Event Recognition

• US 20100235118A1
• Filed: 09/24/2009
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Shaffer, Joshua H., Moore, Bradford Allen
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,499 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/57
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method executes software including a view hierarchy with a plurality of views which displays one or more views of the view hierarchy. The method executes software elements associated with a particular view, wherein each particular view includes event recognizers. Each event recognizer has an event definition based on sub-events, and an event handler that specifies an action for a target, and is configured to send the action to the target in response to an event recognition. The method detects a sequence of sub-events, and identifies one of the views of the view hierarchy as a hit view that establishes which views in the hierarchy are actively involved views. The method delivers a respective sub-event to event recognizers for each actively involved view, wherein each event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy processes the respective sub-event prior to processing a next sub-event in the sequence of sub-events.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device configured to execute software that includes a view hierarchy with a plurality of views;

displaying one or more views of the view hierarchy;

executing one or more software elements, each software element being associated with a particular view, wherein each particular view includes one or more event recognizers, each event recognizer having;

an event definition based on one or more sub-events, and

an event handler, wherein the event handler;

specifies an action for a target, and

is configured to send the action to the target in response to the event recognizer detecting an event corresponding to the event definition;

detecting a sequence of one or more sub-events; and

identifying one of the views of the view hierarchy as a hit view, wherein the hit view establishes which views in the view hierarchy are actively involved views;

delivering a respective sub-event to event recognizers for each actively involved view within the view hierarchy,

wherein each event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy processes the respective sub-event prior to processing a next sub-event in the sequence of sub-events.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy processes the sequence of one or more sub-events concurrently.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a first actively involved view within the view hierarchy is configured to prevent delivery of the respective sub-event to event recognizers associated with the first actively involved view.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a first actively involved view within the view hierarchy is configured to prevent delivery of the respective sub-event to event recognizers associated with the first actively involved view unless the first actively involved view is the hit view.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a second actively involved view within the view hierarchy is configured to prevent delivery of the respective sub-event to event recognizers associated with the second actively involved view and to event recognizers associated with ancestors of the second actively involved view.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of event recognizers is a gesture recognizer having a gesture definition and a gesture handler.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the event definition defines a user gesture.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises a touch sensitive surface configured to detect multi-touch gestures.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic device further comprises a touch screen configured to detect multi-touch gestures.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the sequence of one or more sub-events includes primitive touch events.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein each event recognizer has a set of event recognition states including at least an event possible state, an event impossible state, and an event recognized state.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the event handler initiating preparation of its corresponding action for delivery to the target if the event recognizer enters the event possible state.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the event handler completing preparation of its corresponding action for delivery to the target if the event recognizer enters the event recognized state.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the event handler delivering its corresponding action to the target.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of event recognizers independently process the sequence of one or more sub-events in parallel.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of event recognizers is adapted to delay delivering one or more sub-events of the sequence of sub-events until after the event recognizer recognizes the event.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein,

one or more of the plurality of event recognizers, comprising exclusive event recognizers, are configured to perform exclusive event recognition, and

the event delivery system prevents any non-exclusive event recognizers for actively involved views in the view hierarchy from recognizing respective events after any of the exclusive event recognizers recognizes an event.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more exclusive event recognizers include an event exception list.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the event exception list includes events whose corresponding event definitions have repetitive sub-events.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the event definition defines a user input operation.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the a respective sub-event of the sequence of one or more sub-events is selected from the group consisting of a key press, a key press hold, a key press release, a button press, a button press hold, a button press release, a joystick movement, a mouse movement, a mouse button press, a mouse button release, a pen stylus touch, a pen stylus movement, a pen stylus release, an oral instruction, a detected eye movement, a biometric input, and a detected physiological change in a user.

22. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device configured to execute software that includes a view hierarchy with a plurality of views;

displaying one or more views of the view hierarchy;

executing one or more software elements, each software element being associated with a particular view, wherein each particular view includes one or more event recognizers, each event recognizer having;

an event definition based on one or more sub-events, and

an event handler, wherein the event handler;

specifies an action for a target, and

is configured to send the action to the target in response to the event recognizer detecting an event corresponding to the event definition;

detecting a sequence of one or more sub-events; and

identifying one of the views of the view hierarchy as a hit view, wherein the hit view establishes which views in the view hierarchy are actively involved views;

delivering a respective sub-event to event recognizers for each actively involved view within the view hierarchy; and

at event recognizers for the actively involved views in the view hierarchy, making a sub-event recognition decision while processing the respective sub-event.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein each event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy processes the sequence of one or more sub-events in parallel.

24. A computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one of more processors of a computer system or device, the one or more programs including:

one or more application programs for displaying one or more views of a view hierarchy with a plurality of views;

the one or more application programs including one or more software elements, each software element being associated with a particular view, wherein each particular view includes one or more event recognizers, each event recognizer having;

an event definition based on one or more sub-events, and

an event handler, wherein the event handler;

specifies an action for a target, and

is configured to send the action to the target in response to the event recognizer detecting an event corresponding to the event definition;

event management instructions, which when executed by the one or more processors of the computer system or device, cause the computer system or device to;

detect a sequence of one or more sub-events;

identify one of the views of the view hierarchy as a hit view, wherein the hit view establishes which views in the view hierarchy are actively involved views; and

deliver a respective sub-event to event recognizers for each actively involved view within the view hierarchy,

wherein each event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy processes the respective sub-event prior to processing a next sub-event in the sequence of sub-events.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

a display;

one or more processors;

memory;

one or more programs stored in the memory, which are configured to display one or more views of a view hierarchy with a plurality of views;

the one or more programs including one or more software elements, each software element being associated with a particular view, wherein each particular view includes one or more event recognizers, each event recognizer having;

an event definition based on one or more sub-events, and

an event handler, wherein the event handler;

specifies an action for a target, and

is configured to send the action to the target in response to the event recognizer detecting an event corresponding to the event definition;

an event delivery program, which, when executed by the one or more processors of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to;

detect a sequence of one or more sub-events;

identify one of the views of the view hierarchy as a hit view, wherein the hit view establishes which views in the view hierarchy are actively involved views;

deliver a respective sub-event to event recognizers for each actively involved view within the view hierarchy; and

make a sub-event recognition decision while event recognizers for the actively involved views in the view hierarchy process the respective sub-event.