Post-touchdown user invisible tap target size increase

• US 9,459,775 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2012
• Issued: 10/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Kuscher, Alexander Friedrich
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey A
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NHAT HUY T
• Application Number:
  US13/665,732
• Publication Number:
  US 20140123060A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04805 Virtual magnifying lens, i.e. window or frame movable on top of displayed information to enlarge it for better reading or selection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The subject technology discloses configurations for providing detecting a first touch input on a touch-sensitive screen, wherein the first touch input corresponds with a position on the touch-sensitive screen. The subject technology further determines if the position of the first touch input is within a predetermined distance of a tap target area associated with a graphical element. The tap target area is then expanded by a predetermined amount to increase an area of the tap target area. The subject technology receives a second touch input on the touch-sensitive screen, wherein the second touch input corresponds with a second position on the touch-sensitive screen. It is determined if the position of the second touch input is within the expanded tap target area. The subject technology then selects the graphical element in response to the position of the second touch input being within the expanded tap target area.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

receiving content over a network, wherein the content comprises a plurality of graphical elements and a respective size definition of a respective tap target area associated with each of the plurality of graphical elements;

detecting a first touch input on a touch-sensitive screen, wherein the first touch input corresponds with a position on the touch-sensitive screen;

determining if the position of the first touch input is within a predetermined distance of the respective tap target area associated with one of the plurality of graphical elements, wherein each of the plurality of graphical elements is provided by a user interface associated with a first application;

expanding, by a second application or an operating system if the position of the first touch input is determined to be within the predetermined distance, the respective tap target area of the one of the plurality of graphical elements by a predetermined amount to increase an area of the respective tap target area of the one of the plurality of graphical elements while maintaining the respective size definition of the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements and without moving the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements, the expanded tap target area comprising a boundary and a region enclosed by the boundary, wherein the region of the expanded tap target area does not extend into the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements;

receiving a second touch input on the touch-sensitive screen, wherein the second touch input corresponds with a second position on the touch-sensitive screen;

determining if the second position of the second touch input is within the expanded tap target area; and

selecting the graphical element associated with the expanded tap target area in response to the second position of the second touch input being within the expanded tap target area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first touch input is a tap input, and

the position and the second position are different positions on the touch-sensitive screen.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second touch input comprises a gesture from the position of the first touch input to the second position of the second touch input.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of graphical elements is provided on a web page.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of graphical elements comprises at least one of a button or a selectable interface object.

6. A computer-implemented method, the method comprising:

receiving content over a network, wherein the content comprises a plurality of graphical elements and a respective size definition of a respective tap target area associated with each of the plurality of graphical elements;

detecting a first touch input on a touch-sensitive screen, wherein the first touch input corresponds with a position on the touch-sensitive screen;

determining if the position of the first touch input is within a predetermined distance of the plurality of tap target areas respectively associated with the plurality of graphical elements, wherein the plurality of graphical elements is provided by a user interface associated with a first application;

identifying a tap target area among the plurality of tap target areas that is closer to the position of the first touch input;

expanding, by a second application or an operating system, the identified tap target area by a predetermined amount to increase an area of the identified tap target area while maintaining the respective size definition of the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements and without moving the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements, the expanded tap target area comprising a boundary and a region enclosed by the boundary, wherein the region of the expanded tap target area does not extend into the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements;

receiving a second touch input on the touch-sensitive screen, wherein the second touch input corresponds with a second position on the touch-sensitive screen;

determining if the second position of the second touch input is within the expanded tap target area; and

selecting the graphical element associated with the expanded tap target area in response to the second position of the second touch input being within the expanded tap target area.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second touch input comprises a gesture from the position of the first touch input.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein identifying the tap target area among the plurality of tap target areas that is closer to the position of the first touch input comprises:

determining respective distances from the position of the first touch input to the respective tap target area of the plurality of tap target areas; and

determining a smallest respective distance among the respective distances from the position of the first touch input; and

identifying the respective tap target area associated with the respective graphical element among the plurality of graphical elements that corresponds to the smallest respective distance.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of graphical elements are provided in a graphical user interface (GUI), the GUI comprising a total display area, and each of the plurality of graphical elements are arranged in different display areas within the total display area of the GUI.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined distance comprises a distance based on a number of pixels.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the predetermined amount to increase the area of the tap target area comprises a coefficient to multiply the area of the tap target area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the coefficient is greater than 1.

