Off-screen gestures to create on-screen input

• US 9,274,682 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Issued: 03/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Yatani, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Siddiqui, MD Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US12/709,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20110205163A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,202 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 715/863
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0339 Touch strips, e.g. orthogonal touch strips to control cursor movement or scrolling; single touch strip to adjust parameter or to implement a row of soft keys
• 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 3/0483 Interaction with page-structured environments, e.g. book metaphor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Bezel gestures for touch displays are described. In at least some embodiments, the bezel of a device is used to extend functionality that is accessible through the use of so-called bezel gestures. In at least some embodiments, off-screen motion can be used, by virtue of the bezel, to create screen input through a bezel gesture. Bezel gestures can include single-finger bezel gestures, multiple-finger/same-hand bezel gestures, and/or multiple-finger, different-hand bezel gestures.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a bezel gesture, on a bezel and a display device of a computing device, relative to a visual affordance that is draggable to expose a bezel menu, the bezel gesture being a continuous gesture having a portion that starts only on the bezel and continues with a portion that occurs on the display device associated with the computing device, the bezel menu being further extendible to expose a drawer from a set of one or more drawers, the exposed drawer being associated with a number of fingers used to perform the received bezel gesture; and

responsive, at least in part to said receiving, accessing functionality that is available through the exposed bezel menu.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising prior to accessing the functionality and responsive to receiving the bezel gesture relative to the visual affordance, presenting the bezel menu.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the bezel menu comprises a drop down menu.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bezel menu comprises multiple slots, individual slots being associated with a respective functionality.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the bezel menu is configured to enable access to commands, tools, and objects.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said bezel gesture is a single finger gesture.

7. A computing device comprising:

a bezel and a display screen;

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer-readable instructions executable by the one or more processors, to implement a bezel-accessible menu on the computing device, the instructions being executable to;

access functionality, at least some of which being associated with the bezel-accessible menu, through bezel gesture input, the bezel gesture input being a continuous gesture input relative to a visual affordance that is draggable to expose the bezel-accessible menu, which transitions between a portion that occurs only on the bezel of the computing device and a portion that occurs only on the display screen associated with the computing device, the bezel-accessible menu being further extendible to expose a drawer from a set of one or more drawers, the exposed drawer being associated with a number of fingers used to perform the bezel gesture input.

8. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the bezel gesture input comprises at least one of:

input that starts or ends on the bezel, input that crosses or re-crosses the bezel, input that crosses the bezel at different locations, input that occurs on one or more bezels associated with multiple screens, input comprising a single-contact drag, input comprising a two-contact drag, or input comprising a hand-contact drag.

9. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the bezel-accessible menu comprises multiple slots, individual slots being associated with a respective functionality.

10. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the bezel-accessible menu comprises multiple slots, individual slots being associated with a respective functionality, wherein at least one slot has a width that is reduced relative to other slots.

11. The computing device of claim 7, wherein the bezel-accessible menu comprises multiple slots, individual slots being associated with a respective functionality, wherein at least one slot has a width that is reduced relative to other slots, wherein said at least one slot comprises a corner slot.

12. The computing device of claim 7 further comprising instructions executable to enable access to functionality associated with the bezel-accessible menu through different gestural modes.

13. The computing device of claim 7 further comprising instructions executable to enable access to functionality associated with the bezel-accessible menu through different gestural modes, wherein a first gestural mode comprises a novice mode in which the bezel-accessible menu is revealed, and a second gestural mode comprises an expert mode in which the bezel-accessible menu is not revealed.

14. The computing device of claim 7 further comprising instructions executable to display the visual affordance associated with the bezel-accessible menu that is configured to be used to access functionality associated with the bezel-accessible menu.

15. The computing device of claim 7 further comprising instructions executable to display the visual affordance associated with the bezel-accessible menu that is configured to be draggable to expose the bezel-accessible menu.

16. A system comprising:

a computing device having a bezel and a display screen; and

one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to;

display, on the computing device, a visual affordance associated with a bezel-accessible menu, the visual affordance being draggable to expose the bezel-accessible menu;

receive, on the computing device, a bezel gesture input relative to the visual affordance, the bezel gesture input comprising a continuous gesture input which transitions between a portion that occurs only on the bezel of the computing device and a portion that occurs only on the display screen associated with the computing device, the bezel-accessible menu being further extendible to expose a drawer from a set of one or more drawers, the exposed drawer being associated with a number of fingers used to perform the bezel gesture input; and

based on the received bezel gesture input, present the bezel-accessible menu.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein said bezel gesture input comprises a single finger input.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein said bezel gesture input comprises multiple-finger input.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the bezel-accessible menu comprises multiple slots, individual slots being associated with a respective functionality.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the bezel-accessible menu comprises multiple slots, individual slots being associated with a respective functionality, wherein at least one slot has a width that is reduced relative to other slots.