Table editing systems with gesture-based insertion and deletion of columns and rows

• US 8,773,370 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2010
• Issued: 07/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hogan, Edward P. A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tryder, Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US12/835,700
• Publication Number:
  US 20120013540A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,456 Days
• Field of Search: 345156-178, 715/863, 715206-256
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/18 of spreadsheets form-filling G06F40/174

Abstract

Computing equipment may display tables of data that contain rows and columns. Touch gestures such as hold and flick gestures may be detected using a touch screen or other touch sensor. In response to a detected hold portion of a hold and flick gesture, a row or column in a table may be selected. In response to detection of a simultaneous flick portion, columns or rows may be inserted or deleted. A column may be inserted after a selected column using a hold and right downflick gesture. A hold and left downflick gesture may be used to insert a column before a selected column. Rows may be inserted before and after selected rows using hold and upper rightflick and hold and lower rightflick gestures. One or more columns or rows may be deleted using upflick or leftflick gestures.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

a touch sensitive surface;

one or more processors;

memory; and

one or more programs, wherein the one or more programs are stored in the memory and configured to be executed by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including instructions for;

displaying a table of data that includes a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns with corresponding column headers;

detecting a first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that represents a respective column header of a respective column in the table on the display;

while detecting the first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective column header of the respective column in the table, concurrently detecting a first flick gesture that includes;

detecting a second contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that is remote from the respective column and the respective column header; and

detecting movement of the second contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the first flick gesture concurrently with the first contact, performing a first operation associated with the respective column, wherein the first operation includes performing one of;

inserting an entire column into the table or deleting an entire column from the table.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for, in response to detecting the first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective column header of the respective column in the table, selecting the respective column.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for, in response to selecting the respective column, visually highlighting the respective column in the table.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein performing the first operation includes:

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first direction, inserting an additional column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second direction that is different from the first direction, deleting the respective column.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein:

the first direction corresponds to downward movement on the display; and

the second direction corresponds to upward movement on the display.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the first operation includes inserting an additional column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the first flick gesture is detected to the right of the respective column, the additional column is inserted to the right of the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the first flick gesture is detected to the left of the respective column, the additional column is inserted to the left of the respective column.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the first flick gesture is detected while a plurality of columns, including the respective column, are selected; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first direction, inserting a number of columns that is equal to the number of columns in the plurality of columns next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second direction that is different from the first direction, deleting the plurality of columns.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for, after performing the first operation:

detecting a third contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that represents a respective row header of a respective row in the table on the display;

while detecting the third contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective row header of the respective row in the table, concurrently detecting a second flick gesture that includes;

detecting a fourth contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that is remote from the respective row and the respective row header; and

detecting movement of the fourth contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the second flick gesture concurrently with the third contact, performing a second operation associated with the respective row.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein performing the first operation includes:

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first substantially vertical direction, inserting an additional new column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second substantially vertical direction that is opposite from the first substantially vertical direction, deleting the respective column.

10. A method including:

at an electronic device with a touch-sensitive surface and a display;

displaying a table of data that includes a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns with corresponding column headers;

detecting a first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that represents a respective column header of a respective column in the table on the display;

while detecting the first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective column header of the respective column in the table, concurrently detecting a first flick gesture that includes;

detecting a second contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that is remote from the respective column and the respective column header; and

detecting movement of the second contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the first flick gesture concurrently with the first contact, performing a first operation associated with the respective column, wherein the first operation includes performing one of;

inserting an entire column into the table or deleting an entire column from the table.

11. The method of claim 10, including, in response to detecting the first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective column header of the respective column in the table, selecting the respective column.

12. The method of claim 10, including, in response to selecting the respective column, visually highlighting the respective column in the table.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein performing the first operation includes:

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first direction, inserting an additional column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second direction that is different from the first direction, deleting the respective column.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein:

the first direction corresponds to downward movement on the display; and

the second direction corresponds to upward movement on the display.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first operation includes inserting an additional column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the first flick gesture is detected to the right of the respective column, the additional column is inserted to the right of the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the first flick gesture is detected to the left of the respective column, the additional column is inserted to the left of the respective column.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein:

the first flick gesture is detected while a plurality of columns, including the respective column, are selected; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first direction, inserting a number of columns that is equal to the number of columns in the plurality of columns next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second direction that is different from the first direction, deleting the plurality of columns.

17. The method of claim 10, including, after performing the first operation:

detecting a third contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that represents a respective row header of a respective row in the table on the display;

while detecting the third contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective row header of the respective row in the table, concurrently detecting a second flick gesture that includes;

detecting a fourth contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that is remote from the respective row and the respective row header; and

detecting movement of the fourth contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the second flick gesture concurrently with the third contact, performing a second operation associated with the respective row.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein performing the first operation includes:

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first substantially vertical direction, inserting an additional new column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second substantially vertical direction that is opposite from the first substantially vertical direction, deleting the respective column.

19. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs comprising instructions, which when executed by an electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface, cause the device to:

display a table of data that includes a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns with corresponding column headers;

detect a first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that represents a respective column header of a respective column in the table on the display;

while detecting the first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective column header of the respective column in the table, concurrently detect a first flick gesture that includes;

detecting a second contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that is remote from the respective column and the respective column header; and

detecting movement of the second contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the first flick gesture concurrently with the first contact, perform a first operation associated with the respective column, wherein the first operation includes performing one of;

inserting an entire column into the table or deleting an entire column from the table.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, including instructions to, in response to detecting the first contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective column header of the respective column in the table, select the respective column.

21. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, including instructions to, in response to selecting the respective column, visually highlight the respective column in the table.

22. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein performing the first operation includes:

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first direction, inserting an additional column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second direction that is different from the first direction, deleting the respective column.

23. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 22, wherein:

the first direction corresponds to downward movement on the display; and

the second direction corresponds to upward movement on the display.

24. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

the first operation includes inserting an additional column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the first flick gesture is detected to the right of the respective column, the additional column is inserted to the right of the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the first flick gesture is detected to the left of the respective column, the additional column is inserted to the left of the respective column.

25. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein:

the first flick gesture is detected while a plurality of columns, including the respective column, are selected; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first direction, inserting a number of columns that is equal to the number of columns in the plurality of columns next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second direction that is different from the first direction, deleting the plurality of columns.

26. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, including instructions to, after performing the first operation:

detect a third contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that represents a respective row header of a respective row in the table on the display;

while detecting the third contact on the touch-sensitive surface at the location that represents the respective row header of the respective row in the table, concurrently detect a second flick gesture that includes;

detecting a fourth contact on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that is remote from the respective row and the respective row header; and

detecting movement of the fourth contact in a respective direction on the touch-sensitive surface; and

in response to detecting the second flick gesture concurrently with the third contact, perform a second operation associated with the respective row.

27. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein performing the first operation includes:

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a first substantially vertical direction, inserting an additional new column next to the respective column; and

in accordance with a determination that the respective direction of the movement of the second contact is a second substantially vertical direction that is opposite from the first substantially vertical direction, deleting the respective column.