Determining gestures on context based menus

• US 9,086,794 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2011
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Gil, Erez Kikin, Kotler, Matthew, Sachidanandam, Vignesh, Hockman, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kim, Sang H
• Application Number:
  US13/339,569
• Publication Number:
  US 20130019205A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,300 Days
• Field of Search: 715/862, 715/834, 715/822, 715/823, 715/812, 715/863, 715/810, 715/841
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/04812 Interaction techniques based on cursor appearance or behaviour, e.g. being affected by the presence of displayed objects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 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 3/04895 Guidance during keyboard input operation, e.g. prompting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems

Abstract

Context based menus are employed for content management through touch or gesture actions, keyboard entries, mouse or pen actions, and similar input. Different actions and combinations of actions enable users to activate sub-menus, execute commands, or collapse context based menus. Gestures associated with the actions are determined through action analysis. The action analysis includes tap action hit target region analysis and swipe action direction, angle, and/or length analysis.

Claims

1. A method executed in a computing device to determine a tap action on a context based menu, the method comprising:

in response to detecting a tap action presenting the context based menu in relation to a displayed content on a user interface, wherein the context based menu comprises;

radially distributed command items around a collapse control,

a center zone that defines a target hit area for the collapse control,

a dead zone surrounding the target hit area for the collapse control,

a command zone surrounding the dead zone, and

a sub-menu zone surrounding the command zone, the command zone and the sub-menu zone including primary hit target regions and secondary hit target regions surrounding each command item within the command zone;

in response to detecting the tap action in a primary hit target region centered around a command item, interpreting the tap action as an activation event associated with the command item;

in response to detecting the tap action in a secondary hit target region around the command item, the secondary hit target region surrounding the primary hit target region,

interpreting the tap action based on a tap action history analysis, wherein the tap action history analysis includes a detection of a most recorded event that is associated with an activation of the command item and another command item adjacent to the command item, wherein secondary hit target regions of the command item and the other command item overlap.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the primary hit target region has one of:

a circular, a rectangular, an oval, and an irregular shape.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of a size and a shape of the primary hit target region is determined according to a user interface configuration setting.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one of a size and a shape of the primary hit target region is adjusted based on an automatic learning process from a size of a user'"'"'s finger.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the context based menu has a radial shape and is divided into equal slices, each slice containing one command item.

6. A computing device to determine a swipe action on a context based menu, the computing device comprising:

an input device configured to detect a swipe action;

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing an application and causing a user interface associated with the application to be displayed on a screen, wherein the processor is configured to;

in response to detecting the swipe action, present the context based menu in relation to a displayed content on the user interface, wherein the context based menu comprises;

radially distributed command items around a collapse control,

a center zone that defines a target hit area for the collapse control,

a dead zone surrounding the target hit area for the collapse control,

a command zone surrounding the dead zone, and

a sub-menu zone surrounding the command zone, the command zone and the sub-menu zone including primary hit target regions and secondary hit target regions surrounding each command item within the command zone;

in response to a detection of the swipe action originating from the center zone or the dead zone of the context based menu, ignore the swipe action;

in response to a detection of the swipe action from the command zone, determine whether the swipe action is a short swipe action or a long swipe action based on a length, a direction, and an angle of the swipe action; and

if the swipe action is a short swipe action, interpret the swipe action as an activation event associated with the command item;

if the swipe action is a long swipe action, interpret the swipe action as an activation of a sub-menu associated with the command item.

7. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

compare the length of the swipe action to a set of minimum activation distances from a predefined starting point on the context based menu;

determine the action based on a matching minimum activation distance; and

in response to a detection that the swipe action is from outside towards a center of the context based menu and then back from the center towards the outside, not execute one from the set of a first command and a second command associated with the swipe action.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to:

determine the first command and the second command based on the angle of the swipe action relative to a predefined origin axis, wherein the first command item, the second command item, and other command items on the context based menu are positioned in sections separated by equal angle increments.

9. The computing device of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to:

ignore the swipe action in response to a detection that the swipe action crosses from a first section associated with a first command item to a second section associated with a second command item in a same level within the context based menu.

10. A method to determine a tap action on a context based menu, the method comprising:

in response to detecting a tap action, presenting the context based menu in relation to a displayed content on a user interface, wherein the context based menu comprises;

radially distributed command items around a collapse control,

a center zone that defines a target hit area for the collapse control,

a dead zone surrounding the target hit area for the collapse control,

a command zone surrounding the dead zone, and

a sub-menu zone surrounding the command zone, the command zone and the sub-menu zone including primary hit target regions and secondary hit target regions surrounding each command item within the command zone;

in response to detecting the tap action in a primary hit target region centered around a command item, interpreting the tap action as an activation event associated with the command item, wherein the at least one of a size and a shape of the primary hit target region is adjusted based on an automatic learning process from a size of a user'"'"'s finger;

in response to detecting the tap action in a secondary hit target region around the command item, the secondary hit target region surrounding the primary hit target region,

interpreting the tap action based on a tap action history analysis, wherein the tap action history analysis includes a detection of a most recorded event that is associated with an activation of the command item and another command item adjacent to the command item, wherein secondary hit target regions of the command item and the other command item overlap.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting the tap action in the primary hit target region of one of;

a sub-menu launcher and an indicator to control expand and collapse actions on the context based menu.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the primary target region for detecting the tap action has a shape that is distinct from an outline of an underlying visible graphics, and wherein the primary target region includes at least one from a set of:

an oval shape, a square shape, a trapezoid shape, a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, and an irregular shape.