Element repositioning-based input assistance for presence-sensitive input devices

• US 8,826,178 B1
• Filed: 01/24/2013
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): Tan, Alvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): SUN, LI P
• Application Number:
  US13/749,462
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/765, 345/173, 345/642
• US Class Current: 715/810
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An example method includes designating a corner region of a display device as active, and outputting, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location substantially diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the active corner region. The method further includes receiving an indication of a gesture interpreted by the computing device as originating within the active corner region and terminating within a center region of the display device, and responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture, outputting, for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

designating, by a computing device, a corner region of a display device as an active corner region;

outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location at a first distance from the active corner region;

determining, by the computing device, that a center region of the display device is positioned between the active corner region and each element from a set of elements distal to the active corner region, the set of elements including the at least one element positioned at the first location;

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a gesture detected at the display device, the gesture interpreted by the computing device as originating within the active corner region of the display device and terminating within the center region of the display device; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the at least one element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region, the second distance from the active corner region being less than the first distance from the active corner region, wherein the center region is between the second location and the first location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the updated user interface comprises panning the user interface such that the element is positioned at the second location at the second distance from the active corner region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected gesture is a first gesture, and wherein the updated user interface is a first updated user interface, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of a second gesture detected at the display device, the second gesture originating within the active corner region of the display device and terminating within the center region of the display device; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the second gesture, outputting, by the

computing device and for display at the display device, a second updated user interface including the element positioned at a third location a third distance from the active corner region, the third distance from the active corner region being less than the second distance from the active corner region.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the gesture detected at the display device is an indication of a first gesture, the method further comprising:

selecting, by the computing device, a multi-swipe operating mode from a plurality of operating modes of the computing device, the multi-swipe mode enabling the computing device to;

receive an indication of a second gesture detected at the display device, the second gesture originating within the active corner region of the display device and terminating within the center region of the display device; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the second gesture, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, another updated user interface including the element positioned at a third distance from the active corner region, the third distance from the active corner region being less than the second distance from the active corner region.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the computing device, an indication of user input to designate the corner region as the active corner region, wherein designating the corner region as active is responsive to receiving the indication of the user input.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the user input comprises an actuation of a button of the computing device.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the display device comprises a touchscreen, and wherein the user input comprises a tap gesture performed at the touchscreen.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the user interface comprises an application interface, and wherein the element comprises an interactive element provided by the application interface.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the element comprises an icon included in the user interface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second location corresponds to a movement of the at least one element from the first location towards the active corner region of the display device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the movement of the at least one element is in an opposite direction to a direction of the gesture detected at the display device.

12. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to:

designate a corner region of a display device as an active corner region;

output, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location at a first distance from the corner region;

determine that a center region of the display device is positioned between the active corner region and each element from a set of elements distal to the active corner region, the set of elements including the at least one element positioned at the first location;

receive an indication of a gesture detected at the display device, the gesture interpreted by the one or more processors as originating within the active corner region of the display device and terminating within the center region of the display device; and

responsive to receiving the indication of gesture, output, for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region, the second distance from the active corner region being less than the first distance from the active corner region, wherein the center region is between the second location and the first location.

13. A device comprising:

a memory; and

one or more programmable processors configured to;

designate a corner region of a display device as an active corner region;

output, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location at a first distance from the active corner region;

determine that a center region of the display device is positioned between the active corner region and each element from a set of elements distal to the active corner region, the set of elements including the at least one element positioned at the first location;

receive an indication of a gesture detected at the display device, the gesture interpreted by the computing device as originating within the active corner region of the display device and terminating within the center region of the display device; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture, output, for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region, the second distance from the active corner region being less than the first distance from the active corner region, wherein the center region is between the second location and the first location.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the detected gesture is a first gesture, and wherein the updated user interface is a first updated user interface, and wherein the one or more programmable processors are further configured to:

receive an indication of a second gesture detected at the display device, the second gesture originating within the active corner region of the display device and terminating within the center region of the display device; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the second gesture, output, for display at the display device, a second updated user interface including the element positioned at a third location a third distance from the active corner region, the third distance from the active corner region being less than the second distance from the active corner region.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein the indication of the gesture detected at the display device is an indication of a first gesture, and wherein the one or more programmable processors are further configured to:

select a multi-swipe operating mode from a plurality of operating modes of the device, the multi-swipe mode enabling the one or more programmable processors to;

receive an indication of a second gesture detected at the display device, the second gesture originating within the active corner region of the display device and terminating within the center region of the display device; and

responsive to receiving the indication of the second gesture, output, for display at the display device, another updated user interface including the element positioned at a third distance from the active corner region, the third distance from the active corner region being less than the second distance from the active corner region.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein the second location corresponds to a movement of the at least one element from the first location towards the active corner region of the display device.