Method, apparatus and computer-readable medium for adjusting size of screen object

• US 9,851,876 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2013
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Original Assignee: HTC Corporation
• Inventors: Chien, Chih-Ling, Shieh, Chia-Chia, Wu, Yen-Shun, Yang, Ting-An, Huang, Ju-Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): TAN, ALVIN H
• Application Number:
  US13/909,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346894A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,666 Days
• Field of Search: 715765
• 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

Abstract

A method, an apparatus and a computer-readable medium for adjusting size of screen object adapted to a mobile device having a touch screen are provided. In the method, a display direction is randomly selected for each of at least one screen object to display each screen object on the touch screen, where each screen object has at least one object size capable of being adjusted. Then, the touch screen is used to detect a first touch and a second touch performed on one of the at least one screen object. The object size of the screen object being touched is adjusted according to the display direction thereof and a relative moving direction of the first touch and the second touch.

Claims

1. A method for adjusting size of screen object, adapted to a mobile device having a touch screen, the method for adjusting size of screen object comprising:

randomly selecting a display direction for each of at least one screen object to display each of the at least one screen object in a casual view on the touch screen, wherein each of the at least one screen object has at least one object size capable of being adjusted;

detecting a first touch and a second touch by using the touch screen and determining whether the first touch and the second touch are both within one of the at least one screen object;

in response to the first touch and the second touch being both within the one of the at least one screen object, enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction away from each other, and reducing the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction facing to each other; and

in response to the first touch and the second touch being not both within the one of the at least one screen object, switching to display the at least one screen object from the casual view to an organized view when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along the direction away from each other, and switching to display the at least one screen object from the organized view to the casual view when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along the direction facing to each other, wherein all of the at least one screen object is arranged in a compressed page in the organized view, wherein the step of switching to display the at least one screen object in the organized view comprises;

rolling the at least one screen object back to a predetermined size to fit in a plurality of slots in the compressed page, wherein the plurality of slots are respectively arranged in a predetermined and fixed position in the compressed page.

2. The method for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 1, wherein before the step of enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction away from each other, or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction facing to each other, the method further comprises:

detecting a third touch performed on one of the at least one screen object by using the touch screen, and determining whether a touch duration of the third touch exceeds a predetermined duration; and

entering an editing mode when the touch duration of the third touch exceeds the predetermined duration, and then enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction away from each other, or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction facing to each other.

3. The method for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of enlarging or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched further comprises:

adjusting an object content of the screen object being touched, wherein the object content comprises one or combination of a thumbnail, a widget, an operation panel, an image, and a video of the screen object being touched.

4. The method for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of randomly selecting the display direction for each of the at least one screen object to display each of the at least one screen object on the touch screen comprises:

randomly selecting the display direction for each of at least one screen object and generating a page comprising the at least one screen object placed in the selected display direction; and

displaying a portion of the page, wherein the page is scrollable to seamlessly display other portions of the page and each of the at least one screen object comprised in the displayed portion of the page is fully displayed or partially displayed.

5. The method for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 4, wherein the step of enlarging or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched comprises:

adjusting the object size of the screen object being touched according to a simultaneous detection of the first touch and the second touch, a change of displacement between the first touch and the second touch, and the display direction of the screen object being touched, at least by;

enlarging or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched along the display direction according to a first displacement component of the change of displacement between the first touch and the second touch, wherein the first displacement component is in the display direction; and

enlarging or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched along an orthogonal direction to the display direction according to a second displacement component of the change of displacement between the first touch and the second touch, wherein the second displacement component is in the orthogonal direction.

6. The method for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 5, wherein the step of enlarging or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched comprises:

when enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched, determining whether the screen object being touched has the object size larger than a current size and accordingly enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched; and

when reducing the object size of the screen object being touched, determining whether the screen object being touched has the object size smaller than the current size and accordingly reducing the object size of the screen object being touched.

