Augmented I/O for limited form factor user-interfaces

• US 9,110,574 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2014
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Soo, Armstrong, Brandt, Jeffrey, Ku, Bernard
• Primary Examiner(s): Bolotin, Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US14/197,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20140189556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 532 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 345660-671, 178 1801- 1904, 715/700, 715/863, 715/864
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• 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 3/0488 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

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can enhance and/or simplify tactile-based I/O transactions in connection with a user-interface (UI) of limited form factor. In particular, the architecture can monitor a position of a selector object such as an operator'"'"'s finger relative to a UI display as the selector object hovers or moves above the UI display. Based upon this position, an analogous coordinate in the UI display can be determined, and a portion of the UI display substantially centered at the coordinate can be modified. As one example, the UI display can be modified to increase the magnification scale (e.g., a virtual magnifying glass) of the portion of the display indicated by the selector object.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

determining that a defined change to a state of an interface display has occurred that relates to a determination of a number of graphical elements, displayed by the interface display, exceeding a threshold number; and

in response to the defined change being determined to have occurred, augmenting an output of the interface display comprising updating a portion of the output of the interface display as a function of a position of a selector object interacting with the interface display with respect to a surface associated with the interface display.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

monitoring the position of the selector object in response to the defined change being determined to have occurred and the selector object being determined to be proximate to the interface display.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined change further relates to a change in a presentation, displayed by the interface display, of a graphical element that exceeds a defined magnification setting.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined change further relates to a change of a graphical element in a presentation by the interface display that exceeds a defined level of complexity.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the defined change further relates to a defined gesture associated with the selector object.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the portion of the output of the interface display is biased toward a defined central location of a graphical element of the graphical elements presented by the interface display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating the portion of the output of the interface display comprises displaying the portion of the interface display at a different magnification scale than a remainder of the output of the interface display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating of the portion of the output of the interface display comprises altering a magnification of the portion of the output as a function of a hover distance from the selector object to the surface in response to the selector object crossing a set of tiered thresholds.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the updating of the portion of the output comprises changing a complexity of a graphical element of the graphical elements to a magnification scale of the portion of the output by discrete amounts relative to a hover distance from the surface of the interface display to the selector object.

10. A method, comprising:

identifying, by a system comprising a processor, a defined change to a state of an interface display comprising determining that a number of graphical elements being displayed by the interface display exceeds a threshold number; and

in response to the defined change being identified, modifying, by the system, the state of the interface display comprising updating a portion of an output of the interface display as a function of a position of a selector object interacting with the interface display with respect to a surface associated with the interface display.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying the defined change comprises determining that a magnification scale of a graphical element presented by the interface display satisfies a condition with respect to a defined magnification scale.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying the defined change comprises determining that a complexity of graphical elements presented by the interface display determined according to a defined complexity function with respect to the graphical elements satisfies a condition with respect to a defined complexity.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the identifying the defined change comprises determining that a number of corrective changes to the output being displayed within a defined period of time satisfies a condition with respect to a threshold value.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the updating of the portion of the output of the interface display comprises altering a magnification of the portion of the output as a function of a hover distance from the selector object to the surface in response to the selector object being determined to cross a set of tiered thresholds.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the updating of the portion of the output comprises a change to a magnification scale of the portion of the output by discrete amounts relative to a distance from the surface of the interface display to the selector object.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the updating is triggered by an operator preference comprising a preference to detect a presence of the selector object proximate to the interface display and a trajectory of the selector object proximate to the interface display.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

instantiating, by the system, a visual aid for the selector object to interact with the interface display,

wherein the updating the portion comprises updating the portion of the output by altering the portion of the output of the interface display that comprises the visual aid.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the visual aid comprises a highlighting of the portion of the output or a virtual magnifying glass over or proximate to the portion of the output.

19. A computer-readable storage device comprising executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause a system comprising a processor to perform operations, comprising:

identifying a defined change to a state of a display, wherein the defined change is based on a determination of a number of graphical elements being displayed by the display satisfying a threshold condition; and

updating a portion of an output of the display as a function of a position of a selector object interacting with the display with respect to a surface associated with the display, in response to the defined change being identified.

20. The computer-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

tracking the position of the selector object relative to the surface of the display in response to the defined change being identified; and

altering another position of the output of the display, wherein the portion is determined by the position of the selector object,

wherein the defined change further relates to a first number of corrections made to content presented by the display or a second number of corrections that have been undone being determined to exceed a predetermined number as the threshold condition.