Gesture movies

• US 8,413,075 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Ording, Bas, Jobs, Steven P.
• Primary Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/242,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20090178011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 715/809, 715/730
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

The display of gesture movies is disclosed to assist users in performing gestures. Gesture movies can be short, unintrusive, and available on demand. A list box can appear in a pop-up window or preference panel, containing a list of gestures that can be displayed. If a user clicks on a gesture in the list, a video, movie or animation of the gesture being performed appears in one box, and a video, movie or animation of the action being performed on a particular object is displayed in another box. Thus, a hand can be shown performing the selected gesture over a touch sensor panel, while at the same time, and synchronized with the gesture being displayed, an object being manipulated by the gesture is displayed.

Claims

1. A method of demonstrating a gesture for manipulating a user input device, comprising:

detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device;

displaying a menu of the one or more gestures;

detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu;

initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a gesture movie includes displaying a first movie of the gesture being performed; and

displaying a second movie, synchronous with the first, in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first movie.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes displaying a list box of gestures that can be selected for demonstration.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a user input on the user input device further includes detection of one or more contacts on a touch sensor panel having movement below a certain threshold for a predetermined amount of time.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying the one or more effects as a function of a context in which the demonstration was initiated.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying a hand performing the gesture as either a right or left hand based upon a pattern of one or more contacts detected on a touch sensor panel.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing audio or visual feedback when the gesture causes a touch upon a touch sensor panel.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising cycling through demonstrations of each of a set of gestures.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the movie is a video of the gesture being performed by a hand on or over a touch sensor panel.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the movie is an animation of the gesture being performed by a hand on or over a touch sensor panel.

10. The method of claim 9, the animation comprising:

displaying the hand using a transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand; and

displaying expected contact points with the touch sensor panel under the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising fading the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand over time so that only the expected contact points remain over the touch sensor panel.

12. The method of claim 9, the animation of the gesture comprising displaying animated arrows indicating expected movements of the hand to perform the gesture.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the animated arrows can appear, disappear, move, grow, shrink, blink, or change color.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes:

displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts;

displaying a plurality of second bubbles on the gesture selection panel representing possible gestures to be demonstrated; and

wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes moving the first bubble against a particular second bubble to select the gesture associated with the particular second bubble to be demonstrated.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes:

displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts;

displaying a virtual gesture movie control ring on the gesture selection panel around the first bubble, the virtual gesture movie control ring indicating one or more possible gestures to be demonstrated; and

wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes rotating the first bubble to select a gesture to be demonstrated.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the first movie is superimposed over the second movie in a single viewing area.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device;

displaying a menu of the one or more gestures;

detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu;

initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the program code wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes displaying a list box of gestures that can be selected for demonstration.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising displaying the one or more effects as a function of a context in which the demonstration was initiated.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising displaying a hand performing the gesture as either a right or left hand based upon a pattern of one or more contacts detected on a touch sensor panel.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising providing audio or visual feedback when the gesture causes a touch upon a touch sensor panel.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising cycling through demonstrations of each of a set of gestures.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, the program code further for causing performance of a method comprising:

presenting the visual representation as an animation of the gesture being performed by a hand on or over a touch sensor panel;

displaying the hand using a transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand;

displaying expected contact points with the touch sensor panel under the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand; and

fading the transparent or semi-transparent representation of the hand over time so that only the expected contact points remain over the touch sensor panel.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes:

displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts;

displaying a plurality of second bubbles on the gesture selection panel representing possible gestures to be demonstrated; and

wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes moving the first bubble against a particular second bubble to select the gesture associated with the particular second bubble to be demonstrated.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein displaying a menu of the one or more gestures includes:

displaying a first bubble on the gesture selection panel representing the detected contacts;

displaying a virtual gesture movie control ring on the gesture selection panel around the first bubble, the virtual gesture movie control ring indicating one or more possible gestures to be demonstrated; and

wherein detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu includes rotating the first bubble to select a gesture to be demonstrated.

26. A mobile telephone including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device;

displaying a menu of the one or more gestures;

detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu;

initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture.

27. A media player including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device;

displaying a menu of the one or more gestures;

detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu;

initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture.

28. A personal computer including a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program code for demonstrating a gesture that manipulates a user input device, the program code for causing performance of a method comprising:

detecting a user input on the user input device, the user input being an initial portion of each of one or more gestures of the input device;

displaying a menu of the one or more gestures;

detecting a user selection of one of the one or more gestures from the menu;

initiating a movie of the selected gesture, wherein initiating a movie includes providing a first visual representation of the gesture being performed along with a second visual representation in which an effect upon one or more objects of a gesture that manipulates a user input device is shown, the effect occurring synchronous with the performance of the gesture in the first visual representation, the one or more objects being representative of the types of objects that can be manipulated by the gesture.