Move icon to reveal textual information

• US 9,367,208 B2
• Filed: 12/31/2013
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barnes & Noble College Booksellers LLC (Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Barnes & Noble College Booksellers LLC (Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hicks, Kourtny M., Mesguich Havilio, Amir
• Primary Examiner(s): Lowenberger, Aaron
• Application Number:
  US14/144,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20150186008A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for providing a content information viewing mode in electronic devices. In an embodiment, in response to a gesture performed on an electronic touch sensitive device, a content icon may be moved from its original location and information about that item of digital content may be displayed to the user. The information may be displayed on the portion of the screen previously occupied by the content icon. Releasing contact with the touch screen allows the icon to return to its original location. Moving the content icon past a certain point, may allow the user to edit the newly displayed content information. An audio and/or visual indicator may be output by the electronic device alerting the user that the newly visible information may now be edited. Movement that extends further may indicate that icon movement is desired, not the information viewing/editing mode.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a touch screen display for displaying digital content to a user and allowing user input; and

a user interface including a content information viewing mode configured to;

receive an information viewing command performed over a content icon representing a digital content item;

responsive to the received information viewing command, move the content icon in a vertical direction, thereby displacing only vertically adjacent content icons in the vertical direction, and thereby exposing a portion of the touch screen display previously occupied by the icon prior to the move;

display previously undisplayed information about the digital content item in the exposed portion of the touch screen display; and

allow editing of the previously undisplayed information in response to moving the content icon at least halfway outside of its original footprint.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the digital content item comprises at least one of a digital catalogue, magazine, comic, eBook, text document file, rich media file, graphic file, image file, audio file, video file, and/or folder.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the information about the digital content comprises at least one of file name, eBook title, author, file size, number of annotations, grade, new content notification, new message, upcoming event notification, folder name, file type, date of last modification, artist name, album name, album art, thumbnail image, number of files saved within a folder, UPC, EAN, and/or ISBN.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the information viewing command comprises a dragging gesture, and wherein the content information viewing mode is further configured to return the content icon to the exposed portion of the touch screen display upon release of the dragging gesture.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein the content information viewing mode is further configured to cause issuance of an audible sound in response to the content icon being moved at least halfway outside of its original footprint, thus indicating the allowance of editing of the previously undisplayed information.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the content icon remains displayed while the previously undisplayed information is displayed.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein the content information viewing mode is further configured to output at least one of a visual indicator and a haptic indicator in response to the content icon being moved at least halfway outside of its original footprint, thus indicating the allowance of editing the previously undisplayed information being engaged.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the digital content item is a folder represented by a folder icon including one or more additional digital content items, and the content information viewing mode is further configured to display and allow editing of the folder contents in response to the folder icon being moved a distance or direction indicative of an edit mode being engaged.

9. The device of claim 1 wherein the content information viewing mode is further configured to displace at least one adjacent content icon in response to moving the content icon.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein an amount of information about the digital content icon being displayed is determined by a size of the exposed portion of the touch screen display.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein the previously undisplayed information is displayed only within boundaries defined by the portion of the touch screen display exposed by moving the content icon.

11. A mobile computing system, comprising:

a processor and a touch screen display for displaying content to a user and allowing user input; and

a user interface executable on the processor and including a content information viewing mode configured to;

receive an information viewing command performed over a content icon representing a digital content item;

responsive to the received information viewing command, move the content icon in a vertical direction, thereby displacing only vertically adjacent content icons in the vertical direction, and thereby exposing a portion of the touch screen display previously occupied by the icon prior to the move;

display previously undisplayed information about the digital content item in the exposed portion of the touch screen display; and

allow editing of the previously undisplayed information in response to moving the content icon at least halfway outside of its original footprint.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the content icon remains displayed while the previously undisplayed content information is displayed.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the content information viewing mode is further configured to output an editing indicator intended to alert the user when the icon has been moved at least halfway outside of its original footprint so as to allow editing of the previously undisplayed information, the editing indicator including a click sound, a locking noise, a locking graphic, a haptic feedback signal, and an animation including at least one of graphics and text, thereby indicating engagement of the information editing function.

14. The system of claim 11 wherein the amount of information about the digital content icon being displayed depends on the amount the content icon is moved.

15. The system of claim 11 wherein the content information viewing mode is further configured to displace at least one adjacent content icon in response to moving the content icon.

16. The system of claim 11 wherein the information viewing command comprises a dragging gesture, and wherein the content information viewing mode is further configured to return the content icon to the exposed portion of the touch screen display upon release of the dragging gesture.

17. A computer program product wherein the computer program product comprises at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes instructions that when executed by one or more processors cause a process to be carried out, the process comprising:

receive a user input associated with a content icon displayed on the electronic device and representing an item of digital content;

move the content icon from its original location in response to the user input in a vertical direction, thereby displacing only vertically adjacent content icons in the vertical direction, and thereby exposing a portion of a touch screen display previously occupied by the icon prior to the move; and

display previously undisplayed content information about the item of digital content in the exposed portion of the original location previously occupied by the content icon; and

allow editing of the previously undisplayed information in response to moving the content icon at least halfway outside of its original footprint.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, the process further comprising:

display an information editing window allowing a user to edit the previously undisplayed content information.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, the process further comprising:

output at least one of an audio indicator and a visual indicator in response to the content icon being moved at least halfway outside of its original footprint, so as to indicate the allowance of editing the previously undisplayed content information.