Panning content utilizing a drag operation

• US 9,329,768 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2013
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Markiewicz, Jan-Kristian, De La Torre Baltierra, Pamela, Tu, Xiao, Matthews, David A, Townsend, Reed L, Torset, Todd A, Clow, Josh A, Keely, Leroy B
• Primary Examiner(s): Phantana Angkool, David
• Application Number:
  US13/764,389
• Publication Number:
  US 20130147749A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 715/863, 715/864
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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

Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and computer systems for intuitively invoking a panning action (e.g., moving content within a content region of a display area) by applying a user-initiated input at the content region rendered at a touchscreen interface are provided. Initially, aspects of the user-initiated input include a location of actuation (e.g., touch point on the touchscreen interface) and a gesture. Upon ascertaining that the actuation location occurred within the content region and that the gesture is a drag operation, based on a distance of uninterrupted tactile contact with the touchscreen interface, a panning mode may be initiated. When in the panning mode, and if the application rendering the content at the display area supports scrolling functionality, the gesture will control movement of the content within the content region. In particular, the drag operation of the gesture will pan the content within the display area when surfaced at the touchscreen interface.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable hardware devices having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, cause the a computing device to perform a panning action or a secondary action upon content of a display area presented on a computing device, the instructions configured to:

detect a user-initiated input applied to the touchscreen interface;

receive actuation information from the touchscreen interface, the touchscreen information including an initial actuation location of the user-initiated input;

ascertain that the initial actuation location occurred within the display area surfaced at the touchscreen interface, the display area being rendered by an application in communication with an operating system of the computing device;

identify that a gesture being performed by the user upon the touchscreen interface includes a first drag operation based on, in part, the touchscreen information;

establish one or more threshold boundaries that intersect the initial actuation location;

initiate the panning action upon identifying the gesture includes the first drag operation;

identify that the gesture being performed by the user upon the touchscreen interface includes a second drag operation based on, in part, the touchscreen information, the second drag operation crossing at least one of the one or more threshold boundaries; and

initiate the secondary action upon identifying the gesture includes the second drag operation.

2. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to present an indication of the panning action at the touchscreen interface.

3. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the first drag operation and the second drag operation represent portions of a single, continuous drag operation, in two or more directions, that comprises the gesture performed by the user.

4. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 1, wherein, when the panning action is initiated, content within of the display area is panned according to the first drag operation.

5. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the instructions are further configured to disambiguate the first drag operation from a tap-type operation based on a distance of an uninterrupted drag-movement from the actuation location of the user-initiated input at the touchscreen interface.

6. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the application represents a touch-naï

ve application that is unaware it is cooperating with the touchscreen interface.

7. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 6, wherein the instructions are further configured to identify the touch-naive application supports scrolling functionality.

8. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 6, wherein when the touch-naï

ve application is identified as not supporting scrolling functionality, the instructions are further configured to;

fail the initiation of the scrolling action; and

generate mouse messages to be delivered from the operating system to the touch-naï

ve application.

9. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 7, wherein the instructions are further configured to determine whether the display area rendered at the touchscreen interface includes a scrollbar control in order to identify the application as supporting scrolling functionality.

10. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 2, wherein the instructions are further configured to drive a slider of the scroll bar control in a direction based on a direction of the panning at the touchscreen interface in order to present an indication of the panning at the touchscreen interface.

11. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 3, wherein a distance of the single continuous drag operation is derived by comparing a Cartesianal coordinate representation of the actuation location of the user-initiated input at the touchscreen interface with a Cartesianal coordinate representation of a location of release of the second drag operation.

12. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 3, wherein the the instructions are further configured to disambiguate the single, continuous drag operation from a tap-type by determining whether a sweep of the touchscreen interface, which comprises the first and second drag operations, overcomes a predefined threshold distance.

13. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the scrollable direction of the content within the display area is substantially aligned with a direction of the first drag operation.

14. The one or more computer-readable hardware devices of claim 1, wherein the secondary action comprises highlighting text within the content of the display area.

15. A computer system capable of providing additional capabilities to a touch-naive application, the computer system comprising a computer storage medium having a plurality of computer software components embodied thereon, the computer software components comprising:

an input component configured to receive a user-initiated input that includes a location of actuation applied to a touchscreen interface, wherein the user-initiated input includes a location of actuation and a single, continuous gesture comprising a first and second drag operation;

the operating system configured to act as a gesture-interpreting interface between the input component and the touch-naï

ve application, wherein the operating system is configured to;

detect the first drag operation upon determining that the gesture includes a substantially uninterrupted drag-movement originating from the actuation location that persists for a distance greater than a predefined threshold distance;

initiate a primary action upon detecting the first drag operation within the gesture, wherein the primary action includes a scrolling action;

detect the second drag operation upon determining that the gesture crosses one or more threshold boundaries that are positioned based on, in part, the actuation location; and

initiate a secondary action upon identifying the gesture includes the second drag operation;

the first drag operation and the second drag operation representing portions of a single, continuous drag operation, in two or more directions, that comprises the gesture performed by the user;

a distance the single, continuous drag operation being derived by comparing a Cartesianal coordinate representation of the actuation location with a Cartesianal coordinate representation of a location of release of the second drag operation; and

a presentation component configured to reveal an indication of the primary or secondary action to the user.

20. The computer system of claim 15, wherein process further comprises disambiguating the single, continuous drag operation from a tap-type by determining whether a sweep of the touchscreen interface, which comprises the first and second drag operations, overcomes a predefined threshold distance.

16. A computerized method for distinguishing between a primary action and a secondary action to be performed at an application upon receiving a gesture at a touchscreen interface, the method comprising:

detecting a single, user-initiated, continuous gesture applied to the touchscreen interface, the gesture including a location of actuation with the touchscreen interface and a first drag operation and a second drag operation associated therewith;

determining whether the first drag operation satisfies a first set of system metrics, the determining satisfaction of the first set of system metrics including identifying whether the first drag operation includes a substantially uninterrupted drag-movement originating from the actuation location that persists for a distance greater than a predefined threshold distance;

when the first drag operation satisfies the first set of system metrics, causing the application to switch from a default mode to a panning mode that supports scrolling functionality of content within the display area;

presenting an indication of the panning mode at the touchscreen interface;

the presenting comprising driving a slider of a scroll bar control in a direction based on a direction of panning at the touchscreen interface;

determining whether the second drag operation satisfies a second set of system metrics, the determining satisfaction of the second set of system metrics including identifying whether the second drag operation crosses one or more threshold boundaries that are positioned based on, in part, the actuation location;

when the second drag operation satisfies the second set of system metrics while the application resides in the panning mode, initiating the secondary action; and

when the second drag operation fails to satisfy the second set of system metrics while the application resides in the panning mode, initiating the primary action.

17. The computerized method of claim 16, further comprising ascertaining whether the touch location occurred within a display area surfaced at the touchscreen interface, wherein the display area is rendered by the application.

18. The computerized method of claim 16, further comprising, when the first drag operation fails to satisfy the first set of system metrics, retaining the application in the default mode, thereby allowing raw inputs associated with the gesture to flow from the touchscreen interface to the application.

19. The computerized method of claim 16, wherein determining satisfaction of the first set of system metrics further comprises:

identifying a principle axis of the first drag operation based on its average direction on the touchscreen interface;

comparing the principle axis against one or more directions of scrolling enabled by the application; and

determining that the principle axis is comparable, within a predefined tolerance, to one or more of the enabled directions of scrolling.