Control of display of content with dragging inputs on a touch input surface

• US 9,830,067 B1
• Filed: 09/23/2014
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Jitkoff, John Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tuan S
• Application Number:
  US14/494,571
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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 3/04855 Interaction with scrollbars
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A computer-implemented user interface method includes displaying content in a first window on a display of a computing device, receiving a dragging user input on an element at a periphery of the window, and in response to receiving the dragging input, generating and displaying a second window on the display of the computing device and displaying the first window simultaneously with the second window.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented user interface method, comprising:

displaying content in a first window on a display of a computing device, wherein the display includes a touch input surface;

detecting, on the touch input surface, a dragging user input from outside a peripheral edge of the first window to a location within the first window, wherein the dragging user input includes a motion having a dominant directional component generally orthogonal to the peripheral edge of the first window; and

in response to detecting the dragging user input;

contracting the first window on the display of the computing device, wherein the first window includes graphical elements of a first application opened within the first window,

displaying, on the display of the computing device, a second window that was not displayed on the display on the computing device when the dragging user input was initiated, wherein the second window displays graphical elements of a second application opened in the second window or graphical elements of a new instantiation of the first application, but wherein the second window does not include a new pane of an existing instantiation of the first application, and

displaying the contracted first window simultaneously with the second window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first and second windows includes automatically positioning the first window adjacent to and beside the second window.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein displaying the first and second windows comprises automatically positioning the first window adjacent to and above the second window.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the contracted first window and the second window are the same size.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a size at which to display the contracted first window and a size at which to display the second window based on a distance of the dragging user input from the peripheral edge of the first window to the location within the first window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the dragging motion comprises a selection on a scroll bar followed by motion into a body of a document that is being displayed in the first window.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a user selection of content from the displayed content in the first window and pasting the user selection of content into the displayed second window.

8. A computer-implemented user interface method, comprising:

displaying content in a first window on a display of a computing device, wherein the display includes a touch input surface;

detecting, on the touch input surface, a dragging user input on an element at a periphery of the window, wherein the element at the periphery of the window comprises a scrolling control of a scroll bar and wherein the dragging user input includes a motion having a dominant component generally orthogonal to the normal scrolling motion of the scroll bar; and

in response to detecting the dragging user input;

contracting the first window on the display of the computing device, wherein the first window includes graphical elements of a first application opened within the first window,

displaying, on the display of the computing device, a second window that was not displayed on the display on the computing device when the dragging user input was initiated, wherein the second window displays graphical elements of a second application opened in the second window or graphical elements of a new instantiation of the first application, but wherein the second window does not include a new pane of an existing instantiation of the first application, and

displaying the contracted first window simultaneously with the second window.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the scroll bar is a vertical scroll bar and the dragging motion comprises a horizontal motion from the scroll bar that is determined to extend for a determined distance from the scroll bar.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the scrolling element in the scroll bar is a graphical scrolling element.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein displaying the first and second window comprises automatically positioning the first window adjacent to and beside the second window.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the sizes of the first window and the second window are the same.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising determining a size at which to display the first window and a size at which to display the second window based on a distance of the dragging user input from the peripheral edge of the first window to the location within the first window.

14. A computing device comprising:

a touch screen display configured to display a first window having a scroll bar at a periphery of the first window, the scroll bar having a graphical scrolling element in the scroll bar;

a dragging input sub-system configured to detect a dragging input motion that includes a contact with the touch screen display on the scroll bar and a dragging motion having a dominant directional component generally orthogonal to the normal scrolling direction of the scroll bar to a location within the first window after the occurrence of the contact, wherein the contact occurs on the touch screen display over an area where the scroll bar is displayed; and

a processor operably connected to tangible computer memory that stores code that, when executed by the processor, causes the computing device to detect a dragging input on the touch screen display from outside a peripheral edge of the first window to a location within the first window display and, in response to the detected dragging user input on the touch screen display to;

contract the first window on the touch screen display, wherein the first window includes graphical elements of a first application opened within the first window,

display on the touch screen display a second window that was not displayed on the touch screen display when the dragging user input was initiated, wherein the second window displays graphical elements of a second application opened in the second window or graphical elements of a new instantiation of the first application, but wherein the second window does not include a new pane of an existing instantiation of the first application, and

display the contracted first window simultaneously with the second window.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the scroll bar is a vertical scroll bar and the dragging motion comprises a horizontal motion from the scroll bar that is determined to extend for a determined distance from the scroll bar.

16. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the scrolling element in the scroll bar is a graphical scrolling element.

17. The computing device of claim 14, wherein displaying the first and second window comprises automatically positioning the first window adjacent to and beside the second window.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the sizes of the first window and the second window are the same.

19. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, further causes the computing system to determine a size at which to display the first window and a size at which to display the second window based on a distance of the dragging user input from the scroll bar to the location within the first window.

20. A computing device comprising:

a touch screen display configured to display a first window, and

a processor operably connected to tangible computer memory that stores code that, when executed by the processor, causes the system to detect a dragging user input on the touch screen display from outside a peripheral edge of the first window to a location within the first window, wherein the dragging user input comprises a motion having a dominant directional component generally orthogonal to the peripheral edge of the first window and that causes the system, in response to detecting the dragging user input to;

contract the first window on the display of the computing device, wherein the first window includes graphical elements of a first application opened within the first window,

display, on the display of the computing device, a second window that was not displayed on the display on the computing device when the dragging user input was initiated, wherein the second window displays graphical elements of a second application opened in the second window or graphical elements of a new instantiation of the first application, but wherein the second window does not include a new pane of an existing instantiation of the first application and

display the contracted first window simultaneously with the second window.

21. The computing device of claim 20, wherein displaying the first and second windows includes automatically positioning the contracted first window adjacent to and beside the second window.

22. The computing device of claim 20, wherein displaying the first and second windows comprises automatically positioning the contracted first window adjacent to and above the second window.

23. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the contracted first window and the second window are the same size.

24. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, further causes the system to determine a size at which to display the contracted first window and a size at which to display the second window based on a distance of the dragging user input from the peripheral edge of the first window to the location within the first window.

25. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the dragging motion comprises a selection on a scroll bar followed by motion into a body of a document that is being displayed in the first window.

26. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the code, when executed by the processor, further causes the computing system to receive a user selection of content from the displayed content in the first window and to paste the user selection of content into the displayed second window.