Manipulation of content on a surface

• US 9,830,060 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2013
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Leorin, Simone, Duong, Nghiep Duy, Shaw, Steven Wei, Verthein, William George
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li, Liang
• Application Number:
  US14/012,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20150067552A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• Field of Search: 715765
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0304 Detection arrangements using opto-electronic means constructional details of pointing devices not related to the detection arrangement using opto-electronic means G06F3/033; optical digitisers G06F3/042
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/048 Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• 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 3/04842 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 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1454 involving copying of the display data of a local workstation or window to a remote workstation or window so that an actual copy of the data is displayed simultaneously on two or more displays, e.g. teledisplay
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/14 Solving problems related to the presentation of information to be displayed
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports

Abstract

Various embodiments enable expeditious manipulation of content on a surface so as to make the content quickly visually available to one or more attendees or participants. In at least some embodiments, content can be automatically manipulated to automatically present the content in a surface location that provides an unobstructed view of the content. Alternately or additionally, content can be manually selected to become “floating” in a manner which moves the content to a surface location that provides an unobstructed view of the content.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

capturing user input of content that is provided onto a surface;

ascertaining a location of an obstruction relative to the surface;

ascertaining a location that is unobstructed by the obstruction by automatically computing the location that is unobstructed as the obstruction moves relative to the surface;

determining when an amount of content of the captured content has reached a predefined threshold; and

responsive to determining the amount of content of the captured content has reached the predefined threshold, automatically relocating captured content to the location that is unobstructed by the obstruction.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content comprises text.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said ascertaining the location of the obstruction or said ascertaining the location that is unobstructed is performed using one or more sensors comprising part of the surface.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said ascertaining the location of the obstruction or said ascertaining the location that is unobstructed is performed using one or more cameras.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein a shape associated with the obstruction comprises a form of a person.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 further comprising:

communicating the content for receipt by a remote computing device without configuring the content to be relocated on a display associated with the remote computing device.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said automatically relocating the captured content further comprises relocating the captured content by snapping the captured content to a constrained position associated with the location that is unobstructed.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein said snapping the captured content further comprises snapping the captured content to a boundary box that has a preset size.

9. One or more computer readable storage memories storing processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by at least one processor, implement a content manipulation module configured to perform operations comprising:

capturing user input of content that is provided on an interactive surface or multitouch screen;

ascertaining a location of an obstruction relative to the interactive surface or multitouch screen;

ascertaining a location that is unobstructed by the obstruction by automatically computing the location that is unobstructed as the obstruction moves relative to the interactive surface or multitouch screen;

determining when an amount of content of the captured content has reached a predefined threshold; and

responsive to determining the amount of content of the captured content has reached the predefined threshold, automatically relocating the captured content to the location that is unobstructed by the obstruction.

10. The one or more computer readable storage memories of claim 9, wherein the content comprises text.

11. The one or more computer readable storage memories of claim 9, wherein the content comprises content other than text.

12. The one or more computer readable storage memories of claim 9, wherein ascertaining the location of the obstruction further comprises utilizing one or more sensors operably coupled to the content manipulation module and configured to detect obstructions.

13. The one or more computer readable storage memories of claim 9, wherein ascertaining the location of the obstruction further comprises utilizing one or more cameras operably coupled to content manipulation module and configured to detect obstructions.

14. The one or more computer readable storage memories of claim 9, wherein a shape associated with the obstruction comprises a form of a person.

15. The one or more computer readable storage memories of claim 9, further comprising:

based on relocating the captured content to the location that is unobstructed by the obstruction, detecting the obstruction has moved in front of the relocated captured content; and

visually floating the relocated captured content around the obstruction to another location, relative to the interactive surface or multitouch screen, that is unobstructed.

16. A system comprising:

one or more surfaces configured to receive input from a user; and

a computing device configured to be coupled to the one or more surfaces and configured to perform operations comprising;

capturing content that is input by a user onto the one or more surfaces;

ascertaining a location of a person relative to the one or more surfaces;

ascertaining a location on the one or more surfaces that is unobstructed by the person by automatically computing the location that is unobstructed by the person as the person moves relative to the surface;

determining when an amount of content of the captured content has reached a predefined threshold; and

responsive to determining the amount of content of the captured content has reached the predefined threshold, automatically relocating the captured content to the location that is unobstructed by the person.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said ascertaining the location of the person relative to the one or more surfaces further comprises computing grid coordinates of the location of the person that maps to the one or more surfaces.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said automatically relocating the captured content further comprises relocating the captured content by snapping the captured content to a constrained position associated with the location that is unobstructed by the person.

19. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage memories storing processor-executable instructions which, responsive to execution by the one or more processors, cause the system to perform operations including;

capturing user input of content that is provided onto a surface;

ascertaining a location of an obstruction relative to the surface;

ascertaining a location that is unobstructed by the obstruction by automatically computing the location that is unobstructed as the obstruction moves relative to the surface;

determining when an amount of content of the captured content has reached a predefined threshold; and

responsive to determining the amount of content of the captured content has reached the predefined threshold, automatically relocating captured content to the location that is unobstructed by the obstruction.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the surface comprises one or more of an interactive surface or multitouch screen.