TOUCH GESTURE INDICATING A SCROLL ON A TOUCH-SENSITIVE DISPLAY IN A SINGLE DIRECTION

• US 20120240041A1
• Filed: 03/14/2011
• Published: 09/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lim, Yu-Xi, Lobo, Philomena
• Granted Patent: US 9,134,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text

Abstract

A method of operating a device having a touch-sensitive display includes displaying scrollable information elements on the touch-sensitive display and detecting a touch gesture from an input device on the touch-sensitive display. The touch gesture is classified as a flick gesture. If the flick gesture satisfies at least a first criterion reflecting a user intent to scroll the information elements in a single direction along a first of a pair of cardinal axes, the direction in which the information elements is scrolled is locked along the single direction. If the flick gesture satisfies the first criterion, any displacement of the information elements which has occurred along a second of the cardinal axes orthogonal to the first cardinal axis as a result of classifying the touch gesture as a flick gesture is undone.

Claims

1. A method of operating a device having a touch-sensitive display, comprising:

displaying scrollable information elements on the touch-sensitive display;

detecting a touch gesture from an input device on the touch-sensitive display;

classifying the touch gesture as a flick gesture;

if the flick gesture satisfies at least a first criterion reflecting a user intent to scroll the information elements in a single direction along a first of a pair of cardinal axes, locking a direction in which the information elements are scrolled along the single direction; and

if the flick gesture satisfies the first criterion, undoing any displacement of the information elements which has occurred along a second of the cardinal axes orthogonal to the first cardinal axis as a result of classifying the touch gesture as a flick gesture.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first criterion includes a pre-established locking threshold area on the touch-sensitive display within which at least a first portion of the flick remains.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first criterion is only applied if the flick gesture has a duration less than a first specified period of time.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein if the flick gesture does not satisfy the first criterion, determining if the flick gesture satisfies at least a second criterion further indicating that the user intent is to scroll the information elements in a single direction.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the second criterion includes a minimum speed that the flick gesture is to exceed.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein, if the second criterion is satisfied, undoing the displacement of the information elements which has occurred along at least the second of the cardinal axes as a result of classifying the touch gesture as a flick gesture.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein, if a direction of the flick is within a prescribed angular threshold of one of the cardinal axes, locking the direction along which the information elements are scrolled along that cardinal axis.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein, if the second criterion is satisfied and the displacement of the information elements which has occurred along one of the cardinal axes as a result of classifying the touch gesture as a flick gesture exceeds a minimum value, locking the direction in which the information elements are scrolled along said one of the cardinal axes.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the first criterion include a first minimum speed that the flick gesture is to exceed and the second criterion includes a second minimum speed that the flick gesture is to exceed, wherein the second minimum speed is greater than the first minimum speed.

10. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions executable by a computing system, wherein the instructions recognize a touch gesture on a touch-sensitive display, comprising:

categorizing a touch gesture as a flick gesture if it satisfies at least a first criterion;

determining if the flick gesture satisfies a locking threshold in which the flick gesture remains within a threshold area on the display for a minimum travel distance and, if the locking threshold is satisfied, locking the flick gesture so that it causes content presented on the display to be scrolled in a single dimension; and

if the flick gesture fails to satisfy the locking threshold, confirming that the touch gesture is a flick gesture if it satisfies at least a second criterion more stringent that the first criterion.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein, if the locking threshold is satisfied and a direction of the flick gesture is within a prescribed angular threshold of the single dimension, locking the direction along which the content is scrolled on the touch-screen display.

11. The computer-readable media of 10 wherein, if the flick gesture satisfies the locking threshold, causing any displacement of the content on the display in a second dimension to be undone so that the content scrolls only in the single dimension.

12. The computer-readable media of 11 wherein only a displacement up to a maximum specified value is undone.

13. The computer-readable media of 10 wherein the single dimension is along a cardinal axis.

14. The method of 10 wherein the first criterion include a first minimum speed that the flick gesture is to exceed and the second criterion includes a second minimum speed that the flick gesture is to exceed, wherein the second minimum speed is greater than the first minimum speed.

16. A computing device, comprising:

a touch-sensitive display;

a processor; and

memory comprising code executable by the processor to;

display a scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display;

detect a first touch gesture over the scrollable list of items on the touch-sensitive display;

classify the touch gesture as a flick gesture;

if the flick gesture satisfies at least a first criterion reflecting a user intent to scroll the information elements in a single direction along a first of a pair of axes, lock a direction in which the information elements are scrolled along the single direction; and

if the flick gesture satisfies the first criterion, undo any displacement of the information elements which has occurred along a second of the axes orthogonal to the first axis as a result of classifying the touch gesture as a flick gesture.

17. The computing device method of claim 16 wherein if the flick gesture does not satisfy the first criterion, further comprising code executable to determine if the flick gesture satisfies at least a second criterion further indicating that the user intent is to scroll the information elements in a single direction.

18. The computing device of claim 17 wherein the second criterion includes a minimum speed that the flick gesture is to exceed.

19. The computing device of claim 17 wherein, if the second criterion is satisfied, further comprising code executable to undo the displacement of the information elements which has occurred along at least the second of the cardinal axes as a result of classifying the touch gesture as a flick gesture.

20. The computing device of claim 19 wherein, if a direction of the flick is within a prescribed angular threshold of one of the cardinal axes, further comprising code executable to lock the direction along which the information elements are scrolled along that cardinal axis.