Recognizing selection regions from multiple simultaneous input

• US 9,335,900 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Weiss, John Guido Atkins
• Primary Examiner(s): Titcomb, William
• Application Number:
  US14/158,644
• Publication Number:
  US 20140137033A1
• Time in Patent Office: 844 Days
• Field of Search: 715/784
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• 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

Selection regions can be recognized from multiple simultaneous inputs. Input selection regions are calculated from simultaneous contacts on a multi-touch input display surface. Computer system users can use natural and/or more intuitive hand gestures to select items on an input/display surface. Selection regions can be dynamically adjusted to in response to detected changes in contact at different locations on a surface. For example, selection region changes can be updated in essentially real-time as fingers are added and moved on the multi-touch input display surface, and as the surface is scrolled. The calculation of selection regions can vary based on an application and/or operating system context.

Claims

1. A computing system including a multi-touch input display surface and stored computer-executable instruction which, when executed by one or more processor of the computing system, implement a method for recognizing a region for selecting items displayed on the multi-touch input display surface, wherein the method includes:

an act of detecting a first contact with the multi-touch input display surface at a detected first location on the multi-touch input display surface; and

an act of detecting one or more second contacts with the multi-touch input display surface at one or more detected second locations on the multi-touch input display surface that occur simultaneously to the first contact;

an act of detecting removal of all of the first contact and the one or more second contacts, such that there is no contact occurring by a user at the multi-touch input display surface; and

in response to detecting the removal of all of the first contact and the one or more second contacts, initiating a calculation of a selection region based at least on the previously detected first location and the one or more detected second locations, such that the calculation is triggered by a detection of the removal of all of the first contact and the one or more second contacts.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein calculating the selection region comprises calculating the selection region based on an operating context at the computer system.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the method further includes an act of selecting at least one item displayed on the multi-touch input display surface that is selected by being included within at least a portion of the calculated selection region.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the method further includes an act of providing region visual feedback data to the multi-touch input display surface, wherein the multi-touch input display surface renders the calculated selection region on the multi-touch input display surface by at least displaying an edge boundary of the calculated selection region on the multi-touch input display surface.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first and one or more second detected locations each include coordinate locations on the multi-touch input display surface that are abstracted from areas of the first and one or more second detected contacts on the multi-touch input display surface, respectively.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the first and one or more second detected contacts each occur between a human hand and the multi-touch input display surface.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the method further includes receiving an ordered set of points for each of the detected first and one or more second locations.

8. A computer system including a multi-touch input display surface and stored computer-executable instruction which, when executed by one or more processor of the computing system, implement method for recognizing a region for selecting items displayed on the multi-touch input display surface, the method comprising:

an act of receiving input contact data indicating a plurality of contact points on a multi-touch input display surface;

an act of calculating a selection region on the multi-touch input surface based on the plurality of contact points;

an act of selecting one or more items displayed on the multi-touch input surface, wherein selecting the one or more items includes selecting at least one item that is only partially disposed within the calculated selection region and such that the at least one item is at least partially disposed on either side of a boundary that defines an outer edge of the calculated selection region; and

an act of providing item visual feedback data to the multi-touch input surface to visually indicate the one or more items having been selected by at least altering display characteristics of the one or more selected items within the selection region.

9. The computer system as recited in claim 8, wherein the first contact and the second contact are made simultaneously on the multi-touch input display surface.

10. A computer system including a multi-touch input display surface and stored computer-executable instruction which, when executed by one or more processor of the computing system, implement a method for recognizing a region for selecting items displayed on the multi-touch input display surface, the method comprising:

an act of detecting a first contact with the multi-touch input display surface at a detected first location on the multi-touch input display surface; and

an act of detecting a second contact with the multi-touch input display surface at a detected second location on the multi-touch input display surface;

an act of calculating a first selection region on the multi-touch input display surface based at least on the detected first location and the detected second location;

an act of receiving input that causes a scrolling of an interface display being rendered on the multi-touch input display surface, the input being received while the first contact remains at the first location and the second contact remain at the second location on the multi-touch input display surface, such that the scrolling causes the interface display to move relative to the first and second location; and

in response to the scrolling and a detected consistency of the first contact at the first location and the second contact remaining at the second location, calculating a new selection region which includes the first selection region and a new region corresponding to a new relative position of the scrolled interface display relative to the first and second location.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the method further includes an act of selecting at least one item displayed on the multi-touch input display surface that is selected by being included within at least a portion of the calculated new selection region, wherein the at least one item only partially intersects with the new selection region.

12. The computing system of claim 10, wherein calculating at least one of the first and the new selection region is based on an operating context at the computer system.

13. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the method further includes an act of providing region visual feedback data to the multi-touch input display surface, wherein the multi-touch input display surface renders the calculated new selection region on the multi-touch input display surface by at least displaying an edge boundary of the calculated new selection region on the multi-touch input display surface.

14. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the first and second detected locations each include coordinate locations on the multi-touch input display surface that are abstracted from areas of the first and one or more second detected contacts on the multi-touch input display surface, respectively.

15. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the first and second detected contacts each occur between a human hand and the multi-touch input display surface.

16. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the method further includes receiving an ordered set of points for each of the detected first and second locations.

17. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the input causing the scrolling occurs from a touch manipulation on the multi-touch input display.

18. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the input causing the scrolling occurs from a mouse input.

19. The computing system of claim 10, wherein the calculating includes performing the calculation by applying a convex hull selection algorithm.

20. The computing system of claim 19, wherein the calculating includes performing the calculation by calculating a plurality of convex hull selections for the calculated new selection region with the convex hull selection algorithm.