HANDLE FLAGS

• US 20090094560A1
• Filed: 10/05/2007
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hinckley, Kenneth P., Grossman, Tovi, Sarin, Raman, Buxton, William A.S., Baudisch, Patrick M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,171,431 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/863
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

The claimed subject matter provides techniques to effectuate and facilitate efficient and flexible selection of display objects. The system can include devices and components that acquire gestures from pointing instrumentalities and thereafter ascertains velocities and proximities in relation to the displayed objects. Based at least upon these ascertained velocities and proximities falling below or within threshold levels, the system displays flags associated with the display object.

Claims

1. A system implemented on a machine that effectuates and facilitates efficient and flexible selection of display objects, comprising:

a component that obtains or receives from an interface a gesture related to a display object, the component configured to determine a velocity or a proximity of the gesture in relation to the display object and, based at least in part on the velocity or the proximity the component, display flags associated with the display object.

2. The system of claim 1, the component further configured to determine whether the velocity associated with the gesture falls below a preset threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, the component further configured to determine whether the proximity of the gesture falls within an area that circumscribes the display object.

4. The system of claim 1, the gesture being provided via utilization of a pointing instrumentality.

5. The system of claim 4, the pointing instrumentality further comprising a pen, a mouse, or a pressure point imposed by a stylus or a human finger,

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the display object is included in a subset of alternate display objects.

7. The system of claim 1, the display object further comprising a superset of all display objects presented on a visual display.

8. The system of claim 1, the flags being configured to fade into the display when the velocity or the proximity in relation to the display object falls within established thresholds.

9. The system of claim 1, the flags being configured to fade out when the velocity or the proximity in relation to the display object exceeds preset thresholds.

10. The system of claim 1, the flags further comprising thumbnail images of the display object, the thumbnail images sized in proportional relation to a bounding box circumscribing the display object.

11. The system of claim 10, the component further configured to inscribe a line originating from a point on a display object closest to an initial location of a pointing instrumentality oriented toward the flags.

12. A machine implemented method that effectuates and facilitates efficient and flexible selection of display objects, comprising:

receiving gestures related to a display object;

ascertaining a velocity or a proximity relative to the display object; and

displaying a flag associated with the display object based at least on the velocity or the proximity.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising situating the flag associated with the display object in display real estate to prevent overlapping of a plurality of alternative flags associated with the display object.

14. The method of claim 12, the flag associated with the display object including an attribute indicating a time that it has taken since the flag was visible.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the attribute indicating a time that it has taken since the flag was visible is utilized to determine a backtrack leniency parameter that is utilized to prevent unexpected flag fade in or unexpected flag fade out.

16. The method claim 12, further comprising monitoring for indications provided by a user that activation of a command associated with the flag is desired.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the activation of the command associated with the flag includes instigating a radial pop-up menu to display.

18. The method of claim 12, further comprising spatially situating the flag to ensure that a first flag does not occlude one or more flags.

19. The method of claim 12, the flag including an attribute indicating a distance at a current time.

20. A system that effectuates efficient and flexible selection of display objects, comprising:

means for acquiring movement associated with a pointing instrumentality;

means for determining an associated velocity or an associated proximity of the movement in relation to a display object; and

means for displaying flags affiliated with the display object based at least in part on the associated velocity or the associated proximity falling below a velocity threshold or within an area surround the display object.