Touch-based reorganization of page element

• US 9,507,520 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Issued: 11/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Koenig, Kimberly, Ashley-Rollman, Caitlin, Fox, Seth, Kikin-Gil, Ruth, Rinker, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott
• Assistant Examiner(s): Velez-Lopez, Mario M
• Application Number:
  US14/136,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,075 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 3/0484 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 3/04842 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/103 Formatting, i.e. changing of presentation of documents automatic justification G06F40/189; automatic line break hyphenation G06F40/191
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/106 Display of layout of documents; Previewing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/177 of tables; using ruled lines

Abstract

An application of a touch-based device provides a touch-based reorganization of a page element. The application determines a modification associated with a touch action and a page element in response to detecting the touch action on the page element. A control and a hint associated with the modification is displayed in proximity to the page element. The page element is reorganized based on the modification.

Claims

1. A method executed on a computing device to provide a touch-based reorganization of a page element, the method comprising:

in response to detecting a touch action on the page element of a document page, executing a visual change on the page element, wherein the visual change includes a modification to a section color associated with the page element and two or more of;

an outline of the page element, a drop shadow of the page element, a ghost out of the page element, a de-emphasis of the page element, and an animation of the page element;

determining a modification associated with the touch action and the page element;

including an operation in the modification of the page element, wherein the operation includes a hierarchical reorganization of the page element and one or more of a vertical reorganization of the page element and a horizontal reorganization of the page element;

displaying a control associated with the modification in proximity to the page element;

associating the control with a graphic of the document page and one or more of a table of the document page, a video of the document page, text of the document page, and audio of the document page as the page element; and

displaying a hint in a proximity relative to the touch action to inform a user of the modification to be performed on the document page.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying another control encompassing the page element after the reorganizing based on the modification.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

including selection controls within the other control to expand or shrink a selection associated with the modified page element; and

placing the selection controls at a start and an end of the selection.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to associating the control with the text of the document page as the page element, displaying the hint to inform the user of the modification to be performed on the text.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the control with a document part as the page element, wherein the document part includes at least one from a set of;

a paragraph, a section, a table of contents, a header, a footer, a page column, a page, and a group of pages; and

displaying the hint to inform a user of the modification to be performed on the document part.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the control with a bullet list of the document page as the page element; and

displaying the hint to inform a user of the modification to be performed on the bullet list.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

applying the modification to at least one from a set of;

one or more elements of the bullet list and an entirety of the bullet list.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to associating the control with the table of the document page as the page element, displaying the hint to inform the user of the modification to be performed on the table.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

applying the modification to at least one from a set of;

an entirety of the table, one or more columns of the table, one or more rows of the table, and one or more cells of the table.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including at least one operation from a set of;

a formatting, a movement, a removal, an edit, a highlighting, an expansion, and a reduction during the modification of the page element or a portion of the page element.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

including another operation in the modification of the page element or a portion of the page element, wherein the other operation includes one or more of;

an indent, an outdent, a left align, a center align, and a right align.

12. A computing device to provide a touch-based reorganization of a page element, the computing device comprising:

a memory;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing an application in conjunction with instructions stored in the memory, wherein the application is configured to;

in response to detecting a touch action on the page element of a document page, execute a visual change on the page element, wherein the visual change includes a modification to a section color associated with the page element and two or more of;

an outline of the page element, a drop shadow of the page element, a ghost out of the page element, a de-emphasis of the page element, and an animation of the page element;

determine a modification associated with the touch action and the page element;

include an operation in the modification of the page element, wherein the operation includes a hierarchical reorganization of the page element and one or more of a vertical reorganization of the page element and a horizontal reorganization of the page element;

display a control associated with the modification in proximity to the page element;

associate the control with a graphic of the document page and one or more of a table of the document page, a video of the document page, text of the document page, and audio of the document as the page element;

display a hint in a proximity relative to the touch action associated with the modification on the control;

reorganize the page element based on the modification by positioning the page element at a location on the document page as determined by the touch action; and

display another control encompassing the page element after reorganizing based on the modification to modify a selection associated with the page element.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the application is further configured to:

determine the modification based on a context associated with the touch action and the page element.

14. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the application is further configured to:

render the control and the hint to follow the touch action.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein, the application is further configured to:

render the page element to follow the touch action.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the application is further configured to:

move adjacent page elements to clear a space for the page element during a course of a movement of the page element;

animate the page element with a slide during the movement;

move the adjacent page elements to another space left behind by the page element subsequent to the movement.

17. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the application is further configured to:

display one or more alignment guides to illustrate a state of the page element at a stop of the touch action.

18. A computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon to provide touch-based reorganization of a page element, the instructions comprising:

in response to detecting a touch action on the page element of a document page, executing a visual change on the page element, wherein the visual change includes a modification to a section color associated with the page element and two or more of;

an outline of the page element, a drop shadow of the page element, a ghost out of the page element, a de-emphasis of the page element, and an animation of the page element;

determining a modification associated with the touch action and the page element;

including an operation in the modification of the page element, wherein the operation includes a hierarchical reorganization of the page element and one or more of a vertical reorganization of the page element and a horizontal reorganization of the page element;

displaying a control associated with the modification in proximity to the page element;

associating the control with a graphic of the document page and one or more of a table of the document page, a video of the document page, text of the document page, and audio of the document page as the page element;

displaying a hint in a proximity relative to the touch action associated with the modification on the control;

reorganizing the page element based on the modification by positioning the page element at a location on the document page as determined by the touch action;

rendering one or more alignment guides to illustrate a state of the page element at a stop of the touch action; and

displaying another control encompassing the page element after reorganizing based on the modification to modify a selection associated with the page element.

19. The computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

including another operation during the modification of the page element or a portion of the page element, wherein the other operation includes one or more of;

a formatting, a movement, a removal, an edit, a highlighting, an expansion, a reduction, an indent, an outdent, a left align, a center align, and a right align.

20. The computer-readable memory device of claim 18, wherein the instructions further comprise:

rendering the page element to follow the touch action

moving adjacent page elements to clear a space for the page element during a course of a movement of the page element;

animating the page element with a slide during the movement;

moving the adjacent page elements to another space left behind by the page element subsequent to the movement.