Rendering object icons associated with a first object icon upon detecting fingers moving apart

• US 9,141,275 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2009
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Craig T., Hoffman, Dustin L., On, Peter M.
• Primary Examiner(s): NABI, REZA U
• Application Number:
  US12/372,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20100211919A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,408 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• 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 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

A method comprises detecting two fingers touching a first object icon on a touch sensitive display and then moving in generally opposing directions. The first object icon is associated with on or more constituent elements. In response to such detecting, the method causes additional object icons to appear on the display. Each additional object icon represents a constituent element of the first object icon.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

a processor detecting two fingers touching a first object icon on a touch sensitive display and then moving in generally opposing directions, said first object icon being associated with constituent elements; and

in response to said detecting, the processor causing additional object icons to appear on said display, each additional object icon representing a constituent element of said first object icon,

wherein causing the additional object icons to appear comprises rendering the additional object icons in a generally circular pattern centered about said first object icon,

wherein said method further comprising detecting a finger touching one of said additional object icons and then moving in a direction about said generally circular pattern, and in response to the detecting, causing the generally circular pattern of additional object icons to animate so as to spin about a center point coinciding with said first object icon,

wherein the generally circular pattern of additional object icons spins indefinitely until the a user touches the pattern.

2. A system, comprising:

a processor; and

a touch sensitive display coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor detects a finger moving in a curved motion about a group of object icons on a touch sensitive display and, in response to the detection, the processor causes the object icons to spin about a displayed icon that does not move with said object icons.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the processor causes the object icons to spin in the same direction as the curved motion of the finger.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein the processor causes the object icons to cease spinning and then reverse direction based detecting that a finger is moving in a direction opposite that of the direction of the curved motion.