Systems and methods for providing feedback cues for touch screen interface interaction with chemical and biological structure drawing applications

• US 9,430,127 B2
• Filed: 05/08/2013
• Issued: 08/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Revvity Signals Software Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cambridgesoft Corporation (Perkinelmer Incorporated)
• Inventors: Smith, Robin Y., Keil, Hans
• Primary Examiner(s): SUN, LI P
• Application Number:
  US13/890,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20140337725A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 45/00 ICT specially adapted for bioinformatics-related data visualisation, e.g. displaying of maps or networks
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 20/80 Data visualisation

Abstract

Creating a graphical representation of at least one of a chemical structure and a biological structure using a touch screen interface may include identifying connection location(s) of an in-progress structure and connection location(s) of a separate structure element, determine, upon receipt of a gesture input moving the structure element towards the in-progress structure, that a distance between a first connection location of the in-progress structure and a first connection location of the structure element signals an intended connection of the structure element to the in-progress structure at or about the corresponding connection locations, analyze a resultant structure formed by connection of the in-progress structure and the structure element at or about the corresponding connection locations to determine a response, and provide a visible cue, an audible cue, and/or a haptic cue corresponding to the response.

Claims

1. A system for creating a graphical representation of at least one of a chemical structure and a biological structure using a touch screen interface, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having a set of instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to;

provide a representation of at least a portion of an in-progress chemical or biological structure for presentation on a graphical display of a computing device;

identify one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure;

identify one or more connection locations of a chemical or biological structure element, wherein the chemical or biological structure element is separate from the in-progress chemical or biological structure;

receive a gesture input upon a touch sensitive portion of the graphical display corresponding to movement of the chemical or biological structure element towards the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure, wherein the gesture input comprises a motion selected from the group consisting of drag, push, fling, or any combination thereof;

determine whether a distance between a first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and a first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element is within a threshold separation distance that signals an intended connection of the chemical or biological structure element to the in-progress chemical or biological structure at or about the corresponding connection locations;

determine the intended connection between the first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element;

based upon determining the intended connection, analyze a resultant chemical or biological structure formed by connection of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the chemical or biological structure element at or about the corresponding connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element and the in-progress chemical or biological structure, to determine whether the resultant structure is chemically or biologically feasible;

provide, responsive to the analysis, for presentation to a user of the computing device, a visible cue and optionally one or more of an audible cue and a haptic cue, based on the determination that the resultant chemical or biological structure is chemically or biologically feasible;

present, within the graphical display, a formation of the resultant chemical or biological structure; and

present, to the user, the visible cue of the first connection location of the chemical or biological structure element connecting with the first connection location of the in-progress chemical or biological structure,

wherein the visible cue comprises a visible indication of a loss of one or more atoms caused by the formation of the resultant chemical or biological structure.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of i) a strength of the haptic cue, ii) a duration of the haptic cue, iii) a volume of the audible cue, iv) a duration of the audible cue, and v) a tone of the audible cue is selected based at least in part upon the determination that the resultant chemical or biological structure is chemically or biologically feasible.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of i) a strength of the haptic cue, ii) a duration of the haptic cue, iii) a volume of the audible cue, iv) a duration of the audible cue, and v) a tone of the audible cue is selected based at least in part upon a number of bonds formed between a) the first connection location of the chemical or biological structure element and b) the first connection location of the in-progress chemical or biological structure.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the visible cue comprises a zoom display panel presented upon the graphical display.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to append the chemical or biological structure element to the in-progress chemical or biological structure at the corresponding connection locations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to replace a portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure with at least a portion of the chemical or biological structure element at the corresponding connection locations.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor to merge the chemical or biological structure element into the in-progress chemical or biological structure at the corresponding connection locations.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the visible cue comprises an alteration in at least one of color, brightness, and contrast of at least a portion of the graphical display.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein receiving the gesture input comprises receiving the gesture input, over a network, from the computing device.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device comprises the processor.

