Event Recognition

• US 20110179380A1
• Filed: 03/31/2011
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kocienda, Kenneth L., Shaffer, Joshua L., Chaudhri, Imran
• Granted Patent: US 9,311,112 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

An electronic device executes one or more software elements. Each software element is associated with a particular view, which includes one or more event recognizers. Each event recognizer has one or more event definitions based on one or more sub-events, and an event handler. The event handler is configured to send an action to a target in response to the event recognizer detecting an event corresponding to a particular event definition. The electronic device detects a sequence of sub-events, and identifies actively involved views. The electronic device delivers a respective sub-event to event recognizers for actively involved views. At least one event recognizer for actively involved views has a plurality of event definitions, one of which is selected in accordance with an internal state of the electronic device. The at least one event recognizer processes the respective sub-event in accordance with the selected event definition.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

at an electronic device with an internal state, the 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;

one or more event definitions 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 a particular event definition of the one or more event definitions;

detecting a sequence of one or more sub-events;

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; and

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

wherein at least one event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy has a plurality of event definitions, one of which is selected in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device, and the at least one event recognizer processes the respective sub-event prior to processing a next sub-event in the sequence of sub-events in accordance with the selected event definition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of event definitions includes a first event definition corresponding to a first swipe gesture with a first number of fingers and a second event definition corresponding to a second swipe gesture with a second number of fingers distinct from the first number of fingers.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the internal state includes one or more settings for an accessibility operating mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a respective definition of the plurality of event definitions is selected for a respective event recognizer in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device and a determination that the respective event definition does not correspond to an event definition of any event recognizer for the actively involved views other than the respective event recognizer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein two or more event recognizers for actively involved views in the view hierarchy each have a respective plurality of event definitions, and a respective event definition of the respective plurality of event definitions is selected for a respective event recognizer in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device and a determination that the respective event definition does not correspond to any event definition selected for any event recognizer with two or more event definitions other than the respective event recognizer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the respective sub-event in accordance with the selected event definition includes displaying one or more views of a first software application distinct from the software that includes the view hierarchy.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one event recognizer processes the respective sub-event by replacing the display of the one or more views of the view hierarchy with display of one or more views of a first software application distinct from the software that includes the view hierarchy.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one event recognizer processes the respective sub-event by:

displaying in a first predefined area of a display in the electronic device a group of open application icons that correspond to at least some of a plurality of concurrently open applications; and

concurrently displaying at least a subset of the one or more views of the view hierarchy.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the software is an application launcher.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the software is an operating system application.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

a display;

one or more processors; and

memory storing an internal state and one or more programs for execution by the one or more processors, the one or more programs including software that includes a view hierarchy with a plurality of views, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for;

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;

one or more event definitions 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 a particular event definition of the one or more event definitions;

detecting a sequence of one or more sub-events;

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; and

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

wherein at least one event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy has a plurality of event definitions, one of which is selected in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device, and the at least one event recognizer processes the respective sub-event prior to processing a next sub-event in the sequence of sub-events in accordance with the selected event definition.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of event definitions includes a first event definition corresponding to a first swipe gesture with a first number of fingers and a second event definition corresponding to a second swipe gesture with a second number of fingers distinct from the first number of fingers.

13. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein a respective definition of the plurality of event definitions is selected for a respective event recognizer in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device and a determination that the respective event definition does not correspond to an event definition of any event recognizer for the actively involved views other than the respective event recognizer.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein two or more event recognizers for actively involved views in the view hierarchy each have a respective plurality of event definitions, and a respective event definition of the respective plurality of event definitions is selected for a respective event recognizer in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device and a determination that the respective event definition does not correspond to any event definition selected for any event recognizer with two or more event definitions other than the respective event recognizer.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the instructions for processing the respective sub-event include instructions for replacing the display of the one or more views of the view hierarchy with display of one or more views of a first software application distinct from the software that includes the view hierarchy.

16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing one or more programs for execution by one or more processors in an electronic device that has an internal state, the one or more programs including software that includes a view hierarchy with a plurality of views, wherein the one or more programs include instructions for:

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;

one or more event definitions 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 a particular event definition of the one or more event definitions;

detecting a sequence of one or more sub-events;

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; and

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

wherein at least one event recognizer for actively involved views in the view hierarchy has a plurality of event definitions, one of which is selected in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device, and the at least one event recognizer processes the respective sub-event prior to processing a next sub-event in the sequence of sub-events in accordance with the selected event definition.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the plurality of event definitions includes a first event definition corresponding to a first swipe gesture with a first number of fingers and a second event definition corresponding to a second swipe gesture with a second number of fingers distinct from the first number of fingers.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein a respective definition of the plurality of event definitions is selected for a respective event recognizer in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device and a determination that the respective event definition does not correspond to an event definition of any event recognizer for the actively involved views other than the respective event recognizer.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein two or more event recognizers for actively involved views in the view hierarchy each have a respective plurality of event definitions, and a respective event definition of the respective plurality of event definitions is selected for a respective event recognizer in accordance with the internal state of the electronic device and a determination that the respective event definition does not correspond to any event definition selected for any event recognizer with two or more event definitions other than the respective event recognizer.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions for processing the respective sub-event include instructions for replacing the display of the one or more views of the view hierarchy with display of one or more views of a first software application distinct from the software that includes the view hierarchy.