User interface elements positioned for display

• US 8,508,475 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2008
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gear, Gavin M., Luengen, Ross N., Miller, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia, Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US12/257,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20100103098A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-184, 701/472, 701/433, 701/408, 715/764, 715/764.863, 715/825, 715/744, 463/13, 361/679.03, 348/14.04
• US Class Current: 345/158
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1636 Sensing arrangement for detection of a tap gesture on the housing
• 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 3/033 Pointing devices displaced or positioned by the user , e.g. mice, trackballs, pens or joysticks; Accessories therefor digitisers characterised by the transducing means G06F3/041

Abstract

User interface elements positioned for display is described. In various embodiment(s), sensor input can be received from one or more sensors that are integrated with a portable device. A device hold position that corresponds to where the portable device is grasped by a user can be determined based at least in part on the sensor input. A display of user interface element(s) can then be initiated for display on an integrated display of the portable device based on the device hold position that corresponds to where the portable device is grasped.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving sensor input from one or more sensors integrated with a portable device;

determining a device hold position based at least in part on the sensor input, the device hold position corresponding to where the portable device is grasped; and

initiating a display of one or more user interface elements in a user interface on an integrated display of the portable device based on the device hold position that corresponds to where the portable device is grasped, the user interface including multiple display regions in which to display the one or more user interface elements to avoid the one or more user interface elements being obscured in one or more of a portrait orientation or a landscape orientation of the user interface based on the device hold position, the one or more user interface elements being displayed in one of the multiple display regions that is not adjacent to the device hold position to enable a user to interact with the one or more user interface elements via a hand that is not grasping the portable device at the device hold position.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a display position of the one or more user interface elements in the user interface is designated when the display of the one or more user interface elements is initiated, and wherein:

the device hold position is adjacent to a first display region of the user interface; and

the display position of the one or more user interface elements corresponds to a second display region of the user interface that corresponds to one of the multiple display regions that is not adjacent to the device hold position.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a display position of the one or more user interface elements in the user interface is designated when the display of the one or more user interface elements is initiated, and wherein the device hold position is adjacent to a display region of the user interface that includes the display position of the one or more user interface elements.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a display position of the one or more user interface elements in the user interface is designated when the display of the one or more user interface elements is initiated, the method further comprising:

determining a new device hold position based at least in part on a change in the sensor input; and

determining a new display position to display one or more of the user interface elements in the user interface, the new display position being based on the new device hold position.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of the sensors include a non-contact sensor that senses where the portable device is grasped.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of the sensors includes a contact sensor that senses where the portable device is grasped.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of the sensors are integrated proximate a front surface of the portable device to sense where the portable device is grasped.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein one or more of the sensors are integrated proximate a rear surface of the portable device to sense where the portable device is grasped.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising determining the portrait orientation or the landscape orientation for the user interface based on where the portable device is grasped.

10. A portable device, comprising:

an integrated display configured to display a user interface that includes one or more user interface elements and multiple display regions;

one or more sensors configured to generate sensor input;

an element display position service configured to;

receive the sensor input and determine a device hold position based at least in part on the sensor input, the device hold position corresponding to where the portable device is grasped; and

determine a display position and which of the display regions in which to display the one or more user interface elements in the user interface on the integrated display, the display position and the display region both being determined based on the device hold position to avoid the one or more user interface elements being obscured in one or more of a portrait orientation or a landscape orientation of the user interface based on the device hold position, the display region being determined to be a display region that is not adjacent to the device hold position to enable a user to interact with the user interface element via a hand that is not grasping the device at the device hold position.

11. A portable device as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the device hold position is adjacent to a first display region of the user interface; and

the display position of the one or more user interface elements corresponds to a second display region of the user interface that corresponds to the display region that is not adjacent to the device hold position.

12. A portable device as recited in claim 10, wherein:

the device hold position is adjacent to a display region of the user interface that includes the display position of the one or more user interface elements.

13. A portable device as recited in claim 10, wherein the interface configuration service is further configured to:

determine a new device hold position based at least in part on a change in the sensor input; and

determine a new display position to display the one or more user interface elements in the user interface, the new display position being based on the new device hold position.

14. A portable device as recited in claim 10, wherein the interface configuration service is further configured to determine either the portrait orientation or the landscape orientation for the user interface based on where the portable device is grasped.

15. A portable device as recited in claim 10, wherein one or more of the sensors includes a contact sensor configured to sense where the portable device is grasped.

16. A portable device as recited in claim 10, wherein one or more of the sensors includes a non-contact sensor configured to sense where the portable device is grasped.

17. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, initiate an element display position service to:

receive sensor input from one or more sensors that are integrated with a portable device, the sensor input including an indication of where the portable device is grasped; and

determine which of multiple display regions of a user interface to use to display one or more user interface elements on an integrated display of the portable device to avoid the one or more user interface elements being obscured in one or more of a portrait or a landscape orientation of the user interface based at least in part on the sensor input that indicates where the portable device is grasped, the display region being determined to be one of the multiple display regions that is not adjacent to a location on the portable device where the portable device is grasped to allow a user to interact with the one or more user interface elements via a hand that is not grasping the portable device.

18. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, initiate the element display position service to:

receive a change in the sensor input that indicates a change in where the portable device is grasped; and

determine a new display position to display the one or more user interface elements in the user interface based at least in part on the change in where the portable device is grasped.

19. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, wherein the sensor input includes an indication that the portable device is not being held, and further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, initiate the element display position service to clear the one or more user interface elements from the display of the user interface based at least in part on the indication that the portable device is not being held.

20. One or more computer-readable media as recited in claim 17, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, initiate the element display position service to designate the portrait orientation or the landscape orientation for the user interface based on where the portable device is grasped.