11. A method comprising:

providing a representation of at least a portion of an in-progress chemical or biological structure for presentation on a graphical display of a computing device;

identifying, by a processor of a computing device, one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure;

identifying, by the processor, one or more connection locations of a chemical or biological structure element, wherein the chemical or biological structure element is separate from the in-progress chemical or biological structure;

receiving a gesture input upon a touch sensitive portion of the graphical display corresponding to movement of the chemical or biological structure element towards the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure, wherein the gesture input is a motion selected from the group consisting of drag, push, filing, or any combination thereof;

determining, by the processor, whether a distance between a first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and a first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element is within a threshold separation distance that signals an intended connection of the chemical or biological structure element to the in-progress chemical or biological structure at or about the corresponding connection locations;

determining, by the processor, the intended connection between the first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element;

based upon determining the intended connection, analyzing, by the processor, a resultant chemical or biological structure formed by connection of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the chemical or biological structure element at or about the corresponding connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element and the in-progress chemical or biological structure to determine whether the resultant structure is chemically or biologically feasible;

providing, responsive to the analysis, for presentation to a user of the computing device, a feedback cue, wherein the feedback cue comprises a visible cue and optionally one or more of an audible cue and a haptic cue, based on the determination that the resultant chemical or biological structure is chemically or biologically feasible;

presenting, within the graphical display, a formation of the resultant chemical or biological structure; and

presenting, to the user, the visible cue of the first connection location of the chemical or biological structure element connecting with the first connection location of the in-progress chemical or biological structure,

wherein the visible cue comprises a visible indication of a loss of one or more atoms caused by the formation of the resultant chemical or biological structure.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the feedback cue is selected based at least in part upon at least one of a) a type of the chemical or biological structure element and b) a type of an element of the in-progress chemical or biological structure comprising the first connection location.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the type of the chemical or biological structure element is a molecule, an atom, or a substituent.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the in-progress chemical or biological structure is a biological sequence.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the type of the structure element is a biological scaffold.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the structure element comprises one or more nucleotides.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the structure element comprises at least one of an amino acid residue or amino acid.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

provide a representation of at least a portion of an in-progress chemical or biological structure for presentation on a graphical display of a computing device;

identify one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure;

identify one or more connection locations of a chemical or biological structure element, wherein the chemical or biological structure element is separate from the in-progress chemical or biological structure;

receive a gesture input upon a touch sensitive portion of the graphical display corresponding to movement of the chemical or biological structure element towards the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure, wherein the gesture input comprises a motion selected from the group consisting of drag, push, filing, or any combination thereof;

determine whether a distance between a first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and a first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element is within a threshold separation distance that signals an intended connection of the chemical or biological structure element to the in-progress chemical or biological structure at or about the corresponding connection locations;

determine the intended connection between the first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the portion of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the first connection location of the one or more connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element,

based upon determining the intended connection, analyze a resultant chemical or biological chemical or biological structure formed by connection of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the chemical or biological structure element at or about the corresponding connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element and the in-progress chemical or biological structure to determine whether the resultant chemical or biological structure is chemically or biologically feasible;

provide, responsive to the analysis, for presentation to a user of the computing device, a visible cue and optionally one or more of an audible cue and a haptic cue, based on the determination that the resultant structure is chemically or biologically feasible;

present, within the graphical display, a formation of the resultant chemical or biological structure; and

present, to the user, the visible cue of the first connection location of the chemical or biological structure element connecting with the first connection location of the in-progress chemical or biological structure,

wherein the visible cue comprises a visible indication of a loss of one or more atoms caused by the formation of the resultant chemical or biological structure.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the instructions cause the processor to, prior to determining whether the distance between the first connection location of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the first connection location of the chemical or biological structure element signals the intended connection, for each connection location of the one or more connection locations of the chemical or biological structure element, and

for each connection location of the one or more connection locations of the in-progress chemical or biological structure,

determine a respective distance between the respective connection location of the chemical or biological structure element and the respective connection location of the in-progress chemical or biological structure, and

identify whether the respective distance is within a threshold distance.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the threshold distance is based at least in part upon a type of the in-progress chemical or biological structure.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the threshold distance is based at least in part on one or more of intermolecular forces, intramolecular forces, and van der Waal forces corresponding to one or both of the in-progress chemical or biological structure and the chemical or biological structure element.