Manipulation of list on a multi-touch display

• US 8,610,673 B2
• Filed: 12/03/2008
• Issued: 12/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Storrusten, Dane Trevor
• Primary Examiner(s): Leiby, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US12/327,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,840 Days
• Field of Search: 345157-159, 345/167, 345/173, 345/684
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Embodiments related to the manipulation of lists via a multi-touch display are disclosed. One disclosed embodiment comprises a computing device having a touch-sensitive display, a processor, and memory. The memory comprises code executable by the processor to display a scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display, to detect a first touch gesture over the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display, and, in response, to scroll the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display. The memory further comprises code executable by the processor to detect a second, multi-touch gesture over the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display, and in response to adjust a displayed range of the scrollable list of items.

Claims

1. A computing device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor; and

memory comprising code stored thereon executable by the processor to;

display a scrollable list of items in a graphical user interface window on the touch-sensitive display, the scrollable list of items including a plurality of simultaneously displayed items, the simultaneously displayed items spaced apart from one another and each item including one or more of an icon, text, and an image;

detect a first touch gesture over the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display in the graphical user interface window, and in response to detecting the first touch gesture over the scrollable list of items, to scroll the scrollable list of items in the graphical user interface window on the touch-sensitive display by changing a position of each of the plurality of simultaneously displayed items in the graphical user interface window; and

detect a second, multi-touch gesture over the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display, and in response to detecting the second, multi-touch gesture over the scrollable list of items, to adjust a displayed range of the scrollable list of items in the graphical user interface window.

2. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising code executable by the processor to adjust, in response to the second, multi-touch gesture, a rate of scrolling caused by the first touch gesture.

3. The computing device of claim 2, further comprising code executable to revert the rate of scrolling caused by the first touch gesture to a default value upon completion of the second, multi-touch gesture.

4. The computing device of claim 1, further comprising code executable to revert the displayed range of the scrollable list of items to a default value in response to completion of the second, multi-touch gesture.

5. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the second, multi-touch gesture comprises a change in distance between two or more touch inputs over the scrollable list of items.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the change in distance between two or more touch inputs is along a path having a direction transverse to a direction of scrolling.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the code is executable to allow adjustment of the displayed range of the scrollable list in a continuous manner.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein each item in the list is scaled in size in response to the second, multi-touch gesture.

9. The computing device of claim 1 wherein each item in the list comprises one or more fields, and wherein each item in the list is rearranged in response to the second, multi-touch gesture.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein, before rearranging, each item in the list comprises a first non-zero set of information about each list item;

and wherein rearranging each item in the list comprises adding additional information such that each item in the list comprises a second, different set of information about each list item after rearranging.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the first touch gesture comprises a touch input that is moved along a path having a direction within a first range of directions, and the second, multi-touch gesture comprises a change in distance between multiple touch inputs that occur along a direction within a second range of directions.

12. A computing device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor; and

memory comprising code stored thereon executable by the processor to;

display a scrollable list of items in a graphical user interface window on the touch-sensitive display, the scrollable list of items including a plurality of simultaneously displayed text items arranged in a column;

detect a first touch gesture over the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display in the graphical user interface window and in response to detecting the first touch gesture, to scroll the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display by changing a position of each of the plurality of simultaneously displayed text items at a scroll rate proportional to the first touch gesture, the first touch gesture comprising motion along a path within a first range of directions; and

detect a second, multi-touch gesture over the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display in the graphical user interface window and not over any underlying zooming or scrolling controls and, in response to detecting the second, multi-touch gesture, to adjust a displayed range of the scrollable list of items, a size of the displayed text items in the scrollable list of items, and a proportional correspondence between a rate of movement of the first touch gesture and the scroll rate,

wherein the second, multi-touch gesture comprises motion along a path within a second range of directions transverse to the first range of directions.

13. The computing device of claim 12, further comprising code executable to revert the scroll rate and the displayed range of the scrollable list of items to default values upon completion of the second, multi-touch gesture.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein a direction of scrolling caused by the first touch gesture is reversed responsive to the second, multi-touch gesture.

15. The computing device of claim 12 wherein the code is executable to adjust the displayed range of the scrollable list of items in discrete steps.

16. The computing device of claim 12 wherein the proportional correspondence between the rate of movement of the first touch gesture and the scroll rate is adjusted via the second, multi-touch gesture such that a single first touch gesture can be used to scroll through an entirety of the list of scrollable items.

17. A method of operating a computing device, the computing device comprising a touch-sensitive display, the method comprising:

displaying a scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display while omitting display of a scroll bar associated with the scrollable list of items, the scrollable list of items including a plurality of simultaneously displayed items;

detecting a first touch gesture and a second, multi-touch gesture over the scrollable list of items at overlapping time intervals;

in response to detecting the first touch gesture over the scrollable list of items, scrolling the scrollable list of items by changing a position of each of the plurality of simultaneously displayed items at a rate proportionally corresponding to the first touch gesture; and

in response to detecting the second, multi-touch gesture over the scrollable list of items, adjusting a range of the scrollable list of items displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising adjusting the rate of scrolling caused by the first touch gesture in response to the second, multi-touch gesture.

19. The method according to claim 17 wherein a motion of the first touch gesture is along a direction of scrolling.

20. The method according to claim 19 wherein a motion of the second, multi-touch gesture is transverse to the direction of scrolling.