Method and system for touch-friendly user interfaces

• US 8,543,942 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2010
• Issued: 09/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Adobe Inc.
• Original Assignee: Adobe Systems Incorporated (Adobe Inc.)
• Inventors: Kumar, Mayank
• Primary Examiner(s): PHANTANA ANGKOOL, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US12/856,259
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 715/835, 715/711, 715/713
• US Class Current: 715/835
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A computing device has a processor executing instructions to provide a graphical user interface rendered on a display device, the user interface includes a first control rendered on the display device and a second control rendered on the display device, wherein, by receiving input through the user interface of a selection within a proximity of at least one of the first control and the second control, the computing device renders at least one supplemental control on the display device corresponding to the selection.

Claims

1. A computing device having a processor configured for executing instructions to provide a graphical interface for rendering on a display device, the graphical interface comprising:

a first control to be rendered on the display device; and

a second control to be rendered on the display device,

wherein, based on receiving input through the graphical interface of a selection and determining that the input is within a proximity of at least one of the first control and the second control, the processor is further configured to render at least one supplemental control, the at least one supplemental control comprising;

a first supplemental control having a first visual indicator identifying that the first supplemental control is associated with the first control, wherein the first supplemental control is configured for selecting the first control in response to a first selection input received via the first supplemental control; and

a second supplemental control having a second visual indicator identifying that the second supplemental control is associated with the second control, wherein the second supplemental control is configured for selecting the second control in response to a second selection input received via the second supplemental control.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving additional input through the graphical interface comprising a selection of one of the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control, the processor is further configured to select the respective control associated with the selected supplemental control.

3. The computing device of claim 2, wherein said proximity is a pre-defined size according to a size of a touch gesture.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the pre-defined size is configured to be adjusted though an additional graphical interface.

5. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the computing device is configured to iteratively adjusts the proximity.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

disable the first control and the second control in response to rendering the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control; and

in response to receiving additional input through the graphical interface comprising a selection of one of the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control, enabling at least one of the first control and the second control.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first supplemental control has a first width or height greater than the first control and the second supplemental control has a second width or height greater than the second control.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first visual indicator comprises the first control and the first supplemental control being rendered with a first color or pattern and the second visual indicator comprises the second control and the second supplemental control being rendered with a second color or pattern different from the first color or pattern.

9. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first visual indicator comprises a first connector rendered between the first control and the first supplemental control and the second visual indicator comprises a second connector rendered between the second control and the second supplemental control.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to render the first supplemental control at a distance from the second supplemental control, wherein the distance between the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control is greater than a distance between the first control and the second control.

11. A computer-implemented method for providing a graphical interface on a touch-display device, the method comprising:

rendering a first control for display on the touch-display device;

rendering a second control for display on the touch-display device;

receiving input through the graphical interface of a touch gesture; and

in response to receiving the input;

determining that the input is within a proximity of at least one of the first control and the second control, said computing device renders, and

rendering at least one supplemental control on the touch-display device corresponding to the touch gesture, wherein the at least one supplemental control comprises a visual indicator identifying that the at least one supplemental control is associated with one of the first control and the second control and wherein the at least one supplemental control is configured for selecting the associated control in response to a selection input received via the at least one supplemental control.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the at least one supplemental control comprises:

a first supplemental control having a first visual indicator identifying that the first supplemental control is associated with the first control, wherein the first supplemental control is configured for selecting the first control in response to a first selection input received via the first supplemental control; and

a second supplemental control having a second visual indicator identifying that the second supplemental control is associated with the second control, wherein the second supplemental control is configured for selecting the second control in response to a second selection input received via the second supplemental control.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving additional input through the graphical interface of a touch gesture substantially superimposing one of the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control; and

in response to receiving the additional input, selecting the respective control associated with the selected supplemental control.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the proximity is a pre-defined size according to a size of the touch gesture.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the pre-defined size is configured to be adjusted through an additional graphical interface.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

disabling the first control and the second control in response to rendering the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control; and

