Gesture entry techniques

• US 9,372,970 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2012
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Casey, Brandon J., Logan, Jake M., Cressall, Erik M., Cotterill, Stephen H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bashore, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHOWDHURY, RAYEEZ R
• Application Number:
  US13/651,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20140109010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,348 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

Techniques are provided for entering and saving a gesture on a touch-sensitive display device. In one embodiment, the device displays an array of visible graphical elements and may detect a gesture based on a user'"'"'s touch of the visible graphical elements as well as on hidden areas not displayed to the user. For example, the device may detect a user'"'"'s touch over hidden dots between the visible graphical elements or through hidden lines connecting the visible graphical elements. Some embodiments may include algorithms for improving accuracy in detecting the intended gesture. For example, the device may estimate possible or probable paths based on a current user touch position. In some embodiments, the visible graphical elements may be illuminated when a touch of the visible graphical elements is detected, or a disc representing a user'"'"'s touch may be displayed as the user enters a gesture.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display; and

data processing circuitry configured to;

cause the touch-sensitive display to display a gesture saving user interface that includes a gesture entry region comprising;

a plurality of predefined selectable visible graphical elements displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

a plurality of predefined selectable invisible elements not displayed on the touch-sensitive display; and

interstitial regions on the touch-sensitive display that do not contain predefined selectable visible graphical elements and do not contain predefined selectable invisible elements;

detect movement of a first contact on the touch-sensitive display that includes movement through a combination of one or more of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements, one or more of the predefined selectable invisible elements, and one or more of the interstitial regions, wherein the movement of the first contact comprises movement from at least one selectable visible graphical element to at least one selectable invisible element that passes through at least one interstitial region;

determine a sequence in which the first contact moves through the one or more predefined selectable visible graphical elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements without regard to motion of the first contact within the interstitial regions; and

save the sequence of the one or more predefined selectable visible elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements as an entered gesture.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of predefined selectable visible graphical elements comprises an array of visible dots displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of predefined selectable invisible elements comprises an array of hidden dots not displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the array of hidden dots is a subset of the array of visible dots.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the array of visible dots is a subset of the array of hidden dots.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the entered gesture comprises receiving the combination of the one or more of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements, the one or more of the predefined selected selectable invisible elements, the one or more of the interstitial regions during a user-selected time period.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to assign a strength indication based on the combination of the one or more of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements, the one or more of the predefined selectable invisible elements, and the one or more of the interstitial regions.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the strength indication comprises a bar that transitions from empty to full proportional to the estimated strength of the entered gesture.

9. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the entered gesture is not saved until a strength of the entered gesture is estimated as strong.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of predefined selectable invisible elements comprise a plurality of hidden lines that connect respective selectable visible graphical elements to an immediately adjacent selectable visible graphical element, an immediately diagonal selectable visible graphical element, or a combination thereof.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the entered gesture comprises a number of crossed hidden lines.

12. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the entered gesture comprises a number of a combination of selected selectable visible graphical elements and crossed hidden lines.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to display a disk representing a user'"'"'s gesture entry while the entered gesture is received, wherein the disk position corresponds to an estimated position of the user'"'"'s gesture.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is configured to illuminate the one or more of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements when the one or more of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements are selected while receiving the entered gesture.

29. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of predefined selectable visible graphical elements displayed on the touch-sensitive display are distinct from the plurality of predefined selectable invisible elements not displayed on the touch-sensitive display.

30. The electronic device of claim 29, wherein the plurality of predefined selectable invisible elements not displayed on the touch-sensitive display comprises a finite set of touch sensing elements on the touch-sensitive display.

33. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is further configured to:

after saving the entered gesture, display an unlock user interface that includes the gesture entry region while one or more functions of the device in a locked state;

while displaying the unlock user interface, detect movement of a second contact on the touch-sensitive surface that is different from the movement of the first contact; and

in response to detecting the movement of the second contact;

in accordance with a determination that the movement of the second contact includes movement through the one or more predefined selectable visible elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements in the sequence that corresponds to the entered gesture without regard to motion of the second contact within the interstitial regions, transition the one or more functions of the device to an unlocked state; and

in accordance with a determination that the movement of the second contact does not include movement through the one or more predefined selectable visible elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements in the sequence that corresponds to the entered gesture without regard to motion of the second contact within the interstitial regions, maintain the one or more functions of the device in the locked state.

