Portable electronic device with multi-touch input

• US 20070152984A1
• Filed: 12/29/2006
• Published: 07/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Christie, Greg, Ording, Bas, Forstall, Scott, Lemay, Stephen, Chaudhri, Irman
• Granted Patent: US 7,812,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04806 Zoom, i.e. interaction techniques or interactors for controlling the zooming operation
• 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 3/04845 for image manipulation, e.g. dragging, rotation, expansion or change of colour
• 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 portable communication device with multi-touch input detects one or more multi-touch contacts and motions and performs one or more operations on an object based on the one or more multi-touch contacts and/or motions. The object has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object, and the object has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

displaying a graphical object in a display of a portable electronic device, wherein the object has a resolution that is greater than a first pre-determined threshold;

detecting multi-touch input associated with the object;

determining, based on the multi-touch input, an operation to be performed on the object; and

performing the operation on the object, wherein the object has a resolution that is less than the pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed is changing a magnification level of the object.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed is changing a magnification level of the object when the input corresponds to a change in distance between two or more contacts with the display surface.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed is changing a magnification level of the object by an amount corresponding to a change in distance between two or more contacts with the display surface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed includes changing at least one dimension of the object.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed is changing at least one dimension of the object when the detected motion corresponds to a change in distance between two or more contacts with the display surface.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed includes rotating the object.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed includes moving the object along the display surface in at least one dimension.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed includes expanding the object.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed includes minimizing the object.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed includes zooming in on at least a portion of the object.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the operation to be performed includes zooming out on at least a portion of the object.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the portable electronic device includes a mobile phone.

14. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a multi-touch-sensitive display; and

one or more processors coupled to the multi-touch-sensitive display to detect motion of two or more fingers of a user in contact with the multi-touch-sensitive display, to determine an operation to be performed on a graphical object presented on the multi-touch-sensitive display based on the detected motion, and to perform the operation on the object, wherein the object has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object, and wherein the object has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

15. A portable electronic device, comprising:

a multi-touch-sensitive display;

a detector coupled to the multi-touch-sensitive display and adapted to detect motion of two or more fingers of a user in contact with the multi-touch-sensitive display; and

one or more processors coupled to the detector and configurable for determining an operation to be performed on a graphical object presented on the multi-touch-sensitive display based on the detected motion, and for performing the operation on the object, wherein the object has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object, and wherein the object has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

16. A method, comprising:

detecting one or more first contacts on a display surface of a multi-touch-sensitive display device;

detecting a first motion associated with the one or more first contacts, wherein the first motion corresponds to a multi-touch gesture;

adjusting at least one parameter of a graphical object in accordance with the first motion;

detecting a breaking of the one or more first contacts;

detecting one or more second contacts on a display surface;

detecting a second motion associated with the one or more second contacts, wherein the second motion corresponds to the multi-touch gesture; and

adjusting the at least one parameter in accordance with the second motion.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more second contacts occur within a pre-determined time interval after the breaking of the one or more first contacts is detected.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises a magnification of the graphical object.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the at least one parameter comprises an orientation of the graphical object.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the gesture comprises rotation.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the gesture comprises de-pinching, and wherein de-pinching includes displacing two or more contacts away from one another.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the graphical object has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object, and the graphical object has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

23. A method, comprising:

detecting one or more contacts on a display surface of a multi-touch-sensitive display device;

displaying at least one graphical object proximate to a point of contact on the display surface;

detecting motion associated with the one or more contacts;

adjusting at least one parameter based on the motion;

detecting a loss of contact on the display surface;

responsive to detection of the lost contact, storing a current value of the parameter and starting a timer;

responsive to the timer exceeding a threshold before contact is reestablished, removing the graphical object from the display surface; and

responsive to contact being reestablished before the timer exceeds the threshold, maintaining the display of the graphical object on the display surface, detecting additional motion of the one or more contacts, and adjusting the parameter based on the additional motion.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the graphical object is animated to simulate motion.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the parameter is volume control.

26. A method of displaying Web pages on a portable electronic device, comprising:

receiving a Web page;

automatically scaling the Web page to display the entire Web page in a display window;

receiving a first touch input;

activating the Web page and at least some fields or links in the Web page in response to the first touch input;

receiving a second touch input; and

performing an operation on the Web page in response to the second touch input, wherein the Web page has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the Web page, and wherein the Web page has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the operation includes zooming in on a portion of the Web page in the display window.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the operation includes changing the portion of the Web page displayed in the window.

29. The method of claim 26, wherein the operation includes displaying a virtual keyboard.

30. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor in a portable electronic device, cause the processor to perform the operations of:

displaying a graphical object on a display surface of the portable electronic device;

detecting multi-touch input associated with the object;

determining, based on the multi-touch input, an operation to be performed on the object; and

performing the operation on the object, wherein the object has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the object, and wherein the object has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

31. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor in a portable electronic device, cause the processor to perform the operations of:

detecting one or more contacts on a display surface of a multi-touch-sensitive display;

displaying at least one graphical object proximate to a point of contact on the display surface;

detecting motion associated with the one or more contacts;

adjusting at least one parameter based on the motion;

detecting a loss of contact with the display surface;

responsive to detection of the lost contact, storing a current value of the parameter and starting a timer;

responsive to the timer exceeding a threshold before contact is reestablished, removing the graphical object from the display surface; and

responsive to contact being reestablished before the timer exceeds the threshold, maintaining the display of the graphical object on the display surface, detecting additional motion of the one or more contacts, and adjusting the parameter based on the additional motion.

32. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a processor in a portable electronic device, cause the processor to perform the operations of:

receiving a Web page;

automatically scaling the Web page to display the entire Web page in a display window;

receiving a first touch input;

activating the Web page and at least some fields or links in the Web page in response to the first touch input;

receiving a second touch input; and

performing an operation on the Web page in response to the second touch input, wherein the Web page has a resolution that is less than a pre-determined threshold when the operation is performed on the Web page, and wherein the Web page has a resolution that is greater than the pre-determined threshold at other times.

33. A method, comprising:

displaying a graphical object in a touch screen display of a portable electronic device, wherein down sampled data is used to display the object;

detecting multi-touch input associated with the object;

determining, based on the multi-touch input, an operation to be performed on the object;

performing the operation on the object;

displaying changes to the object caused by the operation in real time using the down sampled data; and

displaying the object with resampled data after the operation.