Input assistance for computing devices

• US 9,959,040 B1
• Filed: 08/06/2014
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Zhang, Eric
• Primary Examiner(s): SUN, LI P
• Application Number:
  US14/453,047
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 9/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• 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

An example method includes designating a corner region of a display device as active, and outputting, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location substantially diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the active corner region. The method further includes receiving an indication of a gesture interpreted by the computing device as originating within the active corner region and terminating within a center region of the display device, and responsive to receiving the indication of the gesture, outputting, for display at the display device, an updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location a second distance from the active corner region.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

designating, by a computing device, a corner region of a display device as an active corner region;

outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the corner region;

detecting, by at least one tilt sensor of the computing device, a first movement of the active corner region in either a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction;

determining, by the computing device, that the detected movement of the active corner region indicates a first tilt condition;

responsive to detecting the first tilt condition, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, a first updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location between the active corner region and the first location and at a second distance from the active corner region, the second distance being less than the first distance;

selecting, by the computing device, a multi-tilt mode from a plurality of operating modes of the computing device;

while the computing device is operating in the multi-tilt mode, detecting, by the computing device, a second tilt condition that indicates a second movement of the active corner region in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction; and

responsive to detecting the second tilt condition, outputting, by the computing device and for display at the display device, a second updated user interface including the element positioned at a third location a third distance from the active corner region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the first updated user interface comprises visually panning the user interface such that the element visually moves from the first position to the second location at the second distance from the active corner region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein outputting the first updated user interface comprises outputting the element at the second position at a display size that is larger than a display size of the element when the element was displayed at the first location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein designating the corner region as the active corner region is at least partly in response to receiving an indication of user input to designate the corner region as the active corner region.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the second tilt condition indicates movement of the active corner region in a same direction as a direction of the first tilt condition, and

wherein the third distance is less than the second distance.

6. The method of claim 1,

wherein the second tilt condition indicates movement of the active corner region in an opposite direction as a direction of the first tilt condition, and

wherein the third distance is greater than the second distance.

7. The method of claim 1,

wherein the user interface comprises an application user interface of an application executing at the computing device, and

wherein the element comprises an interactive element of the application user interface.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the element comprises an icon included in the user interface.

9. A computing system comprising:

one or more programmable processors;

a display device operatively coupled to the one or more programmable processors; and

one or more tilt sensors,

wherein the one or more programmable processors are configured to;

designate a corner region of the display device as an active corner region;

output, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the corner region;

determine that that a first movement of the active corner region in either a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction, detected by the one or more tilt sensors, indicates a first tilt condition;

responsive to detecting the first tilt condition, output, for display at the display device, a first updated user interface including the element is positioned at a second location between the active corner region and the first location and at a second distance from the active corner region, the second distance being less than the first distance;

select a multi-tilt mode from a plurality of operating modes of the computing system; and

while the computing system is operating in a multi-tilt mode and responsive to the one or more tilt sensors detecting a second movement of the active corner region in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction indicative of a second tilt condition, output, for display at the display device, a second updated user interface including the element positioned at a third location a third distance from the active corner region.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the one or more programmable processors are configured to output the first updated user interface by at least being configured to visually pan the user interface such that the element visually moves from the first position to the second location at the second distance from the active corner region.

11. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the one or more programmable processors are configured to output the first updated user interface by at least being configured to output the element at the second position at a display size that is larger than a display size of the element with respect to the user interface when the element was displayed at the first location.

12. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the one or more programmable processors are configured to designate the corner region as active at least partly in response to an indication of user input received by the one or more programmable processors, wherein the received user input requests a designation of the corner region as active.

13. The computing system of claim 9,

wherein the second tilt condition indicates movement of the active corner region in a same direction as a direction of the first tilt condition, and

wherein the third distance is less than the second distance.

14. The computing system of claim 9,

wherein the second tilt condition indicates movement of the active corner region in an opposite direction as a direction of the first tilt condition, and

wherein the third distance is greater than the second distance.

15. The computing system of claim 9,

wherein the user interface comprises an application user interface of an application executing at the computing device, and

wherein the element comprises an interactive element of the application user interface.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage device encoded with instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors of a computing device to:

designate a corner region of a display device as an active corner region;

output, for display at the display device, a user interface including at least one element positioned at a first location diagonally opposite and at a first distance from the corner region;

detect, using at least one tilt sensor of the computing device a movement of the active corner region in either a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction;

determine that the detected movement of the active corner region indicates a first tilt condition;

responsive to the detection of the first tilt condition, output, for display at the display device, a first updated user interface including the element positioned at a second location between the active corner region and the first location and at a second distance from the active corner region, the second distance being less than the first distance;

select a multi-tilt mode from a plurality of operating modes of the computing device;

while the computing device is operating in the multi-tilt mode, detect a second tilt condition that indicates a second movement of the active corner region in either the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction; and

responsive to detecting the second tilt condition, output, for display at the display device, a second updated user interface including the element positioned at a third location a third distance from the active corner region.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the instructions to output the first updated user interface comprise instructions to visually pan the user interface such that the element visually moves from the first position to the second location at the second distance from the active corner region.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the instructions to output the first updated user interface comprise instructions to output the element at the second position at a display size that is larger than a display size of the element when the element was displayed at the first location.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16,

wherein the second tilt condition indicates movement of the active corner region in a same direction as a direction of the first tilt condition, and

wherein the third distance is less than the second distance.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage device of claim 16,

wherein the second tilt condition indicates movement of the active corner region in an opposite direction as a direction of the first tilt condition, and

wherein the third distance is greater than the second distance.