User interface with stacked application management

• US 9,052,800 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Original Assignee: Z124 LLC (Flexis)
• Inventors: Sirpal, Sanjiv
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Takele, Meseker
• Application Number:
  US12/948,699
• Publication Number:
  US 20120084738A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 715/702, 715/800, 715/835, 715/836
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1641 the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components G06F1/1647 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04847 Interaction techniques to control parameter settings, e.g. interaction with sliders or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for controlling a computing device using gesture inputs. The gesture inputs may be operative to move screens corresponding to applications executing on the handheld computing device from one display to another. Additionally, a multi portion gesture may be used to target different screens. For example, a first portion of the gesture may maintain or “pin” a screen in a display such that a second portion of the gesture is operative to move a different screen behind the pinned application.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a handheld computing device, comprising:

providing a first display and a second display associated with the handheld computing device;

logically associating one or more applications with the first display of the handheld computing device;

logically associating one or more applications with the second display of the handheld computing device;

establishing a first application stack corresponding to the one or more applications logically associated with the first display, wherein the first application stack is a first logical representation of the one or more applications logically associated with the first display, wherein the first logical representation is a data structure and comprises a relative order of the one or more applications logically associated with the first display;

wherein one or more of the one or more applications logically associated with the first display may not be displayed on the first display;

establishing a second application stack corresponding to the one or more applications logically associated with the second display, wherein the second application stack is a second logical representation of the one or more applications logically associated with the second display, wherein the second logical representation is a data structure and comprises a relative order of the one or more applications logically associated with the second display;

wherein one or more of the one or more applications logically associated with the second display may not be displayed on the second display;

receiving a gesture input at a gesture sensor of the handheld computing device, wherein the gesture sensor is not associated with the first display or the second display;

moving a first application belonging to the first application stack to a second application stack logically associated with a second display in response to the receiving step such that the first application is logically associated with the second display; and

reordering the relative order of the one or more applications of the second application stack such that the moved first application is at a top position in the second application stack.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first application comprises an actively displayed screen of the first display prior to the moving step and an actively displayed screen of the second display after the moving step.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein an underlying screen is revealed in the first display after the moving step.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the underlying screen comprises one of a desktop screen and an application screen corresponding to a second application logically associated with the first display such that the second application belongs to the first application stack.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein the first application obscures a second screen in the second display that comprises an actively displayed screen of the second display prior to the moving step.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the second screen comprises one of a desktop screen and an application screen corresponding to a second application of a second application stack.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the moving step further includes that the first application is expanded to be the actively displayed screen of the first display and the actively displayed screen of the second display such that the first application belongs to the first application stack and the second application stack.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the gesture input comprises a first gesture portion and a second gesture portion.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the gesture input comprises a pin and drag gesture.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first gesture portion maintains the actively displayed screen in a corresponding application stack, and wherein the second gesture portion results in movement of the first application relative to the actively displayed screen of a corresponding application stack.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the corresponding application stack is the first application stack, and the second gesture portion is directed away from the first gesture portion.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first application is revealed in the second display after the moving step.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the corresponding application stack is the second application stack, and the second gesture portion is directed toward the first gesture portion.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the first application is hidden in the second display after the moving step.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein an underlying screen is revealed in the first display after the moving step and the underlying screen is moved to the top position in the first application stack.

16. A method of controlling a handheld computing device comprising:

providing a first display and a second display associated with the handheld computing device;

logically associating one or more applications with the first display of the handheld computing device, the logical association being a first application stack data structure and comprising a relative order of the one or more applications, wherein one or more of the one or more applications logically associated with the first display may not be displayed on the first display;

logically associating one or more applications with the second display of the handheld computing device, the logical association being a second application stack data structure comprising a relative order of the one or more applications, wherein one or more of the one or more applications logically associated with the second display may not be displayed on the second display;

receiving a first portion of a gesture input, wherein the gesture input is received in a gesture capture region not associated with the first display or the second display;

targeting the first portion of the gesture input to a first display having a first actively displayed screen corresponding to a first application;

maintaining the first actively displayed screen in the first display in response to the first portion of the gesture input;

receiving a second portion of the gesture input;

targeting a different screen than the actively displayed screen in the first display with the second portion; and

wherein the different screen undergoes a change in position with respect to the first display and a second display in response to the second portion of the gesture input;

moving a first application belonging to the first application stack data structure to the second application stack data structure logically associated with the second display in response to at least one of the receiving steps such that the first application is logically associated with the second display; and

reordering the relative order of the one or more applications of the second application stack data structure such that the moved first application is at a top position in the second application stack data structure.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first portion and the second portion of the gesture input are received at a gesture sensor associated with the first display such that the different screen corresponds to a second application residing behind said first application.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the first portion of the gesture input is received at a gesture sensor associated with the first display and the second portion of the gesture input is received at a gesture sensor associated with the second display, wherein the different screen is moved from the second display to the first display behind the first screen.

19. The method according to claim 16, wherein the screens targeted in the corresponding steps at least partially depend upon a location where the corresponding portion of the gesture input is received.

20. A system for controlling a handheld computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a first display and a second display in operative communication with the processor;

a gesture sensor in operative communication with the processor and operative to receive a gesture input, wherein the gesture sensor is not associated with the first display or the second display; and

wherein the gesture input is interpretable by the processor to move an application from a first application stack associated with the first display to a second application stack associated with the second display, wherein the first application stack is a first logical representation of the one or more applications associated with the first display, is a data structure, and comprises a relative order of the one or more applications associated with the first display, wherein one or more of the one or more applications logically associated with the first display may not be displayed on the first display, wherein the second application stack is a second logical representation of the one or more applications associated with the second display, is a data structure, and comprises a relative order of the one or more applications logically associated with the second display, wherein one or more of the one or more applications logically associated with the second display may not be displayed on the second display, wherein the relative order of the one or more applications of the second application stack are reordered such that the moved first application is at a top position in the second application stack.