Method of momentum based zoom of content on an electronic device

• US 9,075,460 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2012
• Issued: 07/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mak, Genevieve Elizabeth
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, RAYEEZ R
• Application Number:
  US13/572,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20140047380A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,061 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of interacting with a user interface displaying content on a display of an electronic device is provided. A zoom gesture is detected to modify a zoom level of the content displayed on the user interface. A momentum or kinetic value for the zoom gesture is determined and a final zoom level based on the determined momentum value of the zoom gesture is determined. The animation of the transition to the final zoom level can be adjusted to display the content on the user interface at the determined final zoom level. The content may be a webpage in a web browser where the zoom gesture is performed on regions within the content. The momentum of the zoom gesture is utilized to determine a desired region and adjust a final zoom level to align the content.

Claims

1. A method for interacting with a user interface displaying content on a display of an electronic device, the method comprising:

detecting a zoom gesture to modify a zoom level of the content displayed on the user interface, the zoom gesture comprising two contact points;

determining a momentum value for the zoom gesture using a distance travelled between the two contact points of the zoom gesture and an elapsed time from when the gesture was initiated to when the gesture is terminated;

determining a preliminary zoom level based on the determined momentum value of the zoom gesture;

determining a region of interest in the content that would be at least partially visible at the preliminary zoom level;

determining a final zoom level based on the determined region of interest in the content; and

displaying the content on the user interface at the determined final zoom level.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the content comprises aligning the content to a viewport of the user interface.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein displaying the content comprises aligning one of a plurality of blocks of content to the viewport.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the content comprises:

determining a friction value from the momentum value; and

adjusting an animation of a transition to the content displayed at the final zoom level using the determined friction value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the region of interest is based on locations of at least two contact points defined by the zoom gesture.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises a plurality of regions, wherein determining the final zoom level comprises:

determining the final zoom level so that at least one dimension of the region of interest will be fully displayed.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the content is displayed in a webpage wherein the regions are defined by one or more of frames, sections, divisions, table cells, or elements within the webpage.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the zoom gesture includes a translation component providing a translation of the content to be displayed at the final zoom level.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the momentum value is further determined with one or more vectors defined between start and end positions of each of the two contact points.

10. A device for displaying content, the device comprising:

a display for displaying a user interface;

a processor for executing instructions; and

a memory for storing instructions for execution by the processor, the instructions when executed by the processor configuring the device to;

detect a zoom gesture to modify a zoom level of the content displayed on the user interface, the zoom gesture comprising two contact points;

determine a momentum value for the zoom gesture using a distance travelled between the two contact points of the zoom gesture and an elapsed time from when the gesture was initiated to when the gesture is terminated;

determine a preliminary zoom level based on the determined momentum value of the zoom gesture;

determine a region of interest in the content that would be at least partially visible at the preliminary zoom level;

determine a final zoom level based on the determined region of interest in the content; and

display the content on the user interface at the determined final zoom level.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein configuring the device to display the content comprises configuring the device to align the content to a viewport of the user interface.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein configuring the device to display the content comprises configuring the device to align one of a plurality of blocks of content to the viewport.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein configuring the device to display the content comprises configuring the device to:

determine a friction value from the momentum value; and

adjusting an animation of a transition to the content displayed at the final zoom level using the determined friction value.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein the region of interest is based on locations of at least two contact points defined by the zoom gesture.

15. The device of claim 10, wherein the content comprises a plurality of regions, wherein configuring the device to determine the final zoom level comprises configuring the device to:

determine the final zoom level so that at least one dimension of the region of interest will be fully displayed.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the content is displayed in a webpage wherein the regions are defined by one or more of frames, sections, divisions, table cells, or elements within the webpage.

17. The device of claim 10, wherein the zoom gesture includes a translation component providing a translation of the content to be displayed at the final zoom level.

18. The device of claim 10, wherein the momentum value is determined by one or more vectors defined between start and end positions of each of the two contact points.

19. A non-transitory computer readable memory containing instructions for interacting with a user interface displaying content on a display of an electronic device, the instructions when executed by a processor performing the method comprising:

detecting a zoom gesture to modify a zoom level of the content displayed on the user interface, the zoom gesture comprising two contact points;

determining a momentum value for the zoom gesture using a distance travelled between the two contact points of the zoom gesture and an elapsed time from when the gesture was initiated to when the gesture is terminated;

determining a preliminary zoom level based on the determined momentum value of the zoom gesture;

determining a region of interest in the content that would be at least partially visible at the preliminary zoom level; and

determining a final zoom level based on the determined region of interest in the content; and

displaying the content on the user interface at the determined final zoom level.