in response to receiving the additional input through the graphical interface comprising a selection of one the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control, enabling at least one of the first control and the second control.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein rendering the at least one supplemental control comprises:

identifying a first supplemental control having a first visual indicator identifying that the first supplemental control is associated with the first control, wherein the first supplemental control is configured for selecting the first control;

identifying a second supplemental control having a second visual indicator identifying that the second supplemental control is associated with the second control, wherein the second supplemental control is configured for selecting the second control;

determining that a previous input of a previous touch gesture through the graphical interface within the proximity of the first control and the second control resulted in a selection of the first supplemental control;

selecting the first supplemental control as the at least one supplemental control in response to determining that the previous input of the previous touch gesture within the proximity of the first control and the second control resulted in the selection of the first supplemental control; and

rendering the first supplemental control.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein determining that the input is within the proximity of at least one of the first control and the second control comprises:

identifying a first proximity value associated with a first profile and a second proximity value associated with a second profile, wherein the first proximity value is different from the second proximity value;

identifying that the touch-display device is accessed via the first profile;

selecting the first proximity value based on identifying that the touch-display device is accessed via the first profile;

setting the proximity to the first proximity value.

21. The computer-readable instructions of claim 16, wherein the computer-readable instructions are further configured to be processed by the processor to cause the processor to perform additional steps of the method comprising:

receiving additional input through the graphical interface of a selection of one of the first supplemental control and the second supplemental control;

in response to receiving the additional input, selecting the respective control associated with the selected supplemental control.

19. A product comprising computer-readable instructions stored on a non-transitory storage device, the computer-readable instructions configured to be executed by a processor to cause the processor to perform a method comprising:

rendering a first control in a graphical interface for display on a display device;

rendering a second control in the graphical interface for display on the display device;

receiving input through the graphical interface of a selection;

in response to receiving the input;

determining that the input is within a proximity of at least one of the first control and the second control, and

rendering at least one supplemental control on the display device, wherein the at least one supplemental control comprises a visual indicator identifying that the at least one supplemental control is associated with one of the first control and the second control and wherein the at least one supplemental control is configured for selecting the associated control in response to a selection input received via the at least one supplemental control.

20. The computer-readable instructions of claim 19, wherein the at least one supplemental control comprises:

a first supplemental control having a first visual indicator identifying that the first supplemental control is associated with the first control, wherein the first supplemental control is configured for selecting the first control in response to a first selection input received via the first supplemental control; and

a second supplemental control having a second visual indicator identifying that the second supplemental control is associated with the second control, wherein the second supplemental control is configured for selecting the second control in response to a second selection input received via the second supplemental control.

22. A computer-implemented method for providing a graphical interface on a touch-display device, comprising:

rendering at least one control for display on the touch-display device; and

in response to receiving input of a selection through the graphical interface of the touch-display device;

determining that the input is within a proximity of the at least one control,

rendering at least one supplemental control for display on the touch-display device, wherein the at least one supplemental control comprises a visual indicator identifying that the at least one supplemental control is associated with the at least one control and the at least one supplemental control is configured for selecting the at least one control in response to a selection input received via the at least one supplemental control;

receiving additional input through the graphical interface indicating a selection of the at least one supplemental control, and

selecting the at least one control in response to the additional input selecting the at least one supplemental control.

23. A computer-implemented method for providing a graphical interface for display on a touch-display mobile device, comprising:

rendering a plurality of controls for display on the touch-display mobile device;

receiving a selection through the graphical interface;

identifying by a processing device, a subset of the plurality of controls corresponding to the selection;

rendering a plurality of supplemental controls corresponding to the subset of the plurality of controls for display on the touch-display mobile device, wherein each supplemental control includes a respective visual indicator identifying that the supplemental control is associated with a respective control and wherein each supplemental control is configured to select the respective control in response to an input received via the supplemental control;

receiving an additional selection of at least one of the plurality of supplemental controls through the graphical interface of the touch-display mobile device; and

selecting a control associated with a selected one of the plurality of supplemental controls.