15. A method comprising:

displaying on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device, a gesture saving user interface that includes a gesture entry region comprising;

a plurality of predefined selectable visible graphical elements displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

a plurality of predefined selectable invisible elements not displayed on the touch-sensitive display; and

interstitial regions on the touch-sensitive display that do not contain predefined selectable visible graphical elements and do not contain predefined selectable invisible elements;

detecting movement of a first contact on the touch-sensitive display that includes movement through a combination of one or more of the predefined selected visible selectable graphical elements, one or more of the predefined selected invisible selectable touch-sensing elements, and one or more of the interstitial regions, wherein the movement of the first contact comprises movement from at least one selected visible selectable graphical element to at least one selected invisible selectable touch-sensing element that passes through at least one interstitial region, and wherein the selected invisible selectable touch-sensing elements are not displayed on the touch-sensitive display;

determine a sequence in which the first contact moves through the one or more predefined selectable visible elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements without regard to motion of the first contact within the interstitial regions; and

saving the sequence of movement of the first contact through the one or more predefined selectable visible elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements as an entered gesture.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the entered gesture is not saved until a strength of the entered gesture is estimated as strong.

17. The method of claim 15, comprising displaying an illuminated disk representative of a path of the entered gesture while receiving the entered gesture.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the entered gesture comprises a first predefined selectable visible graphical element or predefined selectable invisible element and a second predefined selectable visible graphical element or predefined selectable invisible element that is not adjacent to the first predefined selectable visible graphical element or predefined selectable invisible element.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein saving the entered gesture comprises utilizing the entered gesture for a future authentication process.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein saving the entered gesture comprises utilizing the entered gesture for a future authorization process.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein saving the entered gesture comprises restricting access to the electronic device if a future entered gesture is not substantially similar to the saved entered gesture.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein saving the entered gesture comprises allowing access to the electronic device if a future entered gesture is substantially similar to the saved entered gesture.

31. The method of claim 15, wherein the entered gesture comprises a combination of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements and a distinct combination of the predefined selectable invisible elements.

23. A touch-sensitive electronic device configured to:

display on a touch-sensitive display of the touch-sensitive electronic device a gesture saving user interface that includes a gesture entry region comprising;

a plurality of predefined selectable visible graphical elements displayed on the touch-sensitive display and

a plurality of predefined selectable invisible elements not displayed on the touch-sensitive display, wherein there are interstitial regions on the touch-sensitive display that do not contain predefined selectable visible graphical elements and do not contain predefined selectable invisible elements;

detect movement of a first contact on the touch-sensitive display that includes movement through a combination of one or more of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements, one or more of the predefined selectable invisible elements, and one or more of the interstitial regions, wherein the movement of the first contact gesture comprises movement from at least one selectable visible graphical element to at least one selectable invisible element that passes through at least one interstitial region;

determine a sequence in which the first contact moves through the one or more predefined selectable visible graphical elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements without regard to motion of the first contact within the interstitial regions; and

save the sequence of movement of the first contact through the one or more predefined selectable visible elements and the one or more predefined selectable invisible elements as an entered gesture.

24. The touch-sensitive electronic device of claim 23, wherein the touch-sensitive electronic device is configured to assign a strength indication based on the combination of the one or more of the predefined selectable visible graphical elements, the one or more of the predefined selectable invisible elements, and the one or more of the interstitial regions.

25. The touch-sensitive electronic device of claim 23, wherein the touch-sensitive electronic device is configured to estimate a path of the entered gesture further based on a subsequently selected visible selectable graphical element or a subsequently selected invisible selectable element.

26. The touch-sensitive electronic device of claim 25, wherein the touch-sensitive electronic device is configured to assign a strength indication based on the subsequently selected visible selectable graphical element or the subsequently selected invisible selectable element in the path.

27. The touch-sensitive electronic device of claim 23, wherein the touch-sensitive electronic device is configured to receive multiple selections of at least one predefined selectable visible graphical element while receiving the entered gesture.

28. The touch-sensitive electronic device of claim 23, wherein the touch-sensitive electronic device is configured to receiving multiple selections of at least one predefined selectable invisible element while receiving the entered gesture.

32. The touch-sensitive electronic device of claim 23, wherein the predefined selectable visible graphical elements are separate from the predefined selectable invisible elements.