Multi-finger gestures

• US 9,965,165 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Yatani, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): Takele, Meseker
• Application Number:
  US12/709,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20110209088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,000 Days
• Field of Search: 715810, 715830, 345173, 702150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04808 Several contacts: gestures triggering a specific function, e.g. scrolling, zooming, right-click, when the user establishes several contacts with the surface simultaneously; e.g. using several fingers or a combination of fingers and pen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

Bezel gestures for touch displays are described. In at least some embodiments, the bezel of a device is used to extend functionality that is accessible through the use of so-called bezel gestures. In at least some embodiments, off-screen motion can be used, by virtue of the bezel, to create screen input through a bezel gesture. Bezel gestures can include single-finger bezel gestures, multiple-finger/same-hand bezel gestures, and/or multiple-finger, different-hand bezel gestures.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computing device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the computing device via a plurality of touches, a bezel gesture input, where the plurality of touches of the received bezel gesture input originate on a bezel and drag across a visual affordance presented adjacent to the bezel via a display device, and where the visual affordance indicates a plurality of exposable drawers;

ascertaining, based on a spacing between the plurality of touches, a functionality associated with the received bezel gesture input, where different spacings are associated with different functionalities, and where the ascertained functionality is related to a particular one of the plurality of exposable drawers indicated by the spacing; and

accessing the ascertained functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, where the display device has multiple edges, where at least two of the edges have exposable drawers that are exposable via the received bezel gesture input.

3. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the plurality of exposable drawers comprises a bezel menu.

4. The method of claim 3, where the bezel menu comprises slots that support drag-and-drop operations.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the visual affordance provides an indication of the plurality of exposable drawers.

6. The method of claim 1, where the visual affordance is presented in the form of a semi-transparent strip.

7. The method of claim 1, where at least one of the plurality of exposable drawers comprises slots.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertained functionality is associated with a page manipulation operation.

9. The method of claim 1, where various of the plurality of touches of the received bezel gesture input originate on different edges of the bezel.

10. The method of claim 1, where various of the plurality of touches of the received bezel gesture input originate on a common edge of the bezel.

11. The method of claim 1, where the received bezel gesture input is based on at least one finger on each hand of a user.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is performed by a computing device having multiple display devices.

13. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

one or more computer readable media embodying computer readable instructions that, based on execution by the one or more processors, configure the system to;

receive, via a plurality of touches, a bezel gesture input, where the plurality of touches of the received bezel gesture input originate on a bezel and drag across a visual affordance presented adjacent to the bezel via a display device, and where the visual affordance indicates a plurality of exposable drawers;

ascertain, based on a spacing between the plurality of touches, a functionality associated with the received bezel gesture input, where different spacings are associated with different functionalities, and where the ascertained functionality is related to a particular one of the plurality of exposable drawers indicated by the spacing; and

access the ascertained functionality.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the display device has multiple edges, wherein at least two of the edges have exposable drawers that are exposable via the received bezel gesture input.

15. The system of claim 13, where at least one of the plurality of exposable drawers comprises a bezel menu.

16. The system of claim 15, where the bezel menu supports drag-and-drop operations.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the computing device has multiple screens that make up the display device.

18. Computer-readable hardware that includes computer-readable instructions that, based on execution by a computer, configure the computer to perform actions comprising:

receiving, by the computing device via a plurality of touches, a bezel gesture input, where the plurality of touches of the received bezel gesture input originate on a bezel and drag across a visual affordance presented adjacent to the bezel via a display device, and where the visual affordance indicates a plurality of exposable drawers;

ascertaining, based on a spacing between the plurality of touches, a functionality associated with the received bezel gesture input, where different spacings are associated with different functionalities, and where the ascertained functionality is related to a particular one of the plurality of exposable drawers indicated by the spacing; and

accessing the ascertained functionality.

19. The computer-readable hardware of claim 18, where the visual affordance provides an indication of the plurality of exposable drawers.

20. The computer-readable hardware method of claim 18, where the visual affordance is presented in the form of a semi-transparent strip.