Selective enabling of multi-input controls

• US 8,436,815 B2
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mazeev, Maxim, Levy, Robert, Weiss, John, Anderson, Scot
• Primary Examiner(s): Kumar, Srilakshmi K
• Assistant Examiner(s): HERNANDEZ, JESUS J
• Application Number:
  US11/904,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20080291174A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,050 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A control system is disclosed that is configurable (e.g., by a programmer) so as to enable input from multiple sources to capture to multiple controls. Also or alternatively, the system is configurable so as to enable input from multiple sources to capture to a single control. The system also provides a consistent and extendable scheme for filtering out conflicting events for individual controls. In one embodiment, this means that the system is configurable (e.g., based on the programmer'"'"'s asserted preferences) so as to enable a selective determination as to whether additional inputs can be captured for a given control.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of managing touch screen inputs, the method comprising:

receiving a plurality of simultaneous touch screen inputs directed to a graphically rendered user interface element having an underlying, functionally connected first user interface control;

receiving an additional simultaneous touch screen input that is also directed to the user interface element;

identifying a first capture status that is assigned to the first user interface control;

identifying a second capture status that is assigned to a second user interface control;

utilizing a visual tree to determine whether or not the first user interface control and the second user interface control are related through a hierarchical relationship;

utilizing, based on a determination that the first and the second user interface controls are related, the identified first capture status and the identified second capture status to determine a maximum number of simultaneous touch screen inputs that can be captured to the user interface element;

capturing the plurality of simultaneous touch screen inputs to the user interface control based on a determination that the plurality of simultaneous touch screen inputs is less than or equal to the maximum number of simultaneous touch screen inputs; and

filtering out the additional simultaneous touch screen input based on a determination that the additional simultaneous touch screen input exceeds the maximum number of simultaneous touch screen inputs.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

routing subsequent events from the plurality of simultaneous touch screen inputs to the first user interface control until a lost capture event is raised and acknowledged.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the lost capture event is automatically raised and acknowledged based at least in part upon a finger leaving a touch-device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein identifying the first capture status and the second capture status comprises evaluating states of capture components that are each switchable between a captured state and a released state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capture status and the second capture status are values of attached properties, and wherein identifying the first capture status and the second capture status comprises identifying the values of the attached properties.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first capture status and the second capture status are exposed to a user interface framework utilizing an application programming interface.

14. The method of claim 2, wherein utilizing the visual tree comprises evaluating user interface controls at a plurality of different hierarchical levels.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the plurality of different hierarchical levels comprises at least four levels.

7. A touch screen development system, comprising:

a user interface having a plurality of graphically rendered control elements;

a plurality of different input mechanisms;

a visual tree that hierarchically arranges the plurality of graphically rendered control elements into multiple levels;

a capture gate management component that enables a programmer to associate one of a plurality of different capture gate statuses to each of the graphically rendered control elements, the plurality of different capture gate statuses including a first capture gate status that limits acquisition of one of the plurality of graphically rendered control elements to a single input, and a second capture gate status that requires acquisition of another one of the plurality of graphically rendered control elements by a plurality of simultaneous inputs; and

a computer processor that configures each of the plurality of graphically rendered control elements to accept or reject one or more of a plurality of inputs from the plurality of different input mechanisms depending upon the capture gate status of the control and upon the capture gate statuses of a portion of the plurality of graphically rendered control elements that are above the control in the hierarchy.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the capture gate management component enables the programmer to collectively associate each of the first capture gate status and the second capture gate status with more than one of the plurality of graphically rendered control elements.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the capture gate management component enables the programmer to collectively associate each of the first capture gate status and the second capture gate status with one of the multiple levels.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the capture gate management component enables the programmer to collectively associate each of the first capture gate status and the second capture gate status with the one of the multiple levels by assigning a single capture gate status to a top level of the multiple levels.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein each of the plurality of graphically rendered control elements is displayed in the visual tree.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein association of each of the first capture gate status and the second capture gate status exposes capture and release methods.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the association of each of the first capture gate status and the second capture gate status allows a certain number of inputs and excludes inputs beyond the certain number.