Brush, carbon-copy, and fill gestures

• US 9,411,498 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2012
• Issued: 08/09/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2010
• 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): SONG, DAEHO D
• Application Number:
  US13/484,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20120236026A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,532 Days
• Field of Search: 715/769, 715/863, 715/702, 715/770
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0381 Multimodal input, i.e. interface arrangements enabling the user to issue commands by simultaneous use of input devices of different nature, e.g. voice plus gesture on digitizer
• 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 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0425 using a single imaging device like a video camera for tracking the absolute position of a single or a plurality of objects with respect to an imaged reference surface, e.g. video camera imaging a display or a projection screen, a table or a wall surface, on which a computer generated image is displayed or projected tracking a projected light spot to determine a position on a display surface G06F3/0386
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 11/203 Drawing of straight lines or curves

Abstract

Techniques involving gestures and other functionality are described. In one or more implementations, the techniques describe gestures that are usable to provide inputs to a computing device. A variety of different gestures are contemplated, including bimodal gestures (e.g., using more than one type of input) and single modal gestures. Additionally, the gesture techniques may be configured to leverage these different input types to increase the amount of gestures that are made available to initiate operations of a computing device.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computing device, the method comprising:

recognizing, by the computing device, a first user input as selecting and holding an object displayed at a first location on a touch screen, the first user input being recognized as a first touch input;

recognizing, by the computing device, a second user input as drawing an empty frame at a second location on the touch screen, where the second location is separate and distinct from the first location, the empty frame recognized as being drawn while the object is being selected and held via the first user input, the second user input being recognized as a second touch input that defines at least two points of the empty frame, where the first touch input and the second touch input are each provided by a finger or a stylus; and

detecting, by the computing device, a fill gesture from the recognized first and second user inputs, the fill gesture effective to use the object selected via the first user input to fill the empty frame defined via the second user input so as to generate and display on the touch screen a filled frame that comprises a version of the selected object within the filled frame at the second location while the selected object remains displayed at the first location.

2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the first user input is recognized as selecting two points of the selected object.

3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the version of the selected object is stretched to fill an aspect ratio of the empty frame.

4. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the version of the selected object is a copy of the selected object.

5. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the version of the selected object is shrunk to fit in the empty frame.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising distinguishing between the touch inputs made by fingers and the stylus inputs.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the empty frame is drawn by forming a self-intersecting line by dragging the second touch input from a first corner of the empty frame to a second corner of the empty frame that opposes the first corner.

8. A computing device comprising:

one or more modules implemented at least partially in hardware, the one or more modules configured to perform operations comprising;

recognizing, by the computing device, a first user input as selecting and holding an object displayed at a first location on a touch screen, the first user input being recognized as a first touch input;

recognizing, by the computing device, a second user input as drawing an empty frame at a second location on the display device, where the second location is separate and distinct from the first location, the second user input being recognized as a second touch input that defines at least two points of the empty frame, where the first touch input and the second touch input are each provided by a finger or a stylus, the empty frame recognized as being drawn while the object is being selected and held via the first user input; and

detecting, by the computing device, a fill gesture from the recognized first and second user inputs, the fill gesture effective to use the object selected via the first user input to fill the empty frame defined via the second user input so as to generate and display on the touch screen a filled frame that comprises a version of the selected object within the filled frame at the second location while the selected object remains displayed at the first location.

9. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the first user input is recognized as selecting two points of the selected object.

10. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the version of the selected object is shrunk to fit in the empty frame or is a copy of the selected object.

11. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the version of the selected object is stretched to fill an aspect ratio of the empty frame.

12. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the empty frame is drawn via a drag-and-drop gesture to specify a size for the empty frame.

13. A computing device as described in claim 8, wherein the empty frame is drawn by forming a self-intersecting line by dragging the second touch input from a first corner to a second corner of the empty frame, the first and second corners being opposing corners of the empty frame.

14. One or more hardware computer readable storage devices comprising instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by a computing device, cause the computing device to implement a gesture module configured to:

recognize a first user input as selecting and holding an object displayed at a first location on a touch screen, the first user input being recognized as a first of touch input;

recognize a second user input as drawing an empty frame at a second location on the display device, where the second location is separate and distinct from the first location, the empty frame recognized as being drawn while the object is being selected and held via the first user input, the second user input being recognized as a second touch input that defines at least two points of the empty frame, where the first touch input and the second touch input are each provided by a finger or a stylus; and

detect a fill gesture from the recognized first and second user inputs, the fill gesture effective to use the object selected via the first user input to fill the empty frame defined via the second user input so as to generate and display on the touch screen a filled frame that comprises a version of the selected object within the filled frame at the second location while the selected object remains displayed at the first location.

15. One or more hardware computer readable storage devices as described in claim 14, wherein the first user input is recognized as selecting two points of the selected object.

16. One or more hardware computer readable storage devices as described in claim 14, wherein the version of the selected object is stretched to fill an aspect ratio of the empty frame.

17. One or more hardware computer readable storage devices as described in claim 14, wherein the version of the selected object is a copy of the selected object.

18. One or more hardware computer readable storage devices as described in claim 14, wherein the version of the selected object is shrunk to fit in the empty frame.

19. One or more hardware computer readable storage devices as described in claim 14, wherein the empty frame is drawn via a drag-and-drop gesture to specify a size for the empty frame.

20. One or more hardware computer readable storage devices as described in claim 14, wherein the empty frame is drawn by dragging the second touch input to form a self-intersecting line that intersects opposing corners of the empty frame.