includes calculating a gesture speed for the swipe gesture. The method also includes calculating a reconstructed event position based on the gesture speed and one of the first event position and the second event position. The method also includes, if the reconstructed event position is closer to the edge than the edge threshold, providing an output associated with taking a first action. The method also includes, if the reconstructed event position is further from the edge than the edge threshold, providing an output associated with taking a second action.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing a swipe gesture, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of the swipe gesture via a touch screen, wherein the indication of the swipe gesture comprises a first event position on the touch screen associated with a first event time and a second event position on the touch screen associated with a second event time;

calculating a gesture speed based on the first event position, the first event time, the second event position, and the second event time;

calculating a reconstructed event position based on the gesture speed and at least one of the first event position and the second event position, wherein the reconstructed event position is different from the first event position and the second event position and is not received in the indication of the swipe gesture, and wherein the reconstructed event position is a mathematically derived point on two coordinate axes;

wherein calculating the reconstructed event position comprises calculating a reconstructed displacement based on the gesture speed; and

adding or subtracting the reconstructed displacement to the at least one of the first event position and the second event position;

wherein the reconstructed event position is calculated according to an equation, wherein the equation comprises an exponential function of the gesture speed;

determining whether the reconstructed event position is closer to an edge than an edge threshold, the edge corresponding to an edge of the touch screen or an edge displayed within the touch screen;

if the reconstructed event position is closer to the edge than the edge threshold, providing an output associated with taking a first action in an application; and

if the reconstructed event position is further from the edge than the edge threshold, providing an output associated with taking a second action in the application, wherein the second action is different from the first action.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reconstructed displacement is calculated according to an equation:

reconstructed displacement=sign(gesture speed)*constant*(exp(abs(gesture speed))−

1),

wherein the constant is based on a pixel density of the touch screen, wherein the pixel density comprises a number of pixels per unit distance,

wherein sign represents a sign function,

wherein exp represents an exponential function, and

wherein abs represents an absolute value function or a magnitude function.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the constant is inversely proportional to the pixel density of the touch screen.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the constant is calculated according to an equation:

constant=6500/(2*pixel density),

wherein the pixel density is measured in pixels per inch (PPI), and

wherein the reconstructed displacement is measured in inches.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge comprises an edge of a window, wherein at least a portion of the window is displayed within the touch screen.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge comprises an edge of an object within a window, wherein at least a portion of the object is displayed within the touch screen.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge threshold is measured in pixels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge threshold is measured in units of distance.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the edge threshold is measured as a percentage of a size of the touch screen.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the touch screen displays a web browser window.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first action comprises switching a tab of the web browser window.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the second action comprises scrolling along an axis within a single tab of the web browser window.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for processing a swipe gesture, the computer-readable medium comprising instructions instruction which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive an indication of the swipe gesture via a touch screen, wherein the indication of the swipe gesture comprises a first event position on the touch screen and a second event position on the touch screen;

associate the first event position with a first event time;

associate the second event position with a second event time;

calculate a gesture speed based on the first event position, the first event time, the second event position, and the second event time;

calculate a reconstructed event position based on the gesture speed and at least one of the first event position and the second event position, wherein the reconstructed event position is different from the first event position and the second event position and is not included in the received indication of the swipe gesture, wherein the reconstructed event position is a mathematically derived point on two coordinate axes;

wherein calculating the reconstructed event position comprises calculating a reconstructed displacement based on the gesture speed; and

adding or subtracting the reconstructed displacement to the at least one of the first event position and the second event position;

wherein the reconstructed event position is calculated according to an equation, wherein the equation comprises an exponential function of the gesture speed;

determine whether the reconstructed event position is closer to an edge than an edge threshold distance, the edge corresponding to an edge of the touch screen or an edge displayed within the touch screen;

if the reconstructed event position is closer to the edge than the edge threshold distance, provide an output associated with taking a first action in an application displaying data on the touch screen; and

if the reconstructed event position is further from the edge than the edge threshold distance, provide an output associated with taking a second action in the application displaying data on the touch screen, wherein the second action is different from the first action.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the edge threshold is measured as a percentage of a size of the touch screen.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein at least one of the first action or the second action is determined based on an application running on the computer and displaying data on the touch screen.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the application comprises a web browser.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the first action comprises switching a tab of the web browser.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the second action comprises scrolling along an axis within a single tab of the web browser.

19. A system for processing a swipe gesture, the system comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

receive an indication of the swipe gesture via a touch screen displaying a web browser window, wherein the indication of the swipe gesture comprises a first event position on the touch screen associated with a first event time and a second event position on the touch screen associated with a second event time;

calculate a gesture speed based on the first event position, the first event time, the second event position, and the second event time;

calculate a reconstructed event position based on the gesture speed and at least one of the first event position and the second event position, wherein the reconstructed event position is different from the first event position and the second event position and is not included in the received indication of the swipe gesture, and wherein the reconstructed event position comprises a mathematically derived point on two coordinate axes;

wherein calculating the reconstructed event position comprises calculating a reconstructed displacement based on the gesture speed; and

adding or subtracting the reconstructed displacement to the at least one of the first event position and the second event position;

wherein the reconstructed event position is calculated according to an equation, wherein the equation comprises an exponential function of the gesture speed;

determine whether the reconstructed event position is closer to an edge of the web browser window than an edge threshold;

if the reconstructed event position is closer to the edge than the edge threshold, provide an output associated with switching a tab of the web browser window; and

if the reconstructed event position is further from the edge than the edge threshold, provide an output associated with scrolling along an axis within a single tab of the web browser window.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the gesture speed is calculated according to an equation:

gesture speed=(second event position−

first event position)/(second event time−

first event time).

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the instructions to calculate the reconstructed event position comprise instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

calculate a reconstructed displacement based on the gesture speed; and

add or subtract the reconstructed displacement to the at least one of the first event position and the second event position.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the reconstructed displacement is calculated according to an equation:

reconstructed displacement=sign(gesture speed)*constant*(exp(abs(gesture speed))−

1),

wherein the constant is based on a pixel density of the touch screen, wherein the pixel density comprises a number of pixels per unit distance,

wherein sign represents a sign function,

wherein exp represents an exponential function, and

wherein abs represents an absolute value function or a magnitude function.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the reconstructed displacement is calculated according to an equation:

reconstructed displacement=sample time*gesture speed,

wherein the sample time comprises an amount of time required for a sample by the touch screen.