13. A system, the system comprising:

memory;

one or more processors;

one or more modules stored in memory and configured for execution by the one or more processors, the modules comprising;

a tap target module configured to;

detect a first touch input on a touch-sensitive screen, wherein the first touch input corresponds with a position on the touch-sensitive screen,

determine if the position of the first touch input is within a predetermined distance of a tap target area associated with one of a plurality of graphical elements, wherein the plurality of graphical elements is provided to the tap target module by a user interface associated with a first application,

if the position of the first touch input is determined to be within the predetermined distance, expand the tap target area by a predetermined amount to increase an area of the tap target area while maintaining a respective size definition of a respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements and without moving the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements, the expanded tap target area comprising a boundary and a region enclosed by the boundary, wherein the region of the expanded tap target area does not extend into the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements,

receive a second touch input on the touch-sensitive screen, wherein the second touch input corresponds with a second position on the touch-sensitive screen, and

determine if the second position of the second touch input is within the expanded tap target area; and

a graphical user interface (GUI) display module configured to select the graphical element associated with the expanded tap target area in response to the second position of the second touch input being within the expanded tap target area,

wherein the system is configured to receive content over a network, the content comprising the plurality of graphical elements and the respective size definition of the respective tap target area associated with each of the plurality of graphical elements.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the tap target module is further configured to:

detect a first respective touch input on a touch-sensitive screen, wherein the first respective touch input corresponds with a position on the touch-sensitive screen;

determine if the position of the first respective touch input is within a predetermined distance of the plurality of tap target areas respectively associated with the plurality of graphical elements;

identify the respective tap target area among the plurality of tap target areas that is closer to the position of the first respective touch input;

expand the respective tap target area by a predetermined amount to increase an area of the respective tap target area;

receive a second respective touch input on the touch-sensitive screen, wherein the second respective touch input corresponds with a second position on the touch-sensitive screen; and

determine if the second position of the second respective touch input is within the expanded respective tap target area.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the GUI display module is further configured to:

select the graphical element associated with the expanded respective tap target area in response to the second position of the second respective touch input being within the expanded respective tap target area.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the tap target module is further configured to:

determine respective distances from the position of the first respective touch input to the respective tap target area of the plurality of tap target areas; and

determine a smallest respective distance among the respective distances from the position of the first respective touch input; and

identify the respective tap target area associated with the respective graphical element among the plurality of graphical elements that corresponds to the smallest respective distance.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the tap target module is configured to expand the tap target area without changing the size definition of the tap target area.

18. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions stored therein, which when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising:

receiving content over a network, wherein the content comprises a plurality of graphical elements and a respective size definition of a respective tap target area associated with each of the plurality of graphical elements;

detecting a first touch input on a touch-sensitive screen, wherein the first touch input corresponds with a position on the touch-sensitive screen;

determining if the position of the first touch input is within a predetermined distance of the plurality of tap target areas respectively associated with the plurality of graphical elements, wherein the plurality of graphical elements is provided by a user interface associated with a first application;

determining respective distances from the position of the first touch input to the respective tap target area of the plurality of tap target areas;

determining a smallest respective distance among the respective distances from the position of the first touch input;

identifying the respective tap target area associated with the respective graphical element among the plurality of graphical elements that corresponds to the smallest respective distance;

expanding, by a second application or an operating system, the identified respective tap target area by a predetermined amount to increase an area of the identified respective tap target area while maintaining the respective size definition of the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements and without moving the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements, the expanded tap target area comprising a boundary and a region enclosed by the boundary, wherein the region of the expanded tap target area does not extend into the respective tap target area associated with each remaining graphical element of the plurality of graphical elements;

receiving a second touch input on the touch-sensitive screen, wherein the second touch input corresponds with a second position on the touch-sensitive screen;

determining if the second position of the second touch input is within the expanded tap target area; and

selecting the graphical element associated with the expanded tap target area in response to the second position of the second touch input being within the expanded tap target area.

19. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein:

the plurality of graphical elements is provided on a web page in the first application,

the respective size definition of each respective tap target area is provided on the web page by the first application, and

the expanding comprises expanding, by the second application or the operating system, the identified respective tap target area without changing code associated with the web page.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the expanding is performed by the second application.