7. An apparatus for adjusting size of screen object, comprising:

a touch screen;

a storage unit, recording a plurality of modules; and

one or more processing units, coupled to the touch screen and the storage unit, and accessing and executing the modules recorded in the storage unit, wherein the modules comprise;

an object display module, randomly selecting a display direction for each of at least one screen object to display each of the at least one screen object in a casual view on the touch screen, wherein each of the at least one screen object has at least one object size capable of being adjusted;

a touch detecting module, using the touch screen to detect a first touch and a second touch and determine whether the first touch and the second touch are both within one of the at least one screen object;

an object size adjusting module, enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction away from each other, and reducing the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction facing to each other in response to the first touch and the second touch being both within the one of the at least one screen object, wherein

the object display module further comprises switching to display the at least one screen object from the casual view to an organized view when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along the direction away from each other, and switching to display the at least one screen object from the organized view to the casual view when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along the direction facing to each other in response to the first touch and the second touch being not both within the one of the at least one screen object, wherein all of the at least one screen object is arranged in a compressed page in the organized view, wherein

the object display module further comprises rolling the at least one screen object back to a predetermined size to fit in a plurality of slots in the compressed page, and wherein the plurality of slots are respectively arranged in a predetermined and fixed position in the compressed page.

8. The apparatus for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 7, further comprising:

an editing module, using the touch screen to detect a third touch performed on one of the at least one screen object, determining whether a touch duration of the third touch exceeds a predetermined duration, and entering an editing mode when the touch duration of the third touch exceeds the predetermined duration, and then enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction away from each other, or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction facing to each other.

9. The apparatus for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 7, wherein the object size adjusting module further adjusts an object content of the screen object being touched, wherein the object content comprises one or combination of a thumbnail, a widget, an operation panel, an image, and a video of the screen object being touched.

10. The apparatus for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 7, wherein the object display module further comprises generating a page comprising the at least one screen object placed in a randomly selected display direction, and displaying a portion of the page, wherein the page is scrollable to seamlessly display other portions of the page and each of the at least one screen object comprised in the displayed portion of the page is fully displayed or partially displayed.

11. The apparatus for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 10, wherein the object size adjusting module comprises adjusting the object size of the screen object being touched according to a simultaneous detection of the first touch and the second touch, a change of displacement between the first touch and the second touch, and the display direction of the screen object being touched, at least by:

enlarging or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched along the display direction according to a first displacement component of the change of displacement between the first touch and the second touch, wherein the first displacement component is in the display direction; and

enlarging or reducing the object size of the screen object being touched along an orthogonal direction to the display direction according to a second displacement component of the change of displacement between the first touch and the second touch, wherein the second displacement component is in the orthogonal direction.

12. The apparatus for adjusting size of screen object as claimed in claim 11, wherein when the object size adjusting module enlarges the object size of the screen object being touched, the object size adjusting module determines whether the screen object being touched has the object size larger than a current size and accordingly enlarges the object size of the screen object being touched, and when the object size adjusting module reduces the object size of the screen object, the object size adjusting module determines whether the screen object being touched has the object size smaller than the current size and accordingly reduces the object size of the screen object being touched.

13. A non-transient computer-readable medium, recording a program, and the program being loaded to a mobile device to execute following steps:

randomly selecting a display direction for each of at least one screen object to display each of the at least one screen object in a casual view on the touch screen, wherein each of the at least one screen object has at least one object size capable of being adjusted;

detecting a first touch and a second touch by using the touch screen and determining whether the first touch and the second touch are both within one of the at least one screen object;

in response to the first touch and the second touch being both within the one of the at least one screen object, enlarging the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction away from each other, and reducing the object size of the screen object being touched when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along a direction facing to each other; and

in response to the first touch and the second touch being not both within the one of the at least one screen object, switching to display the at least one screen object from the casual view to an organized view when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along the direction away from each other, and switching to display the at least one screen object from the organized view to the casual view when the first touch and the second touch respectively move along the direction facing to each other, wherein all of the at least one screen object is arranged in a compressed page in the organized view, wherein the step of switching to display the at least one screen object in the organized view comprises;

rolling the at least one screen object back to a predetermined size to fit in a plurality of slots in the compressed page, wherein the plurality of slots are respectively arranged in a predetermined and fixed position in the compressed page.

14. The non-transient computer-readable medium as claimed in claim 13, wherein the step of randomly selecting the display direction for each of the at least one screen object to display each of the at least one screen object on the touch screen comprises:

randomly selecting a display direction for each of at least one screen object and generating a page comprising the at least one screen object placed in the selected display direction; and

displaying a portion of the page, wherein the page is scrollable to seamlessly display other portions of the page and each of the at least one screen object comprised in the displayed portion of the page is fully displayed or partially displayed.