Pressure based selection

• US 8,665,209 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Issued: 03/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rimas-Ribikauskas, Emily K., Anson, David Leininger Adolphson, Jarrett, Robert James
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US12/710,670
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153879A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,470 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/157, 345173-179, 455/566, 455/575, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 178 1801- 1906
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The use of pressure-sensitive selection tools in a graphical user interface is disclosed in which the amount of pressure during a selection operation may modify selection behavior. Upon receiving a selection input, the pressure applied is determined and the selection behavior modified. In some embodiments, the number of objects selected is increased when more pressure is applied and decreased when less pressure is applied.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for selecting displayed items, the method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, an input upon a display surface of a display device as a user draws, over at least part of the display, a freeform selection path from a starting point to an ending point, the selection path effective to select interface items that the selection path encounters;

determining an amount of pressure applied by the input;

responsive to the amount of pressure being at a first level, assigning a first width to the selection path that causes the selection path to encounter a first number of selectable items that are depicted on the display within the selection path; and

responsive to the amount of pressure being at a second level, greater than the first level, assigning a second width to the selection path, which is greater than the first width, that causes the selection path to encounter a second number of selectable items, which is greater than the first number, that are depicted on the display within the selection path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes running a calibration routine that allows a user to execute selection inputs of different levels of applied pressure and determining appropriate pressure thresholds to distinguish between different levels of applied pressure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the display device is a monitor with an integrated digitizer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the input is made by a human finger touching the display surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectable items are digital pictures.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

responsive to the amount of pressure being at a third level greater than the first level and the second level, selecting a third number of selectable items within the selection path, wherein the third number is larger than the first number and the second number, and wherein the selection path has a third width that is greater than the first width and the second width.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the selectable items are objects in a drawing application.

8. One or more computer-storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computing device performs operations for selecting displayed items, the operations comprising:

receiving, at the computing device, an input upon a display surface of a display device as a user draws, over at least part of the display, a freeform selection path for an encounter selection tool that selects interface items that the selection path encounters;

determining an amount of pressure applied by the input;

determining a level associated with the amount of pressure; and

generating a selection path having a width that is sized based on the level of pressure and that causes a selection of selectable items that are encountered within the selection path.

9. The media of claim 8, wherein the operations further includes running a calibration routine that allows a user to execute selection inputs of different levels of applied pressure and determining appropriate pressure thresholds to distinguish between different levels of applied pressure.

10. The media of claim 8, wherein the display device is a monitor with an integrated digitizer.

11. The media of claim 8, wherein the input is made by a human finger touching the display surface.

12. The media of claim 8, wherein the selectable items are digital pictures.

13. The media of claim 8, wherein the selectable items are files.

14. A computing device, comprising:

a monitor that displays a graphical user interface that includes a plurality of objects;

a pressure sensitive input device that receives an input at an input pressure upon a surface, wherein the input is a two-dimensional path across a portion of the graphical user interface from a first point to a second point; and

an encounter selection tool that selects objects within a free form encounter selection path running from the first point to the second point and having a width that changes based on an amount of the input pressure by increasing in the width in response to greater pressure.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing device is one or more of a cell phone and personal digital assistant.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the pressure sensitive input device is a digitizer.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the digitizer is integrated into a the monitor of a touch screen display device.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the input is made by a human finger touching the pressure sensitive input device.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the computing device is tablet PC.