Navigating Lists Using Input Motions

• US 20090002396A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lichtenstein, Craig, Andrews, Anton Oguzhan Alford, Venable, Morgan
• Granted Patent: US 7,750,895 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/659
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• 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 method of navigating items on a display on a computing device with a touch sensitive input device is disclosed. Similar to a bike wheel, the list of items will rotate in relation to the velocity of the input applied including speed up, slow down, stop and change directions.

Claims

1. A method of navigating items on a display on a computing device with a touch sensitive input device comprising:

Accepting an input at a first location on the input device;

Creating a deadzone around the first location;

Establishing a grid of tick lines around the input wherein the grid of tick lines comprises vertical tick lines and horizontal tick lines.

If the input moves outside of the deadzone, storing a coordinate location comprising a vertical and horizontal location at which the input leaves the deadzone;

Determining an input direction by using a direction from the coordinate location of a previous tick line crossed to the coordinate location of a current tick line crossed;

If the input moves a number of tick distances wherein the number of tick distances is greater than zero, rotating the display of items by a factor of the tick distances in the input direction;

If the input is removed from the input device,

Determining a velocity of the input movement using a location of the input at sampled times and the distance the input traveled during the sampled times;

If the velocity is above a threshold, displaying the items on the display in which the items rotate past on the display in the input direction at an initial velocity that decreases and in which the initial velocity is in relation to the velocity of the input movement.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if a number of items is above an item limit, the velocity of rotating the items is greater and if the number of items is below the item limit, the velocity is lower.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising determining the velocity of the input movement using a plurality of times that the input crossed a plurality of tick lines and the distance the input traveled.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

If the input has been removed from the input device and the velocity is above the threshold,

Receiving a subsequent input;

Creating a new deadzone around the subsequent input;

If there is no movement out of the new deadzone and the input stops before a hold period of time;

Decreasing the velocity of the rotation of the items on the display.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising if the subsequent input extends beyond the hold period of time, further decreasing the velocity of the rotation of the items on the display.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising

If the subsequent input is out of the new deadzone before an expiration of the hold period of time and

If the subsequent input is a tick length,

Rotating the display of items by a factor.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising

If the subsequent input is removed from the input device and if the subsequent input is above the threshold, and

If the subsequent input is in a direction of the current menu rotation,

Increasing the velocity of the rotation and

If the subsequent input is in a direction opposite the current item rotation,

Rotating the items in the direction of the subsequent input at a velocity in relation to the velocity of the subsequent input and the velocity at which the items were moving before the subsequent input.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein if the velocity falls below a threshold, the rotation will stop.

9. A computer storage medium comprising computer executable instructions for navigating items on a display on a computing device with a touch sensitive input device, the computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

Accepting an input at a first location on the input device;

Creating a deadzone around the first location;

Determining an input direction;

If the input moves a number of tick distances wherein the number of tick distances is greater than zero, rotating the display of items by the number of tick distances in the input direction;

If the input is removed from the input device,

Determining the velocity of the input;

If the velocity of the input is above a threshold, displaying the items on the display in which the items rotate past on the display in the input direction at an initial velocity that decreases and in which the initial velocity is in relation to the velocity of the input movement.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 9, further comprising computer executable instructions for determining an input direction by using a direction from the coordinate location of a previous tick line crossed to the coordinate location of a current tick line crossed.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 9, further comprising computer executable instructions for determining if the input is removed from the device and if the velocity of the input is above the threshold,

Receiving a subsequent input;

Creating a new deadzone around the subsequent input;

Determining if there is no movement out of the new deadzone and the input stops before a hold period of time and if the determination is true;

Decreasing the velocity of the rotation of the items on the display.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions that if the subsequent input extends beyond the hold period of time, further decreasing the velocity of the rotation of the items on the display.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions that determine if there is an input out of the new deadzone before an expiration of the hold period of time and

Determine if the input is a tick length, and

If the determinations are true, computer executable instructions for rotating the display of items by a factor.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 11, further comprising computer executable instructions for that determine

If the input is removed from the input device and

if the subsequent input is above the threshold, and

If the input is in a direction of the current menu rotation,

increasing the velocity of the rotation;

and

computer executable instructions that determine if the input is in a direction opposite the current item rotation, and if the determination is true,

rotating the items in the direction of the input at a velocity in relation to the velocity of the input and the velocity at which the items were moving before the input.

15. A portable media device with a processor for executing computer executable instructions, a memory for assisting the processor execute computer executable instructions and an input device wherein the processor is programmed for:

Accepting an input at a first location on the input device;

Creating a deadzone around the first location;

Determining an input direction;

If the input moves a number of tick distances wherein the number of tick distances is greater than o, rotating the display of items by a factor of the number of tick distances in the input direction;

If the input is removed from the input device,

Determining the velocity of the input movement using a location of the input at sampled times and the distance the input traveled during the sampled times;

If the velocity is above a threshold, displaying the items on the display in which the items rotate past on the display in the input direction at an initial velocity that decreases and in which the initial velocity is in relation to the velocity of the input movement;

Receiving a subsequent input;

Creating a new deadzone around the subsequent input;

If there is no movement out of the new deadzone and the input stops before a hold period of time;

Decreasing the velocity of the rotation of the items on the display;

If the subsequent input extends beyond the hold period of time, further decreasing the velocity of rotation of the items;

If there the subsequent input is out of the new deadzone before an expiration of the hold period of time and if the input is a tick length,

Rotating the display of items by a factor in the direction of the input;

If the subsequent input is in a direction of the current menu rotation and if the input leaves the input pad and if the velocity of the subsequent input is above the threshold,

Increasing the velocity of the rotation and

If the subsequent input is in a direction opposite the current item rotation and and if the input leaves the input pad and if the velocity of the subsequent input is above the threshold,

Rotating the items in the direction of the input at a velocity in relation to the velocity of the input and the velocity at which the items were moving before the input.

16. The portable media device of claim 15, wherein if a number of items is above an item limit, the velocity of rotating the items is greater and if the number of items is below the item limit, the velocity is lower.

17. The portable media device of claim 15, wherein if the velocity falls below a threshold, the rotation will stop.

18. The portable media device of claim 15, wherein the device is one selected from a group comprising a cell phone, a media player and a game device.