Pinch gestures in a tile-based user interface

• US 10,775,971 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Successfactors Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Successfactors Incorporated (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Bernaudin, Ingrid, Hsia, David, Koon, Derrick, Das, Animesh, Zyskiewicz, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Ruay
• Application Number:
  US13/931,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20150007099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,636 Days
• Field of Search: 715720, 715783, 715838, 345169, 345667, 345681, 345173, 705 272
• 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 3/0481 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 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• 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 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A tile-based user interface (UI) may be presented on a display device in tile view in full-screen view. The underlying application is active whether the UI is in tile view or in full-screen view, and may generate data that can be presented via the UI. In tile view, the UI may present abbreviated representations of information generated by the underlying application. In full-screen view, the UI may present detailed representations of information, including graphical UI elements and data elements that were not presented in the tile view UI.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

displaying a plurality of tiles in a display area of an output device of a computer, the plurality of tiles corresponding to a plurality of applications executing on the computer different from each other, a first tile at a first size presenting therein a single UI of a first application executing on the computer comprising a display of first information generated by the first application without activating the first application;

receiving first user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the first user input, displaying in the display area an animation of the first tile expanding from the first size to a second size; and

presenting in the first tile at the second size the UI of the first application comprising a display of second information generated by the first application different from the first information generated by the first application.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing access to functionality in the UI presented in the first tile when the first tile is at the second size that is not provided in the UI when the first tile is at the first size.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising presenting graphical UI elements in the UI presented in the first tile when the first tile is at the second size that are not presented in the UI when the first tile is at the first size.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the animation of the first tile expanding in size comprises replacing an image of the first tile of the first size with an image of the first tile of the second size that is scaled down to the first size, and presenting an animation of the scaled down image expanding in size.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the animation of the first tile expanding in size begins at a location of the first tile so as to provide a visual cue to the user as to which tile among the plurality of tiles is expanding.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein sides of the first tile move toward respective sides of the display area and reach the respective sides of the display area at the same time.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the animation of the first tile expanding in size includes an animation of the sides of the first tile moving toward respective sides of the display area.

8. The method of claim 5 wherein an aspect ratio of the UI presented in the first tile when the first tile is at the first size is different from an aspect ratio of the UI when the first tile is at the second size.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving actionable user input directed to the UI presented in the first tile; and

updating the UI presented in the first tile with new information produced by the first application responsive to the actionable user input.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving second user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the second user input, displaying in the display area an animation of the first tile shrinking from the second size to the first size, including replacing an image of the first tile of the second size with an image of the first tile of the first size that is scaled up to the second size, and presenting an animation of the scaled up image shrinking in size.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the first user input is a pinch gesture.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the output device includes a touch sensitive input component.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the tile at the second size is full-screen.

14. A computing device comprising:

a processor;

an output device; and

a data storage device having stored thereon program code, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to;

display a plurality of tiles in a display area of the output device, the plurality of tiles corresponding to a plurality of applications executing on the computer different from each other, a first tile at a first size presenting therein a single UI of a first application executing on the computer comprising a display of first information generated by the first application;

receive first user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the first user input, display in the display area an animation of the first tile expanding from the first size to a second size; and

present in the first tile at the second size the UI of the first application comprising a display of second information generated by the first application different from the first information generated by the first application.

15. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the program code, which, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to present graphical UI elements in the UI presented in the first tile when the first tile is at the second size that are not presented in the UI when the first tile is at the first size.

16. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the program code, which, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to:

receive actionable user input directed to the UI presented in the first tile; and

update UI presented in the first tile with new information produced by the first application responsive to the actionable user input.

17. The computing device of claim 14 wherein the output device includes a touch sensitive input component.

18. A non transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program code, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform steps of:

displaying a plurality of tiles in a display area of an output device of a computer, the plurality of tiles corresponding to a plurality of applications executing on the computer different from each other, a first tile at a first size presenting therein a single UI of a first application executing on the computer comprising a display of first information generated by the first application;

receiving first user input directed to the first tile;

in response to the first user input, displaying in the display area an animation of the first tile expanding from the first size to a second size; and

presenting in the first tile at the second size the UI of the first application comprising a display of second information generated by the first application different from the first information generated by the first application.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, further comprising program code, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform a step of presenting graphical UI elements in the UI presented in the first tile when the first tile is at the second size that are not presented in the UI when the first tile is